Filtering by Tag: Holiday,Peruvian

60+ CT Restaurants & Caterers for Mother's Day Meals: 2020 Edition

Features Restaurant Holiday Mother's Day Catering Take Out To-Go Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Mother’s Day is Sunday May 10th, and extra challenging times call for extra special celebrations. Connecticut restaurants will help you treat Mom to a wonderful day with pick-up and delivery brunches, lunches, dinners, chocolates, desserts… and even spa treatment and flower add-ons!

Check out our list of 50+ CT Restaurants and Caterers for Mother’s Day 2020.


18+ Places for Cinco de Mayo: Virtual Parties, Margaritas, Takeout, and More!

Features Cinco de Mayo Holiday Mexican Tacos Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

We may be stuck inside, but Connecticut restaurants and caterers are helping us travel south of the border with their Cinco de Mayo packages! Some places like Bartaco and Wakeman Town Farm are bringing the fiesta into your home with virtual events while others are offering delicious cuisine and all the fixings to make your own margaritas! Are you ready to party? If the answer is “si!” check out our guide below.


30+ Connecticut Restaurants & Caterers for Easter Dinner To-Go

Features Catering Holiday Easter Special Occasion Entertaining

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

We may have to stay indoors, but the Easter bunny is ready to hop on over! Easter arrives on Sunday April 12, and Connecticut restaurants are making sure that you can still enjoy the holiday to its fullest with delectable to-go meals. From a la carte to family-style to catering to heat and serve, there are options to meet every need. Check out this list of 20+ places and let us know if you hear of any other places with tasty Easter meals


45+ Restaurants, Bars & Events for St. Patrick’s Day in CT: 2020 Edition

Features Holiday St. Patrick's Day Bar

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

St. Patrick’s Day arrives on Tuesday March 17, and Connecticut bars and restaurants have specials that will have you Dublin over with glee! Some spots aren’t even limiting the holiday to a day. The Tasty Yolk serves up its “Corny Yolk” breakfast sandwich for the entire month of March and at pubs like O’Neill’s the celebration spans the whole weekend. So get out your green and be ready to sham-rock and roll! These 50+ places invite you to Irish breakfasts, concerts, pub crawls, and more.


80 + Restaurants for Valentine’s Day in CT: 2020

Features Holiday Special Occasion Valentine's Day Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Move over Santa!  With the holidays in the rearview, cupid is coming to town.  Valentine’s Day falls on Friday February 14th and Connecticut Restaurants and Caterers are serving up “sweet” deals to make sure that you and your special someone have an evening to remember.  Here are 80+ places where you can go for a romantic night out.


10 Things—or Tapas—We Loved About Mezón Restaurant in Danbury

Restaurant Latin American Peruvian Mexican Danbury Tapas Homepage

Stephanie Webster & Andrew Dominick

For nearly a decade, Mezón Restaurant has been thought of as one of Connecticut’s premiere Latin eateries by word of mouth and its seen its fair share of media recognition—they are fresh off Connecticut Magazine Reader’s Poll wins for Best Latin in Fairfield County and the runner-up for Best Latin in the state. And that’s saying something considering they didn’t even know they were nominated and because of that, they didn’t publicize it.

Four years ago, our own Lou Gorfain sang Mezón’s praises after a small tasting of ceviche, pan seared pulpo, Dominican fried chicken, and churros. But everything food deserves an update, especially considering there’s a new chef at the helm, an obviously newer menu, and a haven for craft cocktails.

Oh, and I’m pretty sure Lou and Kristin are the only ones at CTbites who have been to Mezón. For Stephanie and me, we uttered the same thing, “I’m embarrassed I hadn’t been here before.”


40+ Restaurants for Christmas Eve & Christmas in CT: 2019 Edition

Restaurant Christmas Holiday Christmas Eve Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Thanksgiving has passed and snow is on the ground… it’s almost time for Christmas!  It’s a festive time of year, but also a busy one full of shopping, cleaning, decorating, baking, and travelling.  Why not save some time on the cooking?  These 40+ CT restaurants are open on Christmas Eve and Christmas with special menus, festive cocktails, and more.  Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from your friends at CTBites!


CT Distilleries Share Their Favorite Holiday Cocktail Recipes

Features Ingredients Cocktails Recipe Entertaining Holiday Local Artisan Distillery Spirits Homepage

April Guilbault

’Tis the season for merriment annnnd with merriment usually comes festive cocktails. Knowing that Connecticut has some amazing small-batch distilleries, we would like to highlight some delicious cocktails utilizing these spirits to get your party going and get your guests dancing like ol’ Mr. Fezziwig. Enjoy these jovial creations at your next party or pick up a bottle of these local spirits as a great gift for hostesses, friends or family members. Spread the local love, raise those glasses and enjoy the holidays. Cue the merriment!


100+ CT Restaurants & Venues for The Perfect Holiday Party: 2019 Edition

Features Entertaining Catering Private Party Holiday Parties Best of CT Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

As the temperatures drop and November gives way to December, it’s time to get ready to celebrate the holidays!  Call up your friends and family, pick out a festive outfit, and find the perfect place to throw your seasonal bash.  These 100+ restaurants and venues across CT have private and semi-private spaces for intimate affairs, company parties, enormous shindigs, sit-down meals, cocktail hours, and more.  After all, they don’t call it “the most wonderful time of the year” for nothing!


CTbites 2019 Holiday Gift Guide For CT Food Lovers

Features Gift Guide Holiday Local Artisan Homepage

April Guilbault

We’re back with some soon-to-be-loved holiday gifts! From hostess gifts to a Big Kahuna gift (get your passport ready!), we’ve uncovered an array of goodies that you will be excited to give and others will be thrilled to receive. With your beloved foodies in mind, bestow these gems in the spirit of love and good eats-made even better knowing that they all originate in our fair Nutmeg State. See, even the name of our state is food-centric. We love to support local and small businesses and hopefully, this list will encourage you to check out these favorite new finds. Happy Holidays everyone, eat well, gift well! …and if shopping stresses you out too much, go get some Oops, I Ate My…..you’ll see (wink!).


Chef Bill Taibe's Cider Braised Turkey Legs Recipe

Features Holiday Thanksgiving Recipe Comfort Food

Bill Taibe

We pulled this recipe from the files circa 2011. Enjoy.

For many people, the best part of the Thanksgiving turkey are the legs. The dark meat is more richly flavorful and for those who are in this camp...why bother with the breast? Chef Bill Taibe has come up with a solution for turkey leg lovers everywhere...Cider Braised Turkey Legs. Braising vs baking makes the meat literally fall off the bone. Enjoy.


Sweet Potato Pie Recipe from Latin Chef/ Author Leticia Schwartz

Recipe Features Recipe Thanksgiving Holiday Pie Dessert

Leticia Schwartz

Ok, I’m all about healthy cooking. The proof is in the book, Latin Superfoods. But this time of year is a little special! Let’s dig right into this Sweet Potato Pie, adapted from Gourmet Magazine. Go ahead and celebrate the old-fashioned way with family and friends.

Growing up in Brazil, such a tart was not in the habits, and in fact it took some time for me to get the liking of it. But after 20 years of living here, let me tell you, I’m hooked! And Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays since it’s all about food, friends and family!


50+ CT Restaurants Serving Thanksgiving Dinner & Catering: 2019 Edition

Features Holiday Thanksgiving Catering Caterers Special Occasion homepage Homepage

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and many of Connecticut’s best restaurants have Thanksgiving specials & catering worth gobbling up! From prix fixe menus to extensive buffets to family style to take-out, there are options for everyone. So don’t cry fowl– make your reservations today! Space is limited and seats fill up quickly, and get your catering orders in if you’d prefer to do Thanksgiving at home, without the work!


20+ Places For Great Holiday Pies in CT (2019 Edition)

Restaurant Best of CT Pie Dessert Holiday Bakery Homepage

April Guilbault

Holiday season is heeeere, with its feasts and parties, and let’s be honest, you can’t really have too much pie, now can you? Note: with the brief exception of a kooky aunt who, after a post-Thanksgiving bout on the tread mill, did wearily proclaim “Too....Much....Pie!” but that’s another story for another time. So where to go for the best pies with the flakiest crusts, sweetest streusel toppings and the most flavorful fillings? We’ll be happy to tell you. Get those dessert plates ready and, um...you might want to loosen that belt.

Here are 20+ places to buy great holiday pies in CT.


Candied Kabocha Squash Recipe: Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern on State

Features Recipe Recipe Holiday Thanksgiving Cooking Entertaining

CTbites Team

For the next two weeks CTbites will be featuring a series of Thanksgiving recipes from local CT chefs. Some of these recipes will be family favorites, or dishes the chefs cook in their own homes. Others will grace the holiday menus found at your local restaurant. One thing is certain. They will all be delicious and worthy of a seat at YOUR table. Our second in this series comes from Chef Emily Mingrone of Tavern On State. Enjoy her recipe for Candied Kabocha Squash.