Jackie’s Empanadas On The Go: Artisanal Argentine Food Delivered

Ingredients Features Empanadas Home Delivery Cottage Bakers Latin American Bakery Argentine Comfort Food Caterer

Camille Vynerib

Due to the pandemic, many families have primarily been eating at home for the past year. Home-cooked meals are great but can get monotonous, and let’s be real -- sometimes you just don’t want all the work. Jackie’s Empanadas On The Go is a great solution for tired parents, young adults craving a quick delicious meal, and anyone looking for a unique alternative to the meal-time grind. They can be purchased frozen or baked, picked up or delivered… how easy is that?!

Jackie Mendive, the founder of Empanadas On The Go, said her journey began by preparing empanadas for her family and friends. Mendiv grew up in Argentina, and she wanted to keep her upbringing and culture alive. Jackie says she would often think to herself, “I wish I could just order them online” since the actual preparation was extremely time-consuming. In January of 2017, she decided to begin selling her empanadas to local families. Since then, Empanadas On The Go has expanded to all of Fairfield County, Westchester County, as well as delivering to Manhattan and Brooklyn.

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The Westport Farmers' Market Is Back for the 2021 Summer Season with 50+ Vendors

Features Ingredients Farmers Market Westport Healthy Eats Farm To Table Farm Fresh Ingredients Farm Stand Local Artisan Bread Bakery Food Truck

CTbites Team

The need to eat strikes in many different forms. Craving something healthy? At The Westport Farmers’ Market, you can grab some freshly grown produce to satisfy that yearning. Want something refreshing? Stop by the handmade popsicle stand to cool down. How about something sweet? Head to the various artisan bakers selling freshly baked pastries and bread.

After a brief intermission from the end of their winter season back in March, the Westport Farmers Market has reopened to serve the community fresh produce, baked goods and everything in between. Open Thursdays from 10-2 on Imperial Avenue in Westport, the market is something you will not want to miss.

With over 50 vendors determined to provide market-goers with healthy and fresh products, Westport residents can look forward to grabbing organic, local ingredients to prepare a healthy meal, or even a pre-made breakfast or lunch… after visiting all the other vendors…of course.

Visit the Westport Farmers Market to enjoy goods from any of their over 50 vendors or check out a few of our favorites below!

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Chef Carlos Perez Debuts New Menu & A Sneak Peek at His Mexican Spot...Coming Soon!

Restaurant Litchfield Mexican American Tacos Openings Lunch Brunch Asian Dessert Homepage

Jessica Ryan

When asked if I wanted to head back to Litchfield to check out Chef Carlos Perez’s new spring menu at The Corner Restaurant and get a sneak peek into his newest Mexican venture (around “the corner”) I replied with a resounding Hell Yeah!

I first met Chef Carlos last July in the courtyard outside of his then new restaurant. It was in the height of the pandemic and I was thrilled to have an excuse to get out of dodge, but I had no idea just what was in store for me. (You can read more about that here.)

Last week, on a cool, rainy May day I hopped into my car for the beautiful hour-long drive along the newly verdant landscape. The drive there was the rainbow leading me to the proverbial pot of gold - The Corner Restaurant.

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The Daily Cafe & Eatery Opens In Greenwich from Aux Delices' Debra Ponzek

Restaurant Greenwich Breakfast Lunch To-Go Grab-n-Go Comfort Food Vegetarian Openings

CTbites Team

After opening Aux Delices and making the eatery a household name in Fairfield County, why wouldn’t Debra Ponzek want to open a new cafe to accommodate the busy shoppers, commuters and local Greenwich residents with the perfect place to grab a quick bite?

Located in the heart of Greenwich Avenue, Daily Cafe and Eatery serves the Greenwich community seven days a week with grab-and-go breakfast and lunch items, made with fresh ingredients catered to accommodate the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Ponzek and her team officially opened their doors on May 5 on the Avenue, which was their ideal location.

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Tim LaBant’s Parlor Sequel Opens in Darien

Features Restaurant Pizza Darien Cocktails WIne Salads Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick

After opening his first Neapolitan inspired pizza parlor in Wilton at the tail end of 2018, Tim LaBant has a Parlor part two in Darien’s Corbin District.

That particular section of town, according to LaBant, was primed for his style of pizza because it wasn’t represented anywhere else nearby. “I eyed the Corbin District initially and even thought about waiting a few years,” he says. “I didn’t because I figured someone would beat me to it with a similar concept. We wanted to be here first.”

LaBant and his Parlor squad officially started firing up pies in the Forza Forni Pavesi on April 16.

As far as what you can expect from the Darien location, it’s much of what they do well in Wilton. Think pizza, veggies, wine, cocktails, and beer, at least for now. “We might add to the menu,” hints LaBant. “I know people are still doing lots of takeout. No one wants asparagus in a box.”

But that’s not to say there isn’t anything new going down.

Aside from Parlor’s classic margherita, plain cheese, or a pepperoni pizza, there’s a nod to a New Haven tomato pie and an ode to Roberta’s Bee Sting in the “Soppressata” with red sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, garlic, basil, chili flakes, and homemade hot honey.

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Hey Stamford! Food Festival Returns with Live Music, Celebrity Chefs, Food Vendors + More

Events Hey Stamford Food Festival Stamford

Hey Stamford!

After last year’s hiatus, I am SO excited to announce that the Hey Stamford! Food Festival will return for not one – but TWO WEEKENDS – of mouth-watering food, ice-cold craft beverages and world-class live music performances!

If you’re like us you are ready to get outside and have some fun in a safe and comfortable setting and that is exactly what we plan to do when we take over Stamford Downtown’s Mill River Park for TWO weekends – August 12-15 AND August 19-22, 2021!

CLICK HERE TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE 2019 HEY STAMFORD! FOOD FESTIVAL

Over the course of those two weekends we’ll showcase some of the top food vendors in our area, celebrity chefs, amazing live music and so much more! Check this out:

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Barvida Organic Plant-Based Eatery & Juice Bar Opens in Darien

Restaurant Juice Bar Juice Cleanse Healthy Eats Smoothies Openings

April Guilbault

Their name nails it: Barvida. Vida, life.

I might have simply walked in, but I had a bounce in my step as I left.

See, you never quite know what you are going to encounter at a self-proclaimed “healthy” eatery, as healthy can be interpreted pretty darned broadly and with some questionable interpretations, let’s be honest. It’s therefore wildly refreshing when you find a place that has their mission clearly defined and they take all the way to the finish line, with no stalls or excuses along the way. From their cheeky website to the very bubbly staff member, Tara, at the register (who, coincidentally, in her mask, bears a startling resemblance to Twyla from Schitt’s Creek-and yes, she’s just as friendly, sweet and sparkly), there is a palpable energy to Barvida.

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Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events For May 13-June 1

Features Events News Events

Stephanie Webster

May 23rd, The Engine Room presents BLUEGRASS & BBQ at Stone Acres Farm, 12-3pm with Nick Bosse & The Northern Roots. $20 cover includes a free beer.

June 5th from 12-7pm is New England Food Truck Fest with up to 20 of the best Food Trucks from CT, RI and MA! Live music by local bands and our events are always FREE ENTRY & FREE PARKING. More info here.

The Gastro Park Food Truck Park & Art pop up venue is in full swing. Check out their web site for the full schedule.

Artisan West Hartford has begun serving lunch again, M-F from 12-3PM. A few dishes from the seasonal menu include…Artisan Seafood Chowder, Noank Oysters, Chatham Cod Fish & Chips, Griddled Chicken Paillard, Moules Frites ++

@randyswoosterstreetpizza will be joining Parkville Market, CT’s First Food Court. They will be serving up pies & SLICES starting in June.

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Chef Rafael Palomino's Pacifico Continues as The Corner for Flavor in New Haven

Restaurant New Haven Latin American Celebrity Chef Brunch Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe

What is it about Latin food that is just so ga’damn sexy? Is it the aura surrounding it, the parade of flavors, the colors, the collision of land and sea on the plate? Who the heck knows? Well, Pacifico in New Haven does. And that’s because beloved Chef Rafael Palomino and partner Moe Gad know a thing or two about the world they are serving up. Since 2004, Pacifico has tapped into the community with a vibe all its own, and a corner of town just made for fun, flavor, and people watching! And, with Covid restrictions loosening, yet safety measures still in place, their outside dining area will be THE PLACE TO BE this summer.

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Square Peg Pizza Gourmet Italian & Arcade Opening 7 Locations in CT (via The Patch)

Features Openings Pizza Glastonbury Vernon

CTbites Team

A Glastonbury-based restaurant that combines pizza, gourmet food and an arcade is well on its way toward expanding its culinary empire that will begin in Vernon and Enfield and extend through its current location to Orange in partnerships with several of the new and popular axe-throwing venues.

When all is said and done, Square Peg Pizza will have seven new restaurants in Connecticut by next year.

A plan that would extend Square Peg's reach from the north central state border to the New Haven suburbs with eight locations seemed like it could be overly ambitious at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic when owner Jay Maffe first began getting serious.

Read the complete article on The Patch.

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The Food Crate Delivers Ultimate New England Seafood Experience To Your Doorstep (sponsored post)

Features Ingredients Home Delivery Seafood Delivery Service Lobster Lobster Roll Lobster Bake Catering

CTbites Team

Is there anything more perfect than hosting a dinner party for 6-8 people, where the meal is delivered to your doorstep, arrives in a single pre-made pot, and you don’t have to do ANY of the work? I think not. It is for this reason that I sing ALL the praises for THE FOOD CRATE’s customizable ATLANTIC STEAMPOT. This quintessential New England seafood experience comes ready to cook in its own container, complete with Snow Crab, Peeled White Shrimp, Atlantic Clams, Mussels, Smoked Sausage (optional), Potatoes and Corn….and the best part is…everything has been done for you. This dinner party in a box arrives perfectly layered. No muss. No fuss, All you need to do is pour wine or beer and cook as per the directions on the label. Bonus: Want more yum? Add up to 2.5LBS of mixed King Crab, Lobster, Shrimp and more Snow Crab a la carte and invite a few more guests.

BONUS!! CTbites Readers Get 10% OFF with Code FC10

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It’s A Woman’s World: Sara Oberhammer of Soulber Health + Healing

Features Interview It's A Woman's World Interview Vegan Gluten-Free Healthy Eats

Andrew Dominick

Connecticut is full of trailblazing women, particularly in the culinary world. Our ongoing column, “It’s A Woman’s World” is devoted to CT female influencers who’ve forged their own paths, often in food-related fields long dominated by men.

Whether farming the land, bringing healthy food to the masses, feeding an entrepreneurial spirit, or injecting feminism with food, these groundbreaking ladies have set a new definition of women’s work, creating new paths, and setting examples for those who follow.

Sara Oberhammer is someone I’ve personally wanted to feature for a while. Many of you might know her as a bartender at various restaurants around Fairfield County—and if you’ve had several of those mango margaritas with the spicy, salty rim at either location of The Blind Rhino, that was Sara’s award-winning creation.

While you still might catch her mixing cocktails at your favorite haunt, Sara has paved her own path in wellness, offering health coaching, personal training, and meal prepping colorful, nutritious bowls that are vegan, gluten-free, and even the dressings are homemade.

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Afternoon Tea Service Arrives at Elm in New Canaan

Features Restaurant Afternoon Tea New Canaan Pastries Tea Homepage

Andrew Dominick

If we lived in 1840’s England, most of us in middle class and below wouldn’t be allowed to have afternoon tea. Now that we’re past the 19th Century—and living in America in the joyous years of 2020 and 2021—tea, tiny sandwiches, and snackable sweets before dinner is for all to enjoy, regardless of status.

Afternoon tea in present day Connecticut can be found, though places that offer it are few and far between, but there’s a new one going down on Fridays by Luke Venner at Elm in New Canaan.

Venner told us that the idea for tea and bites came about when he was reminiscing with colleagues about their days in Manhattan and wanting to offer a New York City experience for locals. “It’s good for a neighborhood place like Elm because people aren’t going into the city as much as they used to,” he says. “But city people are coming here, so why not try to recreate that?”

What Elm is doing is all kinda classic of a tea service but with Elm’s twist on it.

Expect to see mini cucumber sandwiches…but with caviar. A ham and cheese sammy follows the fancy trend as it’s topped with a sliver of black truffle. And there’s a foie gras macaron. You get the idea.

Venner mentioned that he drew inspiration from Gabriel Kreuther’s tea program at the Baccarat Hotel.

“He was the former chef at The Modern and that (afternoon tea at the Baccarat) was one of the best I’ve had,” he says. “Offering this has become such a fun, creative outlet for me.”

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Little Barn To Open Second Location in Shelton

Features Shelton Openings American Gastropub Family Friendly

CTbites Team

Guess what! The uber family-friendly, American pub, Little Barn, is opening a second location in Shelton CT.

The first Little Barn opened in Westport 8 years ago serving us casual pub fare, with their new American menu. Given the success of the Westport location, the owners decided to expand. They chose Shelton for the second location as it is a town with dynamic growth and development and they wanted Little Barn to be a part of Shelton’s future.

Little Barn’s comfort food menu varies from burgers and tacos to healthy salads and Buddha bowls. They also feature many craft beers and signature cocktails, and bar is ALWAYS hopping. We have enjoyed Little Barn’s commitment to supporting local bands and have spent many a fun night listening to live music at the “barn.”

The Shelton location, which will have a large outdoor patio, will be open mid-summer 2021 and will have live music on the weekends.

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50 + Restaurants & Caterers for Mother's Day 2021

Features Restaurant Holiday Mother's Day Caterers Brunch Homepage

April Guilbault

Ma! Mom! Mommmmmmmm! Mamamamamama! Let’s hear it for Mom or all those fabulous women who are like Moms to us. While, of course, we are thankful for them each and every second/minute/day of the year, let’s go a bit above and beyond on the day named for them. It’s only fair and for sure will be appreciated. And here’s your glass of Prosecco, Mom….or two.

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Nibble: Tasty CT Food Events & News for May 1-7

Events Features Events News

Stephanie Webster

Stamford’s Mike’s Organic market and farm-to-home delivery service recently announced that their Market will now also be open every Sunday from 9am-2pm. With that, they’ve also announced a series of Sunday Funday activations they are hosting to celebrate. The activities range and include knife sharpening, charcuterie tastings, sheep shearings, ice cream & more!

WURST HAUS is officially open in West Hartford. Go get yourself some German eats!

Ahead of the highly anticipated 2021 travel season, Foxwoods Resort Casino is excited to announce plans to welcome Mystic Market Kitchen & Eatery, one of Connecticut’s most popular and beloved gourmet eatery destinations, to the resort this summer.

Join Chef Leticia Schwartz for a hands on virtual cooking class celebrating Cinco de Maio! Learn to cook: Salmon with Pumpkin Sunflower Sauce and Molten Brigadeiro Cake. Deets: Tuesday May 4th, 5:30 to 7Pm EST on Google Meet. $37 per person. Pre-registration is required. In partnership with Aquila's Nest Vineyards wine.

Join Townhouse Greenwich and Frank Family Vineyards on Tuesday, May 4, 2021 at 6:30pm, for what is sure to be a wonderfully delicious and fun evening! To book call 203.622.4223.

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Good Old Days Pizza: Matt Stanczak's New Newtown Joint for Za

Restaurant Newtown Pizza Openings Take Out To-Go Comfort Food Kid Friendly Lunch Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe

Look. I’m a lover not a fighter. So, when it comes to Pizza-in-Connecticut politics, I usually stand on this side of the pie. HOWEVER, I will always have an opinion. Here’s what I’ve concluded thus far: like coffee shops that seem to be on every corner, there’s always room for another slice. And, as Matt Stanczak, the mastermind and magic wand wielder behind Good Old Days Pizza agrees, as long as each shop is doing a little something different...then why not!?

So, let’s get our fric-on, shall we?

Talk about doing a little something different, the frico on Good Old Days’ “Detroit-Inspired” classic squares are such tasty, drool-worthy, dream-inducing corners of heaven. I’m not kidding. I think I’d go over and over again just to pick frico off everyone’s pie. Ok, maybe not amidst a pandemic, but you get what I mean. Salty, crispy and chewy brown bites of cheese that are like the edges of nonna’s lasagna. If that’s not all, the thick red sauce is bright, and the dough looks like it should be dense and heavy, but it’s not.

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Smoking Again: Pitmaster Leland Avellino Opens Takeout-Only Avellino Family BBQ

Features Interview BBQ Pitmaster Norwalk Homepage Comfort Food Catering

Andrew Dominick

Leland Avellino is a name that might be familiar to local BBQ enthusiasts. Even if you can’t recall, there’s a good chance you ate at the Stamford branch of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que at least once. Avellino, who was a partner, didn’t only open that location in 2012, he went on to become the company’s corporate executive chef before he transitioned away from that role to return to the BBQ pits in Stamford because as he puts it, “I met my wife, had two kids, and life on the road wasn’t good for that, so I came back.”

When Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Stamford decided to pull the plug in June 2020 due to COVID-19, Avellino got antsy. He wanted to feed people clamoring for his smoked meats and he needed to get back to work to feed his family.

“I was sitting home, I was bored, and I wanted to feed my people,” he says. “I bought this 500-gallon converted propane tank smoker on a whim. I looked at tanks in Texas, Kansas, I talked to pit bosses all over to find a good one. I bought this one (built in Austin) locally from a guy who was going to do something in Greenwich, and he didn’t because of COVID. I bought it without telling my wife! I pulled the trigger, and boom! Here we are!”

The “here” is in the Glenbrook section of Stamford, at 47 Larkin Street, past Lock City Brewing and Marcia Selden Catering, at ONTHEMARC Events where Avellino uses a commercial kitchen space and parks his smoker by the front door.

At Avellino Family BBQ, he’s not doing the same ‘cue he did at Dino.

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