Filtering by Tag: Cooking Classes,Pizza

Eat Pizza & Fight Childhood Hunger: CTbites Partners with 3 Local Pizzerias to Benefit Filling in the Blanks

Features Restaurant Seasonal charity Pizza Homepage

Andrew Dominick December 01, 2021

This holiday season, CTbites is teaming up with three local pizzerias to benefit the Norwalk-based Filling in the Blanks. All YOU have to do to fight childhood hunger is order the specialty pies created by Letizia’s Pizza, Dave’s Planet Pizza, and Parlor Pizza, and a significant portion of the $$ goes directly to help feed children in our community this December.

Additionally, CTbites will match the donations gathered from the combined pizza sales. And for our readers…if you post a creative pic on Instagram, tag the restaurant you bought it from and Filling in the Blanks, and the hashtag #pizzaforgood, we’ll pick our favorite and send you a gift card from that establishment.

Founded in 2013 by mothers and community activists Shawnee Knight and Tina Kramer, Filling in the Blanks is a nonprofit that provides weekend meals to children and teenagers that come from food insecure households in Fairfield County and into Bedford Hills and Mount Kisco.

Filling in the Blanks now distributes meals in 80 schools year-round for youths who are eligible for the free or reduced lunch program and also to the A.L.I.C.E. Population.

From NOW through January 1, 2022, Letizia’s Pizza, Dave’s Planet Pizza, and Parlor (in Darien and Wilton) are offering specialty pizza creations to lend a hand to Filling in the Blanks’ mission.

Here’s what each spot is offering:

Sally’s Apizza Opens in Stamford: A Pictorial First Look

Restaurant Features Sally's Apizza Stamford New Haven New Haven Pizza Pizza Cocktails Homepage

Andrew Dominick October 09, 2021

Let’s just get right to it.

The legendary Sally’s Apizza expanding outside of Wooster Street is a pretty big freaking deal.

Yeah, yeah. We know. You like (INSERT YOUR FAVORITE NEW HAVEN PIZZA JOINT HERE) better. Or you’ll have a snarky comment to leave that’s along the lines of “Sally’s New Haven is better!” or “I’m done because they sold out!”

Don’t care.

We don’t even need to dive into the history of Sally’s. Chances are you probably know it already anyway.

But either way you slice it—yeah that’s a pizza pun—you’re intrigued by what the inside looks like and a few tidbits about what’s new at Sally’s first shot at a modern version of their growing ‘za business. And a couple visuals of their famous pies won’t hurt you either!

Sally’s. Stamford. Go crazy!

The Quartiere Debuts in Downtown Stamford

Interview Features Restaurant Italian Stamford Pasta Pizza Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick September 05, 2021

If you’ve cruised down Bank Street in Downtown Stamford, you may have noticed there’s a new Italian restaurant located in the former Cotto Wine Bar space.

The Quartiere—roughly translated is Italian for neighborhood, area, or district—aims to be a go-to spot for pizza, pasta, and the like, in an elevated, casual setting with affordable prices.

“The Q” is owned by Martin Bates, a 30-year industry vet from the United Kingdom where he ran an umbrella of 400 pubs, bars, and restaurants before taking on the role of president at a well-known sandwich and coffee franchise.

“I worked for a brewery in the U.K. that owned all these pubs; I was all over the country driving 60,000 miles a year, living out of a suitcase, I never saw my kids, and they kept buying all these businesses while I was burning myself out,” Bates says. “I took a sabbatical for a year, traveled, went to Spain. I eventually met the founder of Pret A Manger who offered me a job where I ran a chunk of the businesses. I came to NYC in 2007 to run Pret.”

Post Pret, Bates started his own private restaurant consulting firm, Ellis Rowan, and continued to open restaurant all over.

Three years ago, Bates decided he’d eventually like to open up something of his own. “I was looking for my thing,” he says. “I started looking into neighborhood Italian because I love this style of pizza and pasta. I’m a carb freak. I love it.”

Rosina’s Opens in Greenwich with Elevated Old School Italian

Features Interview Restaurant Italian Greenwich Cocktails Pizza Pasta Homepage

Andrew Dominick August 29, 2021

There’s a rejuvenated buzz in Byram’s business district at the old digs once housed Mill Street Bar & Table and before it, Lolita Cucina.

The sounds of chatter and laughter, forks clanking and squealing against bowls, and hungry patrons slurping peppery, parm covered cacio e pepe are all coming from Rosina’s, a new Italian restaurant brought to you by a couple of young industry veterans you should recognize.

Rosina’s is the creation of Jared Falco and Coby Blount, who met at Fortina’s Armonk location in 2014. Falco helped run the show in the kitchen, while Blount managed front-of-house operations. “We’ve been trying to do something together for five years,” Falco says. “When we met, we clicked and always had mutual respect for each other. Even if we had it out, we could still be cool.”

The pair had a dream to work together, they just needed it to come together. Separately, they kept honing their crafts in the restaurant industry. After his first stint at Fortina, Falco took up executive chef duties at Washington Prime, Amore, Speedy Romeo, and he’d return to Fortina to express his creativity as a co-culinary director. And there’s a chance you’ve come across Blount at SE Uncorked or East End to name a few.

Their friendship kept them in touch, and they’d occasionally entertain meetings with possible investors.

“They didn’t have what we wanted,” Falco says. They wanted Sophia Loren on the walls eating spaghetti and that’s not us.” Blount chimes in, “Some of them wanted to use other people’s ideas or rip them off completely,” he says. “It didn’t feel like what we wanted to do. Or they wanted to do something corny that we weren’t into.”

What they wanted to do was classic but refined Italian food. And although it took a few years to come up with the concept, it’s the food Falco has been cooking for over a decade. Think along the lines of riffs on traditional pasta dishes, big salads, thin and crispy pizzas, and seasonal vegetable small plates. They also knew they wanted to be a neighborhood spot with affordable prices but with a handful of indulgent offerings if the mood should strike you.

Flavorism: 5 Ghost Kitchens in Stamford Feature Local Chefs Thru Unique Delivery Platform

Features Restaurant Delivery Delivery Service Ghost Kitchen Stamford Pizza Salads Burgers

Jessica Ryan August 19, 2021

Long before the term ghost kitchen became part of our vernacular, Jonathan Brennan was busy building his in the heart of Stamford. Today his virtual food hall features six farm to table kitchens under one roof, is bustling and has plans for expansion in the very near future. Each kitchen features a unique menu with a different flavor profile to accommodate a wide range of different tastes and lifestyles with a focus on heath and sustainability. While Flavorism could be touted as a Ghost Kitchen, it’s really so much more. It’s a focus on sustainability, the elimination of excess waste, serving the local communities and hiring local talents.

The Zeneli Brothers Open Zeneli Pizzeria e Cucina Napoletana in New Haven

Features Restaurant Pizza Italian New Haven New Haven Pizza Openings Homepage

Christopher Hodson July 16, 2021

If you live in the New Haven area and are looking to book a trip to Naples, Italy, don’t buy that ticket just yet. At the end of Wooster Street on the right hand side, there is a place that will take you there in 90 seconds for a fraction of the price. Zeneli Pizzeria e cucina Napoletana is the new kid on the block of this already famous street known for some of the best pizza not only in Connecticut, but America as well. Wooster Street is home to several pizzerias, none more famous however than Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana and Sally’s Apizza. These two legendary powerhouses are what enshrined this street on the pizza map forever. Cue the Zeneli Brothers.

Sally's Apizza Opening in Stamford (via Patch.com)

Restaurant Pizza Openings Stamford Homepage

CTbites Team June 26, 2021

As reported by Patch.com…

Pizza lovers rejoice. Sally's Apizza of New Haven fame is coming to Stamford this summer.

Known for its authentic, New Haven coal-fired, brick oven pizza since 1938, the business announced in a news release on Tuesday that they are opening the first of its new locations at 66 Summer St. in Stamford in the coming months.

"We've seen people from other states and even other countries make the journey to New Haven for our craveable tomato sauce and addictive charred pies," said Rob Nelson, Sally's Director of Hospitality, in a news release. "Our fans have been hoping for years that we would open up additional locations and we are thrilled to announce to the world that this dream is now a reality."

Frank Pepe Pizzeria's Fresh Tomato Pie Is Back For Summer 2021

Features Pizza

Stephanie Webster June 21, 2021

Beginning on Saturday, June 26th, world-famous New Haven, Connecticut-based Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana (widely-known as “Pepe’s”), will be serving up their seasonal Fresh Tomato Pie again for a limited time at all Pepe’s restaurants. For the 13th summer in a row, the famous pizza will be offered July through September at each of the restaurant’s locations in New Haven, Fairfield, Danbury, West Hartford and Uncasville (Mohegan Sun), C.T.

Don't Miss Grigg Street Pizza's Stacked Sammies

Features Restaurant Greenwich Sandwich Pizza Homepage

Andrew Dominick June 05, 2021

Last August, I brought you an article that highlighted Grigg Street Pizza’s origin story with background on owners Matthew Watson and Jon Corbo, and gave you details about the star of Grigg’s show, their picturesque, delicious sourdough pizza.

Towards the end of that article, I teased that sandwiches would soon make an appearance. I immediately knew I’d return to scribble out a sandwich sequel.

And here we are. Grigg Street’s sandwiches have arrived. And they’re spectacular.

But like every good sammie, it’s important to begin with the bread. It’s likely the only thing Grigg Street doesn’t make in-house. Instead, it’s made to their specifications by The Kneaded Bread in Port Chester.

“Jeff Kohn (owner of The Kneaded Bread) made us smaller sourdough baguettes to stick with our sourdough theme,” Watson says. “I messed around with it myself. It came out OK but that’s a whole other job and program. I’d be here another five hours a day just doing that! But it’s nice to support another business by having them make it for us.”

Watson likens the size of each sandwich to a Spanish bocadillo typically eaten in cafés and tapas bars. They’re a little more streamlined, or as Watson puts it, “you don’t have to dislocate your jaw to eat it.”

Don’t worry, though, these are still substantial sammies.

Tim LaBant’s Parlor Sequel Opens in Darien

Features Restaurant Pizza Darien Cocktails WIne Salads Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick May 17, 2021

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.

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

Features Openings Pizza Glastonbury Vernon

CTbites Team May 07, 2021

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.

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 April 24, 2021

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.

Fortina Announces Menu Changes, New Direction for its Rooftop

Restaurant Stamford Pizza Pasta Italian Rooftop Homepage

Andrew Dominick April 11, 2021

Inquiring minds want to know…What’s the deal with Fortina after the departure of its founder, Christian Petroni? What’s new? What’s sticking around? What changes are coming?

We’ve got all that.

Oh, but before you freak out, those Fortina staples you know, and love aren’t going anywhere. You can take a deep breath.

“If we every got rid of stuff like the pastasciutto, paccheri, or The LB (Luigi Bianco), people would burn the buildings down,” jokes co-food director Paul Failla.

Failla, along with his cohort in culinary creativity, Jared Falco, say that the sky’s the limit for what you might see show up on what they’re calling a bit of a menu refresh.

One pop-up Fortina fans might have already noticed on social media is a weekly burger event at the Harbor Point location. The limited burgers are seemingly no frills from the outside looking in, but frills there are. Each is a chuck and short rib blend patty griddled in duck fat on a cast iron flat top for a crusty sear, then enveloped in good ol’ American cheese. It’s placed on a toasted Martin’s Potato Roll with homemade burger sauce, diced onion, and served with a house-brined pickle spear. The first burger event sold out in just over 30 minutes, so stay tuned for their burger announcements, and if you want one or several, be punctual.

The rest of the menu update will obviously progress with the seasons. Failla says they want to take a fresh approach and keep it local, citing Sport Hill Farm in Easton as a place they frequently get their produce from. When peas are at their springtime peak, expect to see fresh cavatelli with peas and sugar snaps, chunks of pancetta, black pepper, and parmesan. And while it’s still cool out, they’ve added two classic Italian soups, pasta e fagioli (actually pronounced PASTA FAZOOL!) and Italian wedding soup that doesn’t skimp on the meatballs.

Coals Brings Grilled Pizza, Burgers, and Wings to Norwalk

Features Restaurant Openings Pizza Norwalk Chicken Wings Burgers beer Homepage

Andrew Dominick April 03, 2021

Regulars of the Port Chester location of Coals Pizza got some bad news towards the end of 2020 when they announced December 30 would be their final day after eight years on N Main Street.

But in the case of Coals, when one location shuttered, another opened. In early February, they quietly debuted their third restaurant (their others are in Bronxville and Portland, Maine) in the former Fat Cat Pie Co. space in Norwalk.

According to Billy Etzel—who owns Coals along with Nick Restaino (whose wife, Blanca, steps in when he’s coaching baseball at Sacred Heart University), and Joe Rossi—opening in Norwalk was the plan way back when. “Nick lives in Norwalk and always kept his eyes open for a space and Fat Cat was available (after 16 years),” he says. “Way before we opened Port Chester, this was the first place we looked at before it was Fat Cat. Back then, we would have done what they did with wine and pizza.”

As far as why they left Port Chester, Etzel said it was a myriad of reasons including the redevelopment of the area where Coals PC occupied, plus the pandemic, but more so that it was time to move onto a new chapter.

Coals’ new chapter will only be new to those unfamiliar with what they became known for in the neighboring county, grilled pizza, wings, an award-winning burger, and a credible craft beer list.

“People know us because of the grilled pizza,” Etzel says. “What we do is food that most people consider simple food. We try to do it in the most ultimate way, and we put a lot of effort into that.”

Pizza Bianca with Mushrooms and Bacon via Westport Farmers' Market

Features Recipe Pizza Recipe

CTbites Team March 16, 2021

I have been making this dough for so long, I do not even remember where it came from. It has been my kids’ favorite since they were small, and it still is now that they are all grown up ;-). It is essentially foolproof, and takes no time to whip up. Because I wanted to represent as many vendors from The Westport Farmers’ Market as possible, and make it as close to a one-stop-shop recipe, I added some flour I had on hand from Kneads Bakery, and it worked. So this just goes to show…who says you can’t shop local + seasonal in the Northeast in March?!?

Tony Pizza Napolitano: A Pop-Up Worth Popping By

Restaurant Features Pop-Up Pizza Weston Easton Homepage

Andrew Dominick January 23, 2021

How’s this for a hidden gem pizza pop-up?

You follow Tony Pizza Napolitano on Facebook. You wait for a post with a schedule and menu—it usually posts by midday on Monday. Days and times typically read something like, “Silverman’s Farm on Wednesdays, the Norfield Grange in Weston on Thursdays and Fridays, 4 – 7 p.m. for all three days.”

But that’s not written in stone. It’s wise to check the weekly posts to make sure. If pizza strikes your fancy on Silverman’s days, just show up. If you’re a Thursday or Friday pizza person, you have to direct message the Facebook account to work out and confirm a time slot. No advance orders necessary, you can do that when you arrive. Cash is preferred but Venmo is OK, too.

There it is. All laid out for you. Easy-peasy, right?

Good.

But who is this “Tony,” anyway?

The “Tony” in question is Anthony Kesselmark. He has been a Weston resident for a decade and counting, and he previously owned a few restaurants in Dutchess County, a burger joint in Poughkeepsie and a few pizzerias in that area, one of which was Pizza & Stuff in Beacon.

Marygold’s on Main Opens in Newtown From Chef Neugold of The Foundry Kitchen & Bar

Restaurant Newtown Openings American Pizza Cocktails Seafood Oysters

Kristin L. Wolfe January 21, 2021

Walking along Newtown’s Main Street has always felt like stepping back in time. From dark painted Colonials with bright colored doors to a classic, yellow Federal house or the more decorative Queen Anne, you know every home has a story and the spirits of the town’s past are within reach. And, like the best pieces of historical fiction, Marigold’s on Main gives us a sense of two worlds. There’s something so exhilarating about being inside a place that has been revived from the past. Time stands still in the middle of yesterday and today. The space feels at once old and new; and, although there are thoughtful nods to another time on the menu, it is as inventive and fresh as you’d hope a new place would be. Not to mention, with Chef Clark Neugold at the helm, you know as worlds collide, he’ll still invent something that stands on its own.

Run by Chef Neugold and his wife Kate, of Foundry Kitchen & Tavern, and barely a mile down the road in Sandy Hook (see CTbites Feb 2019 for info), they know a thing or two or three about breathing new life into an old space. And, despite the setbacks Covid has undoubtedly thrust upon the industry, Marygold’s is off to a successful start. Alongside Chef Neugold, Derek Kustanbauter as Chef de Cuisine, and Steve Roth as Sous Chef, the team has brought forth a menu Connecticut diners will surely want to try.

Guide To CT Virtual (& In Person) Cooking, Cocktail, & Beer Classes

Features Education Cooking Classes Cooking Virtual Cooking Classes Best of CT Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe January 19, 2021

How would you rank your cooking skills? Have you become a master baker or a serious mixologist at the bar? From baking or creating homemade pasta to perfecting classic cocktails, we have a list of VIRTUAL (& IN PERSON) COOKING & COCKTAILS CLASSES for you to get the creative juices flowing. Step up your kitchen and home bar chops now:

Note to Readers: Many below who offer classes in person must adhere to strIct Covid guidelines, please heed protocols. That said, there are plenty of online options as well.

Do you know of a cooking class spot we missed? Contact us.

Mediterranean Favorite, Basso Restaurant & Wine Bar, Opens In Westport TODAY

Restaurant Openings Westport Mediterranean Italian Pizza Spanish Venezuelan Comfort Food

Stephanie Webster December 29, 2020

Chef Renato Donzelli, owner of Basso Restaurant & Wine Bar, has moved his longtime favorite Norwalk spot to Westport, CT. Basso opens his doors today in the beautiful two story building that once housed Matsu Sushi on Jesup Road. A loyal following, very favorable word of mouth, and a consistently excellent Mediterranean menu made Basso a huge success, and a neighborhood hangout for 13 years, so why Westport? Donzelli has had his eye on this restaurant friendly town for some time, but most importantly, he wanted to expand his dining capacity, and add al fresco dining to the menu. The new location boasts all of the above in addition to a wood fired pizza oven where Donzelli can now incorporate his family’s Neapolitan pizza recipes to his cooking repertoire. After tasting The Stallion Pizza last night at the soft opening, featuring Spanish chorizo, spicy sofrito, mozzarella, and fresh basil, I can say with great certainty, that I too am happy Donzelli found a new home where his dreams can be realized.

BAR New Haven & Bear's Smokehouse Partner Up for NEW Brisket Pizza, Launching TODAY

Features Restaurant Pizza New Haven New Haven Pizza BBQ News Homepage

Kristin L. Wolfe December 21, 2020

It’s official. It has now been scientifically proven that pizza does in fact bring unbridled joy and happiness upon all who partake. You can thank me for the revelation later. In the meantime get your asses over to BAR for their brand new seasonal pie, which might just knock your jingly socks and ugly Christmas sweater right off.

In what might be the best late-2020-collab since Bieber and Mendes’ “Monster,” BAR and Bears’ Smokehouse BBQ had a baby that you’ve got to try: Brisket Pizza featuring Bear’s BBQ brisket and Kansas City Sauce. White, mozzarella, Cheddar, Brisket, BBQ sauce, jalapeño, red onion and cilantro. Take a minute to read that again and focus on every ingredient. I’m sorry, but it is just down right sexy. Not any one ingredient overpowers the next, but all shine through like a little dance in your mouth. Wash it down with BAR’s own Highland Outlaw and your holiday has been made.