Filtering by Tag: Tacos,Greenwich

The Taco Project Opens in Stamford with Vibrant Mexican Fast Casual Fare

Restaurant The Taco Project Tacos Mexican Fast Casual Cocktails Stamford Openings To-Go Lunch Homepage

Andrew Dominick April 14, 2022

Tarrytown, Yonkers, Bronxville, Pleasantville, and now Stamford.

Since opening in 2014 in Tarrytown, The Taco Project’s popularity kept growing in Westchester, and now they’ve brought their brand of Mexican-inspired fast casualness across the state border to the busy High Ridge Shopping Center.

Co-owner Carmelo Milio—who’s one of The Taco Project’s head honchos with partners Sebastian Aliberti and Nicholas Mesce—mentioned that opening their fifth location in Stamford was a natural progression for their brand.

“Being that we’re all Westchester residents (Sebastian is in Pleasantville, I’m in Armonk, and Nick’s in Dobbs Ferry), we come to Stamford to hang out often,” he says. “We’ve always thought about opening here, but we didn’t necessarily want it to be Downtown, so we can cater to our fans in Pound Ridge and Bedford as well. We like to be in these type of neighborhoods where it’s a little more laid back, more families, but still keep a fun ambiance while getting your food to you quickly, like within 15 minutes or so.”

Nit Noi Opens in Cos Cob with Unique Broth Bar Concept & Divine Dumplings

Features Restaurant Openings Asian Bone Broth Dumplings Greenwich Healthy Eats

CTbites Team March 26, 2022

Nit Noi has just opened in Greenwich’s Cos Cob? The Greenwich Free Press has the full scoop.

This month a new retail food establishment, Nit Noi, opened at 3 Strickland Road in Cos Cob with a unique proposition: a broth-based menu with a Thai twist, plus a variety of hand-folded dumplings.

North and Jillian Shutsharawan, a husband and wife team who opened their first Nit Noi location in Norwalk in 2017, explained that Nit Noi means ‘a little bit,’ in Thai.

North and Jillian Shutsharawan at the Nit Noi location in Cos Cob. March 4, 2022 Photo: Leslie Yager

While many people think of broth as a building block for recipes, broth has become a new food category in itself, and Shutsharawans said their slow simmered broths are unlike anything store bought. They are both nourishing and filling.

The idea for a broth type business emerged during a trip North and Jillian took to Colorado.

“All the restaurants were chowder or chili,” North said. “Lots of meat and potatoes.”

“By that point brodo had become a big thing in the city,” Jillian said, adding that Chef Marco Canora had successfully established the concept at his East Village restaurant, Hearth, where he opened up a takeout window just for hot cups of broth.

“Our broth is different,” Jillian added. “Ours is Thai style, so we use different herbs and different types of bones. The production is completely different.”

“My mom has a great noodle soup recipe,” said North, who was born in Bangkok. His family moved to New York when he was six.They later moved to Norwalk, where he met Jillian in high school.

Read the complete article here.

Tacombi, NYC's Beloved Mexican Taqueria Sets Sights on Westport

Features Restaurant Mexican Openings Westport Tacos Breakfast Lunch

CTbites Team March 04, 2022

This just in from The Westport Journal….

“The old filling station, at 1680 Post Road East in Westport, built circa 1955, and most recently home to AJ’s Farmstand, might soon be Tacombi’s latest outpost, minus the vintage VW with an air-cooled engine.”

This beloved NYC taco, burrito and quesadilla mecca has just been approved by planning & zoning, to move into Westport. Their tag line is “Connecting you to Mexico,” and the menu is the real deal.

Tacombi’s website says…

“We purchased a 1963 ‘combi’ bus in Mexico City, wheeled it slowly (very slowly) through the Yucatan peninsula and parked it comfortably in the once-sleepy, now wide awake, beach town of Playa del Carmen. The engine was scrapped, transmission sold, seats swapped for cooking equipment, and the roof was reeled back to produce a taco serving stand with warmth, charm and character.”

The chain opened its first brick-and-mortar location in New York City in 2010, where the bus is displayed inside. Since then they have expanded throughout NYC, and have locations in Long Island, Miami, and Virginia.

Ruby & Bella’s Opens in SaksWorks on Greenwich Avenue

Restaurant American WIne Cocktails Openings Greenwich Burgers Ladies Who Lunch Homepage

Andrew Dominick February 19, 2022

You may not be able to purchase a Polo shirt or a pair of khakis at 265 Greenwich Avenue any longer, but you can set up shop and work remotely there, or you can host a meeting, attend an event, take a yoga or HIIT class, and have a sit-down dinner all under one roof.

What was Ralph Lauren is now SaksWorks, a membership-based work meets life concept. With its flagship in Saks Fifth Avenue and a second in Brookfield Place, SaksWorks Greenwich is part of the company’s expansion that will soon follow with locations in Manhasset and Eastchester in the vacant Lord & Taylor.

We’ll let you decide if this concept or if membership is for you. If it is, and if it isn’t, you can still visit the Greenwich location membershipless (totally aware that isn’t a word) for a cup of coffee, lunch, or dinner.

What’s common in all SaksWorks is an anchor restaurant of some sort. In the case of Greenwich, that restaurant is Ruby & Bella’s, named after owner Richard Baker’s dogs.

Bianca in Greenwich Opens From Owners of Popular NYC Italian Restaurants

Features Interview Restaurant Italian Greenwich Homepage

Andrew Dominick January 31, 2022

Greenwich Avenue is booming with new restaurant openings.

Last year, “The Ave” saw an influx of Asian cuisine with the additions of Kissaki, Moon, and Hinoki. In 2022, Ruby & Bella’s just quietly opened up and a second iteration of Brian Lewis’ The Cottage should arrive shortly.

The latest, though, is Bianca, an Italian restaurant that’s not planning on serving pizza, chicken parm, or spaghetti and meatballs any time soon.

Bianca comes to Greenwich by longtime friends and former Naples, Italy countrymen, Rosario Procino and Raffaele Ronca, both of whom have extremely popular restaurants in Manhattan. Procino is a partner at Ribalta, the lauded Neapolitan pizza joint that’s always a good time, while Ronca owns two successful classic Italian restaurants, Rafele, in the West Village and in Rye.

Bombar’BQ: Delicious Latin Fusion Food Truck in Byram

Features Interview Restaurant Food Truck Greenwich Byram Latin American Latin Fusion Homepage

Andrew Dominick December 19, 2021

Finding article subjects can, at times, be difficult. I know that for me, the best resources are often chefs and restaurant owners. One questions that comes up often when we run into each other is, “Where have you been eating lately?” Sometimes we’ll randomly send a text or DM when we feel passionately about an establishment, or in this case, a food truck!

The tip about Bombar’BQ came from Nathalia Gonzalez, who owns the wonderful Colombian restaurant Antojos in Norwalk. “Their food is delicious!” she wrote to me. “You have to come by and try them!”

When I had time to visit, she even threw in her recommendations of a carne asada taco, an arepa, and a creation called “Bomba Fries” topped with smoked brisket as per Nathalia’s suggestion.

I hopped in my Jeep after a gym session and punched the address into Google Maps. I noticed it was just off Mill Street in the Byram section of Greenwich. Cool. Easy enough. No traffic on 95? Even better. Eighteen minutes later, I pulled up by Ebb Tide Boat Rentals and spotted the Bombar’BQ trailer sitting right on the side of the bait & tackle shop. I love fishing, but I certainly wasn’t there for sandworms or bunker.

Before knowing what Bombar’BQ is all about, getting to know its owner, Ruddy Bollat, is essential.

Bollat didn’t have a background in the hospitality industry until he came to the U.S. a decade ago. In fact, he was an accountant in his home country of Guatemala. “In my country it’s hard to succeed in the restaurant/hospitality industry,” he says. “I’ve always been passionate about food, so when I came to the U.S. I saw an opportunity. Since I was an accountant, being good with numbers helped me succeed as a chef here.”

From there, Bollat got bit by the restaurant bug when he took a job a bartaco Westport as a dishwasher. It wasn’t long until he was offered an opportunity to cook on the line. It was onward and upward after that. “I was hungry to succeed,” he says. “It took me two years before I became the executive chef of bartaco in Stamford. In 2016, I transferred to Barcelona Wine Bar. I worked in Norwalk, D.C., Denver, and Philly.”

After his long stint with the Barteca Restaurant Group, Bollat worked as the kitchen director at Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, then with Hudson Grille in White Plains, and he helped out at Hudson’s other concept, Lilly’s.

Right around the time Bollat made the decision to do his own thing, the pandemic hit. “It was hard to open a restaurant, so we decided to open a food trailer,” he says. “The plan was to have a Latin BBQ fusion concept. A lot of the techniques and spices we use are influenced by Central and South American cultures.”

And that’s how Bombar’BQ was born.

@ The Corner and Chef Carlos Perez Open ATC South Street Featuring High End Tacos + Cocktails

Features Interview Restaurant Litchfield Cocktails Tacos Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick December 13, 2021

Chef Carlos Perez is a busy man. Not only is he running the kitchen at the popular @ The Corner, a 2021 CRAzies winner for Best Restaurant West Region, he’s somehow found time to open a separate concept right next door.

Unlike @ The Corner, ATC South Street is not New American…it’s all about tacos, Mexican-inspired shared plates, and mostly agave-based craft cocktails.

“We (Perez along with owners Jayne and Red Lamphear) started working on it last March when the hair salon next door went out of business,” Perez says. “The place was a blank canvas. And we knew the opportunity wouldn’t come up again, so we jumped on it. We floated the idea of a pizza concept but there’s already enough of that. In the past at @ The Corner, we did Japanese sushi fusion with Mexican tacos as a pop-up, and they did well. We thought to go straight up Mexican because there’s not a lot of that here.”

We’ll get to the food soon. But what there’s also not a lot of according to Perez and bartender Alfie Gonzalez, is a spot that stays open a bit later than the rest for a younger crowd and for the restaurant industry. Whether it’s at 11:30 a.m. when they open, or 11-something at night, there’s a smooth Oaxaca old fashioned, a sweet (but sneaky) Painkiller, or some other tequila cocktail just for you. And if you want something that’s not listed, we’re betting they can make it. If wine is more your speed, they’ve got some of that, as well as plenty of local craft beer from the likes of Hoax, Two Roads, New Park, and Kent Falls.

While you enjoy the first sips of your cocktail of choice, do it with “small plates” and “sides” that are large enough to be shared. Chips & salsa at ATC South Street actually come with more than just salsa, there’s guac and queso that accompany it. But maybe the best sauce of them all comes with baked yucca fries. The habit forming black garlic mojo aioli is pungent, but kind of sweet, and all kinds of creamy. It’s the perfect dipper for the crispy outside, starchy inside of the yucca fries. If there’s any of that sauce leftover, don’t let the server take it away. You’ll use it on something else.

The rest of ATC South Street main menu is all about tacos. Each comes on Mi Tierra organic corn tortillas made with three ingredients (corn, water, and lime) grown and processed in the Connecticut River Valley.

What’s on (or in when you fold it!) each taco is mostly Mexican. The short rib in the birria taco is braised low and slow for six hours in a tomato base with malbec and beef stock. Perez told us that they continue saving the rich liquid for the next batch and make sure they skim the fat to make their consommé. If you know birria, you know that the consommé doesn’t only come into play when the tacos are getting toasty and melty on the flat top, but you get a little sidecar of it for taco submersion.

The pork taco (pineapple mango chutney, pickled cabbage, apple chayote salsa) is also braised for six hours in an orange juice, citrus, and garlic mojo, while the chicken tacos (pepita mole, avocado, pickled red onion, cotija cheese) are thighs braised in Tajin, a spice predominantly made up of ground chilis, salt, and lime.

Perez, though, who’s classically French trained and has a strong pastry background, mentioned that Mexican is a base for what ATC South Street intends on being, but that you will most certainly see him express his creativity with fusion tacos. On the initial menu, there’s a Japanese influenced tuna taco, served seared and rare, with carrot-seaweed slaw as one of its components.

Bistro V Serves Up Casual French Bistro Fare & All the Vibes in Greenwich

Restaurant Greenwich French Lunch Burgers Bar Cocktails Bistro

Jessica Ryan September 18, 2021

It’s been a couple of years since I dined at Bistro V on the Ave in Greenwich, and I was thrilled to have been invited for lunch last week.

When Marc and Evelyne Penvenne noticed a for sale sign on the restaurant’s doors they knew that they had to step in and purchase it. The former Versailles was not only a fixture in the Greenwich restaurant scene, but for this couple it had a nostalgic and sentimental meaning. They just couldn’t let the beloved establishment go; the two met there as employees in. The Penvennes had already established themselves as successful restaurateurs. The owners of another perennial favorite, Méli-Mélo, have been feeding guests there, just a couple of blocks away, for over 25 years.

After a slight rebranding, facelift and name shift, Versailles became Bistro V, inspired by their memories of growing up with the classic bistros in France.

Coffee for Good Opens in Greenwich: Great Coffee with a Great Mission

Features Restaurant Openings Coffee Tea And Coffee Greenwich Sandwich Breakfast Philanphropy

Stephanie Webster September 07, 2021

Coffee for Good is now open in downtown Greenwich, and it’s not your ordinary high-end coffee shop. Sure, you can grab yourself a perfectly pulled shot of espresso or a latte c/o their well trained baristas and the fine roasters at PATH Coffee in PortChester. But Coffee For Good provides much more than a daily caffeine fix for our community.

Coffee For Good was spearheaded by Greenwich resident, Deb Rogan, in partnership with Abilis, as a self-sustaining, nonprofit organization, to serve as a training platform and employer for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The coffee shop, which provides espresso based beverages, smoothies, local baked goods, as well as sandwiches and salads, gives their trainees the opportunity to succeed and be a part of the local workforce.

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.

LobsterCraft Opens in Greenwich With A Serious Lobster Roll Menu

Restaurant Greenwich Openings Lobster Lobster Roll Sandwich Seafood Lunch

Jessica Ryan August 17, 2021

Quietly, three months ago, Captain William Michael Harden aka “Captain Mike” opened his second Lobster Craft location in the heart of Greenwich on Greenwich Avenue.

We sat down to chat with him about the Greenwich location, new menu items, new restaurants down the pipeline and the challenges of opening a restaurant during a pandemic.

Like most restaurants, staffing has been an issue and he’s operating with a skeleton crew but he’s very proud of his young workers, their work ethic and dedication. With over a decade of success with the original Fairfield location as well as the Lobster Truck, the recipes have been perfected and feeding the masses is the easy part. (The hard part, for us, was deciding which roll to get! Scroll down and you’ll see what I mean!)

Hinoki Opens In Greenwich with Japanese Izakaya & Dim Sum

Restaurant Dim Sum Chinese Japanese Sushi Dumplings Greenwich Homepage

Jessica Ryan July 25, 2021

Hinoki, a relaxed tapas-style Asian cuisine in a casual, fine dining atmosphere opens in Greenwich.

Some things are worth waiting for, and Hinoki was one of them. Slated to launch prior to the pandemic, the restaurant’s doors are finally open. Brought to you from the successful team behind Miku Sushi in Greenwich and Kumo Sushi Lounge in Scarsdale, K. Dong and Chef Steven Chen, Hinoki introduces a new concept in Asian cuisine, bringing together a relaxed tapas-style Asian cuisine known as Izakaya along with the exclusive chef’s table experience known as Omakase, in a stunning setting at 363 Greenwich Avenue in Greenwich. The two concepts are separated into three separate sleek and elegant dining areas including a private omakase event space, as well as an outdoor space on Fawcett Place.

¡Ay Güey! Cocina Mexicana Opens In Stratford

Restaurant Stratford Mexican Delicious Dives Tacos Lunch Openings

James Gribbon June 08, 2021

There's a spot in Stratford most people can't see. An eighth of an acre, give or take, on Rt. 110 between I-95 and the River Road, where nothing seems to exist unless you're looking right at it. Focus your eyes on the spot, and your mind might register the word "Deli" on the storefront, which itself might be different each time you did, because they've been opening and closing in the location for years, flashing in and out of existence with the frequency of the scroll on an electronic billboard. There was nothing wrong with any of them, they just didn't send a signal from enough people's eyes to their brake pedals. A new spot has them taking notice.

¡Ay Güey! Cafe & Cocina Mexicana is a wholly different concept, and has transformed the space as much as the food served within. Everything from every deli before it went out the window. The interior is bright white, with inset drink coolers and a few tables for inside dining, while the sidewalk patio has been joined by a fenced and landscaped outdoor dining area to the side. Snag a Mexican Coca Cola, Mundet, Jarritos, etc. and whatever from the case and take a good luck the menu. Horchata, Topo Chico, and cafe de Olla (coffee dosed up with cinnamon and Piloncillo raw sugar) are also available for the soda-averse.

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.

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 May 23, 2021

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.

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 May 19, 2021

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.

Chef Brian Lewis Opening The Cottage in Greenwich

Features open Greenwich Chef

CTbites Team March 17, 2021

Raphaël’s Bakery Opens in Greenwich with Authentic French Baked Goods

Restaurant Greenwich Openings Bakery Dessert Baked Goods

Camille Vynerib March 04, 2021

At CTbites, we like to feature the voices of food lovers of all ages. Please welcome a new writer from Staples High School, Camille Vynerib.

This winter break I was unable to go on vacation due to COVID-19. However, the instant I walked into Raphaël’s Bakery in Greenwich, this snowy morning, I found I was able to catch a glimpse of France. The wonderful smells that immediately hit me as I opened the door, the beautiful pastries, and the delicious hot cocoa and baked goods, all were a treat to the senses.

Amidst the pandemic, Raphaël’s Bakery has brought an authentic French experience to Greenwich, Connecticut. Raphaël, a third-generation baker born in Brittany, France, and his wife Charlotte Dequeker finally had their dream become a reality when they opened their doors this past December.

Kissaki Opens In Greenwich with An Outstanding Sushi Experience

Restaurant Sushi Seafood Japanese Greenwich Omakase Openings Homepage

Jessica Ryan February 27, 2021

Kissaki has finally come to CT…Greenwich to be exact. The high end boutique sushi chain has earned accolades from Eater, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Crains, to name a few. Most recently the upscale and wildly popular sushi eatery shot into the spotlight on Page Six when comedian Jimmy Fallon left a $400 tip at the Watermill NY location. CTBites is thrilled to announce the restaurant’s Connecticut debut.

Kissaki is the latest in a slew of sushi and omakase joints now calling Greenwich home, but none, so far, has what this has - it’s got chutzpah. The Greenwich venue marks the restaurant’s 5th location after The Hamptons, Long Island City, The Bowery and Columbus Circle. There are plans for further expansion in the near future.

MOON Opens in Greenwich: Japanese Omakase + European Fine Dining

Restaurant Openings Greenwich Japanese American Sushi Fine Dining Cocktails Homepage

Jessica Ryan February 07, 2021

Moon is the newest restaurant to grace Greenwich’s illustrious restaurant scene offering a mixed culinary concept featuring an immersive cocktail experience, and an authentic Japanese Omakase experience. The upscale eatery boasts an interior with influences from both Asia and Europe. Sleek lines, natural elements of woods, stone and glass grace the interior offering an atmosphere that is sophisticated, elegant and welcoming.