2016 was another great year for restaurant dining throughout CT. We asked the CTbites staff to share some of their most memorable meals, go-to spots and varied dining experiences from this past year.
Here are our favorite meals and restaurants of 2016.
Jeff "jfood" Schlesinger
My favorite dishes in 2016 ranged from a chicken sandwich to pasta with crab and sea urchin butter. The food was smoked, braised, quickly seared, fried, raw, served between two slices of bread, on a porcelain plate, in a bowl, on an aluminum tray and a paper plate; all were bold and balanced. It was quite a diverse year for me. My Top-10 alphabetically.
Ch’i Public – Tuna Tartare - The diced tuna was encased in a ring of thinly sliced cucumbers, topped with thin wedges of avocado, small mounds of red and black fish roe, micro greens and plated with dollops of wasabi cream, yuzu and cucumber-lime sauce. The array of differing and complementing flavors was flawless.
The Cottage – Wagyu Steamed Buns – Take a couple of sweet and delicious steamed buns, add slices of outrageous fall-apart tender brisket and top with a little spicy Napa cabbage kimchee, a delightful aioli and you have the perfect start to the meal, plus a side of duck fat potato tempura.
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 14 places to buy great holiday pies in CT.
2015 saw an explosion of restaurant openings throughout CT, and team CTbites kept up a strenuous eating regiment to keep up with our talented local chefs. CT continues to draw great culinary talent, but the lists represent the best of the best. We asked the CTbites staff and extended family to share some of their most memorable meals and dining experiences this past year.
Here are our favorite meals and restaurants of 2015.
Stephanie Webster
Kawa Ni, Westport: I crave almost everything on this Izakaya inspired menu, but the Spicy Miso Ramen,Shaved Broccoli & Miso Goma w/ Benton's Ham and Smoked Bone Marrrow are the things dreams are made of.
Pho Hong Thom, Bridgeport: This tiny mom and pop shop is the real deal serving authentic aromatic Pho and a Bahn Mi with sliced pork and pickled vegetables that is just the bomb. It's not fancy, but it's darn good.
The Cottage, Westport: Brian Lewis' newcomer has received rave reviews of late. While I greatly enjoyed the entire menu, the Wagyu Brisket Steam Buns w/ napa kimchi & duck fat potato tempura as well as the Italian Chestnut Soup spiked w/cognac were two of the most delicious things I've eaten this year.
It's that time again...time to reflect on the year that has passed, and look forward to what is yet to come. For the food obsessed in Fairfield County, 2012 was a stellar year. The restaurant scene literally exploded with some very notable openings, and 2013 promises to continue the trend.
As we say good bye to 2012, we asked the CTbites Team to list the restaurants at which they spent the most time eating throughout the year. What you see below are the STAFF PICKS for TOP EATS OF 2012.
The Schoolhouse at Cannondale: Mushroom Truffle SoupChef LaBant's Mushroom soup with truffle oil achieved maximum sounds of audible appreciation at a recent meal. His French culinary know how is evident in all of his sauces as well as this wonderfully decadent starter.
The Boathouse: Lobster SaladI'm embarrassed to admit how many of Chef Holzwarth's Lobster Salads I have consumed in 2010. A composed salad with the absolute freshest market vegetables, avocado and heirloom shell beans pedestaled on large chunks of succulent lobster meat. It's good stuff.
leFarm: Local Beets & Oregon Lentils, Pecans, Aged Ricotta with La Quercia HamA celebration of fresh ingredients, tastes and textures, this dish sits in perfect harmony. Earthy, sweet, rich and savory, this is a dish often craved.
Chao Chi:Foie Gras Beignet Now shuttered, this amuse bouche is stamped into my memory from a long meal enjoyed there. The buttery softness of the foie gras paired with a light and doughy shell was finished with a blackberry jam drizzle. Bravo Prasad.
Bereket Turkish Restaurant:Manti This hole in the wall in Bridgeport (soon with a new larger location) serves a Turkish classic "Manti," tiny folded triangles of dough filled with ground meat and onion, floating atop a bed of yoghurt, meat drippings and spices. As close to Istanbul as it gets in FC.
2016 was another great year for restaurant dining throughout CT. We asked the CTbites staff to share some of their most memorable meals, go-to spots and varied dining experiences from this past year.
