Soupstock 2013 brings soup contest , a food court, music, arts + more to Shelton, Connecticut

We told you about Soupstock last year…a free music, food, and arts festival that is now in its fourth year.  While Soupstock (taking place on June 8 from 10-8 pm at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Shelton) has always been about fun, there’s also a heart to this much anticipated event.  Proceeds from the event (there are lots of chances to give and help support) go to The Mary A Schmecker Turtle Shell Fund (read more here) that benefits art, craft, and music education for children and young adults.  Let’s show you why you’ll need to keep Saturday, June 8 free for you, yourself, your friends, and your fam:

1) There will be great food options for you:

We’re talking Liquid Lunch of Shelton and Milford, BRYAC from Bridgeport (they’ll have a raw bar), DiSorbo’s Bakery of Hamden, Mamoun’s Falafel of New Haven, and Addeo’s Italian Ice of Shelton.  Kristien just might spend the entire festival shooting oysters, though. :P

Morello Bistro pouring new summer cocktails (recipes included) – Greenwich, CT

Starting from bottom left, then up, then over, then back down:  White Peach Margarita, Spiced Avema, Fiore Liz, Passionfruit Bellini, Morello Old Fashioned, and Morello Twist.  Photos provided by Morello Bistro, design by us. :)

One of the hotspots along Greeenwich Avenue is the perennial favorite, Morello Bistro.  We went for a great press dinner last year when we got to taste Chef Forrest Pasternack’s excellent food.  Although Forrest has left for Bailey’s Backyard, Kevin Garcia has taken the reins of this very popular spot. Chef Garcia graduated from Johnson & Wales University and has worked at Jean Georges Vongerichten’s Prime Steakhouse, Lucca, Lupa with Mario Batali, Del Posto, ‘Cesca, and Accademia di Vino.  That’s quite a resume, and now he has Morello Bistro to add to that list.

Chef Garcia is focusing Morello Bistro in on the regions of Rome, Tuscany, and Sicily.  And, as we approach summer, Forrest has changed up the menu using local ingredients and Oliver Flosse, Wine Director for MARC US (a restaurant group that owns Morello, A Voce and more), has changed up the cocktails.  We received some photos and recipes for some of the drinks that we’re excited to share with you.  And, we’ll present the recipes to you from bottom left, up, then across, then to the big box on the bottom.  While the recipes look pretty easy to put together, we’d just leave it to the experts at Morello, ya know? :)  Enjoy it inside or at one of their tables outside.  Drink up and enjoy:

Haitian Food’s the Focus of Eat for Equity Stamford’s June Event, Benefiting Haiti Marycare

One of the best things to come to Stamford recently was Eat for Equity, an organization run by awesome people that brings the community together over great food to make a difference.  And, as you may remember from our previous posts, they create dinner experiences every other month and, wouldn’t ya know it, the next event is just around the corner.  On Saturday, June 15 from 7-10 pm, you’ll be helping Haiti Marycare while having some authentic and killer Haitian food.  If you’re not familiar with this charity, they are a non-profit that, according to Eat for Equity, “Operates a primary healthcare clinic and two schools in partnership with Haitian organizations, as well as initiating community projects ranging from clean water, agricultural programs to micro-loans. Their mission is to work with local partners to improve lives through child and family health programs, education and community development.”

Here is just some of the food for you to enjoy:  fried plantains, rice and beans, and chicken stew.

Please check out the event page and RSVP before June 8 so they have an accurate headcount of people who will be there.  When you arrive, you don’t need to worry about giving in a ticket…they’ll have your name on a list.  While the Eat for Equity events are always free, they do suggest a donation of $15-$20 per person.  There will be some drinks there, but you should certainly feel free to bring some brews or wine to share.  Hey, the more the merrier!  Because there will be alcohol, only people 21 or older are allowed to attend.

Haiti Marycare June 2013 Dinner for Eat for Equity Stamford

June 15, 7-10 PM

Suggested $15-20 donation

97 Wedgemere Road

Stamford, CT 06905

Get your tickets by checking out the Eventbrite site.

 

Meet Your Neighbor: A Taste of Port Chester w/ 34 Restaurants!

Awesome grilled wings at Coals

When we lived in Rye Brook, we’d often travel into Port Chester and check out some great restaurants like Q, Sonora, or try the countless restaurants that were serving up ceviche.  Now that we’re in Greenwich, we’re even closer to Port Chester, so we travel in quite often and have discovered one of our favorite places:  Coals.  Well, we’re excited to share the third annual A Taste of Port Chester, 2013.  This event is taking over nearly the entire downtown area of Port Chester on June 2 from noon to 3:30 pm with registration beginning at 11:30 am.

Pour at the Shore brewing up at Seaside Tavern Memorial Day weekend

America is all about the indie spirit…especially when it comes to music and beer.  And, it just so happens that Seaside Tavern and Sound Magazine are hosting a wicked good time this coming Sunday (5/26), starting at 1 pm.  Pour at the Shore will surely be one of the great highlights of your Memorial Day Weekend.  Now, you can’t exactly wear white yet, so hold off.  Very soon, but not quite yet…

Bobby Q’s BBQ Kicks off the Season with Beer Garden Opening – Westport, CT

Ah, that’s a beautiful beer garden. Photo from Bobby Q’s FB page.

Biergarten:  literally translating over to beer garden.  Much cooler than kindergarten which is, literally, a garden of children?!  Um, no thanks…we’ll take a garden of brews, ales, and stouts thank you very much.  And, we’ve seen beer gardens sprouting up recently:  the popular Beer Garden @ Harbor Point opened recently  and The Landmark Biergarten at Station Eats is opening up any day now.   But, Bobby Q’s Bodacious BBQ & Grill in Westport has been ahead of the curve.

Yoga, Summer Wine + Craft Beer Tastings at Bottlerocket of Westport this June

Blogging ain’t easy, yo.  While we might have plans to only go out once or twice a week, sometimes events come up, or you’re invited to a special dinner.  And, sometimes the food or event is just too good to resist.  So, to get more tone and to be able to keep up with our lifestyle (don’t you feel sorry for us?), we began Power 90 with Mr. Tony Horton.  We’re halfway through the program and will be starting P90X pretty soon. In between that time, we’ll be building up more stamina with some running, preparing us to run Warrior Dash in September.  Rawwwrrrr!  Now, we mention this because one of the toughest (but oddly most relaxing) parts of Power 90 is the part of the stretch routine when you do yoga poses such as Upward Dog, Downward Dog, Plank, Warrior, and Crescent.  It’s amazing how tone we’ve become just from “simple” yoga poses.

Getting clucky with it: Westport Chicken Coop Tour @ WTF

Buk buk bagockkkk!

Ah, such finer sounds are hard to find at the farm, but would you expect to hear chickens at people’s homes in Westport?  We’re asking this question to you, so you must expect that we’ll begin to share that there are actually lots of homes in Westport that have coops in their backyards.  Guess what?  There are lots of people in Westport who are raising chickens in their very own backyards…and Wakeman Town Farm is highlighting these coops with their 2nd Annual The Westport Chicken Coop Tour.

Dishcrawl Fairfield County Expands + Launches New Canaan Events

Some of the tapas we sampled at Barcelona in Greenwich for the first Dishcrawl

Prosciutto wrapped figs at South End

Off the Hook: Guinness Chocolate Milkshake! Chili Fries in Back w/ Kristien ;)

When we hit up the first Dishcrawl Greenwich experience, we were excited to meet some great people and try some new food.  First we tried some excellent tapas at Barcelona and had Chef Michael Lucente talk to us about what was on the plate, then we got a huge surprise with the Haitian food of Maddy’s Food Truck.  From there we checked out Sundown Saloon for some tacos and chicken wing bites, then ended up at Meli-Melo with a nice scoop of ice cream.  Throughout the night we met some great people that we had only known online and it left us wanting to spend more time with them all.  While some people thought that the choice to go to Sundown Saloon wasn’t the best and didn’t fit the bill, Jesse (Greenwich Dishcrawl Ambassador) took it as an opportunity to learn and help make Dishcrawl better.  He’s definitely listening and trying to make each Dishcrawl even better than the last.  Case in point will be the Surprise Dishcrawl that he has planned with only 8 tix left…we think he’s got something great up his sleeves.

Now, there are a few things to go through here with you:

Dishcrawl Greenwich and Dishcrawl Stamford merged to form Dishcrawl Fairfield County.  This makes much more sense, especially because they are looking to expand into more cities such as Norwalk, Darien, and now–officially–New Canaan.  Yes, the experience of checking out four restaurants in a night (only the first restaurant is revealed, keeping the rest a mystery), meeting great people, talking with chefs and owners, and enjoying nomworthy food is coming to New Canaan.  Jesse was able to partner with the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce and Taste of the Town Stroll to create a two night event on August 27 and 28, both at 7 pm.

If you’d like to get your tickets, just click here.

If you’d like to learn more about the Dishcrawl concept, check out our first post about Dishcrawl Greenwich.

Again, if you are vegetarian, please note that when you buy your tickets as Jesse can accommodate you.  If you have other restrictions, you can always see if Jesse can help to arrange suitable food for you.  Just contact him at jessel@dishcrawl.com.  Also make sure to follow Dishcrawl on Twitter with their new handle, @DishcrawlFCT.

Where in New Canaan would you love for Dishcrawl to go?  We say elm because we’ve been dying to go there for a long, long time.  :)

Casting Call: Can You Take the Fire of Hell’s Kitchen? Chefs Wanted for Season 12!

Signs that you’re a rabid fan of Hell’s Kitchen:

• You know all the lyrics to the theme song, “Fire” by Ohio Players
  • You actually have “Fire” in your iTunes collection (guilty as charged, lol)
• You yell at people in a British accent, calling them “donkey”
• You scream out, “It’s RAWWWW!” when you get undercooked food at home or at a restaurant
• You create elaborate challenges (such as capturing a squealing pig or tasting ingredients blindfolded) for friends and family members to see who can cook the best and get down and dirty
• You throw food down if you don’t like it, then shove it in people’s faces, proceeding to tell them why it’s disgusting

So, we’re sending this out to all rabid fans, chefs, and cooks…Gordon Ramsay is looking for the new cast of Hell’s Kitchen.  There’s always high stakes involved like a hefty cash prize that is tied to the chance of becoming head chef at a very prestigious restaurant.  This year’s winner (Season 11) will become head chef at Gordon Ramsay Pub & Grill in Las Vegas.  Can you stand the heat of Hell’s Kitchen and think you’ve got what it takes to make it to the top in Season 12?  Here’s what you need to do: