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.  :)

Station Eats Gives Back w/ Their Dog of the Month

Cinco de Mayo doesn’t have to end, especially not at Station Eats.  Starting today until the middle of June, they’ll be featuring their Taco Dog as the Dog of the Month.  Pick your dog (grass fed beef, chicken, or veggie), then they’ll add on tomato salsa, lettuce, shredded cheddar, sour cream, and wrap it up in a warm flour tortilla.  If that’s not spicy enough for ya, just remember that the good guys at Station Eats will be donating 10% of their profits for Taco Dogs to two great causes:  Camp Promise East (giving summer camp experiences to people with muscular dystrophy and ALSTDI (fighting to find a cure for Lou Gehrig’s Disease).  You can get the Taco Dog at either the New Canaan or Stamford locations, btw.

If you’d like a burger and shake to complement that doggie, then check out these specials starting today:  The Steak House Burger and their Coconut Shake.  The Steak House Burger (we’d had it before, it’s excellent) has cheese, Station Steak Sauce, shaved onions, and tomato.  So, make sure to come by a few times and get your Taco Dog!  Also, why not invite your friends, have family reunions at Station Eats, have your next birthday party, too!  A Taco Dog for everybody!

Get Comfy with Seasonal Comfort Food at South End – New Canaan, CT

Griddled Fresh Bacon

Heirloom tomato salad

Nonna’s Meatballs

Prosciutto wrapped figs at South End

House Made Orecchiette

Citrus Laced Canoli

Raspberry and Nectarine Cobbler

We’ve been bad bloggers.  See, we’ve been sitting on this review of South End for a while. A looooong while.  And we have no good reason for it because South End was good. Very good. It just seemed that whenever we would sit down to write it, something else came up…until now. In a moment of non-urgency we bring you South End…

Before we get into our meal, we’d like to talk a bit about what South End is all about: Seasonal comfort food. This brilliant idea was born from the passion of two guys who are no strangers to good food. Let’s start with Chef Nick Martschenko.  Back in 1998 he graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked at Tom Colicchio’s Gramercy Tavern.  He has also worked at Solaia in Greenwich and the old Market in Stamford.  And, most recently, Chef Martschenko did an amazing job at Winged Food Golf Club in Mamaroneck, being honored with an excellent rating from the McMahon Group.  Working with Chef Martschenko as a partner and General Manager is Keith Siskind, who we had the pleasure of meeting.  He built up some major street cred by working on Long Island (represent Strong Island!), and Tarry Lodge in Port Chester.

So, onto the reason you’re all here…the food. Oh wait, no, one last thing before the food. The service – the service here was really good. Quick (but not rushing us out at all), friendly, attentive, and thorough. Overall just a very pleasant experience.

The Best Warm Weather Outdoor Dining Restaurants in Fairfield County

Doesn’t that just call out, “summer”?

Dan’s jotting down some notes, I’m taking the pics

Om nom nom nom hot dog nom nom nom

Winter is only one season, but why does it seem so long?  Perhaps this year we can blame it on Punxsutawney Phil who promised an early end to winter, but lied?  Yeah, never trust a rodent, that’s what momma always said.

But, look, we’re beyond it all now!  The weather has turned, we’re at the start of spring, and we can actually feel the sun’s warmth.  By now, you’ve probably already lit up the BBQ and cooked up a storm.  And, you’ve probably been thinking about eating out(side) at a restaurant to enjoy the great weather.  So, we decided to put together a nice list of restaurants in the area that we like that have either al fresco (outdoor) dining or open air dining.  Perhaps you have an amazing restaurant to add that we missed?  Let us know!  Taco Bell doesn’t count, though. ;)

Enjoy the beautiful weather people…you earned it!

Bethel

Ecco rooftop bar/eatery on top of La Zingara (added by N)

Bridgeport

Vote in Caryn Stabinsky of elm as The People’s Best New Pastry Chef!

“After 25 years of naming America’s Best New Chefs, we’re ready for dessert: F&W editors are searching for the Best New Pastry Chefs in the country and you can help us crown The People’s Best New Pastry Chef!”

Yes, you heard that right…now Food & Wine is looking for the newest maven of muffins, the sultan of strudel, the ultimate baker of biscuits, the queen of tarts, the king of key lime pie…The People’s Best New Pastry Chef. There are pastry chefs from the West, Central, and the East up for the big honor. And, when you click through to the East region, you will see an amazing array of skilled chefs who are up for the prestigious The People’s Best New Pastry Chef.  And, there amongst the New York City, Atlanta, Boston, and DC chefs is Caryn Stabinsky, pastry chef at elm of New Canaan, Connecticut.

While it has only been around for a year, elm has garnered lots of praise and won top honors by becoming one of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants for 2012. And, hopefully after this contest (the voting ends April 8, so chop chop), they will have another award to add to their tasting table.  Why do you need to vote for Caryn?  Well, she went to the Institute of Culinary Education and has been at some great places such as Monkey Bar, WD~50, and Oceana.  And here are just some of the desserts that she has crafted at elm:

Save Some Serious Dough with Restaurant.com

Our obsession with Restaurant.com (not Restaurants.com) started years ago when we’d shell out $5 and get a $50 pass to restaurants.  The amount of money we saved was awesome and we continue to check this site when we want to save some major dinero.  We use it for local restaurants and especially when we’re on vacation and want to find a quick, inexpensive meal.

Chef’s Special Roll, Crispy Melt Goat Cheese Roll, and Crunchy Wasabi Tuna Roll at Bambou in Greenwich

It works pretty easily:  enter the city and state where you want a certificate then select the restaurant.  The most common option that you’ll see is pay $10 for a $25 certificate, but sometimes there will be bigger incentives like $20 for $50, $30 for $75, or even $40 for $100.  Before you purchase your certificate, just make sure that there aren’t any terms of the agreement that won’t work for you such as, “Only includes lunch,” or “No dinner on Saturday.”  Also, pay close attention to the fine print because some have an order minimum or some include a tip into the amount of the bill automatically.

Hold Your Table and Get Some Cash Back with OpenTable

One of the first things we do when we’re looking for a restaurant to hit up is check to see if it’s on OpenTable.  In just a few clicks you can see lots of restaurants in your area that are taking reservations.  From there, you can click on a restaurant, enter in your party size and time, then you’re on your way to booking your table.  You could even play restaurant roulette and enter a party size, date, and time and see which restaurants in the area have tables nearby.

Dino Poutine is killer, unique to Dinosaur Stamford

Recently, we used OpenTable to get ourselves some nice seats at Bar Sugo in Norwalk and Dinosaur Bar-b-que in Stamford.  Plus, we can’t tell you how easy this site makes vacation planning.  And, wouldn’t you know it, Dan’s Prius has OpenTable built into it?

When you show up for the reservation, make sure you give your name and they check you in before you find your seat.  At most restaurants you’ll earn 100 points for each time you show up and dine out.  There are even some restaurants on the site that will earn you 1,000 points for honoring your reservation.  When you reach 2,000 points you’ll be sent a $20 gift certificate usable at any OpenTable restaurant.

Here are just some of the OpenTable restaurants that you could hit up in just Connecticut:

Where to Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in and around Fairfield County

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up on March 17 and ya best know that Connecticut is representin’ the best of the Irish.  In particular, we feel especially excited this year because we’ll be traveling to Ireland this year.  Yes!  There will be plenty o’ pints, Irish breakfasts, boxty, and fried stuff.  We can’t promise that we’ll be trying blood sausage or blood pudding, but we will probably eat almost everything that’s placed in front of us.  But, we see it as kind of prep work to get some great Irish experiences, food, and culture here before we leave.  Already, last week, we saw The Mighty Ploughboys and The Tartan Terrors perform at Ridgefield Playhouse.  Yeah, awesome…so, we wanted to give you a little bit o’ Ireland with this post.  We’ll be updating this here and there with fun food related events that revolve around St. Patrick’s Day.  If you have any suggestions for us, let us know!

Bridgeport

1) Check out the Bridgeport St. Patrick’s Day Parade on 3/15 from the warm comforts of Barnum Publick House!  The fun begins at 11, so get settled because the parade will start at noon.  There are food and drink specials all day with no cover charge.

2) Get some Kegs & Eggs at Fire Engine Pizza Company on St. Patrick’s Day!  $10 gets you beer and breakfast from 8-11 am.  You can also check out their corned beef reuben or bangers & mash pizza all day, too.  

Danbury

3) St. Patrick’s Day lasts a week at Molly Darcy’s!  Specials and live entertainment all week.

Elmsford, NY

4)  Yes, we realize it’s not Connecticut, but the lure of good beer is so hard to resist.  You’ll want to check out Bollock’s Fest ’13 at Captain Lawrence Brewery on 3/17 at noon.  Burke’s Revenge will be playing live music such as Dropkick Murphys and Village Dog will be there pushing out corned beef dogs, shepherd’s pie, and lots more.  The clincher is that Brewmaster extraordinare Scott Vaccaro will be premiering three Irish “inspired” ales.  Tickets are $21.69 per person and can be bought here.  

Are You and the Fam Party Masters? Wanna Show off, Be on TV, and Win Some Big $? Casting Call!

Just some of the reality show clients from Twin Talents

•••

There’s another new TV show for a major network (we can’t say which) that is casting here in the Greater Stamford/Connecticut are and it’s called “Party Masters.”  While this might not be the final name of the show, the spirit of the show fits in well with the name.  They are looking for families that love to throw parties.  The winning family will be pitted against another winning family to see who can throw the most awesome party in the world!  To beef it up and add some incentive, they are giving each family $50,000 so they can really throw a party to remember.  You might be a great family to enter if:

1) You throw parties that somehow end up on YouTube and become viral hits.

2) You throw wild surprise parties that last all night or for days.

3) You go hog wild at your backyard bbqs and they become legen…wait for it…dary.

4) Your theme nights are so intricate and involved that people forget that they aren’t in the Roaring 20′s or that they really aren’t mobsters.

Warm Your Soul at South End with a Paired Wine Dinner – New Canaan, CT

A fun play on cannolis

Tomato and mozzarella salad

Pork belly with spätzle

—

After the closing of Pine Social in New Canaan, we were skeptical if another restaurant coming into that spot would also be successful.  When we saw the menu and got information from South End, though, we began to change our minds.  What finally made us change our minds is actually eating there.  The food was fresh, locally sourced, and the menu was very fun and playful.  For example, the tomato and mozzarella salad was one of the most unique interpretations that we’ve ever tasted with basil gelato and a tomato gelee.  While some people have complained about the menu being confusing, that’s actually one of the things that we liked most about it…it’s like an adventure.

If you haven’t had the chance to check out this New Canaan newcomer (or if you’re a well-seasoned vet), then we’ve got a great chance for you to try out the food.  On February 5, they’ll be hosting a four course wine dinner that will warm up your spirit in the bitter cold of February.  You could even think of this as an early Valentine’s Day present, if you’d like…

“Warm Your Soul” Wine Dinner

February 5, 6:30 pm

$75 pp (includes wine, plus tax and gratuity)

Course 1:  Chilled Lobster Salad

Artichokes bariguole, roasted tomato, soft herb salad

Paired with Chardonnay, Stuthlmuller from Alexander Valley, California