Cheeseboy, grilled cheese to go, heats up Darien with two locations: now driving sucks a little less…

Back in February of 2012, we told you about Cheeseboy opening up at the Milford service area off of I-95 and people rejoiced.  What?  Grilled cheese, fast and easy, stuffed the way you like it, slathered up and grilled to perfection?  Yes, how could you not be excited when stopping in for a quick bite from a long trip?  Or maybe you just got tired of your annoying commute and just wanted to reward yourself?  Either way, people were excited at the prospect of not getting the same ol’ boring rest stop food.  Well kiddos, things are about to get a bit buttery-er and a lil’ more melty…Cheeseboy is opening up not one but two locations in Darien.  Their new restaurants will be at the northbound and southbound service plazas of I-95.

Cheeseboy grilled cheese shops can be found all over the Northeast with spots in Boston, Providence, Braintree, Jersey City, Natick, and West Nyack.  And, when you go to visit, you’ll be greatly humbled by their yummy grilled cheese options:

Even More Variety at SoNo Restaurant Week(s) from June 3-16

We’re digging the new graphic, aren’t you?  And, with the new graphic for SoNo Restaurant Week 2013 comes new restaurants and more chances to get your prix fixe deals from Monday (6/3) to Sunday (Father’s Day, 6/16).  Again, one of the best things about restaurant weeks is how they let you try out new spots that you’ve been meaning to try.  For updates on restaurant week menus, make sure you check back with ConnecticutRestaurantWeek.com.  And, if you have any questions about the restaurants, let us know.

Well, here we go…

$9.99 Lunch:  The Brewhouse, Coromandel, Donovan’s, O’Neill’s, Papaya Thai

$14.99 Lunch:  Chocopologie, Estia, The Ginger Man, Mama’s Boy, Strada 18

$19.99 Dinner (offer not valid on 6/8 and 6/15):  The Brewhouse, Donovan’s, O’Neill’s, Papaya Thai

$29.99 Dinner:  Bacchus, Barcelona, Chocopologie, Coromandel, Estia, The Ginger Man, Mama’s Boy, Match, Nola, The Spread, Strada 18

 

Ocean freshness along the Norwalk River-Mediterraneo @ Hotel Zero Degrees, Norwalk

Executive Chef Albert DeAngelis

The entrance to Mediterraneo

Lounge area next to the dining room

We were in an interesting position when we were asked if we’d like to attend a Fairfield County Food Writers’ Dinner at the new Mediterraneo in Hotel Zero Degrees on the Rt 7 connector in Norwalk. See, we’ve been to every single restaurant in the Z Hospitality Group (Terra, Sole, Aurora, Acqua) and recently even wrote up Mediterraneo in Greenwich, so, we weren’t sure if there would be a lot of the same stuff at this new spot. Luckily, though, Executive Chef Albert DeAngelis and Chef de Cuisine Ethan Morse were feeling creative and were offering up many different options on this menu. Before we sat down to eat, we got a tour of the newly opened Hotel Zero Degrees. What we love about it is it’s modern, slick and trendy, but it won’t break the bank. We especially loved the big, open spaces with plenty of room to move around and relax. Our little tour ended in the big, expansive dining room, overlooking the Norwalk River and a rushing waterfall (who knew there was a waterfall in the Norwalk River?). The windows open out into a V and you get that beautiful cool breeze that makes dining so nice and relaxing. Ok, so the food. There was definitely an ambitious menu set before us with 10 courses and paired wines for 9 of them. Yes, we know, it’s a tough life that we lead. So, let’s go through a heavily seafood-focused dinner…hey, we ain’t complaining.

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.

Chef Plum Takes Dinner Underground Again with a Saranac Beer + BBQ Dinner – Newtown, CT

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Now that we finally have that warmer weather that we dream of during the colder months in Connecticut, we can look forward to BBQ season.  For some, BBQ season never ends, though.  The tailgate warriors, the backyard chefs who won’t allow a little annoying snow to ruin their plans of cooking up some burgers on the barbie.  But, whether you’re a BBQ expert, a novice, or just a BBQ eater, you’ve probably never had a BBQ meal like the one that Chef Plum of Newtown, CT has planned out for Sunday, May 26 from 7 to 10.  He’s repurposed Butcher’s Best in Newtown as a pop up restaurant in his dining series called Dinner Underground.  Tickets are limited to just 30 people and cost $85.39 (that’s with the service fee) and you can buy them here.  So, you know how we work…this is where we explain why you need to get yourself to this event:

Darien Will Soon Have Balls: Meatball and Co. Opening Soon!

Darien has definitely been shaping up as a culinary destination with the recent additions of Estia’s American and Bodega, as well as the solid Scena Wine Bar & Restaurant.  And, it’s about to become even better sometime near the end of May or the beginning of June when Joe Criscuolo opens up Meatball & Co. at 23 Tokeneke Road.    We’ll get to the food in a sec, but first some background info on Joe.  Joe and Matt own and operate Pizza Post in Greenwich that’s putting out some awesome pies (we had a Clams Casino on Saturday that was killer) and food.  They make their own meatballs and sausage and they are BYOB.  Joe and Matt took over the shop from their father who started Pizza Post  in ’72.  And, now Joe’s giving the reigns over to his brother Matt as he starts his own business which has always been a dream of his.

Okay, that’s enough background…we know, you want the details.

Why Meatballs?

Joe had been thinking of starting his own restaurant for quite a while and always wanted to do something different.  He was particularly inspired after visiting The Meatball Shop in NYC and seeing what they were doing.  ”The area is super-saturated with pizza places, so I wanted my restaurant to be accessible to all and to be different,” Joe told us.  ”I wanted to feature comfort food, and I wanted it to be great.  And, the meatball is such a great vehicle to present with.  You can really do anything with them, from veal piccata, to Asian inspired, to sausage and brocoli rabe, and more.”

Barcelona hosts Memorial Day BBQ and pig roasts all summer long

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

Memorial Day and BBQs…they are inseparable like peanut butter and jelly, Batman and Robin, Lewis and Clark, Ren & Stimpy, bread and butter, and even pasta and sauce.  Perhaps they go so well together because BBQ’n brings family and friends together outside for good times, good fun, and good eats?  In essence, the grill unites people and connects us through our basic needs of friendship and food.

But, what do you do if you don’t have a grill or just want to go out and celebrate?  Easy…you head over to Barcelona Wine Bar & Restaurant in Fairfield on 5/27 from 1-9 pm.  For just $20 or $10 for kids (that’s a nice deal, btw) you’ll get a BBQ buffet that consists of sliders, kebabs, ribs, grilled veggies, salads, and their famous suckling pig.  For the beer lover, they’ll also have tastings from one of our favorite local breweries, Captain Lawrence.  They’ll have face painting for the kids (or that cool hipster) from 1:30-4:30, they’ll have outdoor games (cornhole please!), and they will even have a lemonade/popsicle/ice cream stand.  And, what’s a BBQ without live music?  Barcelona will have Rick Reyes & The Pasonfino Social Club playing from 2-6 while you chat, chew, and chill.

Step Out for Stepping Stones with Wine, Brews, and Bites

Update:  unfortunately, Step Out has been postponed.  We’ll give you more info when we get a new date.

Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk is a fun place to be, especially if you’re a kid…or a kid at heart.  They have an amazing amount of exhibits for children all the way from birth to 7 and up, they provide educational classes, they are always up to something new like Dinosaur Revolution, they have tons of events, and they are a favorite stop for schools.  Fun like this isn’t easy to provide, so that’s why Stepping Stones is holding their 8th Annual Step Out Wine & Food Tasting fundraiser.  This vital (and tasty) event is being held in partnership with our friends over at the Young Professionals Network of the Business Council of Fairfield County.  Here are all the details for you:

Sunset Dinner w/ Drinks and Bites in the Garden at Ambler Farm in Wilton

 

Around this time last year we headed up to Ambler Farm in Wilton to take part in Bull N’ Brew.  The farm was beautiful and the night was just perfect, set off by good wine, beer, and food from Super Duper Weenie.  And, just about a year later Ambler Farm is holding another event…a much anticipated annual event.

We are talking about their Annual Sunset Dinner, this year called An Evening in the Garden at Ambler Farm.  The dinner will be held on June 15th from 6-10 pm and will take place inside their new educational gardens.  Program Manager Kevin Meehan not only developed these gardens, but has also tended them carefully—he did get some help from students, though.  :)  Tickets, which are soon to go fast, go on sale 5/15.  Tickets are $95 for members or $110 for non-members.  There will be lots of cocktails, little bites of goodness, and a whole buncha live music from local musicians.  After the little “garden hour,” guests will be treated to a full four course dinner from Bistro du Soleil as the sun sets.  And, in true farm dinner fashion, Bistro du Soleil will be using a good deal of Ambler Farm’s organic produce for the meal!  The lovely people at Ambler Farm were kind enough to share the menu with us, so we’ll share it with you: