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:

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

•••

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:

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.

A seedling of potential at The Beer Garden @ Harbor Point

Dan, Volter, Kristien, and Dennis meet up! Great guys!

The upstairs bar

Tip: sit here to get served. It’s a much more calm experience.

The downstairs bar

Food trucks and brews….ah!

It’s a Friday night, mid 70s outside, and there are just a few little clouds in the sky. Could there have been a better day to hit up the brand new Beer Garden @ Harbor Point? No, probably not. Unfortunately, it seemed that everybody in Fairfield County agreed, but we still managed to find a killer parking spot just right outside of Walgreen’s. There’s also a huge lot nearby that they have devoted to Beer Garden parking, too, if you can’t find any street-side spots.

Before we even entered, we were amazed to see this building that was empty  just a few months ago, turned into a massive party scene. Maddy’s food truck and Lobstercraft were outside, with about 50 devoted followers ready to get their grub on. That is one of the great things about this Beer Garden: although you can’t get food inside (yet), they’ll have food trucks there for you to get your nom on.

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:

Over 50 Chefs from Connecticut Top Peer-Judged Best Chefs America List

Ever read the results of a contest that asks people to select the best food in your city or Connecticut and wondered, “Um, how did this happen?”  Sometimes the “best-ofs” are just so far off…but, look, they can be right on too.  It all depends on how the contest is organized.  Well, we just found out about a nationwide contest that was looking for the best chefs.  Best Chefs Americas decided to take a fresh approach and allow chefs, culinary professionals, and food enthusiasts to take surveys (over 5,000, actually) about great chefs and great food in their area.  Using this information, Best Chefs Americas was able to create a list that’s up on their page and is also available in book form.  The first edition of Best Chefs Americas will also share culinary trends and ingredients that were highlighted during these interviews.  The limited edition book is available on the Best Chefs Americas site for $75, but if you’re not willing to fork over the dough, you can still see the winners from Connecticut here, organized by city from Bloomfield-Woodbury.  Congratulations to all the chefs who were recognized by fellow chefs.  This list also serves as an amazing to-eat list of places in Connecticut, too.  Amazing.

Who are you happy to see on this list and who do you wish made the list (help to nominate them too)?

Bloomfield

Steven Wolf:  Republic

Centerbrook

Jason Groten:  Gabrielle’s