Elevated, True Farm to Table at Bailey’s Backyard in Ridgefield, CT: Restaurant Review

Some of the veggies that Forrest has pickled for sale

When we talked with Forrest Pasternack (former Executive Chef of Morello Bistro in Greenwich) a few weeks ago, we couldn’t help but get excited about what he and owner Sal Bagliavio had planned for the reopening of Bailey’s Backyard.  A farm-to-table restaurant that would live up to its name, built from the ground, the farm, and garden up.  A restaurant where the chef actually visits local farms and buys food from them.  A full and complete embrace of what farm to table means.  And, after visiting Bailey’s Backyard a few days before opening and being treated to a special preview menu, we know our excitement was well warranted.

The Menu

The menu is pretty easy to handle, fitting on just one (large) page.  In terms of what to order, it’s divided up into a few sections:  snacks, sides, greens, starts, mains, and desserts.  Of special note is that this is a great restaurant if you’re looking for fresh vegetarian options.  You can order whatever you’d like, or have a 3 course meal (starter, main, and dessert) for $27 ($39 with wine pairing) or a 4 course meal (greens, seafood starter, main, and dessert) for $38 ($50 with wine pairing).  In addition, you can even have the special Chef’s Tasting which is a seven course tasting menu for a very reasonable $65 or $95 with wine pairings.  No tasting menu will ever be exactly the same because it’s built daily based on what’s fresh and from the farms.

Bailey’s Backyard Gets Farm-to-table Remake and Gains Chef Forrest Pasternack – Ridgefield, CT

Tarragon growing at Bailey Backyard’s Own Garden (photo courtesy of Forrest Pasternack)

•••

Update:  Bailey’s Backyard is now open…read our review.

Elevating local ingredients.  That was the recurring theme to a recent talk we had with Forrest Pasternack, Executive Chef at Bailey’s Backyard in Ridgefield.  We talked about Forrest’s amazing cooking a few months ago when he was Executive Chef at Morello Bistro in Greenwich, but he’s moved onto greener pastures…literally.  He’s been working with Sal Bagliavio, owner of Bailey’s Backyard to not only refocus the menu, but also to rework the philosophy, the heart, the body, and the soul of the restaurant as it undergoes some major changes.  While the restaurant is closed right now for renovations, you can expect an opening around the middle of April.  Let’s look a bit closer into how Forrest plans to inspire diners, fully embrace the philosophy of farm-to-table, get the community involved, and spread the love of all things local across Connecticut.

Planting the Seeds:  A Fresh Start, a Local Approach

Forrest knows Ridgefield. He grew up there and for a long time he’s been looking to get involved in the local food scene of a community and elevate the ingredients found nearby. With great excitement he shared, “I want to offer a showcase for local ingredients.” And, yes, he’ll be doing that…and not in your typical way, either. He’ll literally be planting seeds with his sous chef in the restaurant’s garden courtesy of Veronica’s Garden, will help nurture the seedlings, will reap the veggies, then will feature them in the dishes. For everything else, the staff will gather the freshest veggies, herbs, meats, and supplies every week from local farms. Some of the farms they plan to visit are Veronica’s Garden of Ridgefield, The Hickories of Ridgefield, and Maple Bank Farm of Roxbury. As for meat, he’s going local too such as Greyledge Farm in Roxbury. Even the wine menu at Bailey’s Backyard will be almost entirely local, with lots of Long Island and Connecticut vineyards showing up like Lieb Cellars (we love the wine and the vineyard itself) of Mattituck, NY; Millbrook Winery in Millbrook, NY; and DiGrazia of Brookfield, CT.

The Greenhouse at Maple Bank Farm in Roxbury, CT (photo courtesy of Forrest Pasternack)

Watering the Seedlings: Nurturing the Restaurant, Nurturing the Community

Forrest told us that he wants to be a real driving force in the community in regards to food.  By keeping the menu at Bailey’s Backyard local, he’ll be helping to reach that goal.  In addition, he was sad to see that the farmers’ market in Ridgefield went away so he’s going to do whatever he can to try to bring one back.  But, it’s not just Forrest who is nurturing Bailey’s Backyard.  Chef Pasternack shared, “Sal, the owner, really understands food and he knows farms.  He knows local wineries.  And, whether people know it or not, he’s been a proponent of farm-to-table philosophy for a long time.”

Harvest Wine Bar + Restaurant Brings Modern American Farm-to-Table to Greenwich

Update:  Harvest is open and here’s our review!

The rows of plants seem to stretch on endlessly on harvest day.  Within a few hours, months worth of hard work and devotion will come to fruition as all the veggies and fruits are gathered.  Hundreds of fresh tomatoes, corn, apples, and more will soon hit up the farmers’ markets, the stores, that cute little stand set up in front of the farm, local restaurants, and will eventually end up right on your plate.

This is the kind of imagery that owner Vicente Siguenza and Chef Eben Leonard of Harvest Wine Bar & Restaurant want to convey.  If you’ve been following our blog, you might remember those names.  Yes, Vicente is one of the owners of the classic go-to spots that we know as Cava in New Canaan, Scena Wine Bar & Restaurant in Darien, and 55 Wine Bar & Restaurant in Fairfield (we wrote an article for CBS about all of them, too).  As for Eben, you might remember his work as chef at Scena.  While we have love for their takes on Italian dishes (two years of OmNomy wins) and can’t get enough of their gnocchi, we’re really interested in what Harvest has to offer.

The new spot at 372 Greenwich Ave. (former home of La Brasserie and Le Figaro Bistro de Paris) in Greenwich will focus on Modern American food, put together with love and attention, and will be held together with deep roots to the earth with a farm to table experience.  In fact, they refer to the experience of eating at their restaurant as “farm to fork” dining.  According to Eric Gendron’s article for Greenwich Daily Voice, they will have an extensive wine menu of over 300 bottles, a beautiful wood-fired grill, will have small and large plates, and will also offer charcuterie options.  Sounds like our kind of place.

Ocean to Table Sushi that Is Seriously out of this World! Miya’s Sushi – New Haven, CT

Our fascination with Miya’s Sushi and Chef Bun Lai began when we had our first bites of their sushi at The Whole Hog fundraiser for Wholesome Wave.  Bun’s uniquely awesome personality really came through when he talked to us about harvesting his own seaweed and how everything in the sushi roll was made.  We could tell that he had a deep passion for food and keeping things local, which is exactly what made us want to travel into New Haven to check out Miya’s.

It was finally when we were contacted about Bun Lai and Miya’s Sushi being on a new TV show that we got our butts in gear and headed out to New Haven. Plus, it was the perfect place to celebrate Dan’s birthday! We know that New Haven can seem so far away, especially when you’re in the western part of CT, but it’s really worth the trip!

As we sat down, we learned from our waitress about some basics of Miya’s.  First off, she told us that the staff are trained divers and they were going on a diving trip the following day to get seafood for their rolls and dishes.  The DIY philosophy also comes through when they served us their homemade low sodium soy sauce and their homemade ginger that is just de-vine.

Our strategy was to order lots and lots of rolls so that we could try as many flavors and combinations as possible.  This worked out well because most rolls were sliced into four slices, not an overwhelming amount at all.  We also HAD to order a few drinks because they were so incredibly unique. And, despite all the food and drinks that we ordered, we still ended up spending a bit less than we would at other “comparable” sushi joints.  We say comparable because, well, it’s hard to compare anything to Miya’s anymore after eating there.  Dan felt very zen, so he allowed his poetic side to reign and compose haikus (5-7-5 syllables) for each roll.

Elm in New Canaan: One of Esquire’s Best New Restaurants in America for 2012!

Congratulations to Elm and Chef Lewis, announced from their FB page!

Well, that pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?  In their 28th year (here are this year’s results) of seeking out the hottest and best new restaurants all across America, Esquire is out with their latest list that has Elm in New Canaan on the list.  To those who have dined here, they’d probably say that this is no surprise.  Chef and owner Brian Lewis has been featured in countless articles and reviews, praising his style and his love of all things local and seasonal.  His gig before Elm was cooking up a storm at Richard Gere’s The Farmhouse at Bedford Post.

As for options eating here, there are so many to pick from:  dinner, chef’s tasting, bar dining (snacks), Sunday brunch, and even Sunday supper.  Perhaps one of the coolest things to do here is go with Chef Lewis on a journey to the farm through his tasting menu.  For $45 you’ll get three courses, paired beautifully for you.  If you have more of an appetite or feel a bit more daring, check out five courses for $75.  Now, this is great, but even more exciting (at least to us, we’re in serious awe of talented chefs) is the Chef’s Tasting Counter.  Saddle on up and enjoy each bite of your tasting menu while you watch all the action go down in the kitchen.  Yes, you’ll see your dishes cooked and prepared right before your hungry little eyes.

Celebrate Connecticut Farm-to-Chef Week at 65 Different Locations Throughout Our Fine State!

Eating local food shouldn’t have to be something that you seek out and search for.  You shouldn’t have to hunt down a farm to table restaurant or find out which places use local and sustainable food.  Imagine if we kept things local wherever we went to eat.  Imagine the jobs that would be opened up and how the Connecticut economy would thrive.  Well, Connecticut is trying to bring awareness to this and to the vast amount of farms throughout Connecticut by holding the third annual Connecticut Farm-to-Chef Week.  It runs from September 16 until September 22, 2012 at various locations throughout the state.  What’s very interesting about the list of restaurants that are participating is that, well, they aren’t all just restaurants.  You’ll see many schools on this list that want healthier, non-processed, and more local options for their menus.  You’ll even notice a couple of farmers’ markets on the list, too.  We got this info from CT Farm Fresh, if you’d like to check out more from and about them.

Seasonal + Local End of Summer Wine Dinners @ Rizzuto’s 4 Locations

When we were in Seattle and Portland we learned about FLOSS during one of our food tours.  Yes, we took food tours.  Did you expect anything else from us?  So, yeah, we learned about FLOSS:  fresh, local, organic, seasonal, sustainable.  Both cities subscribe to this and it’s a way of life for a great deal of the restaurants and even the food carts.  Well, Rizzuto’s is bringing some of that FLOSS into Connecticut.

Check them out for their special End of Summer Wine Dinners at all four of their locations in Stamford, Westport, Bethel, and West Hartford.  You’ll get a special cocktail and appetizer reception, followed by four courses that are paired with wines.  If you buy the tickets online, you’ll only pay $39.95 for this family style meal.  If you buy your tickets at the restaurant, you’ll pay $47.95.  Just remember that tax and–more importantly–gratuity are not included.  Remember your servers and reservations. :)

Chefs Kevin Cottle and Van Hurd of Jordan Caterers in Cheshire Honored to Cook at James Beard House in NYC

They met on the set of Hell’s Kitchen Season 6.  You could say it was love at first fight, with Gordon Ramsay doing any of the following to the chefs in the kitchen:

• Calling him/her a donkey

• Yelling that something is overcooked

• Yelling that something is raw

• Then, 50% of the time when it’s raw, throwing it so that it splatters everywhere

• Kicking someone out of the kitchen

• Screaming for the chef to wake up and get in the game

• Spewing a tirade of words that are bleeped out by censors

• Complaining that the Beef Wellington isn’t done properly

-

Yes, both Kevin Cottle and Van Hurd, now lead chefs at Jordan Caterers, walked through the flames of Hell’s Kitchen.  As they endured the fire, their friendship grew:  a friendship that has now lead them out of hell and into heaven.  While Van was eliminated near the end of the season, Kevin made it to the finale but lost to Dave Levey.  Upon being eliminated, Van said:  ”The main lesson I’ve learned about myself is when you get down, don’t stay down.  I want to go out of here with my head up.”

Well, Van and Kevin now have a major reason to keep their heads up.  On July 11, they will be cooking at The James Beard House in NYC.  This is one of the greatest honors a chef can have because it shows passion, culinary knowledge, and awesome skill.  They were selected for these reasons, but also due to their outstanding reputation in Connecticut and beyond.  In addition, their focus on seasonal and local ingredients was a major reason why they were asked to cook at The James Beard House.   They are cooking up a “Softshell Extravaganza” that will feature Maryland softshell crabs, paired with wine from Master Sommelier Stephen Greenwood.

Here’s a copy of the menu from the night:

• Hors d’Oeuvre
  • Gazpacho Shooters with Connecticut Lobster
  • Connecticut Blue Point Oysters and Pearls
  • Softshell Crab Tacos and Miniature Key Lime Margaritas
  • Braised Certified Angus Beef® Short Rib–Roasted Corn Pudding with Sake–Ginger Glaze
  • Foie Gras Pops
  • Vilarnau Brut Cava NV
• Dinner
  • Kumquat, Red Miso, and Yuzu–Glazed Softshell Crab with Shaved Fennel, Plums, Sweet Tomatoes, Summer Bean Salad, and Honeydew, Corn, and Sichuan Pepper Nage
  • Viñas Del Vero La Miranda De Secastilla Garnacha Blanca 2010
  • Applewood-Smoked Softshell Crab with Heirloom Tomato Salad, Lime-Enhanced Goat Cheese Mousse, American Caviar, Ancho Chili–Honey Sauce, and Cucumber Sorbet
  • Andeluna Torrontés 2011
  • Big Easy–Style Softshell Crab with Sweet Summer Corn Gnocchi, Lobster Mushroom–Roasted Hog Jowl Ragoût, and Champagne Sabayon
  • Viña Ventisquero Pangea Apalta Vineyards Syrah 2007
  • Banh Bao and Pho Duo > Tempura Softshell Crab Banh Bao with Housemade Hoisin Sauce, Pickled Watermelon, and Cucumber Jam; and Pho with Spicy Ginger–Lime Broth, Rice Noodles, and Rare Beef
  • David Bruce Santa Maria Valley Pinot Noir 2009
  • Brandie’s Original Blueberry Pie with Salt-Churned Honey and Lemon Thyme–Honey Ice Cream
  • Quady Essensia Orange Muscat 2010

Although this event is sold out, you don’t need to fret.  Chef Cottle and Chef Hurd can be seen every week on FOX 61 Hartford on a cooking segment called “Midday Chefs” every Wednesday at 11 am.  You can also taste their food (and if you’re lucky, meet them) at Jordan Caterers events.  They have won Connecticut Magazine’s “Best of Connecticut” for 12 straight years, the Brides Connecticut Editor’s Choice Award in 2011, The Knot Best of Weddings Pick 2011, and Weddingwire.com’s Bridges Choice Award in 2011.

You know, it was great to see Kevin and Van cook their way through Hell’s Kitchen, but it’s even greater to see them soar.  They might have had to give their aprons away to Gordon Ramsay, but something tells us they’ve got some nice new ones now.

From Press Release

About Chef Kevin Cottle:  Chef Cottle hails from Plymouth, Massachusetts and was formally educated at Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park New York. Cottle’s professional culinary journey has taken him to the finest restaurants, hotels and  resorts in Philadelphia, Boston, Vail, New Hampshire and Cape Cod and he has earned numerous awards and accolades, including AAA’s four diamond award and  the Wine Spectator’s Award of Excellence.  As Jordan Caterers’ Executive Chef, Kevin focuses on the highest-quality ingredients, prepared with clockwork precision and abundant creativity.  He fuses contemporary New England cuisine with the elegance of French Gastronomy.  Cottle has aggressively been involved with the Department of Agriculture’s “Farm to Chef” program which helps consumers realize the bounty of food grown locally in the State of Connecticut.  Cottle lives in
Middletown with his wife and son.

About Chef Van Hurd:  Chef Hurd grew up in the South and was formally trained at The Art Institute of Dallas where he graduated at the top of his class.  He went on to hold a key position at Dallas’s fabled French Room which
maintains a AAA Five Diamond designation and is considered one of the best restaurants in the country.  Van, a member of the Texas Chef Association and the Connecticut Club Chefs Association, enjoys keeping food rustic, farm fresh and local while layering natural flavors that explode on the palate.  He currently holds down the position of Executive Sous Chef of Jordan Caterers. When he’s not in kitchen, Hurd volunteers for a wide variety of nonprofit ventures, including coaching troubled teens, March of Dimes Signature Chefs and Connecticut Farm to Chefs.  Van lives with his wife and daughter in Hartford.

Down to Earth Farm to Table at Terrain – Westport, CT

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

Truly down to earth…

Take a seat inside if it’s too hot/cold for ya

How cute! Bread baked in a terra cotta planter!

Young lettuce, chevre, pumpkin seeds and an orange vinaigrette

Killer ricotta paired with Marcona almonds and more in the Baby Lettuce Salad

Another dish not to be missed

Perfect scallops with English peas, Terrain bacon, horseradish, and locally awesome red bee honey

A side of mushrooms, not to be missed…

Apple, jalapeno, cheddar…heaven in cornbread form.

Yummy salted caramel Budino

They even have a coffee and tea bar!

No need for those fake plastic receipt holders here

*Click a pic to check out the drool-worthy gallery*

We just can’t get enough of delicious farm-to-table restaurants, so when we heard about Terrain in Westport we were super excited to try it. But, to be completely honest, we weren’t really sure what to expect. On one hand, the kitchen’s headed up by Joe Wolfson, winner of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs 2011, so it has to be good.  But on the other hand, it is owned by the same company that owns Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People. Oh, don’t get me wrong, being a fashionista I LOVE those stores, but can they make good food? Good farm-to-table food at that? We were a little unsure…until we sat down and dug in.

From the minute we arrived we knew this wasn’t your typical farm-to-table experience. Well, first of all, for those of you that don’t know, it’s actually a 2 acre store and the restaurant (cafe to be exact) is only one part of that 2 acre space. If you come in through the outside area, you’ll walk around a large, really nice tree/plant nursery on your way to the outdoor seating. If you walk in through the inside you’ll walk through a jaw-dropping home and garden type store that is impossible to pass up. Either way you go, it’s a gorgeous experience leading up to an equally gorgeous, rustic, charming cafe area complete with butcher block table tops, weathered metal chairs, plants, waterfalls, trees, moss, flowers and more.

We were immediately seated and then greeted by our very charming (and single for all you single ladies) waiter, Jason. It wasn’t too long after chatting with Jason and a few other members of the staff that we realized Terrain was just a nice, laid back, down-to-earth, farm-to-table restaurant. That’s how they should all be, right? We also found out from the staff that most of their food is sourced within a 50 mile radius, including Glenn Mills, Holbrook Farm, Oakview, The Hickories, and Warrup’s Farm. Even much of the wine and beer selection is regional of which Danny had a Magic Hat Circus Boy, and I sampled a Jonathan Edwards Cabernet before settling on a bolder California red. But enough about all that, onto the food.

We started with some of their many appetizing small plates and side dishes, then shared an entree, then onto dessert of course. Here’s the plate by plate:

Bread

How cute! Bread baked in a terra cotta pot!

Yeah, we don’t usually write about the free bread, but we just HAD to this time. Why? Well, first of all because it comes in the terra cotta flower pot it was baked in. But second of all, it was HOLY CRAP delicious, soft and ooey gooey served with maple syrup butter that I seriously could’ve eaten with a spoon (and may have when no one was looking, just sayin’).

Roasted Beets: Young lettuce, chevre, pumpkin seeds and an orange vinaigrette

Oh wow, this was better than your average goat cheese salad (and believe me, I’ve tried them all). The dressing was light, flavorful and the perfect amount of acid to balance the red and yellow beets, goat cheese and pumpkin seeds, which seemed to be roasted and coated in some sort of yumminess.

Baby Lettuce: Marcona almonds, fennel, carrot, ricotta and a lemon vinaigrette

This was Danny’s salad. He claims it was a fancy party in his mouth. The fennel brought a nice kick, the Marcona almonds, a nice texture and saltiness, the Ricotta a creaminess and the vinaigrette a bright, light acid that brought the whole thing together.

Hanger Steak: Asparagus, new potato, mushroom, garlic fondue and red wine

Cooked PERFECTLY medium rare, juicy with a nice crusted outside. The mushroom fondue was layered on the plate beneath the steak and was out of this world. We made sure to dip each bite of steak and each perfectly tender potato in for a bite that was FULL of flavor.

Scallops:  Terrain bacon, English peas, horseradish, red bee honey

Scallops:  yeah, you’ve gotta order this

We honestly didn’t think the meal could good better, but it did.  The honey added a unique, sweet flavor to the scallops along with the sweetness of the peas while the horseradish really added a warmth.  And of course the rich, fatty bacon was the perfect balance with the scallops. Yeah, we concluded that honey and scallops are best friends that should never be separated ever again.

Roasted Mushrooms: Various mushrooms, garlic, shallots. 

Mmmm, lots of yummy types of fresh mushrooms cooked to perfection served over some sort of awesome garlic creaminess that added a wonderful punch of flavor to the earthiness of the mushrooms.

Cornbread: Apple, jalapeno, cheddar. Heaven.

Jason warned us of its awesomeness, but nothing could prepare us. OMG, this is seriously the BEST cornbread we’ve ever had. So incredibly moist, so buttery with just the right amount of cheddar and some nice sweet apple to balance out the kick from the jalapeno. We will dream of this cornbread regularly. In fact, I want some now, darnnit.

Chocolate Budino: Chocolate pudding, salted caramel sauce, peanut brittle

We wanted the homemade doughnuts (mmmm doughnuts) but they ran out so Jason suggested this instead. Although not my type of dessert (I’m not a pudding fan), this was quite yummy and Danny really enjoyed it! We both loved the saltiness of the caramel which served as a great balance to the sweetness of the pudding. And the peanut brittle was fantastic – not too hard or overly sugary where it hurts your teeth. JUST right.

We have to say, after just one dining experience we are HUGE fans of Terrain. The atmosphere was stunning, the service was absolutely perfect (ask for Jason, he rocks), the courses came out slowly letting us just relax, the vibe was chill and the food was just plain AMAZING. So now that dinner has been conquered, we must come back for brunch on a Saturday or Sunday and shop around for a while. I can definitely see us going back again and again, and so should you!

Terrain

Noms: 4.5

Cost: $$$

Address:  561 Post Road East
Westport, CT 06880

Phone:  (203) 226-2732

Lunch Monday-Friday: 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Brunch Saturday & Sunday:  10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Dinner Tuesday -Saturday:  5 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/Terrain 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/ShopTerrain/

Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/shopterrain/

Site:  http://www.shopterrain.com/westport-restaurant

A World of Flavors, Local Flare @ Harlan Social – Stamford (Harbor Point), CT

What to look forward to:  all photos by Evan Sung

Grand Opening – Tuesday, August 7th!
- Lunch service begins Wednesday, August 8th
- Brunch service begins Sunday, August 12th

Executive Chef Stephen Lewandowski has been all across the world, and has honed his culinary skills at some of the best restaurants in NYC.  We’re talking about Executive Chef at restaurants such as Tribeca Grill and the Myriad Restaurant Group.  As the opening of Lewandowski’s new spot drew near, we began to wonder about his new gig over at Harlan Social in Harbor Point, Stamford that would be opening in mere weeks.  How was construction going, what is his philosophy on food, what would be the focus of Harlan Social, and what would Harlan Social add to Stamford?  Well, we took our questions and released them upon a very kind, enthusiastic, and passionate Chef Lewandowski.

International Local Flavor Factor

Stephen has made it clear that he’s in love with travel and food from across the world.  On the Harlan Social Site, he says that he’s been to over 30 countries.  When I asked him about his favorite cuisine, he hesitated a bit.  “I can’t pinpoint my favorite, but I did enjoy Vietnam a lot.  The history, the culture, and the different flavor profiles of the food over there are amazing.”  Another great trip he had was to Southern Bulgaria, in a small mountainous farm area.  He relaxed and ate freshly made cheese with cucumber, tomato, and just-picked basil.  “The food was so simple,” Stephen excitedly shot out, “but so great.  Simple food.  They use the environment around them to craft their meals.”

This passion for local food shines through with the menu at Harlan Social.  The menu will change based on the season, but Chef Lewandowski doesn’t want to be limited to just that.  One of the greatest joys for him is changing up the menu whenever he wants.    Another great joy?  Translating the flavors and cuisines from his travels into amazing dishes such as plays on bánh mì and a braised short rib pierogie.

Snacks and Small Plates

Getting down to more of the food, Kristien and I noticed that the menu at Harlan Social is full of snacks and small plates, though there are entrées available also.  I asked Stephen why this was and he said that he loves a variety of food and choices.  “I want to take people out of the classical, ordinary, three course meal, ” Stephen proudly stated.  “You just order, food comes out…order a bunch of things, we’ll pace it out for you.”  There’s also a nice nod to vegetarian food because his wife, Heather Rae (Harlan is her maiden name), is veg herself.   Plain and simple, Harlan Social is taking a typical restaurant experience and is cooking outside of the box.

Events, Brunch and the Cheese Station (OMG)

At Harlan Social, they’ll be pulling some fresh mozzarella three times a day at the 13 seat cheese station.  Expect an amazing variety of other cheeses, too, that you can snack on while sipping on some wine, beer, or cocktails.  As for the events, get ready for some cooking classes that will teach you techniques, special food pairings, cheese nights, roast pig nights, wine tastings, and a natural chef’s table that makes it feel like you’re in the kitchen.  Harlan Social will also have a brunch that might prove to be a game changer.  Stephen told me there would be a big emphasis on the brunch.  “The cheese bar will turn into a crepe/waffle station and there will be one set price.”  We want brunch and cheese now…when can we start?

Drink Up!

Harlan Social will be featuring local and craft brews on tap, will have a nice wine menu, and will have fun and creative cocktails.  Drink up at your table or at the 55 person bar.  Yeah, that’s so big we can’t even imagine it!   Also, when you order a draft, check out where it’s coming from:  an iron clad draft beer cooler.  Swanky!

The Look, the Feel, of…Harlan

There certainly will be no lack of space at Harlan Social.  5,000 square feet with 20 foot high ceilings.  The dining area will be divided by a massively immense wine wall that measures in at 20 feet by 24 feet wide.  That will be a sight to be behold, but so will the ladder.  Yes, you know those fun ladders that hook onto library walls that can be slid across then climbed?  Yeah, they’ll have that!  The wall will not only be beautiful, but will also break the restaurant up into two parts.  The back half can be used for private dining that is attached to an outside patio.  Al fresco dining, here we come.

Stay Tuned

When we talked, there were a bunch of ideas floating around surrounding the opening.  Stephen talked about offering up special events and soft openings for their Facebook followers.  Some of the plans include a friends and family night and some special spots that might be auctioned off on the FB page.  You can’t get these chances unless you’re following, them, though.  So, keep an eye out for the opening of Harlan Social and check back here for a date, too.

They’ll be open when the timing is just right…you can’t rush culinary perfection.

Harlan Social (by Fairway Market)

Address:  121 Towne Street

Stamford, CT 06902

Phone:  (201) 264-7959