CT Food News: over 30 things to do, eat + drink for the next two weeks! – 9/11/15

So, people: chill. Summer goes until September 22, so stop saying that summer’s over. And, with the crazy amount of events, deals, special events, brunches, and beer goodness, it’s clear that summer’s alive and well. This is really an amazing list this week and we hope that you get to do even do a 1/4 of the things that we’ve planned out for you here. As always, help us spread the word, pass this along, and if you’re making a reservation or learn about something great because of us, let the restaurant or organizers know. 

9/11-13 People will be heading to the Norwalk Oyster Fest for the seafood, the drinks, and the tunes. For more info, check it here. 

9/12 The Markets at Botticello Farms in Manchester will be going down from 11-2. Visit them at 209 Hillstown Road and check out Brown Sugar Catering, Botticello Dairy, Oak Leaf Dairy, Jeff’s Kettle Corn, JT Farms, The Burnt Shop, Great Harvest, Liquid Nirvana, NoRA Cupcake Co, DiFiore Ravioli Shop, and more!

9/12 Celebrate the Ethiopian New Years with a brunch at Teff in Stamford that’s going down from 11-1:30. They’ll have some of their traditional breakfast options as well as new items that will show up soon on their new menu. To make you reservation call them up at (203) 998-7474. 

9/12-13 Nom away from 12-10 on Saturday and 12-7 on Sunday at the Danbury City Center Green for the Taste of Danbury! There will be live music from Michael DelGuidice & Big Shot and Tim Charron, games, and plenty of food options from Danbury and other local restaurants. 

9/13 Take a bike tour of New Haven with the Pizza and Pints Bike Tour. It starts at 11 am at Devil’s Gear Bike Shop and is sponsored by Samuel Adams! Stops along the way are Pepe’s, Zuppardi’s, Bar, Ernie’s Pizzeria, and you end at Modern. Tickets are $55.

9/13 We’ve told you before, but we’ll tell ya again: get your ass to Coals in Port Chester, NY! Well, turns out there’s a perfect opportunity: a collaboration between Coals and Maine Beer Co. for a beer brunch. They’ll be pairing up Maine beers with dishes that feature the bounty of late summer produce like sweet tomatoes and corn. For just $40, you’ll get 5 courses that include two special pizzas. Make your reservations by calling (914) 337-1901 or e-mailing them at coals.pizza@yahoo.com.

9/14 You’ve all been good boys and girls (well, most of you), so it’s about time to reward you with HooDoo and the Hog, starting at 6. That’s when HooDoo Brown in Ridgefield will be hosting a whole hog dinner, will have a tap takeover from Black Hog Brewing of Oxford, and will be playing two football games back to back. Celebrate the pig skin in both ways by visiting Hoodoo!

9/15 Vespa in Westport will be hosting an Allegrini wine dinner that features Allegrini & Poggio al Tesoro with guest Sommelier Peter Trolio from the awesome Nicholas Roberts in Darien! The night begins at 6:30 with a reception soon followed up by dinner at 7. Tickets are $125 with tax and tip extra. If you like any of the wines that you taste, you can buy them there and 10% of those sales will be donated to Turning Water into Wine. Get your reservations by calling them up at (203) 557-9057.

9/17 Check out any Moe’s Southwest Grill in CT (or anywhere for that matter) for Quesopalooza! And, how else would you celebrate such a day but with free chips and 6 oz. of their famous queso! You don’t even need to buy anything to enjoy, but you are going to order the Art Vandalay, right?

9/18 From 5-7, check out FTC Happy Hour at Fairfield Theatre Company‘s The Warehouse. There will be live music from Terrapin, local restaurants and food vendors, a beer garden, giveaways of free tickets, and BMWs to gawk at! The Warehouse is located at 70 Sanford Street in Fairfield. 

Say Cheese! Sorry, that’s Danny’s joke, not mine.

9/18 What’s the best way to ease the back to school jitters? Right: eat a helluva lot of food! So, come on down to Jefferson Science Magnet School @ 75 Van Buren Avenue in Norwalk for their 2015 Food Festival! Check out the talent: Melt Mobile, One Bro Pizza Co, Ringside Grill, Chef Tony Delicias, Muro’s Original NY Bakery, Spud Stud, and yes . . . there will be Italian ices! The festival goes from 4:30-8:30, so come early and eat much.

9/19 Shearwater Coffee Roasters based in Trumbull can now be found at Whole Foods Market in Darien and if you come by from 11-2, you can do a tasting of your own so you can pick out your favorite beans.

9/19 Oak Haven Table & Bar in New Haven will be featuring a beer brunch from 11-3 with 11 Ballast Point brews. In addition, they’ll be using Ballast Point spirits in some killer cocktails. Some of the dishes to check out are Mason Jar Berry Parfait, Bourbon Vanilla French Toast, a Farm Salad with Sculpin Vinaigrette, Oak Haven Benedict boards including duck, crab, farm, pork belly, and lots more! 

9/19 There’s a Farm-to-Chef dinner happening right on Sunset Meadow Vineyards in Goshen and the focus is a traditional New England Seafood Dinner! It all starts at 6:30 where you’ll find a spot at the table under a tent so that you can soak up the beautiful weather. Tickets are $95 per person and can be reserved by calling up (860) 201-4654.

9/19-20 The Live Green Connecticut Festival is back at Taylor Farm Park in Norwalk and you should come by! There will be live music, over 200 different exhibits, places to get food, and even more! Hours for Saturday are 10-5 and Sunday’s hours are 10-4 with tickets costing nothing to get in, but parking costs $5 per car. So, carpool it in and save big time! 

If you’re looking for some of the best Arancini that you’ll ever taste, check out Have a Ball food truck! They’ll be at The Beer Garden @ Shippan Landing from 5-9 on Friday, at Stony Creek Brewery from 1-9 on Saturday, and at the Greenwich Polo Club from 12-5 on Sunday.

It’s official: Barcade New Haven is on the way and got their final approval! They’ll be open at 56 Orange Street very soon!

Before the week ends, make sure that you head to Bridge Street Wienery for their Pants on Fire Chili. It’s made with a combination of garden fresh Italian chiles, jalapenos, serrano, and habanero peppers!

Cielo in Wilton has 50% off bottles of wine on Tuesdays. You down? 

South End in New Canaan will be your new lunch spot, heard? Check them out Wednesday-Saturday from 11:30-2:30. Then, when you’re hungry again, come down the road to South End Uncorked for dinner!

Check out one of the newest food trucks on the CT food scene, StrEATery, every Sunday all the way through November at the Elephant’s Trunk Country Flea Market in New Milford.

You’ve had Brick + Wood’s food at their Fairfield spot, but coming soon you’ll be able to check them out with their own mobile pizza oven. 

Le Rouge in Westport can do it all when it comes to chocolates and dessert . . . they can even provide for you during the upcoming Jewish holidays. They use kosher parve dark chocolate and can even use coconut milk for dairy. Call Aarti up at (203) 293-6106.

Hot Rod Cafe in New London just recently competed at the National Buffalo Wing Festival! We’re dying to find out the results, but will need to wait a bit. To check out more info about this smoking hot fest, click here. 

Beer

9/12 Luciferin will be released at Firefly Hollow starting at 11 am! That bad boy is a 10% Imperial IPA that they brewed with New Zealand hops and Hallertau Blanc. 6 bottles per person and $10 per bottle. 

9/13 If you’re familiar with the roots of where Two Roads Brewery got its name, then you’ll be interested in this: NY Times Poetry Columnist David Orr will be reading selections from his new book about Robert Frost. The events starts at 3 and requires you to register for free tickets.

9/15 DUN DUN DUN . . . it’s the Tappening at Local Fairfield! From 6 to close you can drink Dogfish Head all night: 60 Minute, 90 Minute, 61 Minute, 120 Minute, Midas Touch, American Beauty, Burton Baton, Occasional Ale, Punkin’, Palo Santo Marron, and Indian Brown Ale!

9/16 If you haven’t already become addicted to Kent Falls Brewery, then you aren’t trying hard enough. Check them out at Prime 16 in Orange for a tap takeover that starts at 4.

9/19 Head down to DuVig from 2-7 in Branford to partake in their Oktoberfest beer release. If you’d like to go all out, throw down $25 and you’ll get a German Meal, a souvenir mug, and a sample of Oktoberfest all together. Sounds like a great way to spend a day . . . just sayin’. 

9/19-20 Two Roads’ Ok2berfest is back and if you’re a Long Islander, then here’s a killer deal: you’ll take the Port Jeff ferry to Bridgeport and enjoy a free Two Roads beer while onboard, get a shuttle to the brewery, get your own stein, and get your first beer free at Two Roads. All of this for just $50. That’s a killer deal, so we hope to see some of ya’ll up here. Reserve your spot here.

You’ve seen Beer Advocate this month, right? What, no? Well, get a copy because Beer’d Brewing is featured in an article in this month’s issue!

Despite some silence on their front, Witchdoctor Brewing company has found their home and will be brewing beer in Southington. They plan to open by Spring of 2016, but you can try their beer at different events like the Brass City Brewfest on 9/12, Smoke in the Valley on 10/3, and the Crazy Brew Bash on 10/17.