A win win WIN at Judy’s Bar + Kitchen, Stamford (Review)

A while back, our friend Terri Smith, who curates Franklin Street Works in Stamford, reached out for help in creating a fun experience for their annual fundraiser event: the opportunity to review a restaurant with yours truly. We were completely on board (hey, anything for a great local charity), but wanted to pick the perfect restaurant for the experience. We immediately thought of Judy’s Bar + Kitchen, and being the good soul she is, Chef Judith Roll (also of Tabouli Grill) was totally on board! Skip ahead to the fundraiser event, and wouldn’t you know, our friends John and Lori Beth won! That’s the first and second “win” of our win, win, WIN. So, for our first (admittedly overdue) review back, we’re sharing not just our own thoughts, but also what our friends thought about this Stamford hotspot.

First of all, let’s just say how excited we were to be at Judy’s, having been major fans of Chef Roll since we lived in Stamford the first time around ’07-’13 and ordered Tabouli Grill on the regular. And while the Judy’s Bar & Kitchen concept is VERY different, with down home BBQ and comfort food and killer cocktails, we just knew we were going to be in for a treat! (That’s the third WIN, for those of you keeping track with the title.)

Giveaway Time: 3 Pairs of Tix for Food for All 2017!

Read on to see how you can win one of 3 pairs of tickets to the amazing Food for All 2017 fundraising party!

Update: We used our favorite little random number generator, and we have picked three winners! One was (randomly) on Instagram and the other two were on Facebook. Here they are:

IG: @amandacakes and @lallalee13

FB: Jennifer and Louis M.

       Amanda and John S.

It’s contest time, OmNomivores, and boy do we have a great one for you: three pairs of tickets to Food for All 2017: An Evening to End Hunger! This historically awesome event lets you check out some of Fairfield County’s newest and best food and drink from Fairfield County’s newest and best chefs and mixologists (or whatever the “it” term is these days for a person that makes kickass cocktails) all while helping to fulfill Food Rescue US‘s vital mission of ridding our county and country of hunger. What’s not to love about that? Read on for more details and how to win:

Bookmark this Event: A Novel Affair 2017

This year’s A Novel Affair features an awesome

Now that we’re back in Stamford, we have access (again) to an amazing library system! In fact, the Weed Hill branch is just around the corner, so if we ever want to pick up a book or any other item, it can get sent us to right there from any of the other branches. Besides that, all of the libraries in Stamford offer an ever-expanding selection of books, audio, magazines, online items, and even games! But, that doesn’t even take into account all of the programs that take part in the library . . . the Stamford library is truly a social center that brings the community together.

Napa & Co. in Stamford Closing This Saturday

Napa & Co. will be serving its last meals this Saturday.

We just confirmed with the restaurant that Napa & Co. in Stamford will be closing for good. The Stamford institution was long seen as not only one of the top restaurants in Stamford, but also in Connecticut. Their last day of service is this Saturday, 1/14/17. Sources tell us that staff was told about the closing last night. We have no further information at the time about what restaurant will take its place.

Good luck and well wishes to everyone at Napa & Co.

Mason Dixon Smokehouse: Drawing a New Line for BBQ – Stamford, CT

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Update: We have a few things to report on right now:

1. Nestor left Mason Dixon in early January. He does have future plans and things in the works.
2. Mason Dixon was closed yesterday for mechanical issues, but they are up and running and are open for lunch right now.
3. The new Pitmaster, Ryan Cuber, has been working with Nestor since opening and had a BBQ catering company of his own, Savory Smoke Catering.
4. Ryan left and, soon after, they closed for good.

Once upon a time, Mason Dixon was a line that clearly divided the North and South, but now–in Stamford–Mason Dixon is a Smokehouse that clearly divides killer BBQ from, um, well, pretty much all the rest. Yup, as we shared back on October 1, Pitmaster Nestor Laracuente was on a mission to open up a new BBQ joint, a joint that would clearly draw a new line for BBQ in Fairfield County. When we discovered the Brooklyn Pit Rat chose to open that joint in our very own Stamford, we were thankful AF we were on the right side of the line.

So while we were eager to get in there as soon as it opened, we like to give a restaurant a few weeks to work the kinks out before we review. As you can imagine, the suspense was killing us, even more so because we follow their hot, meaty, BBQ porn laden Instagram account . . . ooooh yeaaaahhh . . . ok, we digress. So yes, we finally dropped in with our friend Nicole and her friend Justin and took down pretty much EVERYTHING from cocktails, to sides, to apps, and of course to the MEATS. So, let’s break it on down:

Liquid Hoptimism DIPA Review and Launch Party @ Half Full

When we found out that Half Full had a brand new brewer, Tom Price, back in January, we were pretty psyched. As some of you might remember, we have been following Half Full before they oven opened up shop at 43 Homestead Avenue right in Stamford. So, we were excited and hoptimistic to see the evolution after their first brewer, Jen Muckerman left.

Our first taste from the new brewer back on February 27 (gotta love Untappd) was Liquid Hoptimism, a new DIPA. While it did seem like an improvement, the beer didn’t live up to our expectations, so we didn’t bother trying to find it again. Honestly, we didn’t feel the hoptimism.

Nom Away @ 7th Annual Food + Wine Tasting ft. Stamford Favorites

Check out this great event with details in this post.

The North Stamford Exchange Club is hosting its 7th Annual Food & Wine Tasting this Friday from 7-10 at the Italian Center . . . and we hope you can make it. The tasting (or gorging if you’d prefer 2nds and 3rds) features some great favorites from across Stamford, including one of the most anticipated restaurants that’s ready to open. Tickets are just $50, 4 for $190, or 6 for $270 with proceeds going directly to local scholarships and organizations. The organizations that will be helped are the Exchange Club Parenting Skills Center of Stamford, ARI, The Salvation Army, Stamford Youth Foundation, MarcUS for Change, Pacific House Homeless Shelter, and the Turn of River Fire Department and the Belltown Fire Departments. Get your tickets here, at either BevMax (Ridgeway or East Main) or by calling up Amy at (203) 667-1202.

9th Annual Stamford Charity Chili Cook-Off Stewing up this Sunday!

One of our favorite events of the year is the ever-growing and ever-popular Stamford Charity Chili Cook-Off. Started as a small event in a local Stamford church, this event has grown every year with more competitors and even more hungry tasters. This year the tradition continues on November 6 from 11-3 right at Stamford Museum & Nature Center. There will be 15 home cooks, chefs, and restaurants this year, all vying for your votes! Who will win the coveted first place prize? Will Mayor Martin’s chili take down the competition? Will the students at JM Wright Tech uphold their number one spot? Also, who will be the contestants who win special trophies and rewards from four special judges (more on this below)?

Slices of NY Heaven + More @ Bronx House Pizza Pie in Springdale, Stamford

Just a short walk from our house is the brand new Bronx House Pizza Pie that has its grand opening tomorrow. The new joint, owned by Bruno DiFabio who also owns Amore on Hope Street, ReNapoli in Greenwich, and many other great award-winning pizza places, is located at 27 Ryan Street. If you’re coming off of Hope, turn down Camp Ave. then you’ll see it right after the Twin Rinks and across from Napa Auto Parts.

Crazy Good Comfort Food @ New Magee’s Curbside Mobile Food Truck

 

You need some of this in your life . . . and face. All of it in your face.

 

Comfort food, you’ve met your match. Well, technically, you’ve met your match when Magee’s Curbside opened up at 72 Magee Avenue. We recently had a chance to go and check them out and came out impressed after a brunch that featured some great dishes.

So, imagine how excited (and torn we were) when we stopped by Indeed Stamford today and saw The Brunch Box, Hapa Food Truck, and Magee’s Curbside’s new (two weeks new) truck! Priorities of  just getting Hapa changed (we still got Hapa too, don’t worry) because, well, what kind of bloggers would we be if we didn’t try out the new truck? Right? Right.