2015 Farm-to-Trumbull Dinner Series Kick-off w/ Connecticut Farm Table Cookbook Authors @ Parallel Post

Although the farm and the love of all things local has never left Parallel Post in Trumbull, it’s been a while since they have had their Farm-to-Trumbull event. This year actually marks the third year that this awesome celebration of local food has taken place and this year it’s going to be even more amazing.

The first intimate event (only 30 attendees) will be held on June 25 and starts at 7 pm with tickets costing $110 per person or $200 per couple (tax and tip included). While that price might seem high, you’ll be getting plenty of great things:

Craveworthy: Parallel Post Unveils Dessert Menu Featuring Girl Scout Cookies

Hungry yet? Killer shots from Roger Ho-Yen!

There are important events all year long: New Year’s, Thanksgiving, the 4th of July, and . . . of course . . . Girl Scout Cookie season! Ordering has already started and keeps going strong and deliveries are on their way, but if you can’t wait to get your packages in then we’ve got some great news for you. Parallel Post in Trumbull has created a wickedly decadent dessert menu using Girl Scout Cookies in conjunction with Girl Scouts of CT.

Chef Dan Kardos of Bartaco Westport Teams up w/ Shearwater Coffee This Sunday

Sunday is all about coffee, chilling, and good food, so why not do all three at Bartaco in Westport? From 1-3 on 12/21, they’ll have a few treats for you. First up is Ed Freedman of Shearwater Coffee Roasters in Trumbull. He’ll be hanging out, so feel free to ask him all about the roasting process and what goes into the making of a good coffee. While you’re there, you’ll definitely want to check out what Executive Chef Dan Kardos (formerly of The Whelk, NOLA, Local Kitchen) is cooking up! That’s cuz he’ll be making up a special treat made with some Shearwater coffee.

And, since we’ve got you here, you can also check out Bartaco/Barcelona’s online shop for all kind of goodies! Act fast if you want delivery for Christmas: you’ll have to order today. Some items available are t-shirts, caps, glassware, olive oil, paella and sangria kits, their popular hot sauces, and the Barcelona cookbook. 

Gift-mas-ukah Day 5: Raus, Shearwater + Deadly Ground Coffee

Coffee so good, you’ll lactate

Okay, so we had a hard time deciding which of these three coffee roasters that we’d spotlight for Day 5 of our Fairfield County focused gift giving guide. It’s especially tough because each roaster has unique things about their beans, their products, and their branding. Well, why don’t we just look at each buzz-biz a bit:

Hello Kitty Cocktail + Cupcake Combo @ Parallel Post Raises Money for Breast Cancer Wellness

Excuse us for a second. We’re still trying to recover from some heart-wrenhing news that we discovered a few weeks ago. Yes, yes…it’s true, it’s all true. Sanrio revealed that Hello Kitty is actually not a kitty. She’s actually a girl dressed as a kitty! We know, we know, your world is shattered, and you’re still trying to pick up the pieces…us too…us too. 

Parallel Post + Onyx Moonshine Team Up for Scandalous Prohibition Dinner

As bad as you think your life is now with problems left and right, think about this:  what if you lived during the Prohibition Era?  You couldn’t get a beer, couldn’t get a cocktail, couldn’t even drink wine…what kind of life is that?  But, that didn’t stop the truly devoted who took the ban on liquor as a creative opportunity to sell illegal drinks in speakeasies and make a profit.  Oh, and you best believe that people started brewing their own liquid goodness too…stuff that would put hair on your chest, stuff that could polish (and maybe corrode) metal, stuff that was sure to get you all messed up with just a few sips.

CT Food News, Vol. 8: Rare Booze, Beer, Trux, Festivals, + Fun

 

Jumping for joy and trying to swallow those Pez whole

Old news is not new news, people…that’s why we’re getting ya some of the freshest nomworthy bites of food news for Fairfield County (and beyond) for this weekend and next week, too.  This week we’re talking booze, br/lunch, food news, food trucks, festivals, farms, and farmers’ markets.  Full event listings here.  

Beer and Liquor Get Ya There Quicker

6/13:  Harry’s in Fairfield is hosting “Harry’s Open that Bottle Event” that will feature rare and exclusive Scotches, Ryes, and Bourbons that they’ve been stocking up on over the past few months.  Sample these awesome spirits from 5-8 and get some (or something similar) for yourself or dad this Father’s Day.

6/19:  Jack’s Abby launch party with co-founder Sam Hendler at 7 pm, held at Cask Republic Stamford.

Coalhouse Pizza in Stamford will also soon carry Thimble Island of Branford AND Jack’s Abby.  What what?

Cool Beans: The Buzz Truck Set to Percolate, Caffeinate + Feed the Masses

Update:  The Buzz Truck is running and fully caffeinated!  

Mornings, afternoons, or whenever you wake up from your late night out just got a helluva lot better.  That’s ‘cuz we’ve got a brand new food truck that’s ready to hit up the streets of Fairfield County called The Buzz Truck.  Run by husband and wife team Alex and Jess Grutkowski, The Buzz Truck is nearly ready to get us buzzing with caffeine and fill us up with some awesome local baked goods.  We think their new food truck will fill a major void in Fairfield County and will round out events perfectly.  So, let’s hear a little bit from Jess about how The Buzz Truck came to be, what drinks and food they’ll feature, where they plan to be stopping and setting up shop, and what their plans for the future are.

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Where did the idea for The Buzz Truck come from?

The idea came about organically, just from being a coffee lover and a mom short on time. My husband Alex and I both have a corporate background (online advertising and public relations, respectively). We always knew that someday we would start our own business, but it took some time to come up with the right idea. We thought about children’s parties, the Community Theater in Fairfield, mini golf, but nothing was “just right.”

I was always late to pick up my girls from nursery school at Earthplace…it was kind of embarrassing. But my friends and I would always cover for each other when we were late to pick up, especially since some of us drove from Fairfield and would get stuck on the highway or behind school buses.

I remember being in line one day watching the clock – slightly panicking – and the only guy in front of me pulls out a piece of paper and starts reading off orders…”One sugar, free, non-fat, vanilla latte, extra hot 190 degrees, not a ton of foam.” I was left to choose:  be late again or ditch the line and forego coffee all together.

Then the idea hit me. Why isn’t there an ice cream truck, but for grown-ups, with coffee? Even the name, The Buzz Truck, came to me at that moment. I could drive to the nursery school at pick-up time and the moms and staff could get coffee or tea, kids snacks and drinks.

Four Recipes for the Serious Chocoholic from Parallel Post in Trumbull

 

February is the official month of chocolate, yet there’s also an American Chocolate Week that starts on March 17.  But, do we really need a month or eek to go crazy and indulge in chocolate?  Psshh, nah, any ol’ day will do, but we should embrace both of these times because then at least our lusts are justified.  :)

So, whether you just love chocolate, like it occasionally, or just want to try something new, we’ve got four great recipes to share with you from Parallel Post in Trumbull.  By following these recipes, you’ll be able to make a decadent chocolate cake, a richly complex Valrhona Milk Chocolate Panna Cotta with Salty Caramel and Malt Ice Cream Milkshake, a Chocolate Cardamom Tart, and a Chocolate Moonshine Manhattan on the Rocks.  

Got Spoon? Nomworthy List of ChowdaFest 2014 Finalists Named

ChowdaQuest, the quest for the fest, was a huge success this year and it placed some amazing restaurants into the 2014 ChowdaFest competition through your votes.  Going down on SOUPer Bowl Sunday, 2/2, from 11 am to 3 pm, ChowdaFest VI promises to be even more awesomerest than last year!  Tickets will be just $10 and benefits The Connecticut Food Bank!  We’ll have more details to share with you shortly, but in addition to everything that makes Chowdafest great like sampling chowders and voting for your favorites, there are tons of new things that you’ll love!  And, speaking of liquid goodness, check out the winning competitors for ChowdaFest 2014 to be held at Webster Bank Arena:

New England Clam Chowder:

Bernard’s (Ridgefield) – first year

Donovan’s (Norwalk) – defending champion

Go Fish (Mystic) – first year

Guvnor’s Brewery (Norwalk) – first year

Mansion Clam House (Westport) – 2 time champ

Old Post Tavern (Fairfield)

Rory’s (Darien)

Wood’n Tap (Orange and various locations) – first year

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Traditional Chowder (Manhattan/RI only):