TV Casting Call for Struggling Family Restaurants in CT/NJ/NYC Area

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Big news to share!  Does your family own a struggling restaurant in NYC, Westchester, Fairfield County, or anywhere else an hour away from NYC? We’re talking about having a shot at being on a MAJOR food cable network, getting expert restaurant advice, and even $10,000 towards your business!  The name of the new series, the network, and the people involved haven’t been revealed yet, but we do know that the company working on the show is Leopard Films who are the producers of HGTV’s House Hunters International.

Here is what they are looking for:

• Family owned and operated restaurants
• A restaurant in need of some major intervention
  • Having trouble agreeing on which direction to take the restaurant?
  • Fighting with your family about the way to run the restaurant?
  • Mom, dad, nonna, or gramps trying to keep things old school when you want to try new things?
• Families that are passionate and have strong opinions.

If this sounds like your restaurant, then make sure to email the following to FamilyRestaurantCasting@gmail.com:

5 Connecticut Towns Make New England’s 25 Best Food Towns List

New England is an excellent place to be if you like to eat.  We get the rewards of being so close to the water, having plenty of farms, being steeped in tradition, and having a great crop of chefs who are pushing culinary boundaries, too.  And, now, we get our own list from GoLocal!

They put together a list of some of the best places in New England that you’ll need to hit up if you want some great food.  Their technique in finding the towns was very unique:  they looked at ratings, James Beard awards, Diamonds from AAA, Stars from Mobil/Forbes, and other awards from national papers, magazines, and press.  In addition, they look at what the local food scene was like, which included culinary programs, culinary schools, cooking classes, farmers’ markets, and food and wine events.

After crunching the numbers and doing their research, they created a list of the New England’s 25 Best Food Towns for awesome food.  We’ll focus on the five place in Connecticut that made the list, highlighting what they liked the most.  Unfortunately, Boston came in at #1.  At least they can be #1 at something…ouch.  Sorry Red Sox fans.

#21 Ridgefield, CT

They cite The Stonehenge Inn’s Restaurant as their main inspiration for keeping 4 AAA Diamonds and receiving other critical acclaim.  Also cited is the great food and cooking classes at Bernard’s Restaurant and Sarahs’s Wine Bar in an historic inn, and they also offer terrific cooking classes.

Lobstercraft Scuttles into Two Roads Brewery Saturday – Stratford, CT

@omnomct Any chance you hobnob with food trucks? We need one for our brewery on Sat.!

— Two Roads Brewing (@2RoadsBrewing) February 5, 2013

Update:  because of the snow storm, the brewery was closed. BUT, Lobstercraft will be at Two Roads tomorrow…that’s 2/23, 3-7.  

Ummmmm, yeah…we hobnob.  We have hobnob degrees, you know?  Bachelor of Arts in Hobnobbing, Masters in Hobnobbing, and PhD. in Hobnobbing too.  We mentioned some of our favorite food trucks in the area and reached out to some of them, too.  Surely someone could rescue Two Roads Brewing from their culinary conundrum!  See, almost every Saturday from 3-7 they invite a food truck into their parking lot, right by the brewery entrance.  We went about a month ago when Fryborg was there and trust us, “Resistance is Futile.”  Seriously great fries and sandwiches…but more on that in a later post.

Well, resisting Lobstercraft at Two Roads Brewery this Saturday will be futile, too.  Why?  Their hot buttered lobster rolls, duh. Don’t believe us?

Restaurant Week and Sun WineFest on the Way @ Mohegan Sun

Happy New Year, everybody!  We hope that 2012 was filled with lots of great times for you, but we also hope that 2013 is filled with even more awesomeness.  Maybe you made some resolutions, too?  Well, if two of your resolutions were to save money at restaurants and to check out some awesome food events, you can make your dreams come true before February even begins!  If these weren’t your resolutions, it’s still only January 1st and you can add just two.

Mohegan Sun Restaurant Week

Going down from January 6-11 with special deals, food, and offers.  Here are some great reasons to check out the restaurants at Mohegan Sun:

1)  Check out Hash House A Go Go, Mohegan Sun’s newest restaurant that touts “Twisted Farm Food.”   They’ll be featuring their HH Sage Fried Chicken & Waffles, “two sage-fried chicken breasts atop a bacon waffle tower with hot maple reduction and fried leeks.”

2) The classics:

• BALLO Italian Restaurant & Social Club – Four course dinner at $29.95 per person from 4:00pm – close on January 7th – 11th
• Bobby’s Burger Palace – 20% off food purchase
• Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain – 20% off food purchase
• Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville – (Wasting away again with) Margaritaville Stuffed Shrimp with Lemon Butter Sauce with four Crabmeat-stuffed Shrimp, Portabella Parmesan Cream Rice and Green Beans for $27.95
• Krispy Kreme Doughnuts – FREE small soda or drip coffee with purchase of a dozen doughnuts
• The Lansdowne Irish Pub & Music House – Specials for each day of restaurant week.
• Michael Jordan’s 23.sportcafe – Three course meal for $20.13 per person
• Michael Jordan’s Steak House – Two courses, one of which is a nick Hanger steak for only $20.13 per person
• Seasons Buffet – 20% off food purchase

• SolToro Tequila Grill – Four courses for just $20.13 per person
• Starbucks Coffee – Purchase any breakfast sandwich and receive a free drip coffee
• Todd English’s Tuscany – 20% off food purchase

3) Momma needs a new pair of shoes and that’s hard work.  You need to get some energy in that body to help you make that right “hit” or “stay” decision.  Don’t you want to hear lots of “Winner Winner Chicken Dinners”?

For full details on specials and menus, click here.

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Mohegan Sun WineFest

Celebrity Chef Roger Mooking Gets Fired up about Man Fire Food, Cooking, and The Place in Guilford, CT

Everyday Exotic.  Everyday Exotic:  The Cookbook.  Heat Seekers.  Man Fire Food.  Soul Food.

While this is the resume of Roger Mooking in short (or pretty long, that’s a lot of serious kitchen cred), this Cooking Channel star has got the stuff.  Starting off, his show Everyday Exotic shows people how to mix in exotic and exciting ingredients into their cooking repertoire. Then, he made it even easier for fans to cook-up his creative concoctions by creating Everyday Exotic: The Cookbook.  Then along came Heat Seekers, filmed with Chopped pal Aarón Sanchez.  They travel across America to find the hottest foods then they eat them…yes, eat things that could burn holes through metal beams.  That’s not even to mention his award-winning Soul Food album that features slick, chill, vib-ing, R&B.  Oh, and then throw in his brand new show, Man Fire Food:  a show devoted to man’s most primal way of cooking…fire, obviously.

So, Roger just happened to have stopped by a Connecticut restaurant recently, filming for Man Fire Food.  The episode that airs on 11/20 at 10 pm on Cooking Channel (sister channel of Food Network) features The Place in Guilford, CT.  It’s pretty clear why Roger decided to visit Connecticut and, specifically, the Place.  Clams, lobster, seafood, and other New England specialties are served outside from a big hunking grill from April to October.  Here’s the Cooking Channel summary of “Seafood Feast”:

Stroll (and Taste) the Tarry Market to Benefit the Greenwich Library – Port Chester, NY

Books and food…ah, the things that fuel Danny’s life.  Part English teacher, part food blogger, part drinker, and part bad-joke-maker.  Sure, that’s lots of different parts, but Danny’s a pretty complex person.

So, taking all these things in to account, you could imagine how happy we both were when Jasmine Posey, training librarian at the Greenwich Library, told us about a special fundraising event at Tarry Market.  Stop by (after you get your tickets of course) October 19 at 7 for a Market Stroll through Mario Batali and Joe Bastaniach’s joint.  You’ll have great wine courtesy of Tarry Wines along with classes from a wine expert, teaching you all about what you’re sipping on.  Now, it wouldn’t be an amazing event without something to pair that wine with.  Don’t worry, there will be charcuterie, cheeses, and crostini along with many great wines.

Meals and Deals at Statewide Connecticut Restaurant Week, 2012: 10/8-10/14

Last year we told you about Connecticut Restaurant Week.  The holiest of holiest restaurant weeks.  The restaurant week that covers the entire state…yeah, that big.  Well, it’s back from October 8 to October 14!  There are over 97 restaurants involved this year and they all have something different for you.  They might have a coursed prix-fixe dinner for $20.12, two for one deals, a certain percent off your check, or even offer specially priced bottles of wine.  We have the updated restaurants with menus, but be sure to check back here and to follow the Connecticut Restaurant Association on Twitter and Facebook for updates, too.

Participating Restaurants:

@ the Corner, Litchfield, CT	RW Menu
23 Sports Café, Mohegan Sun Casino, CT	RW Menu
1249 Wine Bar, Waterbury, CT	RW Menu
Abigail’s Grille and Wine Bar, Simsbury, CT	RW Menu
Agave Grill, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Anthony Jack’s Wood Fired Grill, Southington, CT	RW Menu
Apollo Restaurant, Simsbury, CT	RW Menu
Aspen Restaurant & Bar, Old Saybrook, CT	RW Menu
Aunt Chilada’s, Hamden, CT	RW Menu
BACKSTAGE Torrington, Torrington, CT	RW Menu
Besito Mexican Restaurant, West Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Black Eyed Sally’s, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Blackrock Tavern, Thomaston, CT	RW Menu
Black Rose Tavern, Newington, CT	RW Menu
Restaurant Bricco, West Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Bricco Trattoria, Glastonbury, CT	RW Menu
Boom Restaurant, Westbrook, CT	RW Menu
Buffalo Wild Wings, Manchester, CT	RW Menu
Buffalo Wild Wings, Windsor, CT	RW Menu
Burtons Grill, South Windsor, CT	RW Menu
Captain Daniel  Packer Inn, Mystic, CT	RW Menu
Carbone’s Ristorante, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Carmen Anthony Steakhouse, New Haven, CT	RW Menu
Carmen Anthony Steakhouse, Waterbury, CT	RW Menu
Carmen Anthony Fishhouse, Avon, CT	RW Menu
Carmen Anthony Fishouse, Wethersfield, CT	RW Menu
Cavey’s Restaurant, Manchester, CT	RW Menu
City Steam Brewery Cafe, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Confetti’s Restaurant, Plainville, CT	RW Menu
Consiglio’s, New Haven, CT	RW Menu
Costa del Sol, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Cove Clam Shack & Cafe, Mystic, CT	RW Menu
Dish Bar and Grill, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Esca Restaurant & Wine Bar, Middletown, CT	RW Menu
Feng Asian Bistro, Canton, CT	RW Menu
Feng Asian Bistro, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
First & Last Tavern, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Flanders Fish Market, East Lyme, CT	RW Menu
Gayle’s Depot Square Farm Shoppe, Watertown, CT	RW Menu
Ginza Japanese Cuisine, Bloomfield, CT	RW Menu
Ginza Japanese Cuisine, Wethersfield, CT	RW Menu
Grant’s Restaurant & Bar, West Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Hidden Valley Eatery, Washington, CT	RW Menu
Hot Tomato’s, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Joey Garlic’s, Farmington, CT	RW Menu
Joey Garlic’s, Newington, CT	RW Menu
Joey’s Pizza Pie, West Hartford, CT	RW Menu
J. Timothy’s, Plainville, CT	RW Menu
La Vita Italian American Trattoria, East Haddam, CT	RW Menu
Mapletree Cafe, Simsbury, CT	RW Menu
Mattabasett Canoe Club, Middletown, CT	RW Menu
Max a Mia, Avon, CT	RW Menu
Max Amore, Glastonbury, CT	RW Menu
Max Burger, West Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Max Downtown, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Max Fish, Glastonbury, CT	RW Menu
Max Oyster Bar, West Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Michael Jordan’s Steak House, Mohegan Sun Casino, CT	RW Menu
Mill on the River, South Windsor, CT	RW Menu
O’Porto Restaurant, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Nino’s Trattoria, Waterbury, CT	RW Menu
Nutshell Cafe, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Peppercorn’s Grill, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Patrizia’s of Stamford, Stamford, CT	RW Menu
Piatti Ristorante & Bar, Glastonbury, CT	RW Menu
Playwright Irish Pub & Restaurant, Hamden, CT	RW Menu
Rein’s N.Y. Style Deli, Vernon, CT	RW Menu
Rizzuto’s Wood-fired Kitchen & Bar, West Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Ruth’s Chris Steak House, Newington, CT	RW Menu
Sadler’s Restaurant, Marlborough, CT	RW Menu
Sage American Restaurant, New Haven, CT	RW Menu
San Marino’s Ristorante, Waterbury, CT	RW Menu
SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Branford, CT	RW Menu
SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Hamden, CT	RW Menu
SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Milford, CT	RW Menu
SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Southport, CT	RW Menu
SBC Restaurant & Brewery, Stamford, CT	RW Menu
The Sitting Duck, Stratford, CT	RW Menu
SolToro Tequila Grill, Mohegan Sun Casino, CT	RW Menu
TD Homer’s, Southington, CT	RW Menu
TGIFriday’s, Hamden, CT	RW Menu
TGIFriday’s, Manchester, CT	RW Menu
TGIFriday’s, Newington, CT	RW Menu
TGIFriday’s, Orange, CT	RW Menu
Trumbull Kitchen, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Tuscan Oven, Norwalk, CT	RW Menu
USS Chowder Pot III, Branford, CT	RW Menu
USS Chowder Pot IV, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Village Restaurant, Litchfield, CT	RW Menu
Willimantic Brewing Company, Willimantic, CT	RW Menu
Wood-n-Tap, Hartford, CT	RW Menu
Wood-n-Tap, Farmington, CT	RW Menu
Wood-n-Tap, Orange, CT	RW Menu
Wood-n-Tap, Rocky Hill, CT	RW Menu
Wood-n-Tap, Southington, CT	RW Menu
Wood-n-Tap, Vernon, CT	RW Menu
Zini’s Restaurant, Bantam, CT	RW Menu

Come Celebrate the First Annual Sun BrewFest at Mohegan Sun!

Update:  a winner has been selected.  Using a random generator, we got the number 2.  Because Rob was the second person to comment about a beer he was excited about, he wins.  The catch:  he must grow the mustache. 

You have probably heard about Mohegan Sun’s WineFest, a huge celebration of wine and drinks that requires a map to find your way from booth to booth.  Well, they decided that they didn’t want to leave out our other favorite alcoholic drink:  beer.  Yes, beer lovers, here comes the first annual Sun BrewFest.  Two days of hop-loving action with over 100 different brews, including craft, microbrews, imports, limited edition, and even malt liquors.  Keep track of your favorites with a scorecard and drink it all down with your own souvenir tasting glass.  While you’re drinking, check out how beer is made, watch live demos, and even take part in some seminars.  There will also be food available from Michael Jordan’s 23.sportcafe, Jasper White’s Summer Shack, Bow & Arrow Sports Bar, and even more local restaurants.

$20 per session, includes souvenir tasting glass (also check out hotel packages)

Session 1: October 6th, Noon – 4:00pm
Session 2: October 6th, 6:00pm – 10:00pm
Session 3: October 7th, Noon – 4:00pm
A portion of the proceeds benefit Snowball Express (benefiting the children of fallen military soldiers)

Want to go for free?

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.

Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Sails to Its New Home in Elmsford, NY

When we visited a packed Captain Lawrence Brewing in Pleasantville, NY last August we knew they had to be itching to move into a bigger, better place.  Then, just a short while later, they did just that, moving to an even more awsomerest spot in Elmsford, NY.  So, like any devoted beer loving couple we had to check it out STAT.

When you’re driving down Saw Mill River Road, you’ll need to keep an eye out for the Captain Lawrence sign or you might miss it.  Drive around the back, park, then head up to the brewery for a good time.  Before you enter you’ll notice there’s a super fun outdoor area with a bocce ball court and picnic tables where you can sip, eat, and relax.  We had already decided this was just the best damn brewery ever before we even entered. It only got better from there, though.

Inside you’ll find a huge tasting room with a few tables here and there (some are barrels) where people were playing cards, a line for filling up growlers, a line for purchasing beer, lines for tastings, and a line for food orders.  Yes, there’s food too. Heck yeah!  We had the choice of a meat & cheese plate, Taim hummus trio, Tierra Farms nut bowl, Slant Shack NY jerky, or marinated olive bowl.  We went with the hummus:  roasted red pepper, basil, and truffle.  All three were delicious and went well with all of the beer we tasted.