#SoMuchYep Lorca Opening 2nd Spot @ Fleishers in Greenwich!

Greenwich, you ready for Lorca? Picture courtesy of Leyla Jenkins.

YEP (so very much of it), that’s right, Lorca, our favorite coffee shop in Stamford, is opening up a second shop real soon right inside of Fleishers Craft Butchery in Cos Cob!!!

According to owner Leyla Jenkins, there will be 14 seats so you can drink and relax while you munch away on Spanish cafe treats to your heart’s content, or take your order to go. Some of the options that will be available include their amazing alfajores (shortbread cookies con dulce de leche y coco), nitro and speciality coffee, avocado toast, housemade empanadas that feature Fleshers chorizo (OH EM GEEEE), and lots more. Adding even more fusion with Lorca and Fleishers, there will be a speciality coffee drink with raw milk from a local farm that Fleishers sells. 

Whole Foods Greenwich to Kick Off Grand Re-Opening Week w/ Giveaways, Tastings + Community Events

Whole Foods Market in Greenwich is hosting a weeklong party full of food, giveaways and more to celebrate their grand re-opening! That’s 7,000 square feet of additional space . . . pretty cool. What’s been added into all that extra room? There’s a pizza station, a hot and salad bar open all day, a coffee and juice bar, cookie bar, bigger selection of breads including Norwalk’s own Wave Hill Bread, expanded selection of items on the shelves including vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, a ridiculously amazing olive bar, and a speedier checkout experience with four express registers.

Check and Mate: Bottle Ship Board Game Cafe + Lounge Coming to Stamford

Bottle Ship Cafe is coming to Stamford . . . and we’ve got a feeling you’ll be stopping by at least once a week. What, with over 500 different games available to play and your own personal game guru (don’t worry, we’ll explain), why wouldn’t you? But, it’s not all games . . . though it IS all fun. There will be a nice variety of small bites, finger foods, sandwiches, and salads, as well as craft beer, other adult beverages, and even speciality coffees when those games of Scrabble go extra long. They are planning on opening in early summer 2016 in Harbor Point, so get ready! Hours will be T-Th from 5-late, F-Sa from 12-late, and Sunday from 10-late.

The Granola Bar Crunching into Greenwich w/ 2nd Spot

The Granola Bar, known for their healthy spins on classic dishes, fresh juices, and coffee and other wake-ya-up drinks, has made a name for itself in Westport. We’ve been by their spot many times and dig the cool, relaxed vibe . . . and now we won’t have to go so far anymore because they are moving to where we live now: Greenwich.

Franklin Street Works Cafe: Where Art Meets Hand-Crafted Food — Stamford, CT

Franklin Street Works is now offering a brunch with all the fixins! All photos provided by Franklin Street Works.

Franklin Street Works is an art space, tucked away on (you guessed it) Franklin Street in downtown, right by UConn Stamford. But, to call FSW just an art space seems cheap, seems unfair. It’s actually more like a combination of an interactive gallery, community garden, and gathering place. And, there, at the heart of FSW is the cafe. 

Over the past few months, they have been working on making it more social and have added some great craft brews to their offerings. But, the biggest changes have just happened with the appointment of Executive Chef Erin Emmett. She trained at Le Notre in Paris, learning how to craft perfect macarons, working with chocolate, and letting the sweet side of food shine. She took that experience and worked at Alizé in Las Vegas and Knipschildt Chocolatier right here in CT, then soon became Pastry Chef at Vandaag in Manhattan. She then packed her bags and became Pastry Chef at Chantal Guillon and Executive Pastry Chef of Componere Fine Catering in Cali. Taking all of that knowledge and experience, Chef Emmett came back to the East Coast to start her own dessert and pastry company, Sweet Pistachio. 

With Chef Emmett at the helm, Franklin Street Works is serving up lunch as well as weekend brunch. Local ingredients are used, some hyperlocal . . . like backyard garden hyperlocal. Expect Signature Sandwiches (that come with a side of mixed greens) like Grilled Sweet Manchego (Manchego, Fig Jam, Sopressata) and their Chicken Apple Curry that includes Curried Chicken-Apple Salad, Almonds, Dried Cranberries, Cucumber, and Red Onions. There are also two different options of grilled focaccia that include either White Bean, Cherry Tomatoes, EVOO or Smashed Avocado, Lime, and Chili Flakes. In addition, there are four creative salads available including their Harvest Salad that includes local greens with ingredients right from their garden, all topped with a balsamic vinaigrette. 

Brunch items include a daily baked quiche, a grilled egg sammy, roasted veggie frittata, yogurt bowls with housemade granola, bread pudding, and lots of more brunchy things. If you’re ready for dessert or just want a sweet snack, check out freshly baked cookies, brownies, hand pies, and Chef Emmett’s famous macarons (you just might develop an addiction). It’s also good to know that there are gluten free and vegan options, so they take care of you whatever you eat.

Wrapping things up, they also have more than just craft beer to drink. They have a nice selection of wines, mimosas during brunch, natural sodas, herbal teas, and take care of your caffeine needs by brewing coffee and espresso drinks from Brooklyn Roasting Company. Sweetening the pot up a bit, Franklin Street Works also provides free wifi and outdoor seating to help make the most chill day of food and art as possible. As always, there is no fee to look around the art space and check out the exhibits. Hours are Wednesday-Friday from 12-5 and Saturday-Sunday from 8-5 pm. 

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Franklin Street Works

41 Franklin Street

Stamford, CT

Hours: Wednesday-Friday from 12-5 and Saturday-Sunday from 8-5 pm. 

Admission: there is no charge for admission during regular hours (but donations or membership purchases are very nice) 

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More about Franklin Street Works:

Franklin Street Works, a not-for-profit contemporary art space and cafe located in downtown Stamford, has worked with more than 150 internationally exhibiting artists, curated 15 original exhibitions, and has organized 100 free, public programs. This work was acknowledged with an Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts grant in 2013. Franklin Street Works’ exhibitions have also received positive reviews and features in major art publications such as Artforum online, Art Papers, and Hyperallergic.

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. 

The 2014 OmNomys: Celebrating the Best in Food in Fairfield County

Well, here we are, already at the end of 2014. Man, how time flies. But fret not friends, because the end of another year means another celebration of the best of the best in Fairfield County. That’s right, it’s time for the 4th Annual OmNomys! By now most of you know how this works, but for those of you new here, this is a list of the best that we’ve experienced in 2014… NOT necessarily the best EVER in Fairfield County. If your favorite spot or food didn’t make it on here, maybe it was on our list back in 2011, 2012, or 2013… and if not, let us know so we can check it out in 2015! 

So, without further ado, here we go:

Best Ambiance: Cask Republic, Stamford

With not one, but two fireplaces, Cask Republic has a warm, rustic, and down-homey kind of vibe going on. It’s hard to think of a chill spot with more class. It’s the perfect place to meet up with friends, have some drinks (from which there are many to choose), and try out some great gastropub grub.

The Granola Bar in Westport Hosts Holiday Boutique; Celebrates 1 Year Anniversary w/ Deals

Even though we live in Greenwich, we’ve come on over to Westport a few times to check out The Granola Bar. The first time, we had a nice breakfast with plenty of great coffee and food, we checked out their new menu when they began to stay open for dinnertime, and we stopped in after Christmas tree shopping for some snacks and had a chance to sample some of the great desserts that they are serving.

Insider’s Look at NEAT of Westport: Part Cafe, Part Cocktail Bar, 100% Awesome

Uppers and downers all in one spot!

Espresso NEAT has built a reputation in Fairfield County as being at the top of their game.  Year after year, they’ve been awarded best cafe and best coffee, and after you’ve gone there, you can see why.  Owner Rachel Haughey and her crew pick their coffee beans with care and perform routine coffee cuppings to ensure that only the best quality coffee will be served at their Darien hotspot.  And, that quality comes through big time.  Add in their other options like tea, espresso, coffee, salads, snacks, breakfast goodies, and sandwiches, and you’ve got the perfect spot to hang out or grab a quick bite.  

So, to Rachel, it was only natural to take Espresso NEAT into the next phase of evolution by opening up a brand new restaurant that was part cafe and part cocktail bar.  The new venture, NEAT, will open up in the National Hall Campus in Westport in early August.  Working with Rachel in this venture will be owner of Experience Hospitality, Bobby Werhane, and Managing Director Kevin Daniel Lalumiere. Both Bobby and Kevin are locals, too, with Bobby coming from Westport and Kevin from Fairfield.  Kevin and Bobby unite Rachel’s expertise and cafe experience with an amazing resume of bars, restaurants, and shops.  The team at Experience Hospitality helped to bring some amazing restaurants into NYC like Spasso, dell’anima, L’artusi, and Johnny Utah’s, adding an even more rounded background to the structure of NEAT.  

Harbor Brew Fest 2014 Tickets on Sale Saturday, 6/21

Picture yourself here…what, you’re dunk already?

That’s right, tickets to one of our absolute favorite beer fests in the tri-state, Harbor Brew Fest at The Ball Park @ Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, go on sale June 21 starting at 9 am.  Tix are $40 for GA ($50 at the door if any tix are left) and $60 for the Brewer’s Special, which gets you in an hour early and gives you access to a special tented area for exclusive and rare tastings.  You can also get your tix at Harry’s (they help to make this festival so freaking awesome!) in Fairfield.  

9/20: mark it down!

If you went last year and thought they had an amazing selection of craft and local beer, then prepare to be blown away. Seriously, brace yourselves. That’s cuz this year on 9/20 from 12-5 (1-5 for GA), there will be over 100 breweries on hand!  And, whereas there was one giant tent filled to the brim with CT breweries down on the field, prepare for more on that green green grass!