Baked Apple Brie with Caramelized Onion and Bacon Recipe from Balducci’s

Oh dear God, look at that. Pic from Balducci’s.

Balducci’s is a great spot to check out if you’re looking to put together your holiday meal! They not only have some great, fresh, and hard-to-find ingredients, but they also have a great selection of prepared apps like Beef Short Rib and Roquefort Hand Pie, Balducci’s Osetra Caviar, D’Artagnan Foie Gras, and Maison de la Truffle Cheese. And, if you don’t like coming to the party empty handed, they have different gift baskets available like their Market Basket that is perfect for snacking, the Office Fiesta to elevate the mood at work, and their Celebration basket full of awesome goodies.

Stew Leonard’s Expands Cheese Shoppe; Plating Suggestions for Parties

Cheese . . . cheese as far as the eye can see, Timmy!

Think your addiction to Stew Leonard’s can’t grow any more than it is now? Well, prepare to dig deeper into the wormhole of awesomeness that is one of the best grocery stores around! That’s because they have expanded their already large selection of their Cheese Shoppe! Now you’ll be able to find more local and world-renowned cheese than ever! How much more? Try twice as much! BOOM!

MacChilifest: A Spicy, Cheesy, Beefy Event for Super Bowl Sunday

There will be so many super bowls of awesomeness at MacChilifest 2015!

MacChilifest is taking over the Bedford Middle School in Westport on Super Bowl Sunday, 2/7, from 11-3 . . . and you’re invited. Well, we’re going to use a stronger word than that. We’re demanding you come on down to check out this contest because it’s going to be a great way to kick off the start of that classic, much-anticipated game. Or, if you don’t care about football, it’s an excuse to just stuff your face with some killer chili and mac & cheese.

In fact, we’re talking about 20 different tastings of chili and mac & cheese from some of the area’s most well-known restaurants and even local fire departments. It’s good they’ll be there, cuz things are bound to get hot as the competition heats things up! Categories this year include Classic Beef, Creative Chili, and Mac & Cheese . . . and you get to pick the winners by eating and voting.

Last year the winners were Geronimo, Southport Brewing Company, and the Westport Fire Department, but will they be able to stay on the top with so many other restaurants thirsty to take their place? Places like the Blind Rhino, Bobby Q’s, Chef’s Table, Chilibomb, Da Pietro’s, DrewbaQ (food truck), Little Pub, Liquid Lunch, Mac’it, Old Post Tavern, Sam’s American Bistro, Simply Delicious, Tru North Tavern & Table, Wire Mill Saloon & BBQ, and the Weston Fire Department want first place BAD!

Tickets are already on sale and are priced at $15 per person or $5 for kids ages 6-12. 

About Chilifest

Chilifest benefits the Turtle Fund which seeks to promote the education of young people in art, music, theater, skilled craft and other creative pursuits in order to create a rich cultural heritage for tomorrow.

Chilifest is proudly sponsored by Stop & Shop, Volvo of Westport, The Greens of Canondale, Cabot Cheese, Chaboso Bakery, Tabasco and WEBE 108.  For more information about Chilifest please visit www.MacChilifest.org or email Jim Keenan at MacChilifest@gmail.com

 

 

Now→December: Major in Cheese at Fairfield + Greenwich Cheese Company Cheese School

If going to school involved tasting samples of cheese, drinking cider and wines with said cheese, and diving into beautiful pairings like chocolate, then most of us out there would have at least a few doctorates. Ammiright? Well, it’s back to school for you because Fairfield Cheese Company and the newly opened Greenwich Cheese Company have an awesome selection of classes for the turophile (yeah, so we looked it up, so what?)

Here are the listings and descriptions from their site, people. Now, all you need to do is just click through and buy your ticket, now available through Eventbrite. All classes are at 7 pm, but the prices are either $40, $45, or $100 for an Oktoberfest dinner!

Wine, Cheese, Prizes, + More Cheese @ Greenwich Cheese Company Grand Opening

Just a few days before Christmas, a couple months back, Dan trekked out to Greenwich Cheese Company. His mission? Find some great cheeses, breads, and meats for Christmas dinner at his parent’s house on Long Island. Parking was pretty easy with the back parking lot—that’s a nice tip for you when you visit. As he entered, Dan was so happy to see that there was a nice line of people waiting to order (and some try) cheese after cheese. Pretty awesome for only being open a few days! 

The NEW Georgetown Saloon: same chill vibe, now w/ awesome menu to match! – Redding, CT

The OLD Georgetown Saloon was known for that no frills, down and dirty, neighborhood dive bar vibe that locals can’t get enough of. The NEW Georgetown Saloon still is that, but this time around new owner, Chris Forland, and new chef, John Brennan (formerly Executive Chef of Plan B Burger Bar) kicked it up about a million notches with kickass, modern comfort food and creative cocktails that fit the vibe perfectly. So in honor of that super chill vibe, let’s just get down and dirty with the experience, food, and cocktails.

The Experience

From what our friends tell us, the restaurant itself still has a lot of the same decor elements it had back in the day, but Chef Brennan himself amped it up by picking out some new, fun, modern additions (like graffiti), perfecting that neighborhood, roadhouse vibe that makes you want to hang there all night. There’s still a great stage for fun entertainment (we were there for Open Mic Night on Thursday) and TVs for the sports lovers. In fact, once the word gets out about all the new awesomeness Georgetown Saloon has to offer, we can see this place getting PACKED with fun entertainment every night.

Back to School @ Fairfield Cheese Co. with Winter Cheese Classes in the 2015

If you are like most cultured people (get it?) here in the fine state of CT, you love your cheese. And, if you’re fortunate enough to live in or around Fairfield, you definitely know about Fairfield Cheese Company. Seriously: it’s the go-to spot for all the cheese and accoutrements that you could possibly need in FFLD. As you might know through previous posts, they often host Cheese School classes, so we wanted to share with you all of the classes that they’ll be offering to help you get through this crazy cold winter. Also be on the lookout as Greenwich Cheese Company sorts through their recent opening and prepares to host their own classes, too. Reservations can be made by calling (203) 292-8194 with payment due at that time. If you cancel before 24 hours, you’ll get a credit towards any future class, but short notice cancels are nonrefundable.

Fairfield Cheese Company Spreads the Love with Greenwich Cheese Company, Opening Soon

UPDATE: Greenwich Cheese Company will be open on 12/11/14! 

Days and night have we prayed. Dear provider of cheese, meats, spreads, and all things nomworthy…come to us. Heap your love and your provisions upon us. Long have we suffered the cruel deceivingly short distance on 95 from Greenwich to Fairfield, but yeah, our prayers have been answered. Amen, our cheese loving brethren…amen.

Amen because the award-winning and amazing Fairfield Cheese Company is expanding into Greenwich! Yup, the same shop that pulled in a top five spot of places to buy cheese in America from Food & Wine and a back-to-back winner of CT Magazine’s Best Cheese Selection. Co-owners Chris Palumbo and Laura Downey’s new shop will be at 154 East Putnam Avenue where the Cos Cob Laundry used to be. It’s also located right next to Fjord Fisheries, so you could get all your seafood, cheese, meat, and goodies shopping done in one trip. And, really, what else could you possibly need?

Discount + Free Farm Fresh Delivery from Fresh Nation w/ OmNomCT

Click here to get your delivery started!

Do you know what’s frustrating?  Wanting to eat healthy, fresh, and local food, but rarely having a chance to get any.  Sure, there are plenty of farms nearby, but most of them take an hour or so to get there.  And, yes, there are lots of farmers’ markets, but many of them don’t fit in with work schedules.  So, isn’t it awesome that there’s a company like Fresh Nation that sends out your own personal shopper to get you all you need… and then delivers it right to your house?

Can’t make WFM on Thursdays? Set up delivery!

Yeah, it’s a pretty awesome way to keep eating and supporting local food providers, without putting a huge wrench in your busy schedule.  Right now Fresh Nation is focused on Fairfield (they just recently added Westport Farmers’ Market!) and Westchester County and has recently expanded out into parts of Los Angeles, too.

So, to get you started (and hooked no doubt) on this farm-to-kitchen delivery service, we’ve teamed up with Fresh Nation to give you an OmNomCT EXCLUSIVE offer (oh you fancy, huh?). Not only will you get 10% off your purchase, but you’ll also get free delivery.  And, ya know what’s even better?  This deal is always available as long as you keep buying by clicking through the link in this post, or on our side button to the right.  Yep, so you’ll get the deal again, and again, and again, and… well, you get the picture.

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!