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.

Pickle Box Sandwich Co. Launches in Greenwich; Deals Galore

Great news for the breakfast and lunch crowd in and around Greenwich: Leafline Salad, located at 41 Greenwich Avenue, has expanded their reach. Known for their awesome salads (their own creations or you can make your own), soups, and snacks, Leafline is offering more to customers through Pickle Box Sandwich Co., located right inside of their Greenwich Avenue location.

 

Like Leafline, you can order pick up, delivery via Seamless.com, or can eat in. Some of the options that we can’t wait to try are Chips & Dip, salads and sides, Chef Crafted Sandwich Boxed Lunches, Craft Your Own Sandwich Boxed Lunches, and Sweet/Savory Snacks. In terms of choices, the Boxed Lunches seem to stand out to us the most because they include a complete meal from $8.99-$10.99. We’re excited to try the Meat and Potatoes that comes with Roast Beef, Provolone, sea salt potato chips, onion and horseradish mayo, all served on sourdough. But, just as exciting is the Saddled Reuben that features roast turkey, Swiss, horseradish coleslaw, BBQ chips, and pickled Russian dressing on marble rye. Also of note is that there are plenty of vegetarian and even vegan options, too.

Holiday Fun: Harbor Point Ice Rink w/ Nearby Restaurant Ideas

Now that we’ve got a few days off from work to celebrate the holidays, you might be thinking: what with h-e-double-hockey-sticks do I do with all this free time? Well, listen up here, we’ve got a great idea: visit The Rink at Harbor Point, located at 200 Commons Park South. You’ll see they have special hours going on from tomorrow until January 2 with pricing at very affordable prices (listed below).

Food Trucks in the Valley ft. 18+ Trux, Music, Cars, Fun, Black Hog Brews + More

So…remember when we wrote about the Meriden Food Truck Festival going down October 25 +26 just a few hours ago?  Yeah…well, we’ve got another one to share with ya, this happening much sooner (9/18 from 4-8) at the Shelton River Walk:  Food Trucks in the Valley!  This feast by the river is being hosted by The Lower Naugatuck Valley Parent Child Resource Center and will help to raise vital funding for them that will go towards programs and services such as helping people who have undergone severe trauma, abuse, or neglect.

Truck or Treat? Have Both at the Meriden Food Truck Fest! An OmNomCT Exclusive.

Sure, on the weekend of October 25 (12-10) & 26 (11-8) you could go to any ‘ole Halloween party and get some candy, chips, and if you’re lucky a cute little cupcake with a gummy worm on top… or you could go to the Westfield Mall in Meriden and hit up the Meriden Food Truck Fest where you can stuff your face with fantastic food from an estimated 40 food trucks. With both trucks AND treats, there’s no excuse not to go… 

 

But OmNom, the best part of Halloween parties is we can dress up in slutty, errr, I mean scary, costumes!

Fret not our friends, the Meriden Food Truck Festival has you covered. They WANT you to come dressed in your best costume and they’ll have a professional photographer booth set up so you can show it off.

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.  

Shakesbeer Festival 2014: To Thine Own Yeast Be True!

A festival by any other name just ain’t cool ’nuff

Last year, we graced you with our Shakesbeerian musings in honor of the first ever Shakesbeer Festival. And, alas, we shall share more verse (you’re welcome):

Thou likest foam?

“One sip of beer makes the whole world kin.”

“To thine own yeast be true, and it must follow, as the ale to the stout, thou canst not be false to any beer.”

“Budweiser is the curse of God; craft beer is the wing therewith we fly to heaven.”

“Pleasure and beer make the hours seem short.”

So, what is The Shakesbeer Festival, you ask?  A festival (the 2nd annual) built around great beer, live music, and craft food, put together to help raise money to reopen The American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford.  Tickets are $40 for this year’s event at The American Shakespeare Theater in Stratford on August 23 from 1-7pm.  Tickets can be purchased now, so why wait?  For more details, check out our post from last year and their site).

Beer