Local + Highly Spirited @ Neversink Spirits Distillery – Port Chester, NY

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Port Chester is one of our favorite places and is a short drive from nearly anywhere in Fairfield County. When you think about it, they’ve got it all: from barbecue, to pizza, to Peruvian, to Mexican, to pubs, to movies, to awesome markets, to The Cap, and just way too many other things to list. What it comes down to is this: if you can think of something that you want to eat or do, chances are you’ll be able to do it there.

Well, add one more thing to that list: visiting and drinking at a local distillery that’s all about local ingredients. That distillery, as you can probably guess from the title (so smart!) is Neversink Spirits. This distillery is now in full production and already has their brandy on store shelves for purchase along with select bars. In addition to their brandy, you can look forward to trying their bourbon, their gin, and a boatload of specialty brandy based on the season (pear brandy anyone?)

Let’s look a little deeper at Neversink Spirits now:

85 Brews on Tap + 150 Bourbons Coming to New Bar @ Coalhouse in Stamford

UPDATE: Gerard announced today that they will have 85 brews on tap, actually. 85. That pushes Coalhouse Pizza over the edge for the most beers on tap in not only Fairfield County, but also the entire state of Connecticut! Get those growlers ready!

Did you just wet yourself a little?

Yeah, we did too when Gerard Robertson told us the news a few months back. After some back and forth, Gerard (the owner, pizzaiola, and all around good guy) had his plans for another expansion approved and is all ready to go. You might remember the original Coalhouse as being only the main room where the bar and pizza oven is now. Then the room next door was available, so Gerard hopped on it, tore down those walls, installed more seating, and a game room. And so begins the next chapter in Coalhouse Pizza history: the brand new beer and bourbon bar!

Urban Bourbon Trail Getaway Package in NYC w/ Jefferson’s Bourbon: Valentine’s Day Idea #2

On the lookout for a really fun weekend away from home to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year? Or, do you just want an excuse to get out to NYC and drink bourbon? No probs, we gotcha covered with a great weekend of liquor-laced events that are part of the Urban Bourbon Trail which is a collaboration between Jefferson’s Bourbon and NYLO! This special weekend starts on Friday, 2/6 and goes until Sunday, 2/8 with plenty of great things happening:

Gettin’ Slap Happy off o’ Pappy – Plan B Milford

We’re sure that we had you right at Pappy Van Winkle, so let’s just get down to things right away, huh? Plan B Milford hosted a Pappy Dinner and damn right we got our tickets within minutes of them going on sale. See, we learned our lesson from last year when Plan B Stamford hosted a Pappy dinner and Milford held a Buffalo Trace + Pappy Dinner, and they sold out in like an hour or something crazy like that. After all, many people say it’s the best bourbon you’ll ever taste, so it’s really no surprise.

Bailey’s Backyard Teams up w/ Berkshire Mountain Distillers + 109 Cheese for Decadent Dinner

The back room at Bailey’s Backyard also opens up to the outside for warmer weather…

From top left to right: Rude Barbara, Samuel Clemens, Don’t Call me Shirley, and Six Toed Cat

Have you ever felt that tingle in your stomach, that feeling when you realize you’ve just fallen in love and your world will never be the same? Well, we’ve got to say that we felt the same kinda way when we first tasted the food of Chef Forrest Pasternack at Morello Bistro in Greenwich. And, having been to his new restaurant, Bailey’s Backyard in Ridgefield many times, we can safely say that it’s in our Top 5 restaurants here in Connecticut. But, it’s not just Chef that makes it amazing: it’s also the inventive and precise bartending skills of Bryan Walsh. That guy can mix up amazing drinks that are, like the food at Bailey’s, seasonal, local, and crave-worthy.

Fairfield County Food News, Vol. 7: Wieners, Bees, Horses, Bourbon, and Summer Fun

83 degree days?  We’ve made it, brahh!  So, you best believe that we’re going to share with you some great events for you to enjoy some time outside…even some all summer long.  As always, these are new listings that we haven’t covered on our blog yet…no need to be repetitive, huh?  The full list of events can be found here if you’re interested.

June 6

Oh beehive!  That’s cuz one of the world’s largest observation beehives is coming to Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk, starting at 11 am.  The hive will hold more than 50,000 honeybees and measures 4X5 feet.  Seems like a Common Core question in the making, huh?  The honey will eventually be collected (over 100 lbs. worth) and will then be sold right at Stew Leonard’s.  At the height of the season, there will be 75,000 bees inside!

KC and Anne will be playing the Station Eats Stamford outdoor beer garden starting at 6:30.  Get some burgers, get some brews, and just chill.

June 7

Wienerpalooza 2014 at Bridge St. Wienery has finally arrived!  Come by at 12:30 for the hot dog eat contest and see who the Biggest Wiener Winner is!  In addition to their great burgers and dogs, they’ll also have popcorn, cotton candy, music, t-shirt giveaways, and plenty of games to play.  Happy two years in business, guys!

Beardsley Zoo is hosting their annual Wild Wine, Beer and Food Safari 2014 fundraiser from 6-9 pm right at the zoo.  Tickets are $60 each ($65 at the gate) or if you buy 4 or more, they’ll cost only $55 each.  There’s also an option for VIP tix that are $100 each and get you “Behind the Scenes” access from 4:30-5:30.  In addition to over 100 different wines and 60 different brews, there will be live music, a silent auction, a raffle, and lots of food.  Some of the participating vendors include Black Rock Cafe, Carl Anthony’s Trattoria, Joey C’s Roadhouse BBQ, Liquid Lunch, Johnny Utah’s, Smoke & Bones BBQ, DiGrazia Vineyards, Onyx Moonshine, Berkshire Brewing Co., Captain Lawrence, and more.  Full list and ticket info here.  Also, if you buy any wine or beer at the event, 10% of the sales will go right to Beardsley.

Join Dew Drop Inn in their fight to raise money for Relay for Life, held at 2 pm at 118 Canal Street in Shelton.  As of today, they have raised the most money:  an incredible $15,130 that will be donated to the American Cancer Society.  When you’re done, do drop in to the Dew Drop Inn for some great burgers, wings, and killer craft beer.

Kentucky Craft Bourbon Class ft. Pappy, Stagg, Taylor, Sazerak, and more @ Harry’s – Fairfield, CT

Pappy…just ONE of the bourbons that are up for tasting…

Update:  tickets sold out in just a few hours, but you can still be put onto the wait list.  

There are a few great things about watching the Kentucky Derby.  You get to wear goofy hats, dress like you’re from the 1800s, drink Mint Juleps, and drink away your sorrow with bourbon because you lost all your bets.  But, you can’t just drink any ‘ol bourbon!  Come on, think it through…you need Kentucky Bourbon!  So, to help you stock up and get a nice bourbon portfolio going, Harry’s in Fairfield is offering a very extremely super limited class on 4/30/14 from 7-9 pm.  

For just $30, you’ll get your entry into the Kentucky Craft Bourbon Class that will feature Pappy Van Winkle, George T. Stagg Jr., E.H. Taylor, Elmer T. Lee, Blanton’s, Sazerak, and even more not listed.  In addition, you’ll get to try a Mint Julep made with Buffalo Trace Bourbon.  $30 for tastings of these great bourbons and ryes, especially some being so rare and highly acclaimed, is quite a steal.  The only problem…20 seats.  If you want a spot, call up Jan or Patrick right away at (203) 259-4692 or e-mail them at harrys@snet.net.  Make sure you tell ’em that OmNomCT sent ya! ;)

Kentucky Derby Craft Bourbon Class

4/30/14 from 7-9

$30 per person

Harry’s Wine & Liquor

2094 Post Road

Fairfield, CT 

4b or not 4b, that is what we question… 4b Festival, New Haven

Beer, bourbon, bacon, and BBQ. What’s not to love about this combination?  Needless to say, when we found out about this Digital Surgeons event that was coming to New Haven, we were all over it…and apparently so was everyone else because both sessions sold out fast!  Not only did we buy tickets, but as bloggers of all awesomely edible things, we also shared some of the vendors that would be there, and even interviewed David Salinas, organizer of The 4b Festival.  That was back in December…now let’s fast forward to March 22 for the event.

After we waited in a fairly long line to park, we made our way over to the venue. It was a bit of a walk but we didn’t mind because it was a beautiful day out. Even though we got there a few minutes before the 12-4 session started, there was a HUGE line that wrapped around the parking lot like a sinister slithering snake. Because we were given press passes, we were able to go right into the Press/VIP entrance, get our IDs checked, and head on in, but we had friends in line and felt awful for them and everyone else because we knew it was going to take a while to get through that line. This is where things began to get ugly…

Epic Noms @ 4B Festival w/ Bacon, BBQ, Bourbon, + Beer

It would seem almost too good to be true.  A festival devoted to not only beer and bourbon, but also BBQ and bacon.  Well, we suppose that we’ve all died and gone to heaven because, YES, the 4B Festival is hitting The Nutmeg State and The Elm City!  This festival is the first of its kind here in CT and will take place on 3/22/14 at The Old Trolley Barn.

Exclusive Pappy Van Winkle Dinners @ Plan B Burger Bar in Glastonbury + Stamford

Update:  we’ve added the info for the Plan B Stamford version, too…

We were in Boston last weekend and were finally going to have our first tastes of Pappy.  Yes, it was there on the menu at Prezza (highly recommend) in Boston’s Little Italy, but we were informed by our waiter that they were out.  Dear God, the agony, the defeat, the extreme pain!  Oh Pappy, you are so elusive, so rare, so hard to find.  Why must you torture us?

But, then we got a nice tweet from our friends at Plan B two days ago.  Wouldn’t you know it, they’ve created a five course menu for 11/18 at 7 pm that features Pappy Van Winkle?  But, we’re talking about a different Pappy for each course.  Yes, the 10, 12, 15, 20, and 23 year reserves will be tasted.  They will be paired with the following 5 courses: