Summer Camp for Young Chefs at Columbus Park Trattoria in Stamford, CT

In Cucina Con Maria Young Chef's Culinary Camp!

Do you have a child who is as obsessed with food as much as you are?  Do they watch Food Network 24/7, help you cook, and do they have aspirations of being the next Bobby Flay, Giada, or even an Iron Chef?  Well, let them have some fun over the summer and cook away to their heart’s content.  Columbus Park Trattoria in Stamford is running a two session culinary camp called “In Cucina con Maria.”  Camp is for children, ages 8-12, and runs either July 23-27 or August 20-24 from 9 am to noon.  Chefs in training will learn new cooking skills, get a fun peek at the life of a restaurant, and learn how to prepare lots of different food with Maria Marchetti.  If you’ve been to Columbus Park Trattoria, you’ve had Maria’s freshly made pasta.  Imagine your kids coming back from camp and being able to do that.  Yeah, they can be in charge of the meals from now on! ;)

Each day will begin right away at 9 with lessons on table etiquette, how to set a table, and how to serve your guests.  Maria will then show your child how to gather ingredients and pick the right tools in order to create the menu for the day.  Near the end of their camp day, they will get to sit down to the lunch that they have prepared and eat away to their heart’s content.  Yeah, that just sounds awesome.  Danny and I wish we had this growing up!  Here is the breakdown of what will go on each day at camp:

Monday:  Introduction to the Culinary World

Learn skills that will help create delicious food.  We will begin with sanitation, knife skills, how to make fresh pasta dough and cooking techniques of boiling and sauté.

Lunch:  Fettuccine agli Ortaggi

Tuesday:  Gnocchi Galore

Learn the art of making these delectable light pillows of potato and flour and how to get their trademark ridges

Lunch:  Gnocchi Bolognese

Wednesday:  Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Learn how to make the most delicious moist meatballs

Lunch:  Orecchiette with Maria’s Meatballs

Thursday:  Let’s Make Ravioli

Making ravioli creations.  Techniques will be taught on how to fill these delicate squares of pasta with a creamy filling as well as how to make a delicious sage and butter sauce.

Lunch: Pure and Simple Ricotta Cheese Ravioli in a Butter Sage Sauce

Friday:  Cream Puffs Away

Learn to make the dough and cream for these sweet treats.

Lunch: Order from the Columbus Park Menu and Cream Puffs for Dessert

 

Columbus Park Trattoria

205 Main Street

Stamford, CT 06901

(203) 967-3116

Omnomivore’s Guide to Stamford Summer Restaurant Weeks 2011 – Stamford, CT

Yup, yup, we got the deets for you.  It was surprisingly hard to find the info about Stamford Summer Restaurant Week 2011, but we dug and dug just for you.  It seems that restaurant week has more exceptions now (like no Fridays or Saturdays), which is kind of frustrating.  We hope it doesn’t become a trend, because we all love restaurant week!  What better chance to try a whole bunch of spots, eat cheap, and go home happy? :)  Here’s a link to the official site with menu lists.

What do you think of the new rules and exceptions?  Also, what spots are you planning on hitting?  If you want help or suggestions, let us know!  Either way, here are the vitals with OmNom next to places we’ve reviewed:

Monday, August 22 – Monday, September 5

Prix-fixe lunch and dinner at the following spots:

$10.11 Lunch & $15.11 Dinner

Black Bear Saloon           203-324-4448

OmNom * Grand Burger (Dinner Only)  ***Try the Elvis Burger!***          203-323-3232

Kujaku Japanese Restaurant           203-357-0281

OmNom  Lola’s Mexican Kitchen (Excludes Fridays & Saturdays)            203-674-5652

Lucky’s Classic Burger & Malt Shop            203-978-0268

OmNom    SBC Downtown Restaurant & Brewery            203-327-2337

* Tiernan’s Bar & Restaurant           203-353-8566

OmNom    Volta Gelateria Creperia           203-883-8841

$12.11 Lunch & $20.11 Dinner

BUtterfield 8 Restaurant & Lounge           203-504-8123

OmNom    Capriccio Café (Lunch Only)            203-356-9819

Kotobuki Japanese Restaurant           203-359-4747

Quattro Pazzi (Excludes Fridays & Saturdays)            203-324-7000

OmNom    Remo’s Brick Oven Pizza Company            203-973-0077

Tengda Asian Bistro            203-353-8005

$20.11 Lunch & $30.11 Dinner

  * Aria Restaurant          203-324-2742

* Barcelona Restaurant & Wine Bar           203-348-4800

 OmNom    Bar Rosso (Excludes Fridays & Saturdays)            203-388-8640

* The Capital Grille            203-967-0000

 Chez Jean Pierre (Excludes Sundays)            203-357-9526

Columbus Park Trattoria           203-967-9191

* Emme of Capri           203-353-0626

 OmNom    EOS Greek Cuisine (Excludes Fridays & Saturdays)            203-569-6250

 Mitchell’s Fish Market            203-323-3474

 * Morton’s Steakhouse (Dinner Only)            203-324-3939

 napa & co. (Lunch Only)            203-353-3319

OmNom     Tappo Restaurant (Excludes Fridays & Saturdays)            203-588-9870

OmNom     * ZAZA Italian Gastrobar (Excludes Fridays & Saturdays)            203-348-2300

 This year in partnership with Stamford Hospital, Stamford Tables will host KIDS’ FANS 5-2-1-0, a program designed to promote nutrition and fitness in Stamford. All children under 12 will be offered a healthy lunch for $6.95 and dinner for $9.95 at most of the above listed restaurants. An * next to the restaurants above means they aren’t participating in this new promotion.

Also, the first 3,000 Summer Restaurant Weeks patrons will receive a voucher for a free small popcorn with the purchase of a general admission ticket to the Avon Theatre, 272 Bedford Street, valid thru 9/30/11. Yeah popcorn.  Except, with a small, we’d have that done before the first preview! ;)

Omnomivore’s where to eat guide for Alive @ Five. Columbus Park Area, Downtown Stamford, CT

Here’s a nice, interactive map we’ve created for you so you can figure out your dining options around Alive @ Five in Downtown Stamford.  Some of our faves in this area are Columbus Park Trattoria, Fin II, and Riviera Maya, which all offer outdoor seating.  Advantage?  You can eat, enjoy the nice weather, and won’t need to deal with smelly sweathogs. Also, there’ll be a food court with Remo’s Pizza, Jenna Marie’s Deli, Maui Wowi, and Sundance Cafe for you to get your nom on.

Need info on Alive @ Five?  Just $10.  Begins at, duh, 5.  Here’s the lineup, week by week:

June 23:  Third Eye Blind, Reverse Order, Black Taxi

June 30:  Lee DeWyze, Corey Crowder, Stalking Sally

July 7:  MC Hammer, Stereo Crowd, The Mad Things Featuring The Good Doctor

July 14:  Dennis De Young:  The Music of Styx, Jerry Pia & SilkStuf, Fighting the Influence

July 21:  Vertical Horizon, Mission Hill, Seth Adam

July 28:  Five for Fighting, Ian Axel, Blip Blip Bleep

August 4:  The B-52s, Woodloch Pines, MiniBoone, The Mungers

The Good, the Guac, and the Emme: OmNomable Guide for Stamford Winter Restaurant Week ’11

Fresh Guacamole from Riviera Maya!!!

Finally, the time has come, the time we’ve been waiting for.  Winter Restaurant Week in Stamford Downtown!  Take this for what it is:  a nice, inexpensive way to try out that restaurant you’ve been dying to get to or be daring a try something completely alien to you.  Here are the times to go hog-wild:  2/27-3/13!!!  Some of the places that we wouldn’t mind hitting again:

Capriccio Cafe ($10.11 lunch/$15.11 dinner)

Restaurant Week Menu

Great pizza, great food, really awesome in the summer when you can sit outside and chill.  Now you’d freeze instead of chill, but the food is still great.

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Lola’s Mexican Kitchen ($10.11 lunch/$15.11 dinner)

Restaurant Week Menu

Our previous review gave this new restaurant in Stamford 3.5 Noms.  I’d like to see if they’ve worked their way up!

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Quattro Pazzi  ($15.11 lunch/$25.11 dinner, only Sun-Thurs)

We ate here and the food was very good…would like to try again.

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Riviera Maya Mexican Restaurant ($15.11 lunch/$25.11 dinner)

Restaurant Week Menu

We also gave Riviera Maya 3.5 Noms.  Their margaritas are truly killer and the guac is customizable, made right in front of you!

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Tengda Asian Bistro ($15.11 lunch/$25.11 dinner)

Restaurant Week Menu

The food here is good and has the benefit of having sushi and other Chinese goodness combined.

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Columbus Park Trattoria  ($20.11 lunch/$30.11 dinner)

When we went here for a previous Restaurant Week we were blown away by the Squid Ink Pasta.  I dream about it.

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Emme of Capri  ($20.11 lunch/$30.11 dinner)

Restaurant Week Menu

We had an excellent waiter the last time we went here for Restaurant Week.  He gave us a great Sicilian wine reco and the food was really good.  It was a really nice and quaint place, very charming and romantic.

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Eos Greek Cuisine  ($20.11 lunch/$30.11 dinner, only Sun-Thurs)

Restaurant Week Menu

No doubt, best Greek place in the area.  Whereas I dream about the Squid Ink Pasta, I dream of Eos’ Grilled Calamari and Lemon Potatoes.

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Napa & co. ($20.11 lunch)

Restaurant Week Menu

A Stamford classic and mainstay.  The branzini with bacon on the menu looks great and your meal even comes with Domaine Ste Michelle Sparkling Brut.