Getdown, Chowdown, Throwdown: 2 Pairs of Tix for Blues, Views + BBQ 2015 up for Grabs!

Somehow, inexplicably, it’s almost Labor Day. And, while that does mean it’s the start of school again, it also means something great for Fairfield Countiers: it’s Blues, Views & BBQ time! Yes, the annual festival that has gotten bigger and better each year is back for some more in Westport. Like previous years, there will be plenty of places to get a bite like local restaurants or food trucks, plenty to drink with Sierra Nevada, Magic Hat, Tito’s, Beam Suntory, Newman’s Own Wines, plenty to purchase from local vendors like Tom’s Roid Rippin Hot Sauce, 8 interactive chef demos (you get to eat the food, too), the official KCBS BBQ “Cookin’ for a Cause” contest, live music, and new this year is the People’s Choice Wing Contest where the winner is decided by you. It all goes down September 5 from 11-10 and September 6 from 11-9 with entry costing $10 or $15 at the gate. If you’d like entry to see the live music portion, All Access tickets are at various price points including a deal for both days. Please note, kids 12 and under are free with a paid adult.

In depth look at that oozy gooey goodness of the sandwich. Divine.

But, wait, there’s more . . . we’ve got two pairs of All Access tix for ya. One pair for Saturday, the other pair for Sunday. All you need to do in order to enter is comment on this post or Facebook and let us know:

1. My favorite thing about Blues, Views & BBQ is _______________.
2. Which day you’d like to get tickets for.

That’s it, that easy, that simple. The contest starts now and goes until next Sunday, 8/30, until 8 pm. 

Here are more details about BV&B:

Restaurants and Food Trucks

Bobby Q’s Bodacious BBQ, Winnie’s Jerk Chicken & Fish, Blue Lemon, Melt Mobile food truck, Kettle Corn, Dave and Jerry’s Hot Dog Trolley, Rolling Cones, and Rita’s Ice.

Vendors

Sierra Nevada, Magic Hat, Tito’s Vodka, Beam Suntory, Newman’s Own Wines, Poland Spring, Stone Street Tye Dye, Velvet Orchid Hoops, R&B Teez, Bobby Q’s, Tom’s Roid Rippin Hot Sauce, Tomspice, Dash N Drizzle, Fruple.

Chef Demos

9/5

12:00 – Match – Chef Matt Storch
1:00 – Walrus + Carpenter – Chef Jon Vaast

2:00 – The Spread – Chef Carlos Baez
3:00 – Fleisher’s Craft Butchery – Emily Mingrone

9/6

12:00 – Bobby Q’s Barbeque and Grill – Tim Doherty
1:00 –  Vespa –  Chef David White
2:00 – HooDoo Brown BBQ – Cody Sperry
3:00 – Da Pietro’s Restaurant – Chef Pietro Scotti

Plenty of Contests!

Rib Eating Contest, Pie Eating Contest, and People’s Choice Wing Contest!

Family Activities

Bull riding (mechanical, not real), bouncy inflatables, face painting, and games.

Live Music! 

9/5

Relative Souls, Billy Iuso and Restless Natives, Honey Island Swamp Band, Dumpstaphunk, Anders Osborne, Robert Randolph & the Family Band, Dan Stevens, Randy Brody Drum Circle, Jake Julak and the LowDown, Boogie Boys, Funky Dawgz Band, and Jim Malone and the Piney Hearts.

9/6

School of Rock, Mark Naftalin, Alexis P. Suter, Sugar Blue, Ronnie Baker Brooks, Matt Schofield, and Joe Louis Walker.

Saucy n’ Sauced Up: BBQ and Beer Bashes in Danbury, Stamford + Ridgefield Coming Soon

The three bbq sauces at Bar Q B.B.Q.

Dis is how we judge and stuff

Beer and BBQ: don’t get much more ‘Murrican than that! That’s why you’re gonna need to check out these three events that are happening soon. First up there’s Ridgefield Gone Country on May 2-3, then there’s there’s Beer and BBQ on May 16, and rounding it all up is the Harbor Point Green Day and BBQ if you’re looking for a different kind of experience. Either way, check out these great events that are on the horizon: 

2^nd Annual Ridgefield Gone Country BBQ Fest

Saturday, May 2, 11:00 am – 9:00 pm

Sunday, May 3, 11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Mercado: Street Food + Rave Takes a Bite Outta Stamford

When we went to Barcelona a few years ago, we checked out La Boqueria. It was an amazing experience with fresh food, veggies, and fruits that seemingly went on for miles aisle after aisle. And, mixed in around the mercado were restaurants that specialized in foods like pizza, empanadas, coffee, fresh squeezed jugos, seafood, and more. Well, Barcelona is a bit far to travel for that kind of experience, but checking out Mercado on March 1 isn’t so tough.

Biggest Food Contest in CT, ChowdaFest, Hits Norwalk + Benefits Community Plates

And the Winners Are…

That’s right…what started as a local chowder competition to help raise much needed money for local food banks has grown immensely.  So immensely, in fact, that organizer (and Chief Chowderhead) Jim Keenan had to put some serious thought into expansion.  Would he keep Chowdafest at the same level…or take it to the next level?  If you’ve met Jim before you know he’s never content with keeping things at the same level; he always wants to kick it up a few hundred notches.  And that’s exactly what he’s doing this year with Chowdafest 2014 (Part II) on Sunday, October 12 from 12-4 pm at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk!  An obvious added benefit will be a more spread out festival to help combat the large crowds that people faced last Souper Bowl Sunday.

So, if you’re new to this, here’s the deal:

Our new go-to spot + probably yours too: Port Chester Hall + Beer Garden

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Update:  we have been back a few times since our review and we have had mixed results. At times we have good service, at other times service is spotty and slow. During our last visit, the food wasn’t as good as it used to be. The burger, in particular, was bland, mushy, and disappointing while the chicken sandwich was also bland and uninteresting. 

Last year when we heard that Heartland Brewery was opening up a new brewery in Port Chester, we darn near jumped for joy. First off, we live just a few minutes away. Secondly, we think that Port Chester is the most underrated place in our area and were psyched for people to show it some love. And thirdly, mmmm, beeeeeeer.

Now, a few months back we got a little worried and upset when we learned that it wasn’t actually going to be a brewery, but our frown got turned upside down when we learned that it would become a beer hall and a beer garden with beer pumped in from Heartland Brewery.  So, when the weather this past Saturday turned out to be beautiful, we knew what we had to do…

Get you some: Taste of Port Chester and Wilton Are Back for more in 2014

We love tasting events where you get to taste some of the best spots in an area.  They tend to be inexpensive, they have lots of variety, and it’s basically like a Costco tasting spree on steroids.  ‘Nuff said, right?  So, get ready for two great events coming up:  Taste of Port Chester on 6/8 and Taste of Wilton on 6/9.  Check out the deets with us and get yo’self down (or up) there for all the nomworthy food.

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Taste of Port Chester

6/8, from 12-3 pm

Registration starts at 11:30 at the Marina on Abendroth Ave.

Tickets are $25 (drinks extra; you’ll get a map for easy food tourism)

Taste of Port Chester is a walking tour (though there are busses available) through CT’s neighboring village.  Once you have your wristband, you can just visit any of the places below (there will be balloons outside) and get samples of their goodies.  We were downtown when this was going on last year and it was a very popular event, so you won’t want to miss this one.  Added bonuses:  your ticket purchase helps to support Port Chester Public Schools and you can walk off all of the calories that you ingest (wishful thinking).

Here are all the spots that you can check out:

• A&S Deli:  Italian

• Acuario:  Peruvian

• Aqui es Santa Fe:  Colombian

• Arrosto:  Italian

• Bubbles & Berries:  Juice Bar and Desserts

• Cafe Mirage:  Eclectic, Modern American

• Carvel Ice Cream

• Coals:  Pizza, craft beer, killer sprouts, and wings

• Copacabana Steakhouse:  Brazilian steakhouse

• Cousin Frankie’s USA Grill:  American

• Euro Asian Bistro:  Asian, sushi

• Frankie & Louie’s:  Italian, pizza

• Garcia’s:  Nightclub, bar

• Il Sogno:  Italian

• J.J. Cassone’s:  Bakery

• John’s of Arthur Ave:  Italian

• Kiosko:  Mexican

• Longford’s Own Made:  Ice Cream

• Los Chuzos de Juancho:  Colombian

• Mary Ann’s:  Mexican

• McShane’s:  Irish Pub (new)

• Neri’s Bakery

• Nessa:  Italian

• Paleteria Fernandez:  Ice cream, frozen treats

• Panera Bread:  Cafe, American

• Port Chester Hall & Beer Garden (new)

• Salsa Picante:  Mexican

• Sichuan Pavilion:  Chinese

• Sonora:  Nuevo Latino

• Spadaro’s:  Italian

• Tarry Market:  Gourmet market

• Varmax:  Wine, liquor

• Zeppoleme:  Zeppoles, panini, coffee

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7th Annual Taste of Wilton

June 9 from 5:30-8:30

$30 per person at Wilton Chamber of Commerce, Fairfield County Bank, Bankwell, or Wilton Family Y

$35 at the door

Cheaper than an entrée at most restaurants here in CT, admission to Taste of Wilton is a great deal…especially because food and drinks are included.  This year, you’ll want to check out this event all over again so you can try out some of the new restaurants that have opened up and to nom away on your favorites.

Here are all the participants (getting full already):

• Ancona’s Wines & Liquors

• Bianco Rosso Wine Bar Restaurant

• Bistro 7

• Black Cat Grille

• Cactus Rose Restaurant & Tequila Bar

• Fleur de Lis Academy
• Georgetown Package Store

• Little Pub Wilton

• Luca Ristorante Italiano

• Marly’s of Wilton

• Pinocchio Pizza

• Portofino Restaurant & Bar

• Stop & Shop
• Sweet Pierre’s
• Sweet Sabrina’s Cake Shop
• The Painted Cookie

• Toozy Patza Pizza

• Village Market
• Vintage Fine Wines (visit their store during the Taste)

• Wilton Pizza

Giveaway: Win Tix to the Brews + BBQ Festival at Ives Concert Park in Danbury

Read on to see how you can win a pair of tickets!

Update:  The winner of the pair of tickets is Chris Warren!  Congratulations!

Beer and BBQ are two of our favorite things and if you’re a true American, you think so too.  If you disagree, well, we think you should be deported to some far off land where there is no beer and the closest thing to BBQ is a McRib sandwich.  But, you read our blog, you think like us, and you have great taste so there won’t be any problems at all. 

So, let’s kick off spring and BBQ season in Danbury with a brand new festival put on by Townsquare Media (Kicks 105.5 andi95):  The Brews & BBQ Festival.  It’s being held at the Ives Concert Park in Danbury on May 17 from 3-10 pm.  Tickets are just $15 online or $20 at the event.  Once you have your tix, you’ll get access to the great BBQ and burgers that are up for purchase, there will be plenty of ice cold beer for you to buy and sip/down, other items to purchase, and there will be music from Cabinet and Amy Helm.  

Food Trucks, Demos, Living Green + More @ Fairfield’s Earth Day Celebration 2014

Earth Day happens every April 22, but the core and heart of this day is something that we hope lives on for the other 364 days a year.  “Living Green” isn’t about just recycling…there’s so much more that we can do to help out our Mama.  What exactly can you do, you ask?  We’ve got some ideas in our heads, but there’s also a huge celebration planned to answer just that question:  Fairfield’s Earth Day Celebration 2014!

This Earth Day celebration is free, open to the public, and is being held on 4/26/14 from 10-4 pm at Fairfield Warde High School.  Here’s a mere schmatering of what’s in store for attendees:

4/26/14!

3rd Annual OmNomys: Celebrating the Best in Food in Fairfield County, 2013

Can you believe that this is the third year of the OmNomys?! For those of you new to us this year, we like to eat a little food every now and then (riiight), and keep track of the best of the best to celebrate at the end of the year. In 2011 and 2012 we were lucky enough to dine on some amazing food throughout Fairfield County, but we feel like 2013 really upped the ante with some fantastic new spots opening up!

So here it is, the 2013 OmNomys…the best food we’ve eaten in Fairfield County in the year 2013 (not necessarily ever, just in 2013)!  If you noticed one of your favorites that wasn’t on the list, it doesn’t mean it’s not awesome…it just means we may not have eaten there in 2013 or we happened to eat somewhere just a little better this year.  But hey, there’s always 2014, so tell us where we need to hit up for next year’s list!

Best Ambiance: Dolce Cubano, Stamford

Keep It Local This Black Friday and Small Business Saturday

When you keep it local, you’re doing more than helping out a local business owner.  You’re also supporting the people who work at that business and all the people who make the products that are sold there.  This with just one or a few purchases.

So, be brave, get on out there, and keep it in the CT.

And, if you’re looking for suggestions or ideas, we’ve got a few ideas:

1) Check out a huge list of local small business shops where you can get $10 back when you spend $30 on American Express this Saturday, 11/30.

2)  While you can buy your beer, wine, and liquor from mega-corporations that often have no idea what they’re talking about, you have a choice where you spend your money.  Shops like Val’s Discount Liquors in Greenwich, Harry’s Wine & Liquor in Fairfield, and Saugatuck Grain & Grape in Westport are knowledgeable, know everything about their inventory, and will treat you right.  Keep it even more local by buying beer like Two Roads and New England Brewing, wine like DiGrazia or Jones, and liquor produced in CT or nearby like Onyx Moonshine, too.

3)  If you’re out shopping today, you might want a quick bite or lunch on the road.  Forget the fast food places that have taken over the world and serve up frozen, preservative, and chemical laden food.  Instead, think of some great local spots like Burgers, Shakes & Fries in Darien and Greenwich, Super Duper Weenie in Fairfield, Station Eats in Stamford and New Canaan, or even healthier stops like Naked Greens in Norwalk and Wilton.

4) Keep it in Connecticut by shopping at the Holiday Artisan Market in Waterbury.  It starts tonight with a preview from 6-9:

“The weekend will kick off November 29th with the Shopper’s Premiere Preview Event which will take place from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Skip the Black Friday madness and spend the evening at the City of Waterbury’s majestic City Hall; Receive exclusive discounts on unique handmade gifts, view vendor demonstrations, enjoy live music, and special samplings. Shoppers will be able to enjoy live music, catered refreshments, and an open bar with signature cocktails by Onyx Moonshine while browsing the vendor specials that are only available for that night. Tickets for the Shoppers Premier Preview cost $25 and can be purchased through The Palace Theatre. Ticket holders will enjoy drinks from local wineries and breweries as well as sample foods from well-known restaurants. Live musicians will be in attendance to help create a fun, exciting atmosphere for all visitors.”

The market will also be open on Saturday, 11/30, from 10 am to 6 pm.

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So, however you spend this weekend of holiday shopping, keep it as local as you can.