Bareburger: Great Apps + Drinks, But How ‘Bout the Burgers?

For the longest time, people wondered if Bareburger Stamford would actually happen as that sad and lonely spot at 21 Harbor Point remained barren while Fortina and other spots nearby opened up and flourished. Well, glimmers of hope arrived as winter neared, and since opening up a few weeks back it has been jam-packed.

When we went to try it out this past Saturday (at around 6:45 pm) we were more than ready to eat and drink our sorrows away after witnessing our beloved Rangers lose in overtime at MSG. The space is pretty small with some seats at the bar, a few high-tops, and a handful of tables, but luckily we only had a 1/2 hour wait for a party of 6, which isn’t too bad.

Wicked Fresh: Preview Boothbay Lobster Company at Pinot’s Palette – Stamford, CT

Fairfield County can be funny at times. We’re a county with a beautiful shoreline, but when you’re searching for seafood restaurants along that shoreline, only a few good options come to mind with the rest serving mediocre fried food or from frozen flops. So, when we went to Paloma a few months back and saw a sign for Boothbay Lobster Company, we were just a bit excited. Really? we thought . . . the possibility of some great seafood right by the water?

Who Makes the Best Cocktail in Stamford? You Help Decide @ Best Bartenders Contest from Stamford Magazine

Who do you think makes the best cocktail in Stamford? Well, Stamford Magazine is doing their best to find out with their Best Bartenders Event right on the outdoor patio at Harbor Point which is located at 2200 Atlantic Street. The competition (and tastings) splash down on June 17 from 6:30-9 with tickets costing $20 if you pre-purchase or $25 at the door. Entry into the Best Bartenders Contest gets you tastes of cocktails, bites of fresh summer dishes, and live calypso music to jam with. The winner of the best cocktail will be decided by your votes and will be featured in the September/October issue of Stamford Magazine.

Harbor Point Happenings for Summer 2015: Food, Drinks, Cars, Movies + More

Harbor Point’s the place to be this summer and we’ve got some major proof for ya including a duo of car shows, a BBQ, outdoor movies, a 5K that presents a justified reason to drink beer and eat from food trucks:

Harbor Point Car Show

6/7 from 10-4

2200 Atlantic Street

There will be vintage cars, monster trucks, hot rods, Ferraris, Corvettes, and bikes at the Harbor Point Car Show! Checking out the hot cars is free, but if you’d like to register to show off your car, it’s $20 per car with proceeds going to Wounded Warrior Project. In addition to checking out the cars, you can also take part in raffles, listen to some live music, and see who the winners of some coveted trophies are. When you’re done checking out the cars, just round the corner and get a killer brunch or lunch at Paloma!

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).

Take a Culinary Tour Through Latin America via Aarón Sánchez’s Paloma in Harbor Point, Stamford

Let’s just put it out there now…we haven’t had the best of luck with celebrity chef restaurants over the past few years, with the exception of Gordon Ramsay’s Maze and Michael Psilakis’s Kefi both in NYC.  More often than not we’ve had disappointing meals like our experience at the recently closed Primary Food & Drink by Graham Elliot and at Bobby Flay’s Mesa Grill in Las Vegas. We’ve found that a celebrity chef putting his or her stamp on a restaurant and menu doesn’t guarantee anything.  So, you’ll have to forgive our skepticism when Aarón Sánchez made plans to open up Paloma in the Harbor Point area of Stamford (where The Beer Garden used to be). Would Chef Sanchez, from Chopped and Cooking Channel’s Heat Seekers (with partner in crime Roger Mooking), be a rare exception?

Well, you better believe we wanted to find out ASAP.  We just so happened to see an ambiguous announcement on Harbor Point’s Facebook page Saturday evening so we made a bee-line for Harbor Point to see if it was really open.  To our delight it was a soft opening and we were lucky enough to get a table.  SCORE!  So, let’s get down to biz-natch…

A Peer into World of Beer – Harbor Point Area of Stamford, CT

Yes, that IS Dogfish 90 Minute that you see…along with 49 other selections…

After a beautiful day of running (and who are we kidding, walking) the Half Full 5k, we settled down and did what any healthy people would do: eat food from Vanchetta, Melt Mobile, and Lobstercraft, and drink our fair share of Peach Wheat, Toasted Ambers, IPAs and Bright Ales. Yeeeeah, and, what better way to celebrate an arduous 5-hour day of drinking and eating than having more beer at World of Beer, which conveniently happened to open for the first time JUST as the Half Full 5k beer fest ended?!

Now, we’re not normally a fan of chains, but our love of beer wins out on this one. Just like the rest of Fairfield County, we’ve been anticipating the opening since we broke the news in late September.  So when we finally had our chance, we beelined through the door for a seat right by the bar and tap list (smart!), and the TVs so we could enjoy the Greece vs. Costa Rica game. Speaking of games, there are helluva lot of TVs, so this just might turn into your new favorite place to watch a game. And, they will regularly have live music, which we got to enjoy after the game from Mark Zelenz, of Short Bus with his own band, The Easy.

Hop, Skip + A Run 5k and Beer Festival from Half Full Brewery Kicks off Summer Right

Two tickets up for grabs, click the pic.

Take all that you know and think about 5k races and toss ’em away because Half Full Brewery in Stamford has a brand new experience for you.  That experience?  The Hop, Skip & A Run 5k Race and Festival that’s coming to Stamford on June 29.  The race starts at 17 Harbor Point Road where Paloma will be, goes along the boardwalk, then into Kosciuszko Park.  Jordan Giles, Chief Beer Organizer, shared more about the race with us:  “Hop Skip & A Run is a truly unique 5K in that participants will literally hop and skip a (small) portion of the route while running the rest. As with nearly everything we do here at the Half Full Brewery, we thought long and hard about how to put our upbeat and positive Half Full spin on the event.”

Nomworthy Bites of CT Food News, Vol. 5: BBQ, Memorial Day, Brews, Tastings + More…

 

Yes, this dove brings the olive branch of peace, but can he also bring us a cocktail? We’re thirsty as hell…

Introducing….cans! Pic from Half Full’s FB page

Again, there’s so much going on this week and next week, that we wanted to get a whole slew of events out there for ya.  Don’t ever complain that there’s nothing to do here in Fairfield County!  Also, don’t forget to enter our FB contest to win 2 tickets to The Meatball Challenge of Fairfield County, valued at $120.  The contest ends Friday, so make sure to enter ASAP!  

May 21:  Barcelona Stamford is hosting a new series of events called “The Cocktail Classroom.”  This month’s class is called Whiskey Creations.  Okay, sold!  Check out how to make some great cocktails with whiskey while Executive Chef Scott Quis pairs them with some yummy bites.  Cost is $35 per person.

Aaron Sanchez’s Paloma to open soon w/ pop up bar and food this weekend – Stamford, CT

Yes, this dove brings the olive branch of peace, but can he also bring us a cocktail? We’re thirsty as hell…

Update:  Paloma is now open and here’s our review!

There have been lots and lots of rumors going around, you know?  Did Aarón Sánchez‘s (Chopped, Heat Seekers, and owner/chef of Mestizo) deal to take over The Beer Garden at Harbor Point with his brand new restaurant Paloma fall through?  Well, we got some confirmation from Hey Stamford! today that this isn’t the case.  PJ Kennedy reported earlier this morning that not only will Paloma be opening up mid-June, you’ll also get some first tastes of the menu along with some nice drinks right outside where The Beer Garden used to be starting this week.

PJ stated that the following schedule starts this week (and might continue until the opening) at 15 Harbor Point Road: