Grana Pastificio: Bar Sugo Starts New Line of Fresh Pasta and Products

Pasta: it’s what’s for dinner. All photos from Bar Sugo and Grana Pastificio Facebook pages.

Update: Grana Pastificio now has new owners and a brick and mortar store in Westport next to Winfield Street Italian Deli. For more info, email info@granapastificio.com, or call 203-557-3855

When people ask us about where we love to get Italian food, all the Italian spots here in Fairfield County race through our minds, but it always comes down to just a few restaurants that we feel can do it all. Good, quality pies, fresh, rustic flavor, and killer, hand and housemade pasta. And, it should be no surprise to any of our readers that we have a love affair with the saucy and savory Bar Sugo.

Get Schooled: Bar Sugo Presents Wine and Interactive Pasta Classes for October

If you’ve been with us for a while, you know how much we love our Bar Sugo! Whether you’re looking for the best meatballs in the state, spins on classic Italian dishes, pizza with pizzaz, or fresh-out-of-the-bowl pasta, you need go nowhere else. So, we’re not sure why Chef Pat Pascarella would reveal his secrets for making his killer pasta (well, he’s nice, that’s why!), but he’s doing it anyway with a series of interactive pasta classes. You’ll get a hands-on experience with Chef, will make at least two different pasta dishes, get recipe cards to take home, and celebrate with a meal featuring your handiwork. The class lasts an hour with lunch afterwards, so you’ll be hanging at Bar Sugo for about two hours. Soft drinks are included, but the hard stuff is extra. Classes are $55 per person (tax and tip extra) or you could get all four weeks for $200 and save yo’self twenty buckaroos. Make your reservation by calling up Chef Pat and crew at (203) 956-7134.

Win 2 Free Tix to Beers at the Beach ft. Beer’d Brewing on June 11 in Norwalk #W2CT

We’ve got two tickets to Beers at the Beach, a brand new summer series organized by Ken Tuccio of Welcome to Connecticut Podcast. It all takes place at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk starting at 6 and includes unlimited pours of the legendary Beer’d Brewing from Stonington, CT and your choice of a burger, 2 hot dogs, or veggie burger.

To win, all you need to do is:

1) On Twitter, find our tweet then Retweet/Quote Tweet, use #W2CT and mention a friend that you want to take along.

OR

2) On Instagram, share our announcement post, tag a friend, and use #W2CT.

That’s it. That’s all you need to do in order to win $70 worth of tickets for FREE! The contest begins now and goes until Friday at 7 pm. 

To find out more about Beers at the Beach, check our original post and check out Welcome to Connecticut Podcast, too! 

Fresh Spin on Latin Food @ Aji 10 – Norwalk, CT

Sure, we’ve said it like a million times, but we’ll say it again just in case you forgot: Latin food is our favorite. We can never get enough. So, when we had the chance to visit the recently opened Aji 10 in Norwalk and talk with Executive Chef David Soto, we jumped on it.

What’s cool about Aji 10 is their menu is not just your typical Latin food. Nope, Chef Soto’s fresh spin is called Nikkei, which is a popular fusion of Peruvian and Japanese food. The reviews of this new approach to Latin food in Fairfield County have been quite positive, so we had high expectations for our dinner. Let’s get into it . . .

A Prime brunch on a dime @ Washington Prime

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When we heard a brunch buffet was coming to SoNo we had our doubts. When we hear the word buffet we get an immediate scowl on our faces. I mean let’s face it, there are plenty ‘o crappy buffets out there, packed full of stale, processed, fatty, fried, foods that are luke warm at best. On the flip side, we love us some brunch . . . except for the price tag that often comes along with it. So we figured, if the brunch buffet was actually going to be any good, well, then we assumed it was going to cost a stupid amount of money. Here’s the thing though (spoiler alert), the brunch at Washington Prime was actually delish AND, at just $29.95 a person, yep you read that right, it’s frickin’ dirt cheap. Especially when you see what that gets you. Let’s do this . . .

Pizza Oven Takeover: Brick + Wood Announces Chef Series ft. Local Area Chefs

Brick + Wood, set back off of Post Road in Fairfield, is spicing things up a bit. Starting on 2/4, they’ll be starting a guest chef series. For each night, chefs from nearby restaurants will be on hand to create a unique pie just for that night. These are events that you definitely don’t want to miss!

Here’s the schedule:

Your Name on a Bar Sugo Pizza if the Ingredients Are Right

OmNomivores, come on down, you’re the next contestants on the Ingredients Are Right! Today you’re bidding on a pizza pie that you’ll create for Chef Pat Pascarella and the staff of Bar Sugo in Norwalk. What will be your ingredients of choice be? Whatever you pick to go on your pie, don’t be that one guy that bids 1 and says just “cheese.” Then again, you don’t want to overbid and throw in 20 different ingredients on your pie. 

Once all your bids have been placed, Bar Sugo will pick their favorite ingredients and pie combination and will not only name the pie after you, but will also put it up on their menu as a special. To enter, just go to their Facebook page, find the contest post, and let your ideas fly. Good luck!

Whole Foods Darien, Fairfield, Westport Host Giving Day for Stepping Stones Museum for Children

 

Whole Foods Darien, Fairfield, and Westport have teamed up for their latest giving day that benefits an important institution in Norwalk: Stepping Stones Museum for Children. All you need to do is buy something at any of the three grocery stores on January 13 and they’ll donate 5% of your sale right to Stepping Stones. That easy, that simple.

So, hold off on shopping today or get an early start for next week. Plus, they do have a good beer selection too, just sayin’ it might be a nice time to stock up for football playoffs. ;) 

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Here’s more about Stepping Stones Museum for Children and what they do:

Bar Sugo Hosting Italian Wine Class + Food Pairing Series January-February

Take the sting out of the cold weather and warm up with some great wine and food at Bar Sugo in SoNo. Chef Pat Pascarella, will be hosting a series of wine and food pairings that cost just $35 (plus tip) per person. That’s a steal, but the real deal comes when you attend all five classes: you’ll get a $75 gift certificate for two people. In addition, you’ll also get a small plate certificate that you can hand in for some great Italian tapas when you visit Bar Sugo again. To secure your spot, e-mail Pat and co. with the date(s) that you’d like to attend. 

The Brewhouse Restaurant in SoNo Closing January 4

One of SoNo’s most popular restaurants, The Brewhouse Restaurant, is closing. The announcement was made on 12/29 at 10 pm, right on their FB page. Taking things back to what made them so popular, they’ll serve their final meal on 1/4/15. The final meal will be their brunch which they became very well known for.

There was no reason cited for closing, but it was noted that owners Lou, Bob, and Dan Montanari won’t be gone. They’ll still provide catering,and they also made it clear that they are looking for a place to set up a new restaurant.