Win Tix to SoNo Bowl + Gift Certificate @ Blind Rhino w/ Cash, Prizes + Open Bar

Update: The Blind Rhino is also giving a $50 gift certificate to the winner of the pair of tix!

UPDATE: Brad V. is the winner of the two tix and the $50 gift card! We’ll be contacting him soon with details on how to get his prize. :)

Tickets are now on sale for SoNo Bowl, going down at 4 pm until kickoff on 2/7 at The Blind Rhino in Norwalk. $15 gets you into the party with an open bar until kickoff, plus Ken Tuccio of the Welcome to Connecticut Podcast will be hosting the night. There will be lots of games and chances to not only win prizes, but to also take home some cold hard cash.

A Prime brunch on a dime @ Washington Prime

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

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 . . .

Chef David Soto brings Latin food with a unique twist to Norwalk with Aji 10

Executive Chef and owner David Soto and Sous Chef Erick Omar Soto. Photo from Aji 10’s Facebook.

Even though we’re both Italian, if we had to narrow down our favorite cuisine it would undoubtedly be Latin American. Whether it’s ceviche, lomo saltado, rope vieja, mofongo, arepas, tacos, and so on, we just can’t get enough. So you can only imagine how much we’re drooling here as we fantasize about the menu at Aji 10, a brand new Latin restaurant at the border of SoNo and East Norwalk, located at 10 Wall Street.

Photo from Cristiano Dos Santos

Opened just a few weeks ago on January 23, the former sous chef at Paloma and Executive Chef at Baang and Splash, Chef David Soto, has created a killer menu that features Latin American foods and Nikkei, a popular fusion cuisine of Japanese and Peruvian you can’t find anywhere in Fairfield County. Not only that, but Aji 10 also brings the first-ever (that we can think of) Pisco bar to the SoNo dining scene, which features the much-loved spirit in Peru and Chile. So, what’s Chef Soto’s story, what makes him an awesome addition to SoNo, and what are some of the best dishes to order off the menu? Take a look . . .

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!

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.

Fuggedaboutit: Learn to Cook with Chef Pat Pascarella at Bar Sugo

1) We love Bar Sugo.

2) We love Chef Pat Pascarella.

3) You need to get our ass to Bar Sugo to not only eat, but also to stuff your face on his awesome food.

4) Starting off in 2015, you’ll have a shot at learning how to cook and think like The Man. Most classes that he’s offering are $30 per person (plus tip). It’s a great thing to do with a friend, on a date, or just for fun. Plus, it does make a nice holiday gift. Call up Pat, Meghan, and Bar Sugo at (203) 956-7134 to get your spot set.

Washington Prime in SoNo Premieres Sunday Prime Brunch Buffet

There are few things in this world that excite us more than brunch. It’s all about being too lazy to wake up for breakfast and just letting a lazy Sunday drag on. And, most importantly, it’s all about the food. All about the mixture of sweet, savory, salty, and meaty, together as one. Yeah, and drinking . . . you can’t forget the cocktails at 11 am, either.

Washington Prime Opening Mid-Summer in new Ironworks SoNo Building

SoNo’s getting a brand new restaurant and it’s called Washington Prime, Eating + Drinking Well.  It will be located in the brand new Ironworks SoNo…a similar set up like Harlan Social in the Harbor Point area of Stamford.

The People Behind Washington Prime

SoNo’s newest restaurant is a team effort with Rob Moss, Marco Siguenza, and Executive Chef Jared Falco.  Starting with Rob, he has been a manager at Match and Lolita Cocina & Tequila Bar in Greenwich, and has helped to create cb5 restaurants such as Red Lulu, Lolita, Chinawhite, 30 Boltwood and OAK Longbar & Kitchen.  Marco has some excellent restaurant experience, too.  Like Rob, he has worked at Match, but he also has some other major restaurant cred for helping to open up 55 Degrees in Fairfield and Scena Wine Bar in Darien.  Although he is no longer connected with these restaurants, his cousins continue to run it and Marco starts this new endeavor.

Must Attend: Stone and Goose Island Beer Dinners @ Ginger Man Norwalk + Greenwich

Stone cold crazy…

You know that Ginger Man always does things right with their beer dinners, but here are two dinners with quite a hefty beer lineup.  First up is the Stone Brewing Co. dinner on May 12 at 7 pm at their SoNo location.  Tix are $75 per person and include 5 beers and 5 courses.  In typical G-Man style, they’ll be featuring some hard to find brews:

1. Go to IPA (cask conditioned)
2. Ruination
3. Vertical Epic 12.12.12 (a yearly series)
4. Old Guardian (2012)
5. Matts Burning Rosids

Rebirth of the Cool: Adam Patrick Takes Over + Reinvents Drink Program @ Match in SoNo

On a recent trip to Colorado we hit up a speakeasy called Williams & Graham on the advice of our buddy, Charles Guerrero.  The drinks were awesome and the bartenders were amazing, mixing, shaking, cutting, peeling, straining, and pouring like pros.  Fast forward to a few weeks later when we finally made our way to Walrus + Carpenter in Black Rock and got to see Adam Patrick “behind the stick.”  Not only were his drinks impressively delicious, but he had those same skills that the bartenders who amazed us in Denver had.  One of the moves that got us hyped up was shaking the cocktail in one hand then stirring a drink with the other hand.  We both argued if we could actually do that, trying to pat our heads and rub our stomachs…we couldn’t even do that, but he made it seem easy as breathing.  

We talk about him with you today because Adam Patrick was chosen by Chef Matt Storch of Match to create a brand new drink program as the Bar Manager.  And, it’s pretty easy to see why Chef Storch would choose him to help bring about the new iteration of his landmark Match in the heart of SoNo.  He’s got drive, he’s got heart, he’s got mad skills, he’s got some sass, and he’s got some serious smarts.  Case in point:  his blog *just add alcohol that takes you through how to make cocktails, the origins of drinks, bar philosophy, and more.  

So, let’s dig a little deeper into the world of Adam Patrick, his role as Bar Manager at the soon-to-reopen Match, some hints about the changes to come at Match, and his evolution in the restaurant and service industry…