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Q&A: CRAZIES Nominee "Best Chef of the Year" Joel Gargano of Grano Arso, Chester

Features Interview Q & A Chef Talk Interview Awards

Christopher Hodson November 17, 2021

Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. Restaurant owners, operators, chefs, and vendors come together to celebrate the success of the industry at Foxwoods Resort Casino on Monday, December 6. While a panel of more than 25 food writers, critics, bloggers, and social media influencers created a list of nominees, YOU VOTE for the winners.

We are excited to showcase the nominees for BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR in our new series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Joel Gargano of Grano Arso in Chester CT.

From Port Chester to Norwalk: Appetit Bistro Brings French Inspired Menu to SoNo

Features Restaurant Interview French Norwalk Port Chester Homepage

Andrew Dominick November 15, 2021

Oui, oui! You did hear correctly. There is a new French bistro on the block in South Norwalk and it goes by the name of Appetit Bistro.

And while it may be new to Connecticut, it may not be new to some of its residents. For six years and counting, Appetit Bistro has been a staple in the village of Port Chester.

For Montoya—who co-owns the restaurant with executive chef Ismael Carias—opening a second location three towns and a city away from the original was a no-brainer because of the fanfare they’ve received from the state that’s a stone’s throw away.

So, with that, they’re bringing all the duck a l'orange, chicken paillard, steak frites, and buttery, garlicky escargot you can handle, right to the center of SoNo.

But the pair’s French theme didn’t simply happen just because.

“He (Ismael) ran the kitchen at Crew in Greenwich,” Montoya says. “And I fell in love with French food when I started working at L’escale back in 2002. It was my first job ever and I loved it. I was there for five years. I ended up managing BLT Steak in White Plains and we opened our desired concept because we knew we would be the only French bistro in Port Chester.”

Their love letter to French food is evident at Appetit. Dishes are sometimes classic. The steak frites certainly is. Hard seared hangar steak, crusty on the outside, cool red on the inside, and tender as all hell—whatever that means to you. It’s served as it should be with a pile of salty shoestring fries and some frizzled onions that await the residuals of what should be a generous pour of the black peppercorn sauce. It’s always my ideal French meal when paired with a bold merlot or a strong Sazerac depending on the night. Most often for me, it’s the Saz.

Siena Ristorante Opens Second Location at Hotel Zero Degrees in Norwalk

Features Restaurant Interview Homepage Cocktails Italian Norwalk

Andrew Dominick October 29, 2021

The vacancy left by Mediterraneo at Norwalk’s branch of Hotel Zero Degrees has a new occupant.

Siena Ristorante—owned by Pasquale Conte, Pietro Polini, along with new partners in executive chef Foster Lukas and general manager and longtime bartender Jonathan Rodriguez—have been open since early September serving upscale Northern Italian food that the restaurant has dished out in Stamford for about 25 years.

But Stamford residents, fear not, they didn’t move. This is simply a sequel location.

Rodriguez, who you might know from his six-year stint as Mecha Noodle Bar’s beverage directory, clued us in on how it all came together. “Pasquale and Pietro are friends of the owners of the hotel, so they were able to strike a deal and it made sense,” he says. “Foster was the former chef at East End in Greenwich (there’s a close relationship between Hotel Zero Degrees and Z Hospitality Group’s restaurants), so he came on, and I did a small, maybe 8-10 drink program at Siena Stamford, so they approached me about wanting to bring me on as a partner.”

If you aren’t familiar with what to expect from this 130-seat hotel restaurant that provides Silvermine River views, think along the lines of old school Italian marries Tuscan fine dining. The menu can go from light—with a colorful roasted beet salad atop whipped ricotta with salty, chopped pistachios and a beet greens pesto—to soulful and hearty with meatballs, fritti misti (deep fried calamari, eggplant, zucchini, and hot peppers), and a crostini trio that doesn’t skimp on toppings.

There’s pizza, too, and don’t call it Neapolitan. According to Lukas, it’s “artisan.”

“It’s the pizza that I wanted when I moved to Connecticut from New York,” he says. “It’s half 00 flour and half all-purpose, salt, yeast, and a touch of olive oil. It’s fermented for minimum 24 hours but up to two days. We cook it in a combi oven (gas and wood) for some wood flavor. It’s crisp, light, and has no flop.”

The rest of Siena’s menu is chock full of pasta dishes. No, that doesn’t mean spaghetti and meatballs. These carbs include truffle and wild mushroom tagliatelle, duck ragu bucatini, kale and ricotta ravioli with vodka sauce, sweet corn and butter poached lobster risotto, and red wine braised oxtail rigatoni.

“What we’re trying to do it take a Tuscan-inspired restaurant known for years for having good food, where pasta is made in-house, using ingredients you can recognize, that’s as local as possible,” Rodriguez says.

The rest of Siena’s offerings include seafood like wood-fired whole branzino, shrimp and cockles with white bean and broccoli rabe ragout, and grilled salmon. Some of its meatier fare is a wood-fired half chicken, a classic in either veal or chicken Milanese, a grilled Berkshire porkchop with peach mostarda, and your choice of steak with options being a porcini rubbed NY strip or a dry-aged bone-in ribeye. Each steak is accompanied by a stack of parmesan polenta “fries,” sautéed spinach, and a gravy boat full of sweet balsamic shallot sauce.

Q&A: CRAZIES Nominee "Best Chef of the Year" Michone Danae Arrington - The Art of Yum

Features Interview Chef Talk Chef Q & A Interview Awards

Christopher Hodson October 29, 2021

Each year, the CT Restaurant Association recognizes the exceptional ability and talent of Connecticut’s restaurant community in the prestigious CRAzies awards. We are excited to showcase the nominees for BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR in our new series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. This week, we feature Michone Danae Arrington of The Art of Yum in Waterbury & Southington, CT.

Q&A: CRAZIES Nominee "Best Chef of the Year" Ashley Flagg of Millwright's

Features Interview Chef Talk Chef CT Chef Interview Awards

Christopher Hodson October 23, 2021

We are excited to showcase the nominees for BEST CHEF OF THE YEAR in our new series. All the candidates worked incredibly hard to receive this nomination, and while many of you may know some of them, you probably don’t know all of them. We sat down with each of these talented chefs to learn a little bit more about what makes them do what they do. We begin with Chef Ashley Flagg of Millwrights, in Simsbury CT.

Hindsight BBQ: Must Eat BBQ in Waterbury

Features Interview Restaurant Waterbury BBQ Hindsight BBQ Homepage Lunch Catering Comfort Food Openings

Andrew Dominick October 17, 2021

When you pull up to Hindsig ht BBQ, it looks like a barbecue joint. Forget the fact that you can smell the smoke off the wood for miles or the sight of a packed patio area of carnivorous customers smacking their lips on ribs, wings, and definitely the brisket. You might even forget you’re in Waterbury. The setup of picnic tables, greenery and flowers, fire pits, an outdoor bar, and massive smokers all make you feel like you’re about to eat BBQ in a setting reminiscent of the south.

The man behind Hindsight is Jeff Schmidt. And he wants you to feel like you’re at a BBQ restaurant.

Schmidt is a self-proclaimed “restaurant baby.” His mom, Jayne Lamphear along with stepfather Red, own At The Co rner in Litchfield and Black Ro ck Taver n in Thomaston. Schmidt has general managed at both, including a decade long stint after his family opened At The Corner.

Schmidt first got into the BBQ game as a hobby, but it quickly progressed into a pop-up. “I started doing it at Black Rock Tavern some weekends and,” he says. “COVID happened and I wanted to do new, so I did BBQ every weekend and that turned into every day. I even did pop-ups for brewery owners at Kent Falls, Tribus, Counter Weight, and Fox Farm. As the pandemic became more manageable, I said to myself, ‘I don’t want to stop doing this.’”

So he didn’t.

The pandemic, Schmidt told us, was a good opportunity to take the leap to do something that was solely his restaurant baby, so he found a space. “This place maybe would not have been available if not for the pandemic,” he says as he begins to laugh. “It was a diner years ago, then it was a place where you could come and have a drink with hot models! It wasn’t a strip joint, but it basically was! It was painted hot pink inside with black ceilings.”

Of course, like any BBQ enthusiast, and believe this, Schmidt is uber nerdy about the ‘cue craft, he continued his education with a trip down south. He spent time in Texas (one being LeRoy & Le wis BBQ in Austin), Georgia, and other states expanding his knowledge and learning from guys ingrained in the BBQ scene so he could bring elements back to Waterbury with him.

So, what’s Schmidt’s BBQ style at Hindsight? There isn’t one.

Baldanza Moves to Wilton & Takes Over The Schoolhouse

Features Interview Restaurant Wilton Farm Fresh Italian brunch lunch Homepage

Andrew Dominick September 20, 2021

School is officially back in session in the Cannondale neighborhood of Wilton. We’re not talking education but rather The Schoolhouse’s new “teachers,” Angela and Sandy Baldanza and their son, Alex.

Before the family’s move to the historic Cannondale School, they were restaurantless. No, you aren’t crazy to imagine that they had a few restaurants at one point. They owned and operated Baldanza Cafe for 8 ½ years in New Canaan with six of those spent where SE The Back End is now. They even ran Baldanza Bistro in Darien behind Ten Twenty Post.

“When COVID hit, we closed that space (Darien) because it was too small for outdoor seating,” Angela says. “We took a lease at 21 Forest (in New Canaan). A few months in, we received complaints from the condo board there. We cut our losses there and our Darien lease ended. And we only left 17 Elm because of the place in Darien, so we were left with no restaurants at all.”

Cue the 1872 building we’ve all known as The Schoolhouse at Cannondale under Tim LaBant and most recently the home of Hugh Mangum’s popular Rise Doughnut pop-up who subleased from LaBant for a year. LaBant, who had a 14-year run at The Schoolhouse decided not to renew for a few reasons. “I left to focus on Parlor Wilton and the new Parlor Darien,” he says. “My lease was up and in these crazy times, I decided not to renew.”

All of the moving, and the closings, led to a coincidence.

“Ironically, Tim has our old spot in Darien where he opened Parlor and we took over The Schoolhouse on July 1,” Angela says. “Here we are, and we love being here. Sandy and I used to come here for dinner when we had a break from our restaurant. We love Tim.”

At this iteration of Baldanza, diners can anticipate a local, organic, and homemade approach. Brioche and Tuscan bread are sourced from Balthazar Bakery, while the naturally leavened, freshly milled sourdough comes from 123Dough Bakery in Pound Ridge. They also get seasonal produce from Connecticut farms, citing Wilton’s own Ambler Farm as a primary supplier and seafood is by way of New Wave Seafood in Stamford.

The approach to “local and fresh” applies in the kitchen where Baldanza’s longtime chef, Rodrigo Pacheco executes a menu mostly curated by Angela and Sandy. Pasta, as you’ll see in a hearty pappardelle Bolognese, is made in-house, as is the fluffy ricotta gnocchi tossed in roasted tomato vodka sauce, the cheese ravioli, and the tagliatelle caprese with buffala mozzarella and cherry tomato sauce.

The Quartiere Debuts in Downtown Stamford

Interview Features Restaurant Italian Stamford Pasta Pizza Openings Homepage

Andrew Dominick September 05, 2021

If you’ve cruised down Bank Street in Downtown Stamford, you may have noticed there’s a new Italian restaurant located in the former Cotto Wine Bar space.

The Quartiere—roughly translated is Italian for neighborhood, area, or district—aims to be a go-to spot for pizza, pasta, and the like, in an elevated, casual setting with affordable prices.

“The Q” is owned by Martin Bates, a 30-year industry vet from the United Kingdom where he ran an umbrella of 400 pubs, bars, and restaurants before taking on the role of president at a well-known sandwich and coffee franchise.

“I worked for a brewery in the U.K. that owned all these pubs; I was all over the country driving 60,000 miles a year, living out of a suitcase, I never saw my kids, and they kept buying all these businesses while I was burning myself out,” Bates says. “I took a sabbatical for a year, traveled, went to Spain. I eventually met the founder of Pret A Manger who offered me a job where I ran a chunk of the businesses. I came to NYC in 2007 to run Pret.”

Post Pret, Bates started his own private restaurant consulting firm, Ellis Rowan, and continued to open restaurant all over.

Three years ago, Bates decided he’d eventually like to open up something of his own. “I was looking for my thing,” he says. “I started looking into neighborhood Italian because I love this style of pizza and pasta. I’m a carb freak. I love it.”

Rosina’s Opens in Greenwich with Elevated Old School Italian

Features Interview Restaurant Italian Greenwich Cocktails Pizza Pasta Homepage

Andrew Dominick August 29, 2021

There’s a rejuvenated buzz in Byram’s business district at the old digs once housed Mill Street Bar & Table and before it, Lolita Cucina.

The sounds of chatter and laughter, forks clanking and squealing against bowls, and hungry patrons slurping peppery, parm covered cacio e pepe are all coming from Rosina’s, a new Italian restaurant brought to you by a couple of young industry veterans you should recognize.

Rosina’s is the creation of Jared Falco and Coby Blount, who met at Fortina’s Armonk location in 2014. Falco helped run the show in the kitchen, while Blount managed front-of-house operations. “We’ve been trying to do something together for five years,” Falco says. “When we met, we clicked and always had mutual respect for each other. Even if we had it out, we could still be cool.”

The pair had a dream to work together, they just needed it to come together. Separately, they kept honing their crafts in the restaurant industry. After his first stint at Fortina, Falco took up executive chef duties at Washington Prime, Amore, Speedy Romeo, and he’d return to Fortina to express his creativity as a co-culinary director. And there’s a chance you’ve come across Blount at SE Uncorked or East End to name a few.

Their friendship kept them in touch, and they’d occasionally entertain meetings with possible investors.

“They didn’t have what we wanted,” Falco says. They wanted Sophia Loren on the walls eating spaghetti and that’s not us.” Blount chimes in, “Some of them wanted to use other people’s ideas or rip them off completely,” he says. “It didn’t feel like what we wanted to do. Or they wanted to do something corny that we weren’t into.”

What they wanted to do was classic but refined Italian food. And although it took a few years to come up with the concept, it’s the food Falco has been cooking for over a decade. Think along the lines of riffs on traditional pasta dishes, big salads, thin and crispy pizzas, and seasonal vegetable small plates. They also knew they wanted to be a neighborhood spot with affordable prices but with a handful of indulgent offerings if the mood should strike you.

It’s A Woman’s World: Sara Oberhammer of Soulber Health + Healing

Features Interview It's A Woman's World Interview Vegan Gluten-Free Healthy Eats

Andrew Dominick May 04, 2021

Connecticut is full of trailblazing women, particularly in the culinary world. Our ongoing column, “It’s A Woman’s World” is devoted to CT female influencers who’ve forged their own paths, often in food-related fields long dominated by men.

Whether farming the land, bringing healthy food to the masses, feeding an entrepreneurial spirit, or injecting feminism with food, these groundbreaking ladies have set a new definition of women’s work, creating new paths, and setting examples for those who follow.

Sara Oberhammer is someone I’ve personally wanted to feature for a while. Many of you might know her as a bartender at various restaurants around Fairfield County—and if you’ve had several of those mango margaritas with the spicy, salty rim at either location of The Blind Rhino, that was Sara’s award-winning creation.

While you still might catch her mixing cocktails at your favorite haunt, Sara has paved her own path in wellness, offering health coaching, personal training, and meal prepping colorful, nutritious bowls that are vegan, gluten-free, and even the dressings are homemade.

Smoking Again: Pitmaster Leland Avellino Opens Takeout-Only Avellino Family BBQ

Features Interview BBQ Pitmaster Norwalk Homepage Comfort Food Catering

Andrew Dominick April 22, 2021

Leland Avellino is a name that might be familiar to local BBQ enthusiasts. Even if you can’t recall, there’s a good chance you ate at the Stamford branch of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que at least once. Avellino, who was a partner, didn’t only open that location in 2012, he went on to become the company’s corporate executive chef before he transitioned away from that role to return to the BBQ pits in Stamford because as he puts it, “I met my wife, had two kids, and life on the road wasn’t good for that, so I came back.”

When Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Stamford decided to pull the plug in June 2020 due to COVID-19, Avellino got antsy. He wanted to feed people clamoring for his smoked meats and he needed to get back to work to feed his family.

“I was sitting home, I was bored, and I wanted to feed my people,” he says. “I bought this 500-gallon converted propane tank smoker on a whim. I looked at tanks in Texas, Kansas, I talked to pit bosses all over to find a good one. I bought this one (built in Austin) locally from a guy who was going to do something in Greenwich, and he didn’t because of COVID. I bought it without telling my wife! I pulled the trigger, and boom! Here we are!”

The “here” is in the Glenbrook section of Stamford, at 47 Larkin Street, past Lock City Brewing and Marcia Selden Catering, at ONTHEMARC Events where Avellino uses a commercial kitchen space and parks his smoker by the front door.

At Avellino Family BBQ, he’s not doing the same ‘cue he did at Dino.

Nick Martschenko Opens Mexican-Inspired SE The Back End in New Canaan

Features Restaurant Interview New Canaan Mexican Lunch Cocktails Homepage Openings

Andrew Dominick March 20, 2021

Nick Martschenko is every so closer to his monopoly on New Canaan’s restaurant scene. Even if that’s not the goal, he’s inching towards it with what’s now a downtown dining trifecta.

His latest venture, The Back End, is different. You can’t compare it to his flagship fine dining South End. And it’s not reminiscent of the laid-back but chatty speakeasy-meets-pub atmosphere of SE Uncorked, that stars “snacks + taps” (and cocktails and one damn fine burger).

“I wanted it (The Back End) to have Miami vibes, at least I want it to have that feel,” Martschenko says. “I envision it with the bar windows wide open, a super casual setting with lots of colors, lots of pink. Ruth (Stiefel) helped a lot with the design.”

The Back End is Mexican. Well, sort of. A more accurate description is Mexican inspired with a fine dining twist, and a little fast casual tossed into the mix.

“It’s elevated Mexican food,” Martschenko says. “I’m not gonna say we’re traditional, but we bear the traditional values of what we do. It’s different. I don’t know how to do it any other way.”

Chef Richard Blais Talks Top Chef, Fitness, and (Maybe!) Opening a Restaurant in Connecticut

Features Interview Interview Celebrity Chef Chef Talk Mohegan Sun

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson April 17, 2020

It’s crazy to think that Top Chef is in its SEVENTEENTH season! In that time, it’s amassed 59 Emmy nominations and welcomed chefs from all across the country, including Connecticut’s own Tyler Anderson. This year, the show is bringing back something near and dear to fans’ hearts: the All Star Season! CTBites got to sit down with Top Chef All Star’s first champion, Richard Blais, at the Mohegan Sun WineFest. Since claiming the title, he’s gone onto host his own podcast, make an array of TV appearances, participate in Chef demos across the country, and judge the very show that he competed on. Here’s what he had to say about life beyond cooking, his fitness routine, how to stay active on the road, Top Chef, and so much more.

Interview with Chef Ben Robinson of Below Deck Talks Cooking, Yachting, and Future Plans

Interview Features Interview Celebrity Chef

Emma Jane-Doody Stetson February 03, 2020

It may be called Below Deck, but Bravo’s nautical reality series is riding high. The original show just wrapped on its seventh season, following the adventures of 49 yachties and hitting the 100 episode mark along the way. Its success has inspired two spin-off shows: Below Deck Mediterranean, which has been on for four seasons, and the brand new addition to the franchise, Below Deck Sailing Yacht.

Despite the constantly changing crew, Chef Ben Robinson has become a familiar face. He’s served up delicious food from the galley on 4 seasons on Below Deck and most recently stepped in to save the day on Below Deck Mediterranean. While he achieved fame from reality television, he is a true chef who started cooking at the age of 5. CTBites had the opportunity to sit down with him at the Mohegan Sun Wine & Food Fest to chat about his culinary start, his time on the show, and his exciting plans for the future.

NEW Podcast Episode! Chef Plum...Live From Our Dining Room

Features Interview Podcast Interview Chef Talk

Stephanie Webster October 11, 2019

This week on The CTbites Hot Dish Podcast , we chat with Chef Plum, host of the successful podcast “Live With Chef Plum,” as well as “Edible On The Road” (streaming on Amazon), and finally…the TV series, “Random Acts of Cooking.” What’s on the podcast menu? We discuss the role of food as a connector, the importance of philanthropy, and…well…we laugh a lot. Join the conversation. Listen here.

Listen to Top Chef's Chris Scott on the CTbites Hot Dish Podcast

Features Interview Podcast Celebrity Chef

Stephanie Webster June 20, 2019

This week on The CTbites Hot Dish Podcast , we chat with Top Chef’s Chris Scott, who recently opened Birdman Juke Joint in the Black Rock, Bridgeport. Scott talks about his long road to TV's Top Chef, the importance of family and community, and the "Birdman," the inspiration for his new authentic Southern restaurant. You won’t wanna miss this episode. Listen here.

How do you listen to CTbites Hot Dish?

CTbites Hot Dish is a bi-weekly podcast. To listen, use PODCAST App (or any podcast player).
Search for CTbites Hot Dish or click here.

NEW CTbites Hot Dish Podcast: Chefs Bill Taibe & Dan Kardos

Features Interview Chef Talk Interview Podcast

Stephanie Webster March 28, 2019

Two of CT's leading chefs, and long time colleagues, Bill Taibe & Dan Kardos, discuss what it takes to stay at the top of their game. Host Marysol Castro explores what it takes to maintain their sanity, life in the kitchen, how social media has changed the restaurant business, and what they want their guests to know when they dine at their restaurants. Listen here!

NEW CTbites Hot Dish Podcast Episode: Chef Matt Storch, Beyond The Burger

Features Interview Podcast Celebrity Chef Chef Talk Interview

Stephanie Webster March 14, 2019

This week on the CTbites Hot Dish Podcast we sit down with Chef Matt Storch, owner of Match, Match Burger Lobster & Match Taco. We discuss the restaurant biz, cooking for Julia Child, the importance of travel, the origins of the famous "Match Burger," favorite restaurants (you'll wanna write these down), and his 45 course dinner at El Bulli. Listen here!

NEW CTbites Hot Dish Podcast Episode: The CTbites Family Edition #1

Interview Features Podcast

Stephanie Webster February 14, 2019

CTbites Hot Dish Podcast is back with Episode 2: CTbites Family Edition #1. Break bread (no...literally) with the CTbites team Chez Webster. Join Stephanie Webster, Andrew Dominick, Kristin L. Wolfe and our host, Marysol Castro, for a lively conversation about CT restaurant openings, favorite meals, the issue of "reviewer vs. critic”…all while we polish off a bottle of bourbon.

How do you listen to CTbites Hot Dish?

CTbites Hot Dish is a bi-weekly podcast. To listen, use PODCAST App (or any podcast player).
Search for CTbites Hot Dish or click here.
SUBSCRIBE to CTbites Hot Dish
You can also listen via CTbites.com here
Enjoy at your leisure.

An Interview w/ Vinnie Penn, Author of "Route One Food Run"

Interview Features Podcast Author CT Authors

Ken Tuccio July 25, 2018

Vinnie Penn has been a Connecticut media staple for decades, but he's never been someone who you'd necessarily think about when it comes to the Connecticut food scene. Well, that's changing now. Vinnie's got a brand new book out called Route One Food Run where he travels up and down Route One to try the best places you can grab some grub. Ken Tuccio talks to Vinnie about how the book came to be, his love for the world of food and what he's learned during this process. Listen here.