#lefarm

Whelk Polar Bear Plunge

Have you ever been warm and cozy in your house, but knew that you’d have to go outside for a few seconds and would need to enter a cold car? Yeah, we’ve all been through that and we’ve all procrastinated, and we’ve all shivered and cursed at winter like a dirty pirate. But, honestly, this is nothing compared to what Chef Bill Taibe and his staff from The Whelk, LeFarm, and Kawa Ni will be…

Flights at Coalhouse Pizza in Stamford CT

Dino Poutine is killer, unique to Dinosaur Stamford

Dan’s pouring out some wine (don’t worry, he’s going to put more in from another bottle)

Summer’s in gear and it’s about time you got off your ass and did something.  And, with this list of things going on in and around Fairfield County, you better work it.  Um girl, don’t be lazy and stay home…not with so much going on.  Whether you’re talking about food-focused events, beer and wine, world cup action, or Woodmont’s Farmers’ Market, we’ve got a major checklist for you to cross off.  Plus, we’ve got some props to hand out, some opening/closing info, and a sweet little summer getaway idea.

Events

6/26:  The hostess with the most-ess, Anna Zap, will be at Dinosaur Bar-b-que in Stamford for Drinks on the Deck with Leaf Vodka.  The par-tay begins at 5 pm!

6/26:  Take part in a Twitter wine tasting of 4 different wines with Whole Foods Market from 8-9 pm.  This is the chat room and make sure to use #WFMwine while tweeting. Here are the wines that you’ll be tasting:

Frey Agriculturist Organic Blanc 2013, California

Les Hauts de Bel Air Bordeaux Blanc 2013, France

Querciabella Mongrana Maremma Toscana 2011, Italy

Santa Rita Organic Cabernet Sauvignon 2010, Chile

6/26:  Celebrate one year with Walrus + Carpenter in Black Rock starting at 7 pm.  They’ll have live music, deals on beer, cocktails, their regular fare, and a whole roast pig for you to go hog wild over.

6/26: Reggae Mayhem will be playing The Loft Martini Lounge starting at 10 PM.  The Loft is located at 97 Washington Street.

6/27: Napa & Co in Stamford is hosting a one-of-a-kind pizza and tasting dinner from 6-9 that features not only Valley of the Moon Winery, but also Chef Elizabeth Falkner of Food Network.  Entrance is $60 and that gets you unlimited pizza and wine along with samples from Chef Adam Truelove’s summer menu at Napa.  And, this great event has heart too, because 10% of the proceeds will be donated to The National Center for Learning Disabilities.  To get a reservation, please call ‘em up at (203) 353-3319.

6/27-28:  Art Walk is back in Downtown Stamford, so check out all the exhibits, and then hit up some of our favorite restaurants like Cask Republic, The Fez, Capriccio, Zaza, Lorca, and Barrique afterwards.

6/28 Come down to LaRocca’s Country Market in Stamford from 11-3 and help celebrate their two year anniversary since they reopened.  LaRocca’s and other local vendors will have tastings including juices and lots of gourmet goodies.  There will also be live music, games, clowns (eek! LOL), and an ice cream truck.

6/29 The 3rd Annual Old Greenwich Block Party comes but once a year, so you best get down to Sound Beach Avenue at 3 pm.  The Short Bus will be playing live, there will be plenty to drink, lots of food, and games, too.  A portion of proceeds will benefit the Community Centers Inc. of Greenwich.

7/1 Whole Foods Market in Fairfield is hosting a fundraising day for the Black Rock Farmers Market.  Simply shop and help this brand new market to keep sprouting!

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Get Ya There Quicker

Eli Cannon has worked with Stubborn Beauty Brewing to create a collabo beer that’s a throwback to Pink Floyd.  The brew is called “Us and Them” and is an American Session IPA that’s brewed with 5 kinds of hops.  Check it out at Eli Cannon’s starting on August 7…but get there fast because we don’t think that will last too long!

6/26 Stella Restaurant & Bar in Bethel will have a free wine tasting from 5-7.  Try out some wines and see which varieties pair well with some of the dishes on their menu.

Ninety9 Bottles in Westport not only has the brand new Dogfish Head Rosabi (an Imperial Pale Ale brewed with wasabi and paired with a vinyl record) but also is offering the legendary holy grail of IPAs:  120 Minutes.  Even better?  Buy them in unlimited amounts.

World Cup

Coalhouse Pizza continues to offer $12 pitchers of CT craft beer all month to help you celebrate the FIFA World Cup.  Come with friends and order a pitcher each…sure, why not?  And, if you’re a beer club member, you can tap into Firkin Friday on Thursday!  Ah, the perks!

City Limits in Stamford and White Plains is now offering up a globally inspired menu in the bar/lounge area from 4 to close up until the last game on July 13.  Some of the options include gazpacho, warm burrata with grilled peaches, grilled chorizo sausage burger, steamed shrimp, South American sliders, and steak tacos.

Farmers’ Markets

The Woodmont Farmers’ Market just kicked off its 7th season yesterday.  To find them, head on down to the Robert Treat Farm at 1339 New Haven Avenue in Milford.  It’s open for business every Wednesday from 3:30-6:30 until August 27.  At the market you’ll be able to find fish, meats, veggies, fruit, cheese, coffee, olive oil, mushrooms, baked goods, and more.  Plus, there will be a musician performing each week and there will be food trucks. Yes, good trucks:  Big Green Truck Pizza, Coco Tamale, and a couple of others.  Some of the vendors you can expect are Robert Treat Farm, Gambardella Seafood, Scratch Baking, Lemon Sisters, Smith’s Acres, Mystic Cheese Company, Shearwater Coffee Roasters, Dash & Drizzle, and Nutty Bunny.

Props

Chef Bill Taibe makes his second appearance on PBS’s Moveable Feast with Australia’s Pete Evans.  This episode follows Chef Taibe and Chef Will Horowitz of Ducks Eatery as they go whelking (yes, whelking) and prepare a meal that includes whelk salad, smoked duck prosciutto (they also visit a duck farm), smoked duck with grits, and a NE clambake.  For more info, check out this post from The Northforker.

The Local Meatball is also making TV with a spot on them that will air on NBC CT on Friday (6/27) at 11 am.  Congrats Mike and co.

Openings and Closings

The Beer Garden at Shippan Landing will be open early July.  Check out all the deets from our post.

Chefs Graham Elliot and Merlin Verrier have closed Primary Food & Drink in Greenwich.

Hotel Zero Degrees in Norwalk recently opened up their own rooftop bar.  In addition to drinks, you can order from the raw bar.  SOLD!

Chef Stephen Lewandowski (owner and chef at Harlan Social) has opened up Harlan Publick in SoNo.

World of Beer will finally open on 6/30 with a special preview during the Half Full 5K on Sunday.

Graze Delivered, an awesome food delivery service that heads to local farms and then prepares for you has changed its name.  Now you can call them Simple Scallion.  Right now they are featuring World Cup fare and have lots of great ideas for your 4th of July party.

Food Getaway

Get a little taste of Philly and drink some killer Ommegang beer on July 8 with the Hopchef Philly Competition.  The contest will feature 9 of the area’s best chefs who are creating a companion dish for one of Ommegang’s awesome Belgian brews.  Tickets are $41 for the July 8 event that starts at 6 pm at Union Transfer.  Methinks you need to plan a roadtrip!  For more info, check out Ommegang’s blog.

  When we hit up any restaurant, the first thing we do is check out the drink options.  We need to chill, we need to set the mood, and we need something great to go with our meal.  Whether it’s beer, wine, liquor, cocktails, or something exotic like sake, the drink menu is key to a great meal.  And, while drinks menus can complement meals nicely, they also need to be strong and varied enough for people who just want to hit up the bar.

Verified proof…

Making all of this come together is no easy task, just ask Jeff Marron. He was just appointed Beverage Manager at Chef Bill Taibe’s locally and nationally celebrated restaurants, leFarm and The Whelk. You might be familiar with Jeff for his insanely in-depth knowledge of wine, beer, and spirits through Saugatuck Grain + Grape of Westport. You might have also tried his barrel aged cocktails (he is the master of the Negroni) at Bar Sugo or other restaurants, and you might have also had his drinks at Luxe Modern Wine & Cocktails.  There at Luxe he is finishing up his role as Beverage and Food Director.  And, now with all of these skills, experience, knowledge, and passion for drinks, he makes his mark on Westport yet again.

So, come along and let’s dig a little deeper into the evolution of Jeff Marron, his thoughts on working with the chefs and staff of leFarm and The Whelk, his role as Beverage Manager, his approach to drinks, and some of the things he has planned for Chefs Bill and Jeff Taibe’s upcoming Japanese-style pub.

  1)  Fairfield County knows you for being behind the stick at Luxe and an owner at Saugatuck Grain & Grape, but have you had other jobs in the drink industry that helped bring you to this point?

In some way or another, every job that I have held in this industry has led me to this point. Whether I was behind the bar slinging drinks or selling wine in wine shops, I’ve always tried to get the most out of it as I could. I’m always willing to learn a new skill or technique. In turn, I really enjoy turning that knowledge around and teaching others what I know.

  2)  Getting back to Luxe, do you feel like you’ve evolved over the last few months while working there? 

Having free reign to do as I please with the cocktail program at Luxe definitely allowed me to get a little bit more technical behind the bar. Being able to apply advanced techniques during service is a huge advantage over just theorizing how you would employ them. With the help of a few friends and some very patient customers during busy times, I have become a lot more efficient and exacting in my techniques. I have learned a lot about my own strengths and weakness during my time at Luxe.

  The Nod: Weller Bourbon Carpano Antica Angostura Peychauds Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet Black IPA egg foam

3)  When Chef Taibe approached you to work at leFarm and The Whelk, what thoughts went through your mind?

Initially, I thought that it was going to be a huge undertaking. Going from a smaller, cozy cocktail bar with, essentially, one bartender behind the bar at a time, to having multiple bartenders and multiple busy restaurants can seem like a daunting task. But, being familiar with their food and operations from a customer’s stand point and being friends with Bill and most of the staff already, I knew that I would get the help I need from them to get me up to speed in a short amount of time.

4)  What will it be like for you to work with Chefs Bill and Jeff Taibe, Bensimon, and Lazlo…the same chefs who you have admired and devoured food from?  

I’m really excited to be working with these guys. They are among the most talented chefs in this area, if not in the entire country. I can tell you that I will be working very closely with them and coordinating my cocktail menus with their food menus. I like the fact that both restaurants print their menus daily. This means that I get to frequently change up cocktails and ingredients as new deliveries come in from the farms.

5)  What exactly will the role of Beverage Manager entail?

This is probably the least exciting part of the position from a customer’s stand point. But, for me, I love to collaborate with others. Being a Beverage Manager means that I’ll be working closely with Andrea and Massimo developing the beverage menus. I’ll also be in charge of monitoring inventory levels, seeking out new products to bring in and work with, reordering those products, tasting new wines, beer and spirits with sales reps, running reports, coordinating fresh produce with the chefs, training staff on spirits and cocktails and mixology as a whole. It’s also not just that; I’m a representative of the company. More importantly, it’s my job to make sure all of our guests have a great experience when they dine at the restaurants.

6)  People are very familiar with the food at leFarm and The Whelk, especially how much care is put into the sourcing of ingredients.  We were wondering if you would be taking a similar kind of approach to the drink program…like a farm-to-glass approach?

Absolutely. I will utilize as many locally grown and seasonal products as I can. I like to pride myself on making syrups, shrubs and preserves for use over the winter in my cocktails. Joining the the crew at The Whelk and leFarm will allow me to expand on those ideas with the support of the Chefs Bensimon and Lazlo.

Jeff Marron and Adam Patrick at Luxe Wine Bar

7) We often define restaurants by the food they serve.  One restaurant might be considered Modern American, another might be a Spanish Tapas bar.  How would you describe your take and outlook on drinks…is there even such a thing? 

I’m not really sure if there is such a thing. If it did exist, it may break down to if you’re a cocktail bar or not. Then, you could probably divide up the cocktail bars between being a classic cocktail bar, tiki bar, a place for Margaritas or Martinis, etc. As far as my outlook on drinks is concerned, I am definitely a classic cocktail guy through and through. All my menus have always highlighted the classic cocktails. I like to leave the modern cocktail techniques for that special “off-the-menu” drink for the slower times or a VIP. Those drinks are usually a little bit more laborious and require more time to prepare properly.

8)  It always seems that you are trying something new or thinking about a new way to approach a cocktail.  How do you keep the process of your evolution going and continue to grow?

I’m always looking to get better at what I do. When my sales reps bring me new products to try, I usually try to break out of my comfort zone and come up with new cocktails with those new spirits. I also have a great group of friends consisting of great bartenders, very talented chefs and “foodies.” I get a lot of my inspiration from them. I think we all have similar goals in mind:  better food, better service and better drinks. I believe there is always room for improvement as far as my skills are concerned.

9)  And, looking ahead, as Chefs Bill and Jeff Taibe open up their Japanese style pub, are you set to run the beverage program there, too?

Yes, I am. The cocktails that we will be serving will have a heavy influence from Asian cultures. I’ll be utilizing shochu, soju, sake and teas on the cocktail list. It’s a new style of cocktail for me. But, needless to say, I’m having a blast working on new recipes! Chef Jeff and I have already been discussing how we are going to be using the same ingredients in his dishes and in my cocktails, as well.

Bill Taibe to Open Japanese Pub with Pan-Asian Flavors at Bridge Square Market in Saugatuck

Chef Taibe will be opening his third restaurant shortly…you ready?

We saw the news a couple of weeks ago from LeFarm:  “Signed…”  A slew of comments, congratulations, and demands for answers from hungry fans lit up their Facebook page.  Signed what?  Autographs, Declaration of Independence, soul to the devil, or a lease to a new place?  Yes, the latter…but what kind?

Some of the gyoza Chef Taibe…

Chefs Bill Taibe and Wirt Cook Headline @Out_intheField Dinners at @TheHickories in Ridgefield @LeFarmWestport‎

Outstanding in the Field has been trekking across America since 1999…and they’ve even hit up international destinations in 2011 such as Italy, Spain, Denmark, Great Britain, and Ireland.  So, what exactly is Outstanding in the Field?  It’s literally a moveable feast, but in the form of a Winnebago that travels from farm to farm, location to location, sets up a ginormous table, pulls in some of…