This little nomad came all the way Home for the Holidays. And while home for me is New York, one of my best friends and travel buddies lives in Connecticut, so I spent some time visiting with him and some of our old favorite food haunts as well as trying a few new ones!
Stamford, CT has so many that it gets its own post (see What I Ate In…Stamford, CT). Also, sometimes I visit the north of the state (see What I Ate In…Hartford, CT). But here are my picks from the rest of Fairfield County:
- Locali in New Canaan
- The Commons at Grace Farms in New Canaan
- Colony Grill in New Canaan
- Kaahve Coffee in New Canaan
- The Well Natural Market in Wilton
- Cafe Aroma in Norwalk
- Valencia Luncheria in Norwalk
- Colony Grill in Norwalk
- Sugar Bowl Luncheonette in Darien
Locali in New Canaan
Amazing Pizza, but their small plates are worth checking out, like these roasted brussels sprouts. Just be warned – it’s a very small place so a reservation is a must.
The Commons at Grace Farms in New Canaan
Grace Farms is it’s whole own…thing. It’s some kind of glorious, modern art, hippy, Christian, cooperative space which is both indescribable and wonderful and absolutely worthy of a visit. Amongst the many community use structures, The Commons serves locally sourced fresh foods for breakfast & lunch where you can enjoy your fresh food bathed in natural light.
Colony Grill in New Canaan
Colony Grill has four locations in Connecticut (Stamford, Milford, New Canaan, & Fairfield) where they sling their super thin crust pizza. Start with the salad pizza and do yourself a favor and get at least half a pie with stingers (peppers) & hot oil.
The New Guys:
Here are a few more places I scoped out while playing tourist in Connecticut:
Kaahve Coffee
Kaahve Coffee is an adorable coffee shop with clean, modern design, a friendly owner, with fresh coffee in New Canaan.
The Well Natural Market
The Well is a super healthy & organic food & supplement store with a deli counter and grab & go items in the back. After an intense workout at a nearby gym I was super excited to refuel with this wholesome fare.
Cafe Aroma
I settled in to Cafe Aroma in Norwalk one rainy afternoon and the lovely owner Paul couldn’t have been sweeter or more welcoming. I felt like he had welcomed me personally into his home – which in effect, he had, as this little cafe is clearly his pride & joy. All of the pastries & desserts are home-made except for a few and they all looked TOTALLY amazing. I got a chocolate truffle and savored every last morsel. Even though these treats are rich and decadent, he does focus on serving healthful food and he has a lot of things made with natural sweeteners like agave. For this reason, you also won’t find sugary soda pops for sale at this mom & pop style cafe.
Valencia Luncheria
Valencia Luncheria serves Latin American fare in Norwalk. Wanting to sample a little of everything, I got The Works Dinner: butternut squash soup, a queso & mango arepa, a nutella empanada, rice & beans, fried yucca (they let me sub this out for the maduras), tostones, and ceviche. For $21 (with tax etc) I was a bit disappointed in the small serving sizes, but that’s the difference between getting these classic dishes in Fairfield County – one of the richest counties in the county – versus, say, I dunno. Latin America.
Sugar Bowl Luncheonette
Sugar Bowl Luncheonette is the absolute cutest little traditional diner done up to the nines with holiday decorations in Darien. As you can see, it was all dressed up for Valentine’s Day when I visited in January. Every detail of this place is absolute perfection of the classic American greasy spoon diner.
Planning a visit to Fairfield County in Connecticut? Give one of these places a try and let me know what you think!