Small Bites
DINING NEWS AND EVENTS
Saybrook Point Inn’s annual Fire & Ice outdoor winter festival returns Jan. 19 from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., at the venue’s Waterfront Terrace and Grand Ballroom. Winter-themed festivities all day, with seasonal food and beverages, ice sculptures, live music, kids’ activities and more. An adults-only 21+ Fire & Ice event on Jan. 18 from 7 to 11 p.m. features a DJ, ice carvings, a performance by Sasha the Fire Gypsy, digital photo booths, premium cash bar with hot and cold cocktails, appetizers and s’mores stations. Cost is $49 plus tax and gratuity. 860-339-0555. saybrook.com.
Mohegan Sun hosts its Restaurant Week from Jan. 20 to 24, with deals and special menus at the casino’s restaurants and live demos throughout the week from Sun Wine & Food Fest chefs Jason Santos and Michele Ragussis. Specials include 20 percent discounts at Seasons Buffet, Todd English’s Tuscany, Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain, and Bobby’s Burger Palace and fixed-price menus at SolToro, BALLO, Arooga’s, Lansdowne Irish Pub & Music House, Michael Jordan’s Steak House, Michael Jordan’s 23.sportcafe, Jasper White’s Summer Shack, Sushi Koya and Tom’s Urban. mohegansun.com.
The fourth annual Taste of Middlesex County promotion continues through Jan. 20, with fixed-price three-course dinners at a variety of restaurants in the region. Menus will be priced at $20.19 and $30.19.
Participants currently include Amici Italian Grill, Inn at Middletown’s Tavern at the Armory, Lan Chi’s and Tuscany Grill in Middletown; Fire at the Ridge in Middlefield, The Griswold Inn and Scotch Plains Tavern in Essex, Red House in Deep River and Water’s Edge Resort & Spa in Westbrook. More participating restaurants will be posted to the Middlesex Chamber’s website before the event. Price does not include beverage, tax or gratuity. middlesexchamber.com.
West Hartford Restaurant Week continues its winter edition, with restaurants offering special fixed-price menus through Jan. 20. Menus start at $12 for lunch and $20 to $40 for dinner. Participants so far include Artisan, Arugula, Avert Brasserie, Bartaco, Blue Elephant Trail, Blue Plate Kitchen, The Cook and the Bear, Corner Pug, Effie’s Place, Elbow Room, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Flora, INDIA, Luna Pizza, Max’s Oyster Bar, Ocho Café, Park & Oak, Pond House Cafe, Prai Kitchen, Prospect Café, Rizzuto’s and Union Kitchen. Additional restaurants are expected to participate. Five percent of sales from the week will be donated to Foodshare. whrestaurantweek.com.
Coyote Blue, 1960 Saybrook Road, Middletown, hosts its annual mid-winter game festival Jan. 18 through Feb. 7, featuring dishes like a Southwestern duck quesadilla, wild boar burrito, venison and green chile stew in a bread boule, elk tacos and bison kielbasa enchiladas. Items are $6.95 to $23.95. 860-345-2403, coyoteblue.com.
DORO Restaurant Group hosts a food crawl between its three West Hartford restaurants on Jan. 28 starting at 6:30 p.m., with globally inspired prix-fixe menus at Treva, Zohara Mediterranean Kitchen and Àvert Brasserie. The evening begins with charcuterie, cheese, appetizers and an Italian Sunset cocktail at Treva; a family-style dinner with whole roasted cauliflower, lamb kofta, Moroccan seafood stew and Israeli red and white wines at Zohara and sticky toffee pudding, macarons, cookies and an aged sherry cocktail at Àvert. Cost is $75 for each event. Tickets are available on Eventbrite.
The Cook and the Bear, 50 Memorial Road, West Hartford, hosts a Jan. 24 pop-up with chef Chris Scott of “Top Chef," who will premiere food and cocktails from his upcoming Birdman Juke Joint in Bridgeport. The new restaurant, scheduled to open in mid-to-late February in the city’s Black Rock neighborhood, will specialize in fried chicken, Southern-style cocktails and moonshine. The pop-up dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.; cost is $75, including all food, beverage pairings, tax and gratuity. Visit brownpapertickets.com for tickets and information.
Mohegan Sun’s Sun Wine & Food Fest returns
Jan. 24 to 27, a weekend full of celebrity-chef appearances, tastings of fine wines, bourbons and beers and cuisine from a variety of regional restaurants. A new event on Jan. 24, “Boston Brews and Bites,” features top Boston chefs teamed up with Boston pro athletes to cook their favorite tailgate dishes. The weekend includes Saturday’s Grand Tasting, with 1,000 varieties of wine, beer and spirits and Saturday night’s Celebrity Chef Dine Around, with more than 20 top chefs, including Bobby Flay, Todd English, Alex Guarnaschelli, Marcus Samuelsson and Rocco DiSpirito. Information: sunwinefest.com.
Priam Vineyards, 11 Shailor Hill Road, Colchester, hosts wine and cheese tastings on Jan. 27, pairing five of its wines with local cheeses from Cato Corner Farm. Tickets are $25; tastings start at noon and are conducted hourly through 4 p.m. Reservations are required and must be made by Jan. 23. Information: priam-vineyards.com.
Johnson’s Seafood is now open at 631 Main St. in Manchester, offering a variety of fried, grilled and smoked seafood options along with chicken wings, sandwiches and wraps; hamburgers, veggie patties and hot dogs; and chicken, lamb and falafel gyros. The restaurant is open Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and closed Sundays. 860-783-8096.
Send restaurant or food news at least 10 days before publication to Leeanne Griffin at lgriffin@courant.com.