Classes
Kids mask-making class Naya DAC

Kids Crafts with Kids Meal at Naya Middle Eastern Counter and Grill, First Monthly Class This Thursday, January 25

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Naya Middle Eastern Counter & Grill in Darien, collaborating with Darien Arts Center, is introducing a new winter series for children PreK through age 5 — Kids Create Art & Eat Naya. These workshops will provide an avenue for creative exploration alongside authentic family-approved cuisine. Led by Darien arts instructors, each workshop encourages young minds to explore their creativity and takes place at Naya in Darien Commons, 146 Heights Road. Following each session, participants will be invited to enjoy Naya’s “Little Habibi” kids meal, featuring a base (rice or salad), a protein choice (Chicken Shawarma, Chicken Shish Taouk, Beef Shawarma, Kafta Lamb Kebab, Cauliflower, or Falafel), up to five toppings, and a choice of milk or juice. Each Kids Meal includes a complimentary coloring book and colored pencils.

Arts & Entertainment
Fire & Ice event poster 2024

Fire and Ice Winter Festival and a Walk-Thru Light Installation Saturday, Jan 27 in Downtown Stamford

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The Fire & Ice Winter Festival at Columbus Park in Stamford on Saturday, Jan. 27 will feature ice sculpting demonstrations, interactive ice photo frame, fire pits and live music. — an announcement from the Stamford Downtown Special Services District

The event runs from 2 to 5 p.m. Then, from 5 to 9 p.m., “Prelude,” a walk-through light installation will be open at nearby Mill River Park, diagonally across Washington Boulevard from Columbus Park. At 1 p.m., Kari Kola, the artist who created “Prelude” will give a free talk at Mill River Park (you’ll need to register for that; a link and details are at the bottom of this article.)

These Columbus Park restaurants are participating in the event: Acuario Restaurant, The Americano, Columbus Park Trattoria, Fiesta on Main, FIN II Japanese Restaurant, Kouzina Greek Taverna, Noches de Colombia, Tiernan’s Bar & Restaurant, Yi Fang Taiwan Fruit Tea and more. Live Music will be provided by Me & D

Vendors at the event include Snuud, Plain and Fancy Boutique, Whimsical Wicks, Woof ‘n Whisk

Following Fire & Ice we encourage attendees to head over to Mill River Park for “Prelude” — a free-to-the-public walk-through light installation by light artist Kari Kola.

Ben Van Leeuwen
Six ice cream flavors Van Leeuwen's Ice Cream

Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Shop Opens at Darien Commons (No Relation to Leeuwarden Road)

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Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, the nationally beloved brand known for its made-from-scratch dairy and vegan ice creams, will open a scoop shop in Darien on Thursday, April 27. — This article is based on an announcement from Van Leewen Ice Cream. The store at Darien Commons will be the second location in Connecticut for the brand, whose co-founders Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen are Fairfield County natives
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, with made-from-scratch dairy and vegan ice creams, is opening its latest scoop shop location on Thursday at Darien Commons. The Darien store is the brand’s second location in Connecticut, and follows on the heels of its Greenwich opening in October 2022, its first suburban scoop shop. The launch also marks a return to its roots for co-founders Ben and Pete Van Leeuwen, Fairfield County natives whose ice cream journey began here 20 years ago.

Business
sweetgreen storefront

Sweetgreen, Emphasizing Fast, Healthy Food, Opens Restaurant at Darien Commons in Noroton Heights

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Sweetgreen , a restaurant aiming to sell food that’s both healthy and fast to get, opened its Darien Commons location on Tuesday, at 126 Heights Road in Darien Commons. The menu is divided into Salads, “plates” and “warm bowls,” along with drinks, a single dessert (a “crispy rice treat”) and side dishes like barbecued squash and roasted sweet potatoes. — an announcement from sweetgreen, with other information from its website
To celebrate opening day of its second Connecticut restaurant, there will be a pop-up with sweetgreen’s local supplier Mike Organics and giveaways from local partners including Darien Flower Shop and Flour Water Salt’s chocolate chip cookies for the kids. For every meal sold on opening day, the restaurant announced, it will donate a meal to Food Rescue US for people in Fairfield County experiencing food insecurity. Food Rescue US alleviates hunger nationwide by transferring excess fresh food from local businesses to social service agencies serving individuals and families in need.

Business
Health Department ratings

One Food-Serving Establishment Gets a Dunkin’ in Latest Health Inspection Reports

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One Darien eatery received a “C” rating, the worst grade in town Health Department’s A/B/C ratings system, in the inspection reports released Thursday by the Darien Health Department. This appears to be the final set of restaurant inspection reports released under the state’s longstanding inspection rules. A new system is beginning. Darien Health Department announced that a new town grading system for health inspection results will be coming out, but the department hasn’t said when. (See this article for more information.)

The department released a total of eight health inspection reports for seven food-serving establishments on Thursday for inspections that took place from March 6 to 15.

Business

Darien Health Department Suspends Health Grades System for Eateries After State Adopts New Inspection Code

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Darien Health Department has suspended its A-B-C grading system for restaurant inspections now that the state Public Health Department has replaced its numerical ratings for the inspections, the town department announced on Thursday. The old system didn’t rely entirely on the state numerical ratings, but the ratings played a huge role in the town’s A-B-C grades. Until the local Health Department figures out a new way to give out grades after health inspections, there won’t be any town grades. Instead of the grades posted on the walls of restaurants and other eating establishments in town, restaurants will post, in the same spot, a “notice informing customers that inspection reports are available for viewing upon request,” the department said in a news release.  “This notice includes a QR Code link to the [town] Health Department website where inspection reports may be viewed.” The ratings are expected to be reinstated “at some point in the near future,” according to the department.

Business
Health Department ratings

Latest Health Reports for Darien Restaurants and Other Food-Serving Establishments

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Here’s how Darien restaurants and other food-serving places fared in the latest inspection reports, released Thursday by the Darien Health Department. The department on Thursday released five reports of inspection visits from Aug. 28 to Sept. 2. Of those, three inspections resulted in a “B” rating and two more received an “A.”

Darien Health Department 2023
Middlesex Middle School wikipedia 5-25-16

Here’s How Darien’s School Cafeterias Fared in the Latest Health Department Inspections

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A Darien Health Department inspector recently visited each of the town’s schools as part of regular inspection visits. Here are the state health code violations he found and the town ratings for each cafeteria. In the following list, school names are linked to the Health Department website that links to multiple recent inspections, the online inspection reports are linked to “Town Rating” in each item. Beneath each item is an image from the website showing the most significant part of each report:

—Darien High School — High School Lane — Feb. 1 — Town Rating: A — State Score: 94

—Hindley School — 10 Nearwater Lane — Jan.

Business
Health Department Inspection Reports Restaurants

Latest Health Reports for Darien Restaurants and Other Food-Serving Establishments

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Here’s how Darien restaurants and other food-serving places fared in the latest inspection reports released by Darien Health Department. The department on Thursday released six reports of inspection visits from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1. Of those, one inspections resulted in a “B” rating and the other five each received an “A.”

Business
Health Department Inspection Ratings Restaurants 11-17-17

Latest Health Reports for Darien Food-Serving Establishments

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Here’s how Darien restaurants and other food-serving places fared in the latest inspection reports, released Thursday by the Darien Health Department. The department on Thursday released six reports of inspection visits from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2. All six received an “A” rating.

Business
Health Rating Bodega Taco Bar

Latest Health Inspection Reports for Darien Restaurants, Other Food Serving Places

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Here’s how Darien restaurants and other food-serving places fared in the latest inspection reports, released Thursday by the Darien Health Department. The department released health inspection reports for 17 food-serving establishments on Thursday for inspections that took place from Oct. 13 to 26. Thirteen inspections resulted in an “A” rating, and another four received a “B.” Keep in mind that a food-serving establishment with a history of good ratings may occasionally get a poor inspection rating, occasionally the best do, and every restaurant normally gets a few things wrong.

Aleksandra Crapanzano
Book cover Gateau The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes

Learn How to Make Stunningly Simple French Cakes at this Darien Library Online Program Nov 10

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Food columnist, cookbook author and James Beard award winner Aleksandra Crapanzano will talk in an online presentation Nov. 10 about her newly published cookbook, Gâteau: The Surprising Simplicity of French Cakes. — an announcement from Darien Library

Learn what the average Parisian home cook makes when in the mood to whip up something sweet. Hint: it’s not complicated. It is the simple, no-fuss, and completely irresistible gâteau in all its many varieties.

Food & Drink, Restaurants & Bars
Evelyn Tribole dietician

Dietitian Who Pioneered ‘Intuitive Eating’ to Speak Nov 10 at Fairfield University

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Award-winning nutrition expert and best-selling author Evelyn Tribole will give a talk at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 10 at Fairfield University. — an announcement from Fairfield University

A recipient of the American Dietetic Association’s Award for Excellence in Private Practice, Tribole has been rated among the best nutritionists in the country in several national magazines, including Self, Harper’s Bazaar, and Redbook. Tribole will give her talk at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 10 at the university’s Regina Quick Center for the Aerts.