For over 30 years, Matt Storch has been one of this area’s best known, and most respected, chefs and restaurant owners.
Match in SoNo recently celebrated its 25th anniversary. Match Burger Lobster is a Westport favorite for its classic New England menu, while Saugatuck Provisions next door — his newest project — is a whole-animal butcher shop and market.
Matt is also involved in the Copps Island Oyster Shacks, is a “Chopped” champion, and appeared on “Beat Bobby Flay.”
The other day he ducked out of the kitchen, for a chat on the “06880” podcast. Click below for our delicious conversation.
Turning to the Planning & Zoning Commission: Its November 4 meeting agenda (6 p.m., Zoom; livestreamed at www.westportct.gov; Optimum Channel 79) includes a report on a new lease with Longshore Sailing School. This replaces the former lease with a new one, with the same operator. It would run to October 31, 2029, with an option for a 5-year extension.
Also on the agenda: Text Amendment #846. It would allow outdoor eating areas for any retail food establishment existing or operating in a residential zone prior to September 1, 2024, and exempt them from the 50-foot setback requirement; update the “outdoor eating area” definition to include the right to utilize portable food carts and service stations, and expand the sale of alcohol to those same food establishments.
In addition to Old Mill Grocery, the text amendment would benefit The Porch at Christies on Cross Highway, and The Country Store on Wilton Road.
An explanatory statement filed with the application says: “The vision and impetus behind these proposed text amendments is for these establishments to serve as a place where neighbors can enjoy a casual glass of wine, or a beer, with their food, unwind, and socialize with their friends.”
The amendments are also “consistent with the Town of Westport’s 2017 Plan of Conservation and Development,” which encourages “tiny commercial uses embedded” in some residential areas, while “maintaining residential character.”
Click here to view the full pending application of Text Amendment #846. Based on statutory requirements, the Planning & Zoning Commission’s public hearing will wait until November. Residents can comment on the application by emailing PandZ@westportct.gov.
Old Mill Grocery & Deli. (Photo/Dave Dellinger)
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Congratulations to longtime Westporter, generous supporter and exceptional business leader Melissa Bernstein. She has just been inducted into the Connecticut Women’s Hall of Fame.
Her citation reads: ‘Melissa Bernstein is an entrepreneur, creative, and author. As co-founder and former CEO of the wildly successful toy company Melissa & Doug, Melissa has spent the last 30 years helping children discover themselves, their passions, and their purpose through open-ended play.
“In 2020, after her own personal journey of self-discovery and acceptance, Melissa founded Lifelines. Through Lifelines, she is using her unparalleled creativity and imagination to reinvent well-being products and experiences to help adults strengthen their resilience, stay grounded, and unlock their full potential. Melissa lives in Westport Connecticut with Doug and their 6 children.”
1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker — who surprised Melissa with appearance at her induction in Hartford — praises: “You lead with compassion, creativity and incredible competence. Every day you inspire women and girls to realize their own limitless potential, which is the mission of the CT Women’s Hall of Fame.”
Melissa Bernstein and 1st Selectwoman Jen Tooker, at the CT Women’s Hall of Fame ceremony.
Speaking of women: “The Hills of California” is a Broadway show about sisters. (They cram into the guest house of their former home as their mother lies dying.)
So — to drum up social media interest — the producers asked some sisters to see and review it.
Well, not just “some.”
They sent the Utz family. All 7 of them.
The Utzes grew up in Westport, and all graduated from Staples High School. Claire, Chrissy and Cathy remain. Jamie and Jennifer live in Fairfield. Bo is in Rye Brook, New York, while Lis is the furthest away: Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Speaking of great meals: CTBites reports that starting today (Tuesday), Saugatuck Provisions will launch “Provisions After Dark.”
It’s a tie-in between chef Matt Storch’s market, and his Match Burger Lobster next door. It’s a way to offer his high-quality products, for people who don’t have the time (or talent?) to cook them.
Customers can select what they want from cases with individual portions of meats and fish — “anything from a dry aged 2-pound porterhouse to a beautiful piece of line caught tuna, or the perfect pork chop,” or a rotisserie chicken, along with a sauce, says CTBites.
Selections will be paired with olive oil griddled potatoes and steamed organic veggies.
It’s available Sunday to Thursday starting at 5 p.m., as an add-on to the existing Match Burger Lobster menu. Provisions will now be open later too. (Click here for the full CTBites story.)
Thomas Quealy writes: “I hope ‘06880’ can shine a spotlight on a little corner of our town that could be nicer.
“Behind Town Hall are softball fields used by our local girls. One set of bleachers is absolutely filthy and mildly broken.”
(Photo/Thomas Quealy)
Sounds like it’s time for a little love.
Or at least a power washing.
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Trumpeter David Sneider brings his swinging feel, flawless technique and deep roots to this week’s Jazz at the Post (October 31, VFW Post 399; shows at 7:30 and 8:45 p.m; dinner service from 7 p.m.; $20 music cover, $15 veterans and students).
He’ll be joined by pianist David Zaks, bassist Dan Finn, saxophonist Greg “The Jazz Rabbi” Wall, and drummer Mike Camacho. Click here for tickets.
And finally … today is the anniversary of Black Tuesday. On this day in 1929 the New York Stock Exchange crashed. It marked the end of the great bull market of the 1920s, and the start of the Great Depression.
(“06880” is your hyper-local source for news: political, restaurants, and everything else. If you find this site useful, please click here to support our work. Thank you!)
Today’s weather sliced into the Slice of Saugatuck attendance.
But plenty of people of all ages still headed to the triangle formed by Riverside Avenue, Railroad Place and Saugatuck Avenue, for the 11th annual food tasting, retail experience and fundraiser for the Homes with Hope pantry.
The Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce event included bouncy houses, a face painter, balloon bender, firehouse tours, beer and wine gardens, and 7 bands.
Any way you slice it, it was a great Saugatuck day.
Pasta, meatballs — and dog treats — at Tutti’s …
… Tuck Gin on Railroad Place …
… kids’ fun by the train station …
… tickets sold by RTM moderator (and former Homes with Hope CEO) Jeff Wieser …
… one of 7 bands …
… Deputy Fire Chief Nick Marsan at the Saugatuck stationhouse, where the Fire Department raised awareness of breast cancer …
… and let little kids drive a fire truck …
… treats at Saugatuck Sweets …
… and cheeseburger meatball at Match Burger Lobster (All photos/Dan Woog)
A wonderful tradition returned to Saugatuck yesterday evening.
The Saugatuck Caroling Crawl came back, after a 2-year COVID-induced absence.
Six Staples Orphenians moved from one restaurant to the next, singing holiday songs and making spirits bright. They hit 14 spots in all.
(Photo/Matthew Mandell)
Carolers began their rounds at the Boathouse. They headed to Parker Mansion, Kawa Ni, The Whelk, Tutti’s and the Black Duck, before making their way to Railroad Place to sing at Tarantino, Harvest, Romanacci and Allium.
They finished by entertaining diners at Match Lobster Burger, Rizzuto’s, Viva Zapata and Dunville’s.
Grateful thanks to Orphs Sophia Betit, Zoe Schwartz, James Dobin-Smith, Alyssa Lee, Deneil Betfarhad and Ethan Tober — and the Westport Weston Chamber of Commerce, which sponsored the event.
Missed it? Click below for a “taste” at Match Burger Lobster.
Christian Siriano’s new store, The Collective West, was the site of Thursday’s Westport Lifestyle party. The magazine honored all 2022 Readers’ Choice winners.
With catering by Marcia Selden and The Home Cook, music by Drew Angus and decorations from Blossom + Stem — plus Santa Claus — it was a great way to show off the noted designer’s recently opened place.
Enjoying Westport Lifestyle’s party: Sholeh Janati (abstract artist) and Courtney Davis Schlesinger (comedian). (Photo./John Videler for Videler Photography)
Yesterday’s Roundup piece about the local connections on “In With the Old” — the Discovery+ series highlighting transformations of abandoned structures — mentioned Westonites Brian and Megan Austin Philpott, and former Westport Planning and Zoning Commission member Al Gratrix.
But there’s much more detail
Brian Philpott is a project manager for The O’Dell Group. The local construction firm put together a team of 20 people to frame that addition in one day.
He’s just one of 4 project managers with Staples ties. Owner Chris O’Dell, Lukas Van Zanten and Chuck Hilman graduated from high school — and so did Philpott’s wife.
PS: The celebration at the end of that day was catered by Matt Storch — another Staples High grad, and the owner of Match Burger Lobster and Match restaurants.
From left: Chris O’Dell, Lukas Van Zanten, Brian Philpott, Chuck Hilman.
The Westport resident and EV Club of Connecticut president will be honored by the Connecticut Southwestern Area Clean Cities Coalition as EV Evangelist of the Year.
He has spoken on several panels, for example discussing a financial analysis he did for the Westport Police about electric vehicles. Click here for a blog post he wrote on the department’s Tesla.
The celebration is Tuesday (December 13, 11 a.m., Fodor Farmhouse, Norwalk).
The 1995 Staples High School graduate has won raves from area diners with restaurants like Match in South Norwalk, and Saugatuck’s new Match Burger Lobster.
Now the rest of the country can see the chef’s magic too.
This Tuesday (April 24), he’s featured on the Food Network’s Chopped. The battle begins at 10 p.m.
But you don’t have to watch it alone, curled up with a gallon of ice cream in front of the TV.
Match in SoNo is hosting a viewing party. A late-night happy hour begins at 9 p.m. At 10, they’ll show the show on a big-screen TV.
The show was taped a while ago. Of course, Matt is not allowed to tell anyone how he did.
But win or lose, Westport knows the rest of the country is no match for Matt Storch.
Yesterday’s New York TimesNY/Region section included a “Day Trip” feature to Westport.
Readers in the tri-state area — around the world, really — learned some interesting things about our town.
The itinerary begins at Match Burger Lobster, Staples grad Matt Storch’s new restaurant next to Fleishers Craft Butchery. Who knew that his kitchen crew shucks more than 500 pounds of lobster each week — or that lobster tastes better in winter, because cold water makes it sweeter?
From the restaurant, the story suggests, visitors can walk over the William F. Cribari Bridge. It’s named, the Times says, for “a beloved traffic conductor,” though “beloved traffic cop” is a bit clearer.
Bill Cribari, “beloved traffic conductor.” (Photo montage courtesy of Paul Ehrismann)
“The short span provides vistas of the nautical town and entree to uninterrupted sidewalks through a Gold Coast neighborhood of mansions that are not above running weekend tag sales,” the paper excitedly reports.
The next 3 paragraphs talk about F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald’s 1920 rental on Compo Road South, near the Longshore entrance. Friends said the couple were “reveling nude in the orgies of Westport,” even though Zelda called the town “unendurably dull.” Imagine what they would have done in a livelier place!
F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald slept — and partied — here.
“Day Trip” moves on to “secluded Compo Beach.” The Times describes it as “rocky (and) shell-studded….Tranquil and contemplative in winter, the sunsets are gorgeous.”
The final part of a day in Westport, apparently, should be a stop at the Black Duck. The paper calls it a “watering hole,” and singles out this feature: the $11 martini.
The martini “may be the biggest on the Eastern Seaboard, a further way to unwind after a leisurely day. Founded in 1978, too bad it wasn’t around for the Fitzgeralds,” the Times concludes, with both lame humor and a dangling modifier.
The best place for an $11 martini. (Photo/Chou Chou Merrill)
The 6th annual Slice of Saugatuck was the best yet.
Perfect late-summer weather; a record number of 50-plus restaurants and businesses, and a large, relaxed crowd enjoyed an afternoon of strolling, eating, music, eating, shopping, eating, kids’ activities, and eating.
And congrats to the Gillespie Food Pantry: recipient of some of today’s funds.
Here’s what the Slice looked like, starting and ending at Bridge Square:
Owner Bill Taibe (right) and his Kawa Ni staff served Japanese delicacies (and drinks).
Firefighters at the Saugatuck station promoted fire safety (and offered a seat in their very cool truck).
The Whelk offered some delicacies …
… while a few feet away on the riverfront plaza, the Silver Steel Band played.
Matt Storch dished out fries. The Staples High School graduate’s new Match Burger Lobster restaurant opens in 2 weeks.
Socks — a face painter — came from Norwalk.
The Funicello family’s Tutti’s is always a Slice of Saugatuck favorite.
Mersene — owner of the very popular Indulge by Mersene — welcomed Railroad Place Slice-goers with her typically funky goods.
Every kid loves a bounce house.
A tae kwan do place lured passersby with this inflatable guy.
The Slice included Saugatuck Avenue too. Here’s the mouth-watering scene at Dunville’s.
All roads led to the Slice of Saugatuck. If you’re reading this before 5 p.m. — there’s still time. After 5, several restaurants extend the fun with specially priced menus.
Matt Storch, and his new logo. (Collage courtesy of CTBites.com)
According to CT Bites, the new restaurant features fresh seafood from Norm Bloom and Son, and “Northeast pasture-raised and humanely-handled beef, ground daily at Fleishers.”
The menu includes lobster rolls, whole lobsters, a variety of burgers, local Copps Island oysters, Fleishers hot dogs, onion rings, donut milk shakes, wine and beer.
Storch’s “Match Burger” is be available in regular and mini versions — plus one that’s butter-dipped.
Fans of the butcher shop and restaurant can walk easily back and forth. Match Burger and Lobster will offer both table service and takeout.
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