Month: June 2016

Frank Pepe: delicous award winning pizza

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

frank 446

In the mood for pizza, but not your local pizza place?  Then pizza lovers should head to Frank Pepe Pizzeria for their delicious coal fired pizza specialties.  The pizza is famous for its thin, crisp, lightly charred crust made from a special family recipe.   The original Frank Pepe Pizza opened in New Haven in 1926 and now has 8 locations all run by family members.  The locations in our area are Yonkers, New York , New Haven, and Danbury Ct.   The Danbury restaurant is run by Frank Pepe’s  Grandson, Gary Bimonte.  His passion for his product and home style traditional cooking will make you feel like you are part of the family.

frank 418

Frank Pepe has had the honor of being voted the best pizza in the State of Connecticut and was recognized as one of the top 10 pizza restaurants in the nation by the Huffington Post.

There are many pizzas to from which to choose.  The day we visited we sampled the Clam Pizza made from locally sourced calms which tasted light and fresh.     The spinach gorgonzola  cheese pie was unique and was a nice blend of ingredients with just the right blend of fresh toppings.  I am not usually a fan of gorgonzola cheese, but it was delicious on this pizza.

Spinach and Gorgonzola
Original Tomato

The original tomato pie is a real delight.  With crushed imported Italian tomatoes, olive oil and grated  cheese, this pizza is one of their most popular pies and is a house specialty.  The light crispy crust which comes about by its baking in the large coal fired oven give this a unique taste.  We also sampled the sausage pizza which was topped with fresh sausage made only for Frank Pepe.

Marguerite Pizza
Coal fired oven

 

 

From July  to September there is fresh tomato pie with tomatoes from local farms, fresh mozzarella, garlic and basil.  It sounds terrific and I can’t wait to try it.    If you looking for a family night out, join the Pepe family for some great traditional pizza recipes.

frank 441

Owner Gary Bimonte grandson of Frank Pepe

 

Frank Pepe

59 Federal Rd Danbury Ct

http://www.pepespizzeria.com

 

Like I On the Valley on Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram:  I_ON_THE_VALLEY

Looking back at a fabulous week at Westchester Food and Wine Week

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

 

irene 1073

 

June 8th-12 was a great time for foodies in our area.  Westchester Magazine’s  Wine and Food Week was a smashing success.    Events held at Bloomingdales in White Plains, Kensico Dam Park in Valhalla and at the Ritz-Carlton in White Plains were all well attended and featured fabulous food wine and beer.

Thursday June 9th was the Burger and Beer Blast with burger offerings from 30 different local restaurants competing for the title of best burger in Westchester.  Also served was beer, wine and spirits.  Food trucks with pizza, hot dogs and soft serve ice cream were also on hand.

Friday June 10th was a special night at the Ritz Carlton in White Plains as 20 of the best chefs from the county served up food for guests at this special event.  There was plenty of  wine available for tasting as well.

Saturday rounded out the week at the Grand Tasting Village at Kensico Dam in Valhalla.  Here there were chef cooking demonstrations and two large tents filled with  tastings from 43 restauants.  More than 100 wines were available for tasting as well as samples of gin, whisky, tequila and vodka.

Here  are some scenes from the parties.  The next big event for Westchester Magazine will be its annual Best Of Westchester Party to be held on July 27th at the Glen Island Harbor Club in New Rochelle. Don’t miss it !

Scenes from Burger and Beer Blast:

 

Evening with the Tastemakers:

irene 1039

Celebrity Chefs from top restaurants

irene 1044

Grand Tasting Village:

 

See you next June at the Westchester Wine and Food Week 2017 events.   For more information and tickets to the Best of Westchester Party coming in July please see:

http://www.westchestermagazine.com

follow us on facebook !    http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram : I_ON_THE_VALLEY

 

 

 

 

Fantastic weekend of film wraps up at The Greenwich International Film Festival

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

GIFF-logo2016-300x108-1

This past weekend June 9-12  was a memorable one for the Greenwich International Film Festival.  I On the Valley  was thrilled to help promote such a great local event.   The week end was filled with over 50 films, parties and guest panel discussions .

This event is more than just a collection of films to be shown in one weekend.  It is  a series of films that not only entertain, but raise social awareness on such diverse issues as  human rights, racial injustice, self help, the environment,gun control, religion, disabilities and much more.  There were documentaries, short films and independent films as well as narratives.   There were also comedies, thrillers and family films so that there was a movie for everyone.   Part of the mission of the Festival is to raise money for charity as well as social awareness. The charity partners this year included The Rainforest Fund, National Coalition against Domestic Violence and Community Access.

There were so many great films and among the movies I was able to see included the independent film and thriller, “Claire In Motion” which was the closing film of the festival.

Congratulations  and  much thanks to Festival founders Wendy Reyes, Colleen De Veer, Carina Crain and their dedicated staff for putting together such a fantastic festival.

Stayed tune to I On The Valley for updates throughout the year on future events involving GIFF.  See you at the movies!

http://www.greenwichfilm.org

Like I On the Valley on Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

Instagram:  I_ON_THE_VALLEY
twitter;  @ I_ON_THE VALLEY

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: an evening of laughs and music at the Ridgefield Theater Barn

/ I On The Valley / Leave a comment

dirty rotten 2

 

A hilarious musical play has landed at the Ridgefield Theater Barn in Ridgefield Ct.  Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is a musical that first premiered on Broadway in 2005 and ran for over 600 performances.  The play is based on the  1988 movie with the same name starring Michael Caine, Steve Martin and Glenn Headley.

This musical production comes to the Theater Barn and the audience on opening night  was treated to an evening of non stop laughs and great music provided by a talented  cast who really worked well together and fantastic  direction by Jocelyn Beard.

dirty rotten 3

The story opens on the Riviera where we meet  Lawrence Jameson, a highly polished con man  with fine taste and an English accent. His partner in crime, Andre Thibault is also the local police chief and feeds him information with regards to the rich women coming to vacation in  town.  Lawrence is skilled at meeting and romancing wealthy women and convincing them that he is a prince and needs to fund his army against a revolution in his country.  The women are more than happy to fund his plans.

Lawrence’s con is  going along great until he meets up with Freddy Benson (played by Steve Martin in the movie) who is a poor bumbling American con man looking to set up shop in the same town.  Lawrence is eager to run him out of his turf, but they form an unlikely  partnership when Lawrence cannot escape the clutches of one of the women who plans on marrying him.   Lawrence then helps Freddy polish up his act and refine his con with the promise that he leave town.  This plan is turned on its head when Christine Colgate (the American “Soap Queen”) comes to town.  While working their separate cons on her, both men fall for her and the story heads for one hysterical twist after another.

dirty rotten 1

The evening is filled with wonderful performances from Edmound Fitzpatrick of Actors Equity Assoc. as Lawrence Jameson.  He is very witty and his years of theatre and opera experience really shine.  Duane Latham as Freddy is really funny and brings physical comedy and great comedic timing to his role.  The rest of the cast of Paulette Layton (Muriel Eubanks), Anya Caravella (Christine Colgate-the Soap Queen),  David Fritsch (Andre Thibault)  and the rest  of the cast are very funny and performed  great together. The audience is also treated to 20 different songs that are woven throughout the musical.   The sold out opening night crowd was laughing the entire performance.

Note:there are some adult topics and language that may not be appropriate for minors.

The Ridgefield Theater Barn is an intimate theater experience and guests can bring their own food and drink to eat prior to the performance.   Seating is cabaret style with round or rectangular tables.

The play runs through July 2nd so don’t miss out !    Tickets are $26 for adults.

For more information and tickets:

http://www.ridgefieldtheaterbarn.org

 Ridgefield Theater Barn

37 Halpin Lane Ridgefield Ct.

Like I On the Valley on Facebook  http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram:  I_ON_THE_VALLEY

twitter; @I_ON_THE_VALLEY

 

Greenwich Concours d’Elegance car show returns June 3-5th

/ I On The Valley / 1 Comment

ferrari

 

Greenwich Concours d’ Elegance celebrates its 20th anniversary at Roger Sherman Park on June 3rd, 4th and 5th.   The event described as “A Festival of Speed and Style”  includes two days of collector car,motorcycle and boat displays and as well Bonhams auction house will be holding its collector car auction on  Sunday June 5th at the Concours.

The festival  events are as follows:

Friday June 3rd– Concours entered vehicles will participate in a grand tour parade down Greenwich Avenue at 4pm.

Saturday June 4th–  The Greenwich Concours Americana– will feature American cars and motorcycles with a special display honoring Ford performance cars including the Ford GT 40 which celebrates its famous win over Ferrari at the 24 hours of Le Mans race back in 1966.    There is also a preview of the cars to be sold at the Bonhams auction. Saturday’s show will also highlight Brass Era cars, prewar classics, rare muscle cars, incredible Corvettes, fabulous 1950s cars and early Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Sunday – The Greenwich Concours International – will feature a field of foreign makes from 1900 to the present.  There will be a special circle of historic BMW s including a 1937 BMW 328 MM Bügelfalte, as the brand celebrates its 100th anniversary.   Ferraris starring on Sunday include a 1961 Ferrari 400 Superamerica Cabriolet, 24 Hours of Le Mans-winning 1961 Ferrari 250 TRi/61 Spider, 1958 Ferrari 180 Testa Rossa Pontoon-Fender Children’s Car, 1949 Ferrari 166S Coupe and 1958 Ferrari 250 GT Tour de France Coupe fresh from receiving a platinum award at this year’s Cavallino Classic.

bmw

Bonhams will host its Greenwich Concours Auction on Sunday, June 5th, 12:00pm. Viewings are on Saturday 10am-5pm and Sunday 9am-12:00pm. A Concours ticket and purchase of a Bonhams sale catalog are required for admission to the Sunday auction.

This year’s Grand Marshal of the will be Connecticut’s own Wayne Carini, car restorer, collector and host of Velocity Channel’s “Chasing Classic Cars”.

Admission:  $40 for one day, $60 for both days.  Hours 10 am to 5 pm

Where:  Roger Sherman Baldwin Park  100 Arch Street Greenwich, Ct

For more information:

http://www.greenwichconcours.com

Like I on the valley on Facebook!    http://www.facebook.com/ionthevalley

instagram:  I_ON_THE_VALLEY