James Gribbon

2 months ago | ctinsider.com | James Gribbon

Bar Bouchée was first opened by Union League Cafe master chef Jean-Pierre Vuillermet. The concept here is a bouchon, a sort of neighborhood bistro common in rural France. One of Bouchée's current owners is chef Guillaume Traversaz, from the same area of the French Alps as Vuillermet, who called Traversaz to work at Union League Cafe in 2017.

2 months ago | ctinsider.com | James Gribbon

My first Fribble was on Friendly's 50th anniversary, and my latest Conehead sundae was this week, 40 years later. Does that make me "an Old?" Yes, but not nearly as old as Friendly's, the venerable family-friendly eatery/ice cream shop that celebrates its 90th birthday in business this year. Article continues below this ad Beginning as "Friendly" ice cream of Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1935, one or more Friendly's could once be found in seemingly every single town in Connecticut.

Mar 8, 2025 | ncadvertiser.com | James Gribbon

The interior of Wildcat in Hamden. Matthew Pyrch/Contributed photoThe strength of most species can be found in their constant mutation. Some changes end where they began, while others quite literally have legs, and keep moving forward. The restaurant industry is no different, with never ending motion and new growth. When I heard Wildcat would be the next step in the restaurant evolution of brothers Kris and Shane McGowan, I had to see where this new branch would lead.

Feb 21, 2025 | ctpost.com | James Gribbon

Waiter Jamie McGauran retrieves an order at Pizzaco, a new pizza restaurant along Stratford Avenue in Stratford. The building was converted from a car repair shop and before that a gas station and kept that theme inside and out. Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut MediaHave you ever been talking with friends and said “I’d die for one of those right now” about a food which only exists in your memory?

Jan 13, 2025 | registercitizen.com | James Gribbon

Cafe Melba is located in Milford. GoNation/Contributed photoReaders of this feature know it oftentimes begins with me getting lost, usually in an unfamiliar county, or the time I wandered around a mall looking for place which was in another mall entirely. This time is different. I know Milford and I previously spent summers lifeguarding a couple hundred yards away from what the address told me was the location of Cafe Melba. I couldn’t have been lost.