Connecticut
Luca's Pizzeria And Italian Kitchen To Open In Glenville
GREENWICH, CT — The food scene in Greenwich has a new entrant in the form of Luca’s Pizzeria and Italian Kitchen, which will officially open its doors on Friday, April 12 at 11 a.m.
Located in the Glenville Shopping Center at 21 Glenville St., the restaurant is owned by Joe Criscuolo and named after his father, Luca, who founded Pizza Post in Greenwich over 50 years ago.
At the heart of Luca’s is the pizza, and the menu is influenced by Criscuolo’s upbringing in the Bronx, his pizza experience in Connecticut and his yearly family trips to the Amalfi Coast in Italy.
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“I wanted to merge the three places — it’s really a reflection of how I grew up,” Criscuolo said.
The pizza crust is thin and crisp and has a bit of a char. The tomato sauce has a pinch of salt, according to Criscuolo.
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“I wanted to do something lighter, and I was inspired by some of my favorite places,” he said, pointing to New Haven and New York-style pizza.
There are a variety of toppings available at Luca’s, as well as some specialty pies, like the Killer Bee, which has pepperoni, hot honey, Calabrian chili, basil and grana padano.
The menu also features a variety of classic pasta dishes, Italian sandwiches, salads and Italian specialties, some with a modern twist.
There’s tagliatelle bolognese with a classic beef meat sauce. Homemade mozzarella sticks are served with hot honey or sauce. Grilled pizza bread is served with whipped ricotta, with the choice of hot honey, or mortadella, or prosciutto. There are also cacio e pepe fried Neapolitan pasta bites.
“My dad taught me how to make pizza, and my mom taught me how to cook,” Criscuolo said, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. “The Sunday Sauce is inspired by her Sunday sauce. It’s not exactly like hers, but it’s pretty close.”
The sauce can be found on the Sunday Sauce pizza or the rigatoni.
Another favorite for Criscuolo is the garlic monkey bread.
“Everybody has garlic bread, everybody has garlic knots. I thought, ‘How could I merge the two ideas?’ A monkey bread seemed like a logical way to do it.”
Pieces of bread combine with garlic, butter and cheese, and it’s baked in a small pan.
“The whole outside gets very crisp, and the inside gets nice and soft, so you just have fun pulling it apart,” Criscuolo said.
Criscuolo has made pizza and Italian cuisine at various pizzerias in Fairfield County, and he’s helped run Pizza Post for years. He has also worked with Lidia Bastianich, the Emmy Award-winning television host, best-selling cookbook author and restaurateur.
The inspiration for Luca’s, of course, came from his father.
“Without him, I wouldn’t have the inspiration to do this,” Criscuolo said.
For Luca, he said he was “really surprised” to find out his son named the pizzeria after him.
“I love it, and I’ll never forget it,” Luca said. “It’s really nice.”
When asked if he offered any advice to his son, Luca said Joe didn’t need any.
“I’m very proud of him because he really continued the family tradition,” Luca said.
The first 50 customers on Friday, April 12, will receive a complimentary order of garlic monkey bread with any purchase.
Additionally, a portion of opening day proceeds will go to Abilis, the Greenwich-based nonprofit organization that supports more than 800 individuals with special needs and their families in lower Fairfield County.
Luca’s will be open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and will expand its hours in the future.
Customers can come in and grab a bite at the pizzeria, or order for pickup and delivery. Luca’s also offers catering services.
For more information and to view the full menu, click here.
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Connecticut
Here's how much snow fell in Connecticut on Saturday
The storm dropped two inches of snow in Stratford, as of 8 a.m., and Newtown, as of 10 a.m. In Shelton, weather observers reported 1.8 inches of snowfall as of 8 a.m., according to reporters from the Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network.
Along the western edge of the state, the storm dropped 1.3 inches of snow in New Preston and an inch in New Milford by 9:15 a.m., Frank Nocera, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Boston office said. Further south, the Bridgeport area received a 0.4-inch coating, according to weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Nocera said the National Weather Service should have more data available as snow continues to fall Saturday. He said Connecticut’s totals should stick between a coating and two inches.
Snow began falling overnight and was set to create slippery conditions on the roads Saturday. Electric utility customers reported hundreds of outages in the state Saturday morning, but their cause was not immediately clear. The weather service has said the snow should fade in the afternoon as drier conditions close out the weekend.
Connecticut
Want to donate to Los Angeles fire victims? Be aware of scams
CONNECTICUT (WTNH) — In Los Angeles, where fire has destroyed thousands of homes, officials say they don’t need any more items like blankets or clothing. What’s needed is money to help people try to get back on their feet.
Here in Connecticut, if you want to give there are some things you should know to avoid being scammed.
A warning from the Connecticut Better Business Bureau says that before you open your heart and your wallet, do your due diligence before you donate and verify which charities truly have a proven track record of helping.
One of the more common scams you may see is a direct message in your social media feed.
“So, an acquaintance on Facebook messages you and says my uncle was a victim of the fire in LA and I’m collecting money, and you’re asked to click to donate or send me some cash via Venmo, but what you don’t know if that FB page has been hacked,” Kristen Johnson of Connecticut Better Business Bureau said.
The best advice is to pick up the phone and call that Facebook friend and ask are you really collecting money for LA relief. And if you can, make sure the charity you give to is registered with the state of California.
“And another thing that happens and this isn’t a scam, but people who want to help they set up charities to help but they don’t have boots on the ground — they’re not established,” Johnson said.
In other words, avoid grass roots efforts even though their heart may be in the right place. Experts also say never send cash and only a use a credit card.
If a charity says 100% of your gift goes to the LA cause that’s a red flag. Why’s that?
“Because every charity has some overhead right even your credit card payment will come with a transaction fee,” Johnson said.
The Connecticut Better Business Bureau has certain charities that meet their criteria. Just go to give.org to see the list.
Watch the full story above.
Connecticut
Central Connecticut State University remembers Jimmy Carter’s 1985 visit
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