Category: Arts & Leisure - Page 240

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Chipotle Westport Business Slows

Westport’s Chipotle Mexican Grill, 376 Post Road East, was not doing much business tonight amid confirmation that more than 120 Boston College students have reported symptoms associated with the highly contagious norovirus since eating at a Chipotle restaurant near the school. In another outbreak, since October, 52 people have fallen ill from E. coli traced to Chipotle locations in nine states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The Westport restaurant opened in June. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

First Chowdafest, Then Chilifest and Now MacChilifest

Event coordinator Jim Keenan is ramping up the annual Chilifest by adding a new item to the competition’s menu—mac ‘n cheese.

Still set as a pre-Super Bowl event scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 7, at Westport’s Bedford Middle School, the MacChilifest competition will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“We’ve added some new heat to the chili competition with several new restaurants in the competition this year,” said Keenan, who also directs the annual fall Chowdafest that draws thousands.

“I’m equally excited about having a mac ‘n cheese division as these entries are sophisticated,” he added. “Mac ‘n cheese has become the trendy playground for chefs to showcase their culinary creativity. It’s definitely not the blue box mac we grew up with. Kids of all ages will love this new addition to Chilifest.”

Comings & Goings: Rothbard Rathskeller to Old Town Hall

Rothbard Ale + Larder, a rathskeller restaurant, has opened in the basement of Westport’s Old Town Hall, 90 Post Road East next to Restoration Hardware. The 65-seat restaurant seats an additional 30 patrons on the patio during the warm weather months. Co-owners Joe Farrell (l), 33, of Stratford and Adam Roytman, 38, of Bridgeport also own Walrus+Carpenter, a popular barbecue restaurant in Bridgeport,.The space was formerly occupied by Tierra Restaurant, which closed in March. The restaurant has only been open for dinner but beginning Friday will be open Friday, Saturday for lunch, and Sunday brunch starting at 11:30 a.m. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com

Susan Granger at the Movies: ‘Trumbo,’ ‘The Good Dinosaur,’ ‘Krampus’

By Susan Granger

“Trumbo” recalls how in the late 1940s Hollywood filmmakers were terrorized by Sen. Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Committee, searching for Communists in TinselTown.

Egged on by patriotic John Wayne (David James Elliott) and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen Mirren), the committee, chaired by J. Parnell Thomas (James Dumont), targeted “suspicious” citizens, subpoenaing them, asking, “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Communist Party?”

Hollywood’s highest-paid screenwriter Dalton Trumbo (Bryan Cranston) mocked the committee, leading the “Hollywood 10,” who were subsequently blacklisted and unable to find work.

While others fled overseas, Trumbo refused to leave. Instead, he used several pseudonyms, churning out scripts, including “Roman Holiday” and “The Brave One,” garnering two Screenplay Oscars.

John J. Simon, 86, Active in Civic, Cultural Affairs

John J. Simon, long active in Westport civic and cultural affairs, died Tuesday. He was 86. A founding member of the Westport Arts Advisory Committee, he was honored by members (above) on his 85th birthday. He also served as chairman of the Westport Arts Center, on the Representative Town Meeting (RTM), two Charter Revision Commissions, and from 1995 to 2002 was chairman of the Connecticut Civil Liberties Union. Services will be held Thursday, Dec. 10 at 1 p.m. at Abraham L. Green and Son Funeral Home, 88 Beach Road, Fairfield. See obituary here. Contributed photo

Tuesday, December 8th, 2015

Martha Stewart Guests at ‘Beautiful Pond’ Party

Former Westporter Martha Stewart (c) was among guests Monday night at a book launch party at Terrain on Post Road East for “The Beautiful Pond” by Westport author and artist Judith Orseck Katz (l), about the town’s historic Sherwood Mill Pond, also known as Old Mill Pond. Joining them was Westporter Robin Tauck, who funded the glossy cloth covered text. Said Tauck: “Martha had generously donated to Sherwood Mill Pond Preserve ages ago—and loved the book.” She mingled with Westporters to learn about clean waters and bought five books, Tauck said. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Contributed photo

Sunday, December 6th, 2015

Gallery: Westport Historical Society Holiday House Tour

Scenes from today’s 29th annual Westport Historical Society Holiday House Tour. J.C. Martin and Larry Untermeyer for WestportNow.com

Dressed Up for the Holidays

This house at 42 Myrtle Ave. was among six on the Westport Historical Society’s 29th annual Holiday House Tour today. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) J.C. Martin for WestportNow.com

Art-Strings Ensembles at Library

There was a large audience to listen to the Art-Strings Ensembles today at the Westport Library McManus Room. The group played holiday music by Russian, Ukrainian, and Japanese composers as well as by Strauss, Brahms and others. Musicians included Alexander Abayev, violin; Mikhail Kuchuk, violin; Stan Orlovsky, cello; and Boris Deviatov, viola. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Phyllis Groner for WestportNow.com

Handbell Carolers at Barnes & Noble

Music on the Hill handbell carolers entertained customers with festive Christmas sounds today at the Barnes & Noble store, 1076 Post Road East. The Weston-based musical group, under the direction of David H. Connell (2nd l), performed three 15-minute sets. Music on the Hill will perform “Sounds of the Season,” a festive Christmas concert at Wilton’s St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church Dec. 11 at 7:30 p.m. (CLICK TO ENLARGE) Dave Matlow for WestportNow.com