When I visited Fryborg in 2023 for a follow up article on its new Trumbull location and expanded menu, owner Johnathan Gibbons tossed me a tidbit that I teased at the end of that piece about a weekend morning pop up featuring something sweet.
Big news for doughnut ice cream sandwich lovers everywhere. On September 24th, starting at 11:30 AM (and I’d get there nice and early as these will sell out quickly), Karla Sorrentino of Karla’s Kreamery and Rob Vankeuren of Flour Water Salt Bread will come together for a few hours to create some cream sandwich magic. The uniquely delicious Flour Water Salt bomboloni (Italian style doughnut) will have a chance to get intimate with Chef Karla’s new micro batch ice cream. These are two “best in class” desserts so get excited.
This unique culinary opportunity will go down at Flour Water Salt located at 20 Grove Street in Darien. While the shop will hold normal hours that day, the ice cream sandwiches won’t get started until 11:30 AM. While both businesses generally take pre-orders, there will be no ordering in advance for this collaboration. Karla and Rob will be assembling sandwiches to order, and expect to simply wait in line for your sweet reward.
Danbury Connecticut has been on a donut driven sugar rush ever since Grounds Donut House has arrived. With completely unique flavors like Arnold Palmer Iced Tea, Orange Milano & Chips Ahoy, there is no doubt that you will leave the donut haven with smile on your face and a yearning for more. We are also excited about their new…wait for it… Ice Cream Injected Donuts available for in store purchase only.
Located off of the Lake Avenue Exit, Grounds Donut House serves donut lovers creative donuts, premium coffee, over-the-top coffee drinks, and for the 21+ crowd, alcoholic beverages featuring local brewers with donut-y friendly flavor profiles. Grounds keeps their menu pretty consistent, as they have their everyday classics, but they also rotate new donuts in to allow their customers to try new flavors each time they come into the donut house.
It’s always exciting to hear about a new concept opening from one of your favorite CT chefs, but it is even more exciting when that chef partners with a groundbreaking philanthropic organization on a mission to educate young adults and celebrate local artists while creating a free destination for fine art and music in the city of Norwalk.
Chef Bill Taibe and his team (Andrea Dinan, Caitlin McGowan and Kelly Clement) have officially opened the doors to their brand new Art Space Cafe, located inside the breathtakingly beautiful Norwalk Art Space. The Cafe will be open for breakfast and lunch, 9am-4pm, just steps away from Norwalk’s Waypointe and downtown SoNo. The Art Space Cafe is an order-at-the-counter, casual affair, and will likely become a go-to spot for breakfast meetings, grabbing a quick latte, or a lunch hang in the serene sundrenched dining space.
If the buzz around KFC’s 2020 rollout of their fried chicken and donut sandwich says anything about our appetite for this decadently delicious combo, I’d say with great certainty that the new Citizen Chicken & Donuts, opening today in West Hartford, has some serious legs. From the folks who brought you Hartford Baking Company, Citizen Chicken & Donuts has made a smart addition to the team, a chef who knows things about Southern cooking, and definitely knows his fried chicken. Texas born, Chef Van Hurd, of Sayulita’s, Taino Smokehouse, and Riverhouse Catering, will be at the helm alongside Hartford Baking Company founder, Scott Kluger, who will handle the carb-ier side of Citizen’s menu, including the donuts, brioche sandwich breads, cronuts and other goodies. Kluger says “Fried chicken is not our background or culture so it’s nice to have somebody from that world to bring real authenticity to the menu.” It’s really the perfect pairing, and you can find this comfort food mecca at Hartford Baking Company’s original location on New Park Avenue in West Hartford.
It’s interesting that with all the restaurants to grace our local communities – from the sushi to the noodles, the vegetarian and vegan, the French, Mexican, Italian, Indian and Asian, to seafood – that we don’t have many steakhouses. So when I was invited to attend a media dinner at Blackstones Steakhouse last week I was quick to respond.
With locations in Greenwich, Stamford, Norwalk and Southport, Blackstones is a name you should know – even if you’re not a meat eater. Each restaurant is slightly different in style and menu. The Southport location is reminiscent of the old world steakhouse.
Something I struggle with living in Norwalk is having a go-to Asian spot for a quick lunch or affordable takeout. There are plenty of neighborhood Chinese restaurants but they’re mostly mediocre, and I haven’t liked any of them since Red Bean sold their business. Ever since they took their American General Tso’s chicken (and actual Asian specialties) out of my life, I’ve been lost, searching for something halfway decent, even branching out to nearby towns out of desperation.
Cue a Southport newbie, Mama Chow, that’s been open for barely three weeks. I heard about it from CTbites Boss Lady, Stephanie Webster, who sang its praises and insisted I try it. Damn, was she ever on the money with this one.
Mama Chow is a fast-casual Asian street food concept featuring popular grub from Malaysia, Japan, and Vietnam.
Donut Crazy is happy to announce the opening of its newest location in West Hartford today. The store, located at 993 Farmington Avenue, offers all of Donut Crazy’s food and beverage items.
For those uninitiated into Donut Crazy’s world of over-the-top sugary doughnut confections, this location feels like a giant step forward both in selection and ambiance. All of their baked goods are made in-house in a Donut Crazy Kitchen by an overnight team of bakers. In West Hartford, Donut Crazy will offer its typical selection of “Dailies” and “Crazies.”
Welcome to the neighborhood SoNo Baking Company. We’re awfully glad you’re here! (Though my waistline may beg to differ.)
SoNo Baking Company & Café officially opened its doors on Pequot Avenue in Southport today. Behind the glass display cases a beautiful array of cookies, tarts, pastries, cakes, and croissants all neatly arranged all ready to be purchased. Trays filled with delectable treats, fresh out of oven, were stacked and cooling. Brand new coffee and espresso machines glistened along the back wall.
Collaborations, pop-ups, and food markets are what I live for in terms of seeking out inventive yet timeless cuisine pairings. And one new collaboration that caught my eye with an abundance of drool-worthy Instagram posts—and likely you’ve spotted it too—is the recent marriage between Vault Coffee and Deviant Donuts. Truly, what is better than a perfect pairing of coffee and doughnuts on a lazy weekend morning?
Donut Crazy, a local, family-owned eatery specializing in unique donut flavors (lovingly called Dailies and Crazies), today announced the opening of its newest location in Branford. Housed in the newly renovated 972 West Main Street, the take-out restaurant offers the full Donut Crazy menu.
Conveniently located in a bustling part of town, the approximately 500-square-foot store is dine-out only, but incorporates the same fun, funky atmosphere as Donut Crazy’s other popular locations. The comprehensive menu includes 45 varieties of donuts baked daily, avocado toast, breakfast sandwiches, and Dr. Smoothie products, as well as Rise Brewing Co.’s nitro coffee and chocolate milk on draft.
Donut Crazy, a local, family-owned eatery specializing in unique donut flavors (lovingly called Dailies & Crazies), announced a tasty new menu item called the “Cruffin.” The croissant-muffin crossover is the company’s way of celebrating the first sugar-filled year of its New Haven location near Yale University. The “Cruffin” will be available at all Donut Crazy locations for $4.25, starting on Friday November 3, weekends only and while supplies last.
The “Cruffin” has quickly become the food world’s newest bakery obsession, much like the “Cronut” before it. The buttery, flaky pastry is shaped like a muffin and filled with different flavors. Donut Crazy plans to offer coconut, dulce de leche, chocolate mousse, and pumpkin. More exciting flavors to come!
Paci, one of Connecticut’s best Italian restaurants, has completed a grand remodeling and renovation after 21 years in businessThe restaurant, located in the nationally recognized historic train depot in Southport, will reopen on September 5th after a two month long redesign. The fresh new space showcases a new gleaming 1000 square foot glass walled bar with spacious seating as well as a gorgeous new dining area. The adjacent grounds will offer patio seating hedged with lush greenery. A new menu and hours of operations are also planned.
We are pleased to announce the winners of the DONUT CRAZY FLAVOR CONTEST. Doughnut lovers from around CT submitted over 500 contest entries, and because there were so many great flavor combos, Donut Crazy decided to select not just one winner, but FOUR winners! These four limited edition doughnuts are available at all Donut Crazy locations NOW!
The Winning Donuts are....Bananas Foster, Raspberry Lemonade, Carrot Cake & Peaches n’ Cream.
Great news for fans of the outrageous donut bakery, Donut Crazy, and Chef Matt Storch's Match & Nom Eez. Donut Crazy will be opening March 16th in the old Steam Coffee spot at the eastbound side of Metro-North’s Westport station in Saugatuck. Donut Crazy, founded by Jason Wojnarowski will offer coffee, tea, espresso, and an assortment of grab n go dishes provided by Match and Nom Eez restaurants. Here's the concept; give the people what they want, coffee in the morning, and quick delicious takeout for hungry commuters when they emerge bleary eyed at the end of the day.
Gino and Cathy Riccio have been an integral part of the Fairfield County restaurant scene for the past three decades, but their newest venture – an organic plant-based eatery – is uncharted territory for the couple. While many alleged healthy eateries have been popping up all over the place, Organika Kitchen takes the idea of healthy eating to a new level. I recently sat down the Riccios to learn about the inspiration behind their latest endeavor.
Organika is more than a restaurant Gino explained, “It’s an experience that is as much about the food as it is the customers and the employees.” Organika opened its doors in August to praise from vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters alike. Cathy expanded on her husband’s thoughts. “We felt that we needed to be eating healthier. We grew up eating healthy, but somewhere along the way processed foods started to enter our diets. Now we have all this modified food and heavy-duty pesticides so even when we try to eat healthy we aren’t always.”
If it weren’t for the large neon “Let’s Eat Donuts” sign greeting you as you enter Donut Crazy’s newest location in New Haven, you might think you stumbled into a Yale library. Walls bathed in a Yale blue lacquered paint, a seating area with cozy leather chairs and a couch, and soaring ceilings make the 1450 square foot space seem more spacious and studious than it is. Just beyond this warm welcome is a hub of retail activity and a dining area of small tables, and a well-lit wall of Donut Crazy doughnuts in all their colorful and sugary glory.
“I wanted to give the space a library meets bar feel, not treat it like a typical commercial space, and the blue is a nod to Yale,” explained Donut Crazy owner Jason Wojnarowski.
For those uninitiated into Donut Crazy’s world of over-the-top sugary doughnut confections, this location feels like a giant step forward both in selection and ambiance. All of their baked goods are made in-house in a Donut Crazy Kitchen by an overnight team of bakers. In New Haven, Donut Crazy will offer its typical selection of “Dailies” and “Crazies.”
New Haven is about to get their very own Donut Crazy. On Thursday, October 27th, Donut Crazy New Haven will be opening at 290 York Street, with an opening party from 2-5 pm.
For those unfamiliar with the Donut Crazy menu, readers should take note that while they offer the traditional breakfast dounghnut you've come to expect at a shop bearing this name, the key word here is "Crazy." These outrageously delicious doughtnuts are straight out of your ultimate food fantasy (or mine, anyway). Creative varietals including: French Toast (Glazed donut sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar drizzled with vanilla and maple icing); PB&J, (filled with grape jelly, topped with smooth peanut butter and chopped peanuts); and my favorite September special, Pumpkin Pie with pumpkin pie filling, spiced icing and shortbread crumbled cookie dip.
And doughnuts aren't all Jason Wojnarowski, Donut Crazy founder, has to offer. They will also be serving ON TAP nitro coffee, cold-brew coffee, iced teas and chocolate milk using Arethusa Farm’s milk and Shearwater's fair trade Coffee. In addition, they will be serving made-to-order breakfast sandwiches, also available on a glazed donut if you dare! For folks who prefer something more savory, they will have bagels & lox and avocado toast. The bakery team also makes muffins and sconces from scratch and will continue to surprise guests with some really special confections.
Garelick & Herbs Southport have opened the doors at 3611 Post Road. After 23 years of happy success in the original flagship store in Westport, G&H opened their entirely unique space a few steps up the Post Road at the Westport/Southport border.
Owners, Jason and Paola, have always had the philosophy that good food creates a good mood, but now Garelick & Herbs is adding good space – Vaulted ceilings, and a light filled atrium designed to look like a barn made of glass, set the tone that the G&H Southport location will be THE destination for daily gourmet good food. The modern-industrial eclectic vibe lends itself to Fairfield County aesthetics.
It is almost 10,000 square feet on 2 levels, more than double the size of their former flagship store. The marketplace is accented with an exciting new juice and smoothie bar, an antipasto bars to graze in or take out and expanded breakfast and lunch options. Our noodle bar adds a wonderful spice and flavor. The in-house bakery will be downstairs at this location, so be prepared for the wonderful aroma of signature items like ruggalach and soft black & white cookies. “We are excited to have the bakery right under our noses”, said Paola Garelick.
Have you ever had a Boston creme donut, filled and glazed fresh to order, just for you? So the chocolate glaze is still beautifully wet and shiny, like an object of edible art when it’s passed your way?
Or perhaps you’d prefer a cannoli donut, filled to order, then dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a flourish of ricotta cream. This is just the place to get them. And, whoa, the aroma alone will draw you in, straight from the roadside trailer where they’re made fresh each day.
An air horn sounds as a truck rolls by on Route 81 in Higganum on a Tuesday morning. Owner Jeff Blaschke and I wave from the bright orange picnic tables. “That happens a million times a day,” he says with a smile. Open just five weeks, Redneck Gourmet Donuts is putting Higganum, Connecticut on the map. “We have approximately a thousand customers on a Saturday and Sunday, each day. Maybe a little bit more on Sunday.”
