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.”
With its new, 3 course prix fixe lunch, The National offers a commodity not always found along “The Ave” in Greenwich: a real bargain.
CTBites was recently invited to sample the new lunch menu, and we’ll fill you in on that delicious deal in a moment. But first, we wondered how the restaurant has evolved since it opened a year ago. So we asked owner and celebrity chef, Geoffrey Zakarian.
"We are never on auto pilot," the restaurateur told us. "And we always listen to the needs and wants of the customers. One change that people are loving is that we put French Fries on the menu. We started with homemade chips, but the fries are a huge hit. Sometimes, it is just those small things that people embrace."
Matt Stanczak, the former owner and mastermind behind Danbury's popular Stanziato’s, has just launched the mobile farm fresh kitchen Eggz. Open for business Monday through Saturday at Holbrook Farm, and beginning in November at the Westport Farmers' Market, Eggz will focus on egg sandwiches and other delicious farm fresh offerings with an emphasis on vegetables.
At launch, Eggz has 5 breakfast sandwich on rotation, based on classic offerings with a creative Matt Stanczak twist. The "Crack is Wack" (pictured below) is a combination of soft scrambled eggs, goat cheese, bacon, fig spread, and arugula on toasted brioche. A "Sausage, Egg, and Cheeze" is layers of housemade chicken chorizo, ever easy eggs, Vermont cheddar, and awesome sauce on a toasted brioche. Other playfully named sandwiches such as the "I'll Have What She's Having" and "Bodega Sandwich" feature prosciutto, scrambled or over easy eggs, and layers of Stanzack's fresh homemade ingredients.
Six-time World Pizza Champion / Restaurateur / Food Network Judge Bruno DiFabio added another gem to his pizza crown with the opening today of Bronx House Pizza Pie at 27 Ryan Street. This is DiFabio’s second location in the Springdale section, following the success of Amore Cucina a few blocks away.
Located on the corner of Camp Ave. immediate across the street from Twin Rinks and the Post office, this latest venture is reminiscent of an old-fashioned neighborhood pizza joint with red booths, a long pizza making area for all to watch and after-school teens hanging and waiting for their names to be called.
The menu consists of three sizes of pizza, small, large and Sicilian, with traditional and non-traditional toppings plus a few “Specialty Pies. The Bronx House caught my eye with sausage and pepperoni). Bronx House’s menu also features a few appetizers, salads, “Foot Long Hero’s” (notice they are not called a wedge), and “Italian Favorites” of Spaghetti & Meatballs, Baked Ziti, Chicken Parmesan, Sausage & Peppers and three chicken dishes.
As Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump anxiously rehearsed their talking points and many huddled around their television screens in anticipation of the final Presidential debate, I was… sipping rose on the outdoor patio of Vine Wine Room in Westport. Despite the fact that it was mid-October, temperatures soared into the upper eighties and the sun shone gloriously. Ignoring any political tensions, a friend and I decided to take full advantage of the Indian Summer and headed over to Vine Wine Room, a restaurant-meets-lounge on Westport’s Main Street. One week prior, Vine hired acclaimed local chef Toni Sapienza to reimagine their menu and infuse new energy into the restaurant. They had invited us down to check out the lounge and we were eager to give Toni’s cuisine a try.
Family & Children’s Agency (FCA) invites you to A Taste of Fairfield County, an evening of food and drink from local restaurants at Aitoro in Norwalk. The event, hosted by FCA’s Junior Board of Advisors, will be held Thursday, Nov. 10, 2016 and will benefit FCA’s ASPIRE after school program’s high school component. This is the fourth annual A Taste of Fairfield County, and attendees will enjoy live music and food samplings from various restaurants throughout the region.
It’s ‘pho’ sure that we love a big bowl of pho, especially now that it’s getting cold. You can add just about any ingredient or flavor profile you like. Our version is full of yummy fall flavors filled with roasted root vegetables and spices that pack a delicious punch. Enjoy!
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.
While Crave Restaurant in Fairfield may seem off the beaten path, it is conveniently located adjacent to the Fairfield Theatre Company and combines a hip vibe with a menu offering a wide array of options from a simple Mac & Cheese to a robust Chicken Scarpariello. The brainchild of owners Peter Prizio and Alfonso Cammarota, the owners’ concept was simple; create a restaurant and bar where everyone would feel at home and serve a global menu with bold flavors. The restaurant consists of two rooms. To the left is a traditional dining area with tables and high-tops and to the right is a bar, with large HDTVs and a U-shaped bar. Overseeing the kitchen is Executive Chef Rigo Lino; many will remember Chef Lino from the Mansion Clam House in Westport. His menu combines his Salvadoran heritage with the owners’ Italian roots.
CTbites was invited to a media event where, over the course of the evening, I enjoyed many of the chef’s creations.
Halloween is right around the corner, and Connecticut restaurants are celebrating with spook-tacular specials and parties! If you’d like to warm yourself up with a bowl of chili, visit Simsbury for its chili challenge. For family fun, the Black Rock Farmers Market is holding its annual Harvest Hootenanny. That’s not all! From costume contests to creative menus to drink specials, here are restaurants and food inspired activities for Halloween!
Spooktacular Chili Challenge, Simsbury: Chili is a fall staple and this year's Simsbury Chili Challenge goes down Saturday October 29 from 12-5pm. Local restaurants will compete for the title while participants taste, listen to music, shop, enter a costume contest, and more!
J House, Greenwich: The J House Greenwich will have a Halloween Ball on Friday October 28 from 8pm-12am. There will be a costume contest for a $200 J House Gift Certificate.
Peaches, Norwalk: On Saturday October 29, Peaches in Norwalk invites you to a NOLA Style Masquerade with Otis and the Hurricanes, drink specials, food specials, costume prizes, and plenty of beads!
Room 112 is now open at 112 Washington Street in SoNo! It is open 4 nights a week, Wednesday through Saturday.
On Monday October 24, Craft260 in Fairfield will host a Kent Falls Beer Dinner. Try 5 beers paired with 4 courses. The menu includes dishes like Smoked & Roasted Marrow Bones w/ Stinky Smoked Bleu Cheese and Charred & Sticky Pineapple Thai Chili St. Louis Pork Ribs.
Trick or Treat at Stew Leonard’s in Norwalk on Tuesday October 25. From 5-6pm, children 12 and under are invited to come in costume for trick or treating. Tickets are free, but need to be obtained in advance. There is a limit of 5 tickets per family.
Green Village Initiative, a nonprofit in Bridgeport that empowers the community to grow fresh food and eat healthy, is hosting its second annual Harvest Bites & Booze fundraiser on October 25th at Trattoria 'A Vucchella.
Miya's in New Haven recently won The 2016 WHITE HOUSE CHAMPION OF CHANGE FOR SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD award. Chef and owner, Bun Lai, is sharing a few dishes from this special dinner during New Haven's upcoming Restaurant Week, October 30-November 4. Bun says this about the menu (view White House menu below)...
In honor of every person in every part of the worldwide sustainability movement, this Miya’s NEW HAVEN RESTAURANT WEEK menu will feature a handful of my favorite award-winning sustainable seafood recipes featured at the Miya’s WHITE HOUSE CHAMPIONS of CHANGE dinner that I hosted. A top challenge to the sustainability movement is to make the healthiest food affordable and accessible to all. It is my humble assessment that our mother’s modest little restaurant has accomplished that.
It has been several years since Chef Dan Kardos was creating his signature dishes in Fairfield County. He worked at many of the best restaurants and bars including Napa & Co., Bar Rosso, Harvest Supper, Le Farm and Local. His creativity and fearlessness in the kitchen was a hallmark of his cuisine. After several years working for Barteca in Atlanta, Virginia, DC and a year in a test kitchen, Kardos returned to his stomping grounds in Milford and with three other locals opened Liberty Rock Tavern last week in the building that formerly housed a neighborhood favorite King’s Court bar.
“My father turns 81 this year,” Claudine Pepin announced to a tent packed full of people. There was an audible gasp from the audience, but her father, legendary Chef Jacques Pepin, seemed not to hear. He continued on with the recipe at hand, seamlessly moving from pan to pan. Jacques Pepin has certainly been a fixture in the culinary world for many years, but he shows no signs of slowing down. His latest cookbook, Heart and Soul in the Kitchen, came out in 2015. PBS plans to include him in their American Masters series. Yet another cookbook is in the works. Cooking Lessons from My Grandfather, a project with his granddaughter, is due out next year.
And for the last 11 years, Jacques Pepin has never missed a Newport Wine & Food Festival.
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.
When one of the best, young, rising stars in the area stops you as you walk by his food truck and says, “I really want you to try this sandwich,” you take notice. And when that sandwich raises the bar for food being served from food trucks, it deserves special mention. The rising star is Chris Gonzales, the truck is HAPA, and the sandwich is the Ahi Burger. This is one of the best sandwiches I have eaten in quite some time.
The HAPA food truck has been one of my favorites since it opened. The tacos, the burger, the fries, the Brussels sprouts are all out of this world. I never imagined I would write these accolades about a “tuna burger.” HAPA’s combination starts with wild caught yellowfin, furikake crust, edamame, edamame puree, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato and spicy mayo on HAPA’s Ube bun.
Oh so many fish in da sea! And that’s only the beginning....what kind of fish do you want to prepare? Do you know how to prepare it? Oh, yeah, and where should you go to get this fish, short of heading out into open waters yourself? And wait, and here’s the $100,000 question: is the fish you are buying everything it says it is? Good grief. It’s almost easier dating and looking for *those* fish in the sea. Well, fear not, CTBites sat down recently with one of the Big Fish out there, Jim Thistle of Fjord Fish Market, and he helped guide us through seemingly murky waters...
Anthony Bourdain: chef, world traveler, writer, straight shooter, father to a 9-year-old. Lest you think fatherhood has softened him, he’s still telling it exactly like it is and had the crowd roaring throughout his show at Foxwoods last weekend.
A chef for 30 years before we got to know him through our respective TVs, Bourdain jetted around the globe in search of bizarre foods before anyone knew Andrew Zimmern. His commentary, with a signature side of irreverence, covered everything from politics to the food biz to his daughter, who just happens to be an adventurous eater herself.
To critics who eschew the familiar green bottle of beer that sometimes graces his table, he minces no words. “I like craft beer and I’m glad that our craft beer scene has expounded … but do you know what beer I really like? I like cold f*@%ing beer!”
Photo courtesy of CTWeekender.comAs the name implies, The Corner began as a small mom and pop breakfast place -- just around the corner in Milford. Back then, nineteen years ago to be exact, Michelle and Amer Lebel mostly catered to the neighborhood, rarely filling their homey 50 seat café.
The eggs, potatoes and toast were damn good. But the star of the show arrived with the Stuffed French Toast: split French bread, filled with fresh, sugared fruit and berries, bathed in an egg batter laced with orange zest, nutmeg and cinnamon, then deep fried to a golden brown and served under a puddle of nutty maple syrup. The luscious confection scored an immediate hit, eventually inspiring a morning menu as adventuresome, imaginative, and playful as any in Connecticut, if not the country.
Today, Michelle and Amer’s creative breakfasts have been featured on network television and celebrated in all manner of social media.
3 of our favorite local chefs will be cooking at the esteemed James Beard House on Wednesday, November 9th. Bill Taibe, (Kawa Ni and the Whelk, Westport, CT), Anthony Kostelis (The Whelk) & Jeff Taibe (Kawa Ni) will bring a little CT love to NYC with a menu that is drool-worthy. Check out the full menu below...
Tri-state-area food lovers flock to Connecticut’s the Whelk and Kawa Ni for New England seafood fare and the Japanese izakaya experience, respectively. For one night only, Beard House guests will be able to get both in one place when the restaurants’ teams join forces for a locally sourced, Asian-inflected feast. Buy your tickets here.
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.
