Filtering by Tag: Spanish,Doughnuts

Donut Crazy Launches the “Cruffin” Croissant-Muffin Hybrid

Ingredients Features Bakery Dessert Kid Friendly Breakfast Doughnuts New Haven Shelton Westport Bridgeport Homepage

Stephanie Webster

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!

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Kala Bistro Opens in North Haven From Olea Chef, Manuel Romero

Restaurant Hamden North Haven New Haven Openings Lunch Spanish Latin American Asian

Lou Gorfain

Though open for just two weeks, Kala Bistro has already attracted a small throng of regulars. The night we dined, the staff recognized more than half the patrons, greeting them warmly, like old friends.

Our server, Rose Ledee, pointed out a couple at a table on the patio. “This is the third time they’ve come in the past week!” she gushed, proudly. 

In contrast to the formal, fine dining of Olea, Manuel Romero’s acclaimed Spanish hot spot in downtown New Haven, his new restaurant is suburban, relaxed, and very much a part of a bustling neighborhood that borders North Haven and Hamden. Lower-keyed (and lower-priced), the bistro menu is far more global and just as scrumptious. 

Consider the Bao Pork Belly, the epitome of Chinese dim sum. The sweet, soft bun pillows a slice of savory, chewy pork belly, their contrasting textures framed by a crunchy cucumber disk, tart pickled carrots, briny hoisin, and mustard seeds. Despite the complexity of flavors, Chef Romero has created a sandwich that tastes surprisingly simple and subtle. 

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Announcing the Donut Crazy Flavor Contest Winners: 500 Entries...4 Winning Flavors Available Today

Restaurant Features Dessert Doughnuts Bakery Homepage

Stephanie Webster

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.

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Donut Crazy Opening in Westport Train Station w/ Grab-N-Go From Match & Nom Eez

Restaurant Breakfast Doughnuts Coffee Tea And Coffee Take Out To-Go Vietnamese Westport Dessert

Stephanie Webster

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. 

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Barcelona Wine Bar Opens in Waypointe Norwalk

Restaurant Cocktails Norwalk Openings Spanish Tapas Wine Bar Bar Lunch

Stephanie Webster

After 20 years as a Sono institution, Barcelona Wine Bar has moved up the street and officially opened its doors in Norwalk’s new Waypointe complex. Their new home looks and feels much like the creative dining spaces guests have come to expect from Barcelona’s five CT locations, but as SVP Adam Halberg says “ Waypointe will feel familiar, but there are some key areas that make this new location quite unique.” The open kitchen, massive 40 seat bar, and a new menu approach will take their authentic and distinctive Spanish tapas menu even closer to the markets and restaurants of Spain. 
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Our First Visit To Donut Crazy New Haven: Open on York Street Today!

Restaurant Doughnuts New Haven Breakfast Kid Friendly

Amy Kundrat

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.”

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Donut Crazy Opening in New Haven: Outrageous Donuts, Coffee & Breakfast

Restaurant Brunch Doughnuts New Haven Breakfast Take Out Kid Friendly Dessert

Stephanie Webster

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.

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Taberna Mediterranean Tapas and Wine Bar in Fairfield's Brick Walk

Restaurant Fairfield Italian Mediterranean Spanish Tapas

Jessica Ryan

I have an affinity for those underexplored sweet spots that are slightly off the beaten path, tucked away, or unheard of. For whatever reason, Taberna, a Mediterranean tapas and wine bar located in the Brick Walk in downtown Fairfield hasn’t been widely discovered. Although I hadn’t heard of it many have, and those who have sing its praises.

Some of you might be familiar with the name, thinking it’s not in Fairfield, it’s in Bridgeport! And you would be correct, sort of... Prior to opening the Fairfield location, Chef Daniel Lopez and his brother Jaime owned and operated the Bridgeport restaurant for 8 years. Upon hearing that it was closing, longtime diners were happy to follow to the new larger venue with light-filled dining area, large bar and outdoor patio.

I was able to sit down and chat with Chef Lopez who was born and raised in Ecuador who revealed to me that he had been enamored with the flavors and cuisines of the Mediterranean since he was a child. In 1994 he and his brother emigrated to the states and immediately began working in the restaurant industry - for many well-known Fairfield County favorites.

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Redneck Gourmet Donuts: A Sweet Spot in Higganum

Restaurant Doughnuts Higganum Breakfast Kid Friendly Dessert

Hope Simmons

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.”

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Best Doughnuts in CT 2016: Friday June 3 is National Doughnut Day!

Restaurant Bakery Doughnuts Breakfast Dessert

CTbites Team

Happy National Doughnut Day. Yes, it’s a recognized national holiday, and CT has great doughnuts for sweettooths ready to celebrate. Here are places serving delicious ones...if you have a suggestion for a shop we missed, please let us know below. 

Uncle Leo’s, Redding

Tony's Square Donuts, New Haven

Donut Crazy, Shelton, Stratford. Bridgeport (nom-eez)

Speedy Donuts, Norwalk

Whitney Donut & Sandwich Shop, Hamden

Lakeside Diner, Stamford

Beach Donuts, Old Lyme

Darien Doughnut, Darien

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Donut Crazy Doughnuts Now Available in Bridgeport's Black Rock Neighborhood

Ingredients Restaurant Bridgeport Doughnuts Breakfast Take Out Kid Friendly Dessert

Jessica Ryan

I recently headed over to Donut Crazy’s newest location in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport with Jessica Grutkowski, owner of the Buzz Truck, who shared that she will be adding this local vendor to her offerings. While I fully admit I have never met a donut I didn’t like, these aren’t your typical donuts; they’re indulgent and decadent, and enormous!

As you step inside you’ll notice how physically different this donut joint is. Most don’t share a space with a Vietnamese restaurant, which in this case is the recently opened Nom Eez. So I asked Jason Wojnarowski, founder of Donut Crazy about this curious new home and this most unusual pairing, because as I saw it, Pho and donuts don’t necessarily go hand in hand. Wojnarowski, a builder by profession, was hired by Matt Storch (owner of Nom Eez) to renovate Match a couple of years ago. What resulted was not only a friendship but the current Pho-Donut partnership.

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Donut Crazy to Open in New Canaan via The New Canaanite

Restaurant Bakery Doughnuts New Canaan Breakfast Dessert

CTbites Team

As announced in The New Canaanite, New Canaan’s local news website, Donut Crazy has announced its third location and will open in New Canaan, hopefully by the end of the year.

With two location up the Merritt in Stratford and Shelton, the donut shop that features creatively conceived donut combinations named “Cherry Bomb,” “Cannoli,” “Maple Bacon,” the holiday "Noggin Donut" (Eggnog custard filled, rum flavored frosting, sugar, whipped cream topping, with a pinch of nutmeg) and the “Fat Elvis” (Bavarian cream center topped with peanut butter bacon banana chocolate honey), Donut Crazy will occupy the space that formerly housed the Sweet Shoppe and Merle Norman Cosmetics at 4 South Avenue.  

A gourmet doughnut shop with two locations in upper Fairfield County is preparing to serve its savory treats at the former Sweet Shoppe space on South Avenue, mostly recently Merle Norman Cosmetics.

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Best Doughnuts in CT 2015 Edition: Friday June 5 is National Doughnut Day!

Restaurant Bakery Doughnuts Breakfast Best of CT Dessert

CTbites Team

Yes, it’s a recognized national holiday, and CT has great doughnuts for sweettooths ready to celebrate! Here are places serving delicious ones.  Thank you, readers, for your contributions!

Uncle Leo’s, Redding
Speedy Donuts, Norwalk
Whitney Donut & Sandwich Shop, Hamden
Lakeside Diner, Stamford
Beach Donuts, Old Lyme
Darien Doughnut, Darien
Orangeside, New Haven
Lorca, Stamford
Coffee An’ Donuts, Westport
Stew Leonard’s, Norwalk, Danbury, Newington, Yonkers 
SoNo Baking Company, Norwalk
Donut Crazy, Shelton, Stratford
Neil's Donuts, Wallingford
Faddy's Doughnuts & Ice Cream, Windsor

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Brunch Menu Launches @ Barcelona Fairfield, Stamford & West Hartford

Restaurant Brunch Fairfield Spanish Stamford West Hartford Breakfast

Stephanie Webster

Who doesn’t love brunch? Sleepy weekend diners can conveniently avoid their own kitchens while enjoying an often decadent and relaxed morning meal. Plus, as a bonus, brunch is often accompanied by a well crafted cocktail. For this reason, we were pleased to hear that Barcelona Wine Bar has launched brunch service every Saturday and Sunday at several of their locations, including West Hartford, Stamford, and now Fairfield. As each Barcelona menu highlights the vision of their executive chef, brunch menus will vary slightly based on style, but bear a similar theme. To investigate this new kid on the brunch block, we decided to visit Chef Darren Carbone, who recently took over the Barcelona Fairfield kitchen, and who brings to the table, a little Latin flair. 

In looking at the new Brunch menu, it’s difficult not to get just a little bit excited. Entrées such as Duck Confit Hash, Chocolate and Dulce de Leche French Toast, and a Breakfast “Coca,” (grilled bread, mushrooms, egg and Sriracha), sound like solid reasons to get out of bed. 

 

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Olea in New Haven Delivers Extraordinary Spanish Dining

Restaurant Spanish Tapas New Haven

Connecticut Magazine

Olea's condomiz / Photo: Jen Kaufman, Connecticut Magazine

Many in the New Haven area mourned the closing of Ibiza last spring. The restaurant has been reimagined by former Ibiza chef Manual Romero who is now the owner and chef, reviving this modern Spanish tapas mecca for the city once again.

Our friends at Connecticut Magazine recently visited, giving it an excellent rating, and here's why:

When Ibiza in New Haven closed last spring, Connecticut lost a culinary treasure. Located on High Street, steps away from two famous art museums, it was itself a work of art, showcasing the best of modern Spanish cuisine in the state and on the East Coast. Busy, buzzy, frequently bustling, with a mile-long list of intriguing tapas and a devoutly loyal customer base, it vanished suddenly, as if it had never been. Rumors flew. Diners mourned. But within six months, the spirit of Ibiza rose like a phoenix in the same location but in a glamorous new guise, re-imagined and rechristened, Olea.

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Uncle Leo's Not Just Coffee & Donuts in Redding

Restaurant Doughnuts Redding Breakfast Kid Friendly Dessert

Amy Kundrat

A top secret doughnut recipe, a father and son business, and a dozen or so different types of doughnuts and New York-style bagels mean that mornings in Georgetown just got that much better, thanks to the arrival of Uncle Leo’s “Not Just” Coffee and Doughnuts.

Norwalk residents Leo Spinelli III (age 22) and his father Leo Spinelli, Jr., recently opened Uncle Leo's in the heart of Georgetown, at 19 Main Street, in the former Swirl Ice Cream location. The shop is a second coming for the father and son and the familiar Spinelli surname, who previously owned Spinelli’s Not Just Bagels in Norwalk that closed in 2009.

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Barrique Bistro & Wine Bar: Top Notch French with a Twist in Stamford

Restaurant French Italian Spanish Stamford Lunch

Elizabeth Keyser

It’s the corner where downtown Stamford’s sidewalk café scene began. Bedford and Spring streets. Barrique has the best location in downtown Stamford, in a quaint stone building a few steps from the Art Deco Avon Theatre (date night recommendation--an independent film and Barrique’s bistro food).

In summer, Barrique’s large, wood doors fold open on both sides of the corner. For 14 years, it was Chez Jean-Pierre, and under new ownership since June, Barrique’s dining room has lost the humorous Renoir-esque mural of Jean-Pierre and his friends in favor of a subdued white and gray palette -- white-washed brick walls, café chairs, wrought iron chandeliers, and bare, dark wood tables. It’s a casual, relaxing atmosphere.  And there’s a new bar room at the back of the restaurant, a cozy spot where jazz is played Wednesday evenings.

Executive chef/co-owner Louis Barresi’s menu mostly focuses on France, with Italian, Spanish, Latin, Asian and Latin influences. Barresi is a co-owner of Doppio Artisan Pizza in Greenwich, New York City and Long Island. Manager and partner Danny Silver is the sommelier. Barrique means “barrel” in French, and if you have questions about the 41 wines served by the glass, ask him. He’s the former sommelier at A Voce in New York City. 

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Chef Michael Lucente Launches Barcelona's New Menu in Greenwich

Restaurant Greenwich Spanish Wine Bar

Sarah Green

In search of my culinary Dulcinea, I heard there was a new "cocinero" in the town. So, instead of hopping on a faithful nag, I got in my fickle Mini Cooper and headed to the Greenwich Barcelona for the culinary offerings of new head-chef, Michael Lucente. Chef Michael comes to Barcelona after 10 years of experience, starting as a graduate from the Culinary Institute of America. He has been Sous Chef at BLT Steak in Westchester and Napa in Stamford and head chef at La Promenade des Anglais in New York. He had the exciting opportunity to Sous Chef on Iron Chef America in April of last year and joined Barcelona Greenwich in November. Greenwich, you're in luck. And so are Barcelona patrons everywhere as the revamping of Barcelona's signature menu is making tapas-cravers everywhere muy feliz.
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