Tag Archives: Breakfast

Dishing Up Awesome Plates and Cups at Dish and Port Coffee House in Blackrock

Posted on by
2

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Dish 

Port Coffee House

2889 Fairfield Ave Bridgeport, CT 

www.dineatdish.com

www.portcoffeehouse.com

LIKE Port Coffee House on facebook 

Sorry we haven’t posted for so long.  I’ve been very busy with school, baseball and even took a vacation to Savannah, Georgia… which we will be blogging about next week but for today we’ll be telling you about one of our new favorite places… Dish!

As you all know, today is Cinco De Mayo, which put me in the mood for a Mexican-inspired breakfast.  We also wanted to try out Dish  – so we were really happy when we could do both!

Dish was started by Janet Habansky, she learned to be a chef by cooking for her family, on her website she calls this learning how to cook at ““School of Mom and Grandma”.  So we knew this was going to be good.

As soon as you walk in, you enter through the Port Coffee House, which is attached to Dish.  Here you are greeted and given a slip of paper which has all of the breakfast choices on it… you check off what you would like, order your drink, then you go through an archway next door to Dish which looks like a big open kitchen in someone’s house.  Then you give your order to the chefs who then make it fresh for you.  The tables are big, because you get to sit on the tables with other families and diners who you don’t even know  - which is fun.  It’s really popular with kids — there were a lot there today.

Now about the food — since it was Cinco de Mayo, I decided to have Huevos Rancheros!  Black Beans, “Fresh Chunky Salsa”, Fresh Guacamole, Eggs, Cheese and Sour Cream served on a Tortilla.  It was excellent.  I told the staff that there is a difference between gourmet and simply just amazing… and this was amazing!  I also had a side of Bacon — which was flavorful… and to drink… I had a Hot Chocolate which was also really good.  I tried my Dad’s French Toast, which is one of their specialties and some of their Homemade Sausage which was superb.

IMG-20130505-01394I spoke with Chef Dave and asked him, where Dish got their ingredients, and his favorite breakfast

He told me, “From a lot of places, we special order things, some things come from the market… some things even from BJ’s!” “I love Egg Whites and  love what you had, The Huevos Rancheros!”

IMG-20130505-01396

I also spoke with Jerry, at Port Coffee House and asked what the most popular baked good is.

He told me, “People love the Apricot Scones and our Gluten-Free breads!”

IMG-20130505-01395

Thanks to everyone at Port Coffee House and Dish for being so nice and for the delicious breakfast… we’ll definitely be back!

 Sunday Diner Rating 

FOOD * * * * * (Cinco)

SERVICE  * * * * * (Cinco) (Thanks Kate!)

LOOKS * * * * *   (Cinco)

BATHROOM * * * * *  (Cinco)

ERIN GO BREAKFAST! St.Paddy’s Day at O’Neill’s In Norwalk

Posted on by
3

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

O’Neill’s Pub & Restaurant, 93 N Main St, Norwalk, CT

http://www.oneillsono.com

Like O’Neill’s on facebook

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY FROM SUNDAY DINERS

To celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, we decided to go for a real Irish Breakfast – so we went to the most Irish place in Norwalk, O’Neill’s Pub & Restaurant.  O’Neill’s is owned by Ollie O’Neill, his brother Mick and their best friend Donny (who’s real name is Donal) Leahy — Ollie and Mick are from Tipperary, in Ireland, so you know breakfast is going to be seriously Irish!

The first thing I noticed — it was not like any breakfast place — O’Neill’s on St. Patrick’s Day is more like a party at 9:00 AM!  There were tons of people dressed in green, an Irish musician playing, a bagpiper and a line for the Irish Breakfast Buffet.   The pub looks like an authentic Irish pub with Irish signs and it was decorated with lots of shamrocks.  The place also seems very popular with police and firemen, because there were a lot of them there!

After we found a table, we headed straight for the buffet!

IMG-20130317-00870

Here’s what dad and I had… Scrambled Eggs, Sautéed Tomatoes and Mushrooms, Baked Beans, Rashers (which is a type of Irish Bacon), Bangers (an Irish Sausage) and Black & White Pudding – which is definitely not dessert pudding.  Black & White Pudding is kind of sausage.  What is the difference between the Black and White kinds?  Black Pudding is made with Pigs Blood — I know that sounds GROSS!  But… it tastes REALLY good — so good I had seconds.  White Pudding is the same thing but made with liver and not blood.  It’s really good too.  I also had O’Neill’s Special Irish Soda Bread, which is Mr. Ollie and Mr. Mick’s mom’s recipe — I told Mr. Ollie that it was so good it tasted like having Butter on Butter!!!

If you’re really hungry, the Irish Breakfast is the thing for you!

IMG-20130317-00871I spoke with Victoria Walsh, our server, about St. Patrick’s Day at O’Neill’s and how many people will visit the restaurant today.

She said, “I don’t know but I would guess thousands! “

She also told me the main difference between a Banger and an American sausage is the texture.  Our sausages are more meaty… Bangers are more grainy.

IMG-20130317-00878I also spoke to Kristi Crivellone, who told me a bit about the pub.  She told me:

“Ollie and his brother are from Tipperary, and Tipperary’s colors are blue and gold, those colors are part of the look of the pub.”  

Wow – Blue and Gold are also my school colors!

Thanks Mr. Ollie, Ms. Kristi and Ms. Victoria! Hope you have a Great St. Patrick’s Day!

IMG-20130317-00894

The Sunday Diner Rating (in Bono’s)

FOOD * * * * * (Five Bono’s)

SERVICE  * * * * * (Five Bono’s)

LOOKS * * * * *   (Five Bono’s)

BATHROOM * * * * *  (Five Bono’s) 

THE NEW STATION HOUSE – YOUR STOP FOR INNOVATIVE PANCAKES IN WEST REDDING CT

Posted on by
3

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The New Station House, 3 Side Cut Road, West Redding, CT  

www.thenewstationhouse.com 

like The New Station House on facebook

The New Station House is owned by Abe Ali and is located right by the West Redding Metro North Train Station. It is in the old train station house.  You might be wondering, if it’s in the old station house…. why it’s called The New Station House… but we’ll get to that later.  The ride to the restaurant was very beautiful, you get to drive through some very pretty scenery… get to see some very old houses, woods and you get a really good view of the Saugatuk Reservoir.  The New Station House is decorated pictures of the train station many years ago and there is also some very cool art that are called Vortex Paintings  which are 3-D paintings made with ground sandstone and are supposed to have healing powers.

And now let’s talk about the food.  Today I wanted to try something different, and I heard that The New Station House had some interesting varieties of pancakes.  When  l looked at the menu I saw something I’ve never seen before — Corn and Cheddar Pancakes — they even had little kernels of corn in them – it tasted like a corn muffin meets a pancake it was really good with Real Maple Syrup and a Side of Bacon.  I also had a Hot Chocolate.  Dad had a Brie, Artichoke and Spinach Omelet which he liked a lot — I got to try the Home Fries  - they were excellent, crispy, huge chunks of potatoes.

IMG-20130303-00781I spoke to Abe Ali, the chef and owner of The New Station House  and asked, “I had a very different pancake this morning, the Corn  and Cheddar, are there other combinations I should try?”

Mr. Abe said, “We also have sweet potato pancakes today, which are topped with granola.  We always change the pancake specials to IMG-20130303-00780keep it interesting!”

I also asked, “What is your favorite breakfast?”

Mr. Abe said, “I love the Florentine Omelet… which is Spinach and Feta, it’s my kind of flavors”.

IMG-20130303-00782

So… why is the restaurant in the “Old” Train Station House  called the “New” Station House?

According to one of our servers, Barbara… “They changed the name when Abe became the NEW owner!”

The Sunday Diner Rating 

FOOD * * * * * (Five)

SERVICE  * * * * * (Five)

LOOKS * * * *   (Five)

BATHROOM * * * *1/2   (Four and a Half)

Thanks Mr. Abe, Ms. Rachel and Ms . Barbara – we’ll be back!

SUNDAY DINERS FEATURED IN THE NORWALK HOUR!

Posted on by
1

Yesterday, we were interviewed at Festivities The Eatery by The Norwalk Hour about Sunday Diners and today, we’re in the paper!

Click Here To Read The Article Or… You Can Click On The Picture Below

Hour front pageWOW, WE EVEN MADE THE FRONT PAGE!

IMG-20121224-00059

Thanks Ms. Robin and Mr. Matt for the great article and for liking our blog!

IMG-20121223-00052

NORWALK’S SPEEDY DONUTS… HITS A (DONUT) HOLE IN ONE!

Posted on by
1

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Speedy Donuts, 116 Connecticut Ave Norwalk, CT

Speedy Donuts has been crafting handmade donuts and serving up breakfast since 1969, it is owned by Alexandra and John Diamantis and was first located in South Norwalk.  In 1980, they moved to Route 1 across the street from the Volk Fire Station.  Speedy’s is a small place, but they serve a BIG breakfast!  So before we get to the awesome donuts, here’s what I had for breakfast…

Today I had two Scrambled Eggs, with Bacon, Home Fries and Whole Wheat Toast.  It was EGG-tastic & BACON-errific!  What’s cool about Speedy’s is if you sit at the counter, you can watch them cook your breakfast.  The chef is named Cruz (just like Victor Cruz!), he has been working at Speedy’s for ten years and keeps his grill spotless!

Once we were done, it was time to try their awesome donuts.  I asked Mrs. Alexandra Diamantis, “What is the most popular donut at Speedy’s?”

She said, “Our bestseller is the Glazed Donut… the next is the Old Fashioned… people also love the Jelly Donuts.”  

“All of our donuts are made here, and they are made by hand, not by machines.”

I asked Cruz “What’s the most popular breakfast at Speedy’s?”

He told me, “People love the eggs and the pancakes.  Lots of people order our bacon and egg sandwich too.”

I got to try the Glazed and the Apple Crumble donuts — which were both GREAT!

Speedy’s has a lot of regular customers, today I met Brian and Maria.  Brian was a New York City Firefighter, and Maria is a very good baker, and owns La Dolce Vita Catering, she even studied at the French Culinary Institute.  Brian told me that he LOVES Speedy’s pancakes!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five) 

FOOD * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS * * *  (THREE

BATHROOM * * * *  (FOUR)

 

NORWALK’S MURO’S ORIGINAL NEW YORK BAKERY… WHERE EVERYONE’S A REGULAR!

Posted on by
Reply

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Muro’s Original New York Bakery, 52 Main St, Norwalk, CT www.originalnyb.com

Like Muro’s Original New York Bakery on facebook

Muro’s Original New York Bakery has been baking in Norwalk since 1949.  It’s a family-owned business run by three brothers and their dad.  Today I got to meet Dom (the dad) and two of the brothers (Ken and Keith).  My friend Joey’s Aunt Tiffany, told us that they make great breakfasts — especially pancakes, and today we went to try them.

The first thing you notice when you walk in the door is the crowd — there are tons of people lined up to buy bread and pastries, others ordering breakfast and every seat is taken. That’s a good sign that the place is excellent.  You also notice that there seems to be a lot of customers who come there a lot.   This makes sense, because the food is great and their service is quick and the Muro’s really make you feel like you’re at their house.

Today, I had Pancakes with a side of Bacon and an Orange Juice.  The pancakes were thick, fluffy and cooked to golden brown color — they were perfect pancakes.  The bacon was crispy and very good… and the Orange Juice was Tropicana!  I prefer fresh squeezed orange juice — but Tropicana is pretty good too. Dad had a Feta Cheese and Spinach Omelet with Fresh-Baked Rye Toast — it was also very good and so were the Home Fries.

The Muro Brothers Ken (l) Keith (r)I spoke with Ken, one of the Muro brothers and asked him, “How many different kinds of pastries do you make a day at the bakery?”

He told me, “We make at least 40 different pastries here a day.”

 

I also asked him, “What is his favorite pastry?”

“That’s hard, there are so many good ones — but my favorite pastry has to be the Cigar Danish”

Mr. Ken was so nice he gave us two to take home which we will  have for dessert later!

If you’re looking for a real New York-Style bakery in Connecticut you’ll feel right at home at Muro’s Original New York Bakery.

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five) 

FOOD * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS * * * *   (FOUR)

BATHROOM * * * *  (FOUR)

One last thing.  I want to thank Mr. Muro for not charging us for breakfast.  At Sunday Diners, we always like to pay for our breakfast, so today, we are making a $20 donation to the American Red Cross to help people who were affected by Superstorm Sandy – Thanks Mr. Muro!

EAT GOOD … DO GOOD!

SILVER STAR DINER IN NORWALK – WHERE EVERYONE IS FAMILY!

Posted on by
1

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Silver Star Diner, 210 Connecticut Avenue, Norwalk CT

Like Silver Star On Facebook!

Everything about the Silver Star Diner is BIG!!!  The Diner is Big!… The Menu is Big!… The Portions are Big! Even the Maple Syrup is Big!!

But, even though it’s a big place, the service and the people make you feel like you’re in a small family place.  That’s because Silver Star is a family owned business.

The diner is 33 years old and was started by 3 brothers, Andy, Taso and Alex Savvidis.

All of their children have worked at the diner and so have other relatives.  Many of the other employees who are not in their family, have worked there for so long – they’re practically like family now too!

Because the menu is so huge, I wanted to try something I’ve never had before… so today, I had Cheese Blintzes Topped with Apples, Raisins & Cinnamon it was like having apple pie and cheesecake for breakfast! To drink… Dad let me have a small Chocolate Milkshake, because I heard they were really good.  I’m usually not allowed to have something like that, because it’s basically having ice cream for breakfast… and that’s not healthy… but Dad let me try it but only because he said it was “research.” I’m happy to report that it was delicious.

I spoke to Tonia Kalmanides our host who in 2 weeks will also be part of the family (her fiancé, Dimitrios is the owners son!) and asked, “The menu SO HUGE here, how many items are there?”

She told me, “There are over 400 items on the menu.  You can choose from Eggs all the way to Steak and Lobster.”

I also asked Tonia, “What is her favorite on the breakfast menu?”

“I love the Hash and Eggs and the Eggs Benedict too!”  She also told me that they serve breakfast all day.

One other fact about Silver Star, is that they have amazing desserts!  They are baked in the basement — and like everything else at Silver Star — THE DESSERTS ARE BIG TOO!

Everyone at Silver Star was so nice, like Andy our waiter and Dimitrios  who let me pick out a dessert. I chose a piece of Strawberry Cheesecake which is their specialty.  I’ll probably have that tonight… after dinner!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five) 

FOOD * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS * * * * *  (FIVE)

BATHROOM * * * * * (FIVE)

Ernie’s Old Harbor Restaurant – Eating Like A Real Block Island Local!

Posted on by
2

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Ernie’s Old Harbor Restaurant,  Water Street Block Island

Ernie’s Old Harbor Restaurant is a place that both locals and visitors to Block Island love to go to for a bunch of reasons.  It’s in a great location overlooking the ferry docks and the harbor.  You can sit indoors at a table or at the counter or, you can even sit outside on their deck and enjoy the view.  The food is excellent and so is the service.

Ernie’s is famous on the Island for their Blueberry Pancakes – so I knew  had to try them… but since I was hungry, I had the Hungry Person’s Special  - two Blueberry Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon and Toast – I also had sausages.  To drink I had a fresh Chocolate Milk.

The Blueberry pancakes had so many blueberries in them that I couldn’t believe that they could stick together – delicious!

I asked Jelena Uremovic (l) our hostess and Kara Blood (r) our server about Ernie’s and the original Ernie.

Kara told me that “Ernie started the original restaurant but passed away a few years ago, the restaurant is now owned by Frank and Betty Jean Nicastro.  

Jelena, who is from Serbia and comes to Block Island every summer to work, told me that “The locals really love Ernie’s and that every day the most important landowners on the Island come to Ernie’s for breakfast… we call them “The Breakfast Club”.

I also spoke with Frank, the owner and chef and asked him, “How many blueberry pancakes do you make a day?”

He said, “A Lot — TOO MANY!”

He also told me to “Come back and try the McKody”, which is an egg sandwich that is named after his son.

I also spoke to Thomas Hilts, a regular who told me that he comes to Ernie’s every day… loves to sit at the counter and orders the McKody every day!

Now that’s a regular!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five)

FOOD  * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS  * * * * *  (FIVE)

BATHROOM: * * * * (FOUR)

It’s Chili In July… At Joey B’s Famous Chili Hub In Cos Cob!

Posted on by
4

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Joey B’s Famous Chili Hub, 118 River Road Extension, Cos Cob, CT

Joey B’s Famous Chili Hub’s Website 

Visit Joey B’s on Facebook

Joey B’s Famous Chili Hub has been serving great food for over four years in Cos Cob and is famous for their… guess what? – CHILI! It’s a family run restaurant that is very popular with kids and has many regular customers who keep coming back for their great food and… CHILI!  Today I not only had a great breakfast… but I also got to work in the kitchen with Domenick Delfino whose Dad and Step-Mom own the Chili Hub.

Joey’s is a very small place with only seating at the counter – it seems like it has a lot of takeout customers – but it’s also a great place sit at the counter, relax and enjoy some really different breakfast treats!  Today I had one of their specialties – The Hacksaw.  The Hacksaw is an Egg Sandwich – but not your normal egg sandwich.  It’s made with Eggs, Cheese — Hash Browns — AND CHILI!  All on a roll!

Yes, I had Chili for breakfast – and it was superb! I also had a chocolate milk which was made fresh for me by Lu.

My dad had The Scarpelli – which is also an Egg Sandwich, but it’s also like a sausage and peppers sandwich too — It’s named after the kind of sausage patty it’s made with which comes from Scarpelli’s Deli in Cos Cob.  I tried it and I liked the sausage was spicy and good!

I spoke with Domenick Delfino who invented The Hacksaw, he is the owner’s son AND an excellent cook and asked, “How did you come up with the idea for it?”

“When I was in High School , a lot of my friends would put french fries on their burgers –  that gave me the idea to put Home Fries on my Egg Sandwich … then I added the Chili”.

Mr. Delfino, also gave me a lesson on how to make their special French Toast batter that they make fresh for every order.

Joey B’s Chili Hub French Toast Batter

 

Here’s The Recipe                        

3 Eggs

A Pinch of Brown Sugar

2-3 Cap Fulls Of Vanilla Extract

A Cup of Milk   

Then add the Secret Ingredient… A Couple of Squirts of U-Bet Malt Syrup !

Mix it up and you’re ready to make your French Toast!

Joey B’s Chili Hub is great for kids — who love sitting at the counter!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five)

FOOD  * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS  * * * *  (FOUR)

BATHROOM: * * * * * (FIVE)

Thanks Domenick and Lu for a great breakfast!

 

Wave Hill Breads Bakery & Café – “Rising” To Success in Norwalk!

Posted on by
5

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Wave Hill Breads Bakery & Cafe, 30 High Street Norwalk, CT www.wavehillbreads.com

Welcome to the second year of Sunday Diners!  We haven’t had a breakfast post in a few weeks, because we were busy with the 2012 Sunny Awards. Since we wanted to get  our new year started off with a bang, today we visited Wave Hill Breads Bakery and Café in Norwalk — so you’re in for a real treat!

Wave Hill Breads was started in Wilton in 2005 by Margaret Sapir and Mitch Rapoport and their bread is famous!  They are even in a book called 500 Things To Eat Before It’s Too Late.  I’ve had their bread before and it’s really great for sandwiches and toast.  But before we talk about the bakery, let’s talk about what I had for breakfast.

Today I had “The Ultimate Egg Sandwich” — which is Soft Scrambled Eggs, Cheddar Cheese, Fire Roasted Poblano Peppers, Applewood Smoked Bacon on Fresh-Baked Rosemary Croissant.  It was a great combination of the sweet and smoky taste of the bacon then suddenly it changes to the sharp taste of the cheese — but the best part was the croissant.  Dad had the Wave Hill Breads French Toast with Applewood Smoked Bacon.  I tried that and it was excellent — because the bread was so good!

Afterwards, we tried their Cinnamon Bun which was freshly baked and was really good  and went really well with a glass of milk.

After breakfast, I got to learn a lot about the bakery and café from Jake Rapoport and his mom Margaret  Sapir.

Jake’s mom and dad own Wave Hill and Jake has been baking bread since he was in the seventh grade!!! I asked Jake what makes the bread so good?

He said “Time.  It takes twelve hours to make a perfect loaf of bread”. 

I also asked him what the most popular thing on the menu for breakfast. He said, “The Ultimate Egg Sandwich is really popular”

Hey I had that this morning!

Jake and his mom gave me a tour of the bakery, it was like being on a field trip!  I got to see the oven which can bake 300 loaves of bread at once and bakes them at 450 degrees.  I figured out that if you had 1,200 people ordering bread — you would only need to run the oven 4 times.  Ms. Margaret also told me all about their spelt bread and all about the bakery.

“We work with local farms to get our supplies.  Our spelt comes from Lightening Tree Farm in Millbrook, New York”.

She showed me the fresh spelt which are called berries and showed me how they mill it into flour.  At Wave Hill they mill their own flour.

Ms. Margaret also told me how she became a baker… it’s a great story that you can read here, but she and her family all learned together from Gerard Rubaud a Master French baker in Vermont.  Who taught them how to make bread the right way.  I also asked her what is the secret to making great bread.

She told me “It’s the Three “Ts” Time, Temperature and Touch – And it has to be made by hand to be good”.

Wave Hill also sells their bread and baked goods at 16 Farmer’s Markets every week, we’ll be sure to check them out at the farmer’s market and will definitely come back soon.

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * *  (5)

LOOKS  * * * * * (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * *  (5)