Tag Archives: Diner

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

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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)

 

AS DEPENDABLE AS THE U.S. POSTAL SERVICE… BUT YUMMIER! STAMFORD’S CITY LIMITS DINER

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City Limits Diner, 135 Harvard Avenue, Stamford, CT www.citylimitsdiner.com

Like City Limits Diner on facebook

The first thing you notice when you drive up to City Limits Diner is it’s size!  City Limits is HUGE!  Then you notice the gigantic coffee cup that is over the door — then you see that there are Neon signs all around the diner telling you what waits for you inside… BREAKFAST! LUNCH!  CHOPS AND STEAKS! BAKERY! COCKTAILS! (… uh, that part is definitely not for kids… but maybe for Dad! :) )

When you enter, the inside is done in a very old style.  Dad explained to me that this is what a typical restaurant or diner would have looked like in the 1930′s, 40′s and 50′s.  It is called Art-Deco style.  Some things that make City Limits Art Deco are… the curvy lines of the bar and counters… lots of chrome… the shape of the letters in the signs… and the colors and the patterns of the floor tiles.

As you might know, a Hurricane named Sandy (not the squirrel from Spongebob) is heading our way and is going to hit Connecticut pretty BAD… but today we learned that sometimes a storm can be GOOD for business.

But first… let’s talk about breakfast.  The food at City Limits is fresh, they make everything –   bread, cakes… even ice cream and salad dressing is made from scratch!

Today I had one of their breakfast specialities… The Orange Lemon Waffle with Fresh Fruit and Berries topped with Real Maple Syrup.  It was great – it was sweet but was really tangy from the Lemon and Orange — the fruit was sweet and fresh — and there was a lot of it — Blueberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, Raspberries and Bananas.  That part was BERRY GOOD! (except for the banana… which is not a berry…. the banana… was FRUITASTIC!).  I also had their awesome Thick-Cut Bacon and a fresh squeezed orange juice.
I spoke with Laura O’Brien the General Manager of City Limits and asked, “Will City Limits be open during Hurricane Sandy?”

She said, “Yes, we will be open.  City Limits is like the Mail… Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night! In fact, whenever there’s a big storm we get really busy!”  

I asked Ms. O’Brien, “What do people like to buy when there’s a big storm to take home. She told me that “Everyone loves to buy soup during a storm!”

I also spoke to our server, Rossana, who has worked at City Limits for nine years, what her favorite breakfast dish was…

She told me, “I love what you just had, The Orange and Lemon Waffle, and I also love the Vegetable Frittata, and the corned beef hash is also very good!”

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five) 

FOOD * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS * * * * *  (FIVE)

BATHROOM * * * * * (FIVE)

Thank you Ms. Rosanna and Ms.O’Brien for the delicious pastries — I’ll be trying those after dinner tonight!

Hope everyone stays safe during the storm! See you next week!

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

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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!

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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!

 

This Breakfast Blue Me Away! The Olde Bluebird Inn In Easton

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The Olde Bluebird Inn, 363 Black Rock Turnpike, Easton, CT

We’ve been wanting to try out the Olde Bluebird Inn for a while, but have never had the chance.  Dad and I thought it was a little too far to drive, but in fact it’s really only about 20 minutes away —  it just looked far away on the map.  The Olde Bluebird Inn, has been around since 1919 — and it has that old-timey country look.  We sat in the front part of the cafe which had lots of geranium plants, so many that I felt like I was in a greenhouse. The Olde Bluebird is very popular with kids, and today there were lots of them there.

One thing about the Olde Bluebird, is even though the breakfasts are big, you don’t leave with your tummy feeling full – probably because everything is made with fresh ingredients.  Today I had Texas French Toast with Fresh Strawberries and Fresh Whipped Cream.  The French toast was really fluffy and the fresh strawberries juicy and sweet.  My dad has an omelet with Tomatoes, Cheese and Sausage — the cool thing about this was that it came with a huge piece of coffee cake — it was warm and tasted like it was just baked.  I also had some of his home fries – which were also very good.  The Chocolate Milk was freshly made and really cold!

Ewa Pogorzelski owner of the Olde Bluebird Inn

I spoke with Ewa Pogorzelski, the owner of The Olde Bluebird and asked her, “Is the inn part of The Olde Bluebird still open”?

She said, “No, just the restaurant part, the Inn has not been open in over 40 years”.

I also asked, “Does the menu change every weekend”?      

She said, “Yes, we have different breakfast specials every Saturday and Sunday”.

Finally, I asked Ms. Pogorzelski what her favorite thing on the menu was.  She loves the Sweet Potato Pancakes that they serve.  She also told me that she sometimes makes Polish food for lunch.

Maybe someday, I can bring my Grandma (who is also Polish and owns an Inn) to try that!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * *  (5)

SERVICE  * * * * *   (5)

LOOKS  * * * * *  (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * *  (5)

There’s Lots To “Chews” From The HUGE Menu At The Sherwood Diner…

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Sherwood Diner, 901 Post Road East,  Westport CT

Sherwood Diner on Facebook

The Sherwood Diner is a classic-style diner that serves hungry Westporters and travelers 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week! And so, if you’re going to feed all of these people, you must have a HUGE menu… and… the Sherwood definitely does!

I’ve been going to the Sherwood since I was pretty young and it’s always good for lunch, dinner, and especially breakfast.

With so many choices on the menu, it’s always hard to decide what to have.  But I knew that you can’t go wrong with French Toast — so I had the Challah Bread French Toast.  (I’ve loved Challah bread since I was in preschool — we used to have it every Friday).  But when you make French Toast with it, it comes out crispy on the outside and really fluffy on the inside — YUM!  I also had a side of bacon, which was crispy, but melted in your mouth.  To drink, our server, Liz made me a fresh chocolate milk, which she said was her specialty — and it is — it was super-syrupy!

With our awesome server, Liz!

I spoke with Liz, our server, who told me that the Sherwood has been open for over 35 years.

I also asked her, what her favorite breakfast on the menu was and she said,

“I really love the Eggs Benedict”

With Dimitri one of the Sherwood Diner's Owners

My dad had the Eggs Benedict, I tried it and it was really good — especially the sauce which is called Hollandaise sauce.

I also talked with Mr. Dimitri, one of the Sherwood Diner’s owners.

“The menu here is SO big with so many things to choose from,     What was strangest thing that anyone has ever ordered for breakfast at the Sherwood?”

He said… “Wow, that’s a really hard question, but probably the strangest ever was a Chicken Omelet with Fresh Garlic!”

I’m sure that guy was able to keep the vampires away!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * * *  (6)

LOOKS  * * * *  (4)

BATHROOM: * * * * *  (5)

The Early Bird… Catches The Tweats!

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The Early Bird Cafe, 88 Danbury Road, Ridgefield CT

Be Sure To Visit The Early Bird Cafe on Facebook

Happy New Year! Welcome to our second year of Sunday Diners!

Let’s kick off 2012 with the Early Bird Cafe in Ridgefield, which has been open for over 20 years. The first thing I noticed when I walked in the door was the great holiday decorations and TONS of crayon drawings and art by kids. Which makes sense, because there were a TON of kids there!

The Early Bird has an open kitchen, so you can see the cooks… cook and even though it was crowded, we were seated quickly and got right down to business.

I had chocolate milk (which was freshly made) and for breakfast I had The Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Pancakes – which were awesome – and tasted just like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!!! — YUM!  I also had a side of bacon, which was very smoky and reminded me of the smoky flavor of the Hibachi Grill dinner I had over the holidays at Fuji Japanese Restaurant in Darien.

I spoke with China, our server and asked her a few questions…

What is the most popular breakfast for kids?

She said, “Kids love the Mickey Mouse Pancakes, which are shaped like Mickey Mouse and are served with fruit”.

I also asked her, what her favorite breakfast “Tweat” was, and she answered, “The French Toast, which is SO good”.

Our final question, was about their great holiday decorations.  I asked her if they decorate the cafe for all of the holidays.

She told me that, “Yes we do, we decorate for all of the holidays, on Easter we even have a GIANT Easter Bunny. Our owner, Judy Cusack, loves to decorate and comes in early at around 4:30 in the morning to decorate the restaurant”!

Thanks China! I’m definitely going to come back to check that bunny out!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * * *  (6)

LOOKS  * * * * * (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * * (5)

A Perfect Score… Plus Extra Credit! :)

PS: Here’s a picture of me at Fuji of Japan over the holidays which is also super fun for kids!

Me at Fuji of Japan!

Great Country Cookin’ at Reid’s Country Kitchen

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Reid’s Country Kitchen 17 Elm St, New Canaan, CT 

Reid’s Country Kitchen, is a little hard to find… because it’s hidden down an alley off of Elm  Street… but when you do, you’ll be amazed at how good the food is.  Before the new Reid’s Country Kitchen re-opened, the place was JP’s Country Cupboard… but before that it was the original Reid’s which had opened in 1988.

Reid’s is known for its baking — especially their muffins and biscuits.  I had the Biscuit Bundle which is bacon, eggs, cheese and tomato on a HUGE fresh biscuit! It was scrumptuous!

I spoke with our servers  Nora and Sharon (who even asked and answered her own question)…

Do I enjoy my job?

YES!!!!

Nora, also told me that “Kid’s love the Country Kitchen”

I know why… because not only do you get a great breakfast, they give all the kids Wikki Stix which are kind of like Benderoos — waxy sticks that you can make pictures, figures or just about anything with. They’re super cool.  They even hang the best creations up on their bulletin board for all of the customers to look at.

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * * *  (5)

LOOKS  * * * * * (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * * (4)

The Makris Midtown Diner… Delicious Food On The Road To LEGO Kidsfest 2011!

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Makris Midtown Diner, 1797 Berlin Turnpike, Wethersfield CT

Sorry, we couldn’t post last Sunday, but we were at the LEGO Kidsfest in Hartford.  So, we decided to have breakfast on the way there. We looked on the internet to find a cool place that was near the Hartford Convention Center and were lucky to find the Makris Midtown Diner in Wethersfield, CT.

The Makris is a really cool old-style diner that was built by the Jerry O’Mahony Company, who some people believe was responsible for building “the first diner”.  There’s a nameplate above the door that shows it’s a real “O’Mahony Diner”.  It’s one of the few left in the country and has been serving great food since 1951.

The Makris has some very cool accessories — like jukeboxes in every booth!  I’m not sure if they worked, but I’m sure they did at one point!

And the food tastes great!

I had Texas French Toast, which is big and much thicker than others, kind of like how Texas is bigger than most other states!  I also had Scrambled Eggs and Polish Ham — which is a special type of ham from Poland — where my mom’s family is from!

In fact, the owner of the diner is from Poland too and for lunch and dinner on Sunday she cooks authentic Polish Food!

I asked the owner, Ewa Nowak, “What your favorite breakfast?”

She said, “I really like the wheat pancakes, which sounds healthy and not tasty, but they are really good!”

She also told me to definitely come back for lunch or dinner when she makes Pierogies!

The service was really good, and we got our food quick, which was important, because we had to hit the road for the LEGO Kidsfest!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * * *  (5)

LOOKS  * * * * * * (6)

BATHROOM: * * * * * (5)

Here’s some pictures of me at Lego Kidsfest – DEFINITELY — check it out next year — it’s so much FUN!!!!!

HELP ME! I'm being eaten by a Lego Lion

My Favorite Ninjago Ninja - Zane!

I've never seen so many Lego Bricks in my life!

A Sweet Breakfast At Sugar Bowl In Darien!

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Sugar Bowl, 1033 Post Road, Darien, CT

I knew breakfast at the Sugar Bowl in Darien must be good, because they have been around for over 65 years, and it was!  We’re lucky we got there early, because soon it  was packed with kids and adults who come for the food and the cool decorations!

Sugar Bowl does an awesome job of decorating the restaurant, and right now there are Halloween decorations up. And when it comes to decorating, they really mean business!!!  And I’m not just talking about a paper skeleton and a few pumpkins — they have over a hundred decorations just hanging from the ceiling including pumpkins, bats, witches, skeletons and lots of spider webs.

And the food is just as good as the decorations.  I had a short stack of pancakes, which were very fluffy, so fluffy that you don’t even have to chew them (but you should), bacon, which was really good and crispy and a sausage patty.  The only thing that was  a little disappointing was that the chocolate milk was not freshly made — but — at least, it was the organic kind :)

I asked our server Flor, “Does Sugar Bowl decorate for every holiday?”

She said, “Yes, we decorate for Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s, Easter, July 4th,  Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas! — All the big holidays.”

I also asked her, “What is the most popular breakfast with kids?”

Flor said “The short stack of pancakes with a smiley face is the most popular”

Next time I’ll make sure to ask for a smiley face on my short stack!

Something else that Sugar Bowl is famous for is Brian’s Homemade Lemon Cake definitely try this when you visit.  Dad and I got some to go and it’s really AWESOME — it’s super sweet but it’s also sour and it’s really dense — YUM!!!!!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * *  (5)

LOOKS  * * * * ** (6)

BATHROOM: Did Not Go!

It’s a bowlful of happiness at the Sugar Bowl!