Tag Archives: Norwalk

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

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

http://www.oneillsono.com

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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!

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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!

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The Sunday Diner Rating (in Bono’s)

FOOD * * * * * (Five Bono’s)

SERVICE  * * * * * (Five Bono’s)

LOOKS * * * * *   (Five Bono’s)

BATHROOM * * * * *  (Five Bono’s) 

L’il Chef! Stew Leonard’s Famous “Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs”

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Stew Leonard’s 100 Westport Avenue Norwalk, CT

www.stewleonards.com

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For any one who doesn’t know, Stew Leonard’s is The World’s Largest Dairy Store, and I’m so lucky that it’s right here in Norwalk, CT. I’ve been going to Stew’s since I was a baby.  They sell great bagels, fruits & vegetables, fried chicken, and of course… lots of dairy products.  Their milk comes from their own cows, on their own farm – you can even see them on live video in the store… and sometimes in Stew’s Little Farm right in the parking lot.  My favorite at Stew’s is the ice cream!  Stew’s is super fun for kids – there’s lots’ of great displays and there’s always new things to try and taste!

Today, instead of going out for breakfast, Dad and I decided to make breakfast at home.   There’s a great recipe from their “Winning Recipes Cookbook” that’s written right on the back of their Cage-Free Egg carton label… “Goat Cheese Scrambled Eggs”.  It’s really easy to make, with some help from an adult… it’s delicious and healthy.  It’s also a lot of fun to cook!

But first… we had to shop!  So we drove over to Stew Leonard’s and got our ingredients… here’s what you’ll need:

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8 Large Eggs

2 Tablespoons Chopped Chives

1/4 Teaspoon of Salt

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper

2 Table Spoons of Butter

2 Table Spoons of Water

4 Ounces of Crumbled Goat Cheese

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Step 1: In a large bowl whisk together the Eggs, Water, Chives, Salt and Pepper.  If you don’t have a whisk, you can use a fork.. if you don’t have a fork… you can use your arm (but don’t… cause that wouldn’t be cool :) )

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Step 2: Melt the butter in a large frying pan on medium heat — MAKE SURE YOU HAVE AN ADULT HELP YOU!

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Step 3: Add the egg mixture and cook — remember to stir frequently, so that the eggs don’t stick to the pan

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Step 4: Add the Goat Cheese and cook… Keep Stirring until the eggs are fluffy and the cheese is melted!

IMG-20130310-00843And there you go — four servings of Awesome!!!!

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We served it with Stew Leonard’s “Naked” :) Uncured Bacon, because it’s little healthier and Fresh Raspberries.  I also had a French Toast Bagel, which is a Bagel that tastes like French Toast (as you could probably guess!).  I also had a delicious cold glass of Stew’s famous Milk!

IMG-20130310-00844Hope you get to try this at home — it’s a lot of fun to cook!

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Today, I got to meet Mr. Stew Leonard himself!!  His Mom and Dad started Stew Leonard’s in 1969, and now he runs the stores.  Mr. Leonard was very nice to talk to me, even though he was busy.

I also spoke with Jeff Fanning, the Manager of Stew Leonard’s and asked, “What are some of the most popular things that people buy at Stew’s?”

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Mr Fanning said, “Milk and Butter definitely!, and Rao’s Tomato Sauce…. especially when it goes on sale!”

I also asked, “How many bagels do you sell in a day?”

“About 7,000!”

WOW! THAT’S A LOT OF DOUGH!

THANKS TO ALL OF MY FRIENDS AT STEW LEONARD’S!

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L’il Chef! is a new Sunday Diners feature… Where I get to cook easy recipes that kids can try at home!  Stay tuned for more coming soon — and if you have a recipe for us to try — let us know!

SUNDAY DINERS FEATURED IN THE NORWALK HOUR!

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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!

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

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IT’S ALWAYS A PARTY AT FESTIVITIES EATERY IN NORWALK!

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Festivities Eatery At Sono Marketplace, SONO Market Place,                               314 Wilson Avenue, South Norwalk CT

Festivities Events Catering Website

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Festivities was started by Bill Kaliff and his sister Roe Chlala and has been in the catering business for over 25 years.  They cater all sorts of parties like weddings, holiday parties and business events.  Today, we visited Festivities Eatery their very first location which is at SoNo Marketplace with some very special guests, Robin Kaminski, a reporter for The Norwalk Hour newspaper and her photographer, Matt Vinci.  Ms. Robin interviewed me for tomorrow’s paper about Sunday Diners!  We’ll be sure to post the story tomorrow… so check back then!

Today we chose to do brunch, and boy, Festivities can make brunch!  There are lots of good choices “The Brunch Benedict”, Pancakes, French Toast and even Burgers.  Today I had their specialty, “The SoNo B.E. & C,” which is Scrambled Eggs, Applewood Smoked Bacon and Vermont Cheddar served on a Brioche.  It was one of the best Egg Sandwiches I ever had.  The bacon was crispy, the cheddar was sharp, the eggs fluffy and the brioche was a little sweet, which went well the salty bacon.  The sandwich was served with Krinkle Fries – which were super crispy and delicious.  Dad had a PortoBello Mushroom Burger, which he loved.

IMG-20121223-00045I spoke with Nancy Esteva, the manager at Festivities, The Eatery and asked, “What is the most popular thing people order for parties?”

She said, “That’s hard to answer, as we will make most anything that you want for a party, so it’s always different depending on the event.”

IMG-20121223-00048I also asked Nancy, “What is your favorite brunch item on the Festivities menu?”

She told me, “I like what you just had, The SoNo B.E.& C, that’s my favorite!”

Nancy also let me try some Brioche with Festivities special Artichoke Dip on it — I loved it — if I was throwing a party, I would definitely order that!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five) 

FOOD * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS * * * * *  (FIVE)

BATHROOM * * * *  (FOUR) 

I also wanted to thank Ms. Robin and Mr. Matt for taking the time to interview me for the newspaper – it was a lot of fun and it meant so much to me that you like our blog!

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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)

 

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

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

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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!

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Silver Star Diner, 210 Connecticut Avenue, Norwalk CT

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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)

SUNDAY DINERS DOES LUNCH! FAIRFIELD’S BODEGA TACO BAR & NORWALK’S SWANKY FRANKS

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Today’s Sunday Diners is all about… LUNCH!  Yesterday, we went to Bodega Taco Bar in Fairfield, and today we ate at Swanky Franks, Norwalk’s famous spot for Hot Dogs!

Bodega Taco Bar 1700 Post Road, Fairfield, CT www.bodegatacobar.com

Bodega Taco Bar is owned by Chef Michael Young, who also owns Valencia, one of our favorite spots.  Chef Michael is a great chef and like Valencia, Bodega is very popular… so popular, that once we tried to eat there and it was a two-hour wait!  But yesterday, we were lucky to get a table really fast, which was really good, because we had our friends Adam and Tracey with us and they had to catch a train back to New York City.  Tracey is from New Zealand, but used to live in Mexico and LOVES Mexican food, so we thought that Bodega would be perfect!

We started off with “Tres Salsas y Chips”  which is their homemade Pico de Gallo Salsa, Black Bean Dip and Mango-Cucumber Salsa.  We also had their “Slapped Fresh” Bodega Original Guacamole and straight from the fryer chips!  The chips were excellent and so was everything else.  For lunch I had the  Americano Tacos which is made of seasoned ground beef, manchego cheese, salsa rusa, in a crispy taco shell – iMUY BUENO!  To drink I had a Pineapple Jarrito, which is a Mexican brand of soda – it was tasty!

For desert, our server Molly suggested that I try the Tres Leches – which is like pound cake soaked in three kinds of milk – it was great, but I was so full, I couldn’t finish it.  

One thing I tried, that you should be careful of, was a Pickled Jalapeño Pepper — I ate the whole thing — but IT WAS HOT!!!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Cinco)  

FOOD * * * * * (CINCO)

SERVICE  * * * * * (CINCO)

LOOKS * * * * *  (CINCO)

BATHROOM * * * * *  (CINCO)

Yesterday, was also Chef Michael’s Birthday!  So, Happy Birthday Chef Michael from your friends at Sunday Diners!

The Original Swanky Franks of Norwalk  182 Connecticut Avenue, Norwalk, CT www.theoriginalswankyfranks.com

Norwalk’s hottest spot for Hot Dogs is Swanky Franks!  Swanky Franks has been serving dogs since 1949 and they are good — I’ve been going there since I could eat hot dogs!

The hot dogs have a good crunch when you bite into them, and the buns are fluffy and toasted.  Today I had a Hot Dog, Onion Rings and a Black & White Shake.  It was excellent.  Swanky Frank’s is very popular with kids — in fact, the walls are covered with pictures of the children who have eaten there.

They started to serve breakfast recently, we’ll have to try them out soon!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five)  

FOOD * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS * * *   (THREE)

BATHROOM * *  (TWO)

 

BREAKING NEWS! SUNDAY DINERS IS FEATURED ON NEWS 12 CONNECTICUT!

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SUNDAY DINERS IS BACK… FINALLY!

We had a very busy few weeks, and have not been able to post – but now we’re back!

In July, Sunday Diners was interviewed for a feature story on News 12 Connecticut. The story was filmed at Wave Hill Breads in Norwalk, which our readers know is one of our favorites.  I was interviewed by Sarah Hagen, who is a News 12 reporter and was so nice to us – she and her cameraman really made dad and I feel calm about being on TV.

The story was on News 12 in August, but many of our readers could not see it, because they don’t live in CT — so we hope you enjoy it!

Here are some photos Dad took while we were filming.

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CONNECTICUT READERS CAN ALSO CLICK HERE TO VISIT NEWS 12

¡Bienvenido A La Nueva Valencia Luncheria!

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Valencia Luncheria, 164 Main Street, Norwalk CT www.valencialuncheria.com

Readers of Sunday Diners know that I love Valencia Luncheria and their awesome Venezuelan Beach Food – we’ve been there many times for breakfast and lunch. Valencia even won a Sunny Award for “The Best International Breakfast”.  But since the place was really small and people loved it so much, if you didn’t get there early, you would have to wait for a table. So when I heard that they were moving up the street to a larger location I couldn’t wait to check it out and today I did.

The food is just as amazing as before, except in a bigger location with a bigger kitchen. Today, Chef Michael Young and his partner Luis Chavez gave me a tour of the new Valencia’s kitchen.

Compared to the old location, the new Valencia’s kitchen is HUGE!  Chef Michael told me that you could fit the WHOLE old restaurant in this new kitchen and there still would be room! – That’s BIG!

He showed me some of the most important parts of the kitchen like the “plancha” which is a metal grille, the stoves, and the deep fryers where they cook the Arepas.

There is even a huge smoker machine, but Chef Michael has been so busy with the restaurant he hasn’t even had a chance to try it yet.  There is also a very big ice machine… but it’s still not big enough… the new Valencia is so busy and popular that the restaurant was only open for two hours today and the ice machine was already low on ice, but no worries, Chef Michael had already brought in some ice from  a store for backup. Having a bigger kitchen is also important because Chef Michael does a lot of catering for parties — yesterday he made food for 400 people who were having a taco party!  THAT’S A LOT OF TACOS!

Today I had an Arepa with Eggs, Queso Blanco and Avocado — I put a lot of the green sauce on it which called Guasacaca.  It was really good. I also had some Chorizo which was smoky tasting – YUM! One of my favorite things at Valencia are the Batidos – which are like smoothies – I had Blueberry and my dad had Banana – I tried both and they were excellent, but I still like Chocolate Batidos the best.  My mom came too and she had an Arepa with Eggs, Cheese and Chorizo – and she loved it!

Even though Chef Michael (l.) and Mr. Chavez (r.) were busy they were so nice to give me the tour and even answer a question. I asked Chef Michael, What is his favorite thing on the menu?

He said, “If I had to pick one thing, I would say “The Media Noche”, which is a Pressed Wrap of Turkey, Plantains, Bacon, Grilled Onions and Mozzarella!” 

He also told me that “Media Noche is Spanish for Midnight” — and that this is a “Perfect midnight snack”! 

One thing that is missing from the old Valencia is Guy Fieri’s autograph from when he came to film Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, but Chef Michael told me not to worry as they’re trying to figure how to move it to the new place…maybe Guy should just come back for another visit!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of CINCO)

FOOD  * * * * * (CINCO)

SERVICE  * * * * * (CINCO)

LOOKS  * * * * * (CINCO)

BATHROOM: ¡YO NO FUI!

Thanks again Chef Michael and Mr Chavez!