Zap Your Tastebuds at ZeppoleMe in Portchester, New York!

ZeppoleMe

321 North Main Street, Port Chester, NY

www.zeppoleme.com

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We have been wanting to go to ZeppoleMe for a long time, since we heard about it from our friends at OMNOM and today we got our wish!

A Zeppole is an Italian donut/fried dough treat that can be served in many different ways. People usually eat them at Italian church feasts for Saint Joseph’s day or at street fairs.  At ZeppoleMe, in Portchester, you can have them all year round.  The two owners, Marc Tessitore, who owns the restaurant Nessa, which is next door, and his partner Robert Squeri opened in Spring 2013 because at Nessa they sold so many zeppoles and people loved them so much, that they decided to dedicate a whole place to them!

Inside of the restaurant it is decorated with holiday gift baskets with coffee and peppermints and lots of other cool and interesting ingredients that you would find in their food. There are bar type tables or you can also sit at the bar if you like.  Today, they were playing Tom Jones, on the system — my dad told me that in the 1960s and 70s ladies would throw their underwear at him while he was on stage — that’s JUST WEIRD! 🙂 

Today, I started with a Hot Chocolate, made with steamed milk — it was delicious!

And then we got to try three types of Zeppole…

The Classic

The Classic, was very light and airy… it was really just the outside crust and the inside was hollow.  This is the typical one that you have at Italian feasts.  We had these with Hazelnut Nutella and Buttercream dipping sauces.

The Modern

The Modern, was crunchy on the outside and fluffy dough on the inside…it was also very light.  We had these with Vanilla Cream and Peppermint dipping sauces.

The Oreo Zeppole

The Oreo Zeppole, is same as The Modern, except, the dough has crushed Oreos in it.  These were awesome, and we had these with Pumpkin Spice and more Buttercream sauce!

I liked them all, but my favorite was the Oreo Zeppole, which I dipped in the Hazelnut Nutella sauce.  Chocolate craziness!

We didn’t try it, but one of the most popular choices is the Bacon, Chive and Provolone Cheese Zeppole.  So, you can have either sweet or savory, whatever you prefer.

I spoke with Josh, our server and asked:

What does Zeppole mean in English?

He said,  “It’s just the Italian name for fried dough.”

I also asked him what his favorite zeppole and dipping sauce is…

“I like “The Classic” with the Hazelnut Nutella dipping sauce.“

What is the most popular Zeppole at ZeppoleMe?

“For Sweet, people love “The Modern”… the most popular savory is the “Bacon, Chives and Provolone”… it’s really good.“

I’m definitely going to come back and try the Bacon, Chive and Provolone — I wonder if the Nutella sauce will go with that — Ha Ha Ha!

Thanks Josh!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * *   (5)

LOOKS: * * * * *   (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * *   (5)

KING’S RESTAURANT IN NEWTOWN, WHERE EVERYONE IS ROYALTY

Kings Breakfast & Lunch

265 S. Main St., Route 25, Newtown, CT 06470

King’s Restaurant’s motto is; “King’s, where your family is treated like royalty”, and today,  we learned that motto is definitely true.

King’s has a country log cabin theme that makes you feel warm and cozy.  It is a real family place with lots of kids eating there today.  The walls were decorated with hearts that children drew and wrote messages to honor the victims of Sandy Hook which is right up the road from King’s.

I know that King’ is famous for their pancakes, waffles and French Toast.  But today I wanted to try something totally different.  One of their specialty omelets…

The Philly Cheesesteak Omelet

The Philly Cheesesteak omelet is exactly that… an omelet stuffed with thinly sliced steak, onions topped with melted cheese.  It also came with  Home Fries and a delicious toast that we will get to soon…  I also had a Hot Chocolate, which was served at the perfect temperature.

I spoke with Nick the owner of King’s Restaurant, who has owned it for a year and a half and asked him, about the special toast… and his favorite breakfast.

“It’s called Bocco, and it’s made from pizza dough, seasoned with our special seasoning” “My favorite breakfast is the Henhouse, which is eggs, chicken 

sausage and home fries with a biscuit”.

I also spoke to our server Katie who likes The Asparagus Benny… Eggs Benedict with Asparagus.

One thing to remember about King’s… is bring your appetite, because their portions are VERY big, in fact… their KING SIZE!!!!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * *   (5)

LOOKS  * * * * * (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * * (6) 

PS: The bathroom has an Outhouse theme! 

The Baltimore Crab Cakes Vs. The San Francisco Rustica Welcome To “Benny Bowl 2013” At Rosie In New Canaan

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Rosie, 27 Elm Street, New Canaan CT www.rosienewcanaan.com

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Today is Super Bowl Sunday and the Baltimore Ravens will be playing the San Francisco 49ers in New Orleans.  Here at Sunday Diners… we’re live in New Canaan at Rosie for the 2013 Benny Bowl!  But… we’ll get to that in a minute after we tell you a little bit about Rosie.  Rosie has been open since 2004 and is owned by George and Rosie Nammack. I have one one word for Rosie and it’s… AWESOME!

The first thing you notice when you walk into Rosie is the art on the walls and all of the delicious baked goods on display like muffins, cookies, whoopee pies and especially their Famous Carrot Cake.  The art is by a local artist named David Stevens who paints in a very colorful style and likes to paint people with dogs… there’s even a painting of a pug (which is what my dog Coco is).  Rosie is a very comfortable place, it’s really great for kids, they even have games, toys and books for little kids.  The staff is very friendly and they really make you feel at home.  And now about the food!

Today’s menu had lots of great choices, but since it’s Super Bowl Sunday, my dad and I decided that we would have our own battle pitting two different types of tEggs Benedict on the menu against each other and so, The Benny Bowl was born!

Louisiana Crab Cakes Benny

My choice: Representing the AFC and the City of Baltimore (with a little bit of New Orleans) the Louisiana Crab Cakes Benny — Poached Eggs, on Crab Cakes with Hollandaise Sauce.

Eggs Benedict Rustica

Dad’s Choice: Representing the NFC and the City of San Francisco, The Eggs Benedict Rustica — Poached Eggs, on a Crusty Baguette, Thick-Sliced Peppered Bacon, Roasted Plum Tomato, Fresh Basil, Hollandaise Sauce and Cracked Black Pepper.

Both were so good, if this was a real football game we’d go into overtime!  I’ve never had Crab Cakes for breakfast before – they had a little kick to them (get it?) – but they were really good, I also tried Dad’s Rustica and it was really great too.

And Now For The Halftime Show (Not Starring Beyonce)

For the halftime show, instead of Beyonce we had a really special treat; a fresh from the oven Ginger Scone with Maple Butter and a real Honey Comb (made by real bees!)  I never knew that you could eat the honeycomb itself — it was a really great combination.  To drink I had a Chocolate Steamer with Whipped Cream and Cinnamon – YUM!

I spoke with Rosie Nammack, and  asked for her Benny Bowl 2013 pick;

She said, “I would say it’s a tie, but I really like the Rustica, because I’m Sicilian!”

I also asked her, “What time do you get in to start baking in the morning?”

Rosie told me that, “I get in at 5 AM, to start baking… you really have to be a morning person for this job!” 

Rosie’s favorite restaurants are the Whelk and Le Farm in Westport and she told me all about her other favorite, Blue Hill at Stone Barns. 

She said, “There is no menu, they give you a list of ingredients and then ask you what things you like and they make it for you, everything is fresh because it comes right from their farm.”  

I also spoke with Mr. George, who told me that, “Rosie is like an extension of our home, which is what makes it so special”

We were so full, that we did not get to try their Famous Carrot Cake, but we took some home for dessert when we watch The Super Bowl.

Rosie invited me to come back and spend a day working in her kitchen – that would be a lot of fun, so maybe you’ll read about that in in a future post.

Thanks to everyone at Rosie for such an excellent meal!

The Sunday Diner Rating (Super Bowl Edition) 

FOOD * * * * * (Touchdown with a Two-Point Conversion!)

SERVICE  * * * * * (Touchdown With The Extra Point!)

LOOKS * * * * *  (Touchdown!)

BATHROOM * * * * *  (Two Field Goals) 

PS: GO RAVENS!

A FRESH START TO THE NEW YEAR AT GREENLEAF ORGANIC BAKERY AND CAFÉ IN WILTON

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Greenleaf Organic Bakery and Café, 126 Old Ridgefield Road, Wilton CT

www.greenleaforganicbakery.com

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HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM SUNDAY DINERS!

This is our first post of 2013.  Usually, at this time of the year, many people make resolutions to eat healthier or not eat junk food all of the time.  One of the ways that you can do this is by eating more organic foods which are healthier for you.  Today, we went to Greenleaf Organic Bakery and Café, in Wilton, where everything is organic, fresh and TASTY!

The first thing I noticed when I walked in were the displays of amazing pastries, croissants, cupcakes, tarts and the BIGGEST chocolate chip cookies I have ever seen.  The second thing you notice, is how good it smells! The walls are decorated with photos of food and fruit, and it is a good place for kids and adults too.

I looked at the menu before we left the house and already knew what I wanted — The Fruit Explosion  – Fresh organic cream, layered with organic strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, yogurt, granola, all topped off with chocolate hazelnut spread.  It was beyond good and… healthy at the same time.  It was also BIG!  Do you know what else was BIG? The Organic Hot Chocolate – which is made with real melted organic chocolate and whipped cream – it was GIANT!  Bigger than our cereal bowls at home – now that’s BIG!

After breakfast, we tried something that was new to the menu – a Fresh Fruit Tart made with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and vanilla custard with a delicious crust.  I hope this stays on the menu.

I spoke with Bola Osakwe, whose husband Paul, owns Greenleaf with Robyn Marvin and asked, “For those who don’t know, what does Organic mean?”

She told me that,”Organic foods are foods that are grown naturally, with no chemicals, or pesticides.“

I asked “Do any of the ingredients came from local farms?”

Mrs. Osakawe told me that “We get our ingredients from many local farms like Ambler Farm which is right here in Wilton.”

I also met the Osakawe kids, Azikawe, Anyaora, and Anyanna and asked Azikawe who is five what he likes to have at Greenleaf. He told me that he likes everything at Greenleaf except for the croissants with the green stuff inside!  Here’s a picture of the spinach croissants he was talking about – they look pretty good to me! 

Our Server, Peter Bazinet told me that his favorite baked item at Greenleaf is

“The French Donut stuffed with Vanilla Whipped Cream inside, you should come back for that in about a month when we make them again… usually when people start giving up their New Year’s resolutions!”

Eating Organic is a good, and tasty step to having a healthier New Year.

The Sunday Diner Rating (Out of Five) 

FOOD * * * * * (FIVE)

SERVICE  * * * * * (FIVE)

LOOKS * * * * *  (FIVE)

BATHROOM * * * * *  (FIVE) 

PS: The Greenleaf, has possibly the cleanest bathroom we’ve ever seen!

Sunday Diners Goes To Italy!! Part II

PART II: Pompeii, Florence and Venice…

Gelato… Gelato… And Even MORE  Gelato!!!!

POMPEII

Gaetano’s Pompeii Tours (click on link for more info)

We took a quick tour to Pompeii, which is an ancient city that was preserved when it was covered in ash when Mt. Vesuvius erupted.  We had a really great tour of ancient Pompeii by our tour guide Gaetano Manfredi – who is really famous for his tours – he’s even been on TV.  I didn’t eat anything while I was in Pompeii, but he did show me what a kitchen in Ancient Rome looked like.

FLORENCE

Breakfast in Italy is very different from breakfast here in America. Here, we have bigger breakfasts with pancakes, eggs, bacon etc.  In Italy, breakfasts are smaller, usually a pastry, croissant and some milk or for the adults, coffee.  Here, I’m having an Italian doughnut, they are called Bombolini.

Antipasto: Ristorante Natalino,  Borgo degli Albizi,17/R Florence www.ristorantenatalino.com

When we arrived in Florence, we were hungry, but since we were going out to dinner later, we just wanted something small.  Antipasto is the Italian word for appetizers.  Ristorante Natalino makes great antipasto.  Especially their salami, bruschetta and fried potatoes — which are shaped like potato chips — but are thicker like french fries..

Pasta With Truffles: Ristorante Caffè Pitti, Piazza Pitti, 9, Florence www.caffepitti.it

Ristorante Caffè Pitti is across the street from the Pitti Palace.  Their specialty is truffles… and I like truffles!  I had Taglierini al Tartufo, which is Pasta with Truffles. It was very buttery, creamy and great. Our waiter, who was named Frisbee, was super nice.

Steak: Ristorante La Giostra, Borgo Pint 12/R Florence www.ristorantelagiostra.com

La Giostra is one of the best restaurants in Florence.  Lots of famous people have eaten here even George Lucas ate here.  They come because it’s so good.  The owner, Dimitri d’Asburgo Lorena and his dad are real live princes whose ancestors were from the famous Medeci family – who built much of Florence.

Florence is famous for steak, but Florentine Steaks are really big.  So they made me a smaller steak, Florentine Style.  Which was delicious!

Hot Chocolate: La Rivoire, Piazza Della Signoria, Florence www.rivoire.it

Again, Unkle Kenny has recommended another great spot for Hot Chocolate. La Rivoire is a famous chocolate maker and their hot chocolate is very good,  the best in Florence.

VENICE

Venice is unlike any city I’ve ever been to.  It is on the sea, and is full of canals, which are like roads.  No one has cars in Venice, they get around by gondola, boat, water taxis or by walking. So, with all of that water around, I knew that seafood would be good in Venice.

Pasta: Osteria al Mascaron,  Calle Longa Santa Maria Formosa 5225, Venice www.osteriamascaron.it

I went to Osteria al Mascaron to try their specialty Spaghetti Allo Scoglio, which is pasta with fresh shrimp, mussels and clams in a tomato and garlic sauce. I wasn’t expecting for the shrimp to be whole with the head and everything still on it — they kind of look like aliens!  In America, usually shrimp is served already cleaned… but not here!  You have to work at it, but it’s fun and good.

Gelateria Nico Fondamenta Zattere 922, Venice www.gelaterianico.com

Even though it was raining really hard, we had to try  Gelateria Nico, which is the best gelateria in Venice.  It was very busy in there even though it was raining.  It was very good gelato, I had KitKat and Crema.

Make Sure To Stop And Feed The Pigeons!

With all of this great eating in Venice, make sure you save some bread or crackers to feed the pigeons in St. Mark’s Square.  It’s a lot of fun to hold out bread and let them climb on your head!

       

 

Which Brings Us To…

The End.

But Before I Go… Time For One Last Gelato!

At Marco Polo Airport in Venice!

Arrividerci Italia!

Sunday Diners Goes To Italy!! Part I

PART I:   Rome, Positano and San Gimignano

You are probably wondering why we have not posted in a while… It’s because we were on vacation in Italy for the past 10 days. We had a lot of fun seeing all of the sights in Rome, Pompeii, Florence and Venice (and some other smaller places) meeting new people and especially trying all of the great food!  So for our next two Sunday Diner’s posts I’d like to present to you some of my favorites of Italia!

So, as they say in Italy, “Andiamo a mangiare!”

ROME

Pizza:  The Pizzarium, Via della Meloria, 41, Rome

Our friend Alex Marshall told us about how great Pizzarium is — their pizza has all sorts of crazy toppings and the chef is a real pizza artist. They also cut their pizza with scissors — which I’ve never seen done before.  Pizzarium is very popular because famous TV food guy, Anthony Bourdain, loves it too!

Pasta:   Osteria Margutta, Via Margutta, 82B  Rome www.osteriamargutta.it

This restaurant is one of my Unkle Kenny’s favorites in Rome.  I had spaghetti carbonara – it was really creamy and delicious.

Gelato: Giolitti, Via Uffici del Vicario, Rome  www.giolitti.it

Giolitti is famous for being the oldest Gelateria in Rome –  it’s been making fantastic gelato and pastries since 1890.  There are tons of flavors.  My favorites were Crema and Double Cioccolato.  My dad had Nutella which was really great too, mom’s favorite was Limone.  The best thing about Giolitti, was that it was close to our hotel — so we went there a lot!

Hot Chocolate: Caffe Della Pace, Via Della Pace 3/7 Rome  www.caffedellapace.it/

Hot Chocolate in Italy is very different than here, sure it’s hot…and it’s chocolate, but it’s also much thicker and not made from powder — it’s like drinking pudding!  Caffe Della Pace has also been open since 1891.

POSITANO

A Heart Shaped Pizza For Mom

Pasta:  Chez Black , Via del Brigantino, Positano   www.chezblack.it

On our way to Pompeii, we went to Positano which is on the Amalfi Coast, and is famous for its sun and beaches… but it rained like cats and dogs! I got so wet, it felt like I had anchovies in my shoes — and speaking of anchovies, we had lunch at Chez Black which is right on the shore and specializes in seafood.  I decided to try Pasta with Cuttlefish and Squid Ink!  It was a salty (in a good way, like the sea) and really good.  The fun part about it – is it’s black!!!! And it’s totally messy!

SAN GIMIGNANO

Mmmm... Wild Boar Sausage...

San Gimignano is a Medieval town in Tuscanny.  Tuscanny is very famous for its food because there are many farms in the area. Here we got to have lunch at a real organic Tuscan Farm.

Fattoria Poggio Alloro, Via S. Andrea San Gimignano                                            Visit The Farm’s Website Here

The farm makes their own wine, olive oil and  their own cheese from cows that I got to touch!  I even saw a new-born calf — CUTE!  Lunch was very good — we started with Bruschetta which is toasted bread with fresh garlic and their own olive oil, then we had Pasta Bolognese with meat sauce, Salami and Cheeses from the farm and for dessert their specially made Biscotti.  Thanks to Gloria Bani, who gave us a great tour!

The Best I Gelato I Ever Had was in San Gimignano!

Gelateria di Piazza, Piazza della Cisterna, 4, San Gimignano www.gelateriadipiazza.com

Our tour guide, Elisa from Walkabout Tours, who was great, told us the best gelato in all of Italy (and the world) is in San Gimignano. Gelato master, Sergio Dondoli has won many awards including the Ice Cream World Championships and it sure was award-winning! It was so good, we went back for seconds!!!

I had caramel and vanilla — SO GOOD!  After walking around the town, we HAD to come back and try their specialty, which is called Crema De Santa Fina — which is made from fresh Safron Creme (from San Gimignano) , Vanilla (from Madagascar) and Pine Nuts (from Pisa) –and boy was that good!

Next week, we will be writing about our visit to Florence and Venice… so be sure to come back and check it out…

Which brings us to… THE END

…of Part I

Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro — Great for Parties & Breakfast!

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Nicholas Roberts Gourmet Bistro, 75 Main Street, Norwalk CT

www.nicholasrobertsbistro.com

When we got to Nicholas Roberts today, the door was locked, but inside, you could see the chefs were hard at work in the open kitchen.  They were so busy, they didn’t notice that it was time to open the door because they were getting ready for the day.

Nicholas Roberts, is named after the father and son who both own it. The dad’s name is Nicholas and the son is Chef Robert.  But today, only Chef Robert was there.

Nicholas Roberts is not only a restaurant, but also a caterer — so they are very busy not only making great breakfasts, lunch and dinners —  and serving customers, but also cooking for big parties.  Today, they were getting ready for a big 1st birthday party.

I thought, that if they are so busy they must be really good — and they are!

For starters,  I had a Hot Chocolate, which Chef Robert made for me himself from scratch with milk, cocoa, sugar and even fresh whipped cream – it was creamy, light and tasty.  For breakfast I had the Apple Brioche French Toast which came with Maple Smoked Bacon and Fresh Fruit.  It was so good and big, that I could not finish it all.  Chef Robert thought that I didn’t like it, but I loved, it was just BIG!

I asked Chef Robert, “What is your favorite thing on the menu?”

He said “I love the NRG Eggs Benedict, which is Eggs Benedict served on a Crab Cake”

I also asked, “What is it like working with your dad?”

He said, “It’s a great pleasure working with my dad, because I learn a lot from him, I also like the way he talks with people, he deals with the clients very well”.

Thanks Chef Robert!!!

The Sunday Diner Rating (out of 5)

FOOD  * * * * * (5)

SERVICE  * * * * *   (5)

LOOKS  * * * * *  (5)

BATHROOM: * * * * * *  (6)