New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Spicy or Sweet Looking to try a new restaurant?
Here's a look at some new restaurants that have recently opened around Connecticut.
Howling Hot Chicken, Bridgeport
The new Nashville chicken joint comes from the restaurateurs behind the popular Milkcraft ice cream brand , with three locations and a fourth to open right next door to Howling in spring. Chicken tenders and sliders have a range of heat levels, starting with a no-spice version and progressing through “lite mild,” medium, hot, very hot and “reaper.” The most extreme level will require diners to sign a waiver. 4615 Main St., 203-540-5507, howlinghotchicken.com
Cake, Batter & Roll, Middletown
Lindsey Chartrand’s new bakery started as a food truck slinging Liège waffles, and she moved into a brickand-mortar space in December, baking a variety of sweet and savory treats. Among the favorites: cinnamon swirl bread, salted Nutella bars, coffee cakes, brownies, cupcakes, whoopie pies and plenty of glutenfree and vegan options. 124 College St., 860-788-6267, cbrbakery.com
Caribe, West Hartford
Almost two decades after opening Caribe in Hartford, the Pineda family debuted a second location in February, just over the town line in the former Prospect Café space. The new restaurant has a full bar and larger menu, with seafood and steak options in addition to specialties like mofongo and picadera (a sampling of Dominican street food.) 345 Prospect Ave., 860-904-9986, cariberestaurantwest.com
The Devil’s Diet, New Haven
With handcrafted pastries and baked goods by day, and Spanish tapas with composed plated desserts by night, the new Devil’s Diet in New Haven is an ideal spot to break your own. The new dessert bar and restaurant, now open in the city’s Novella building, is the brainchild of Spanishborn pastry chef Alba Estenoz, who New Haven food lovers may know as the former pastry chef at Zinc. 1245 Chapel St. (entrance on Howe Street), 203-666-8898, devilsdiet.com
Good Old Days, Newtown
Upstairs in the former Inn at Newtown building, restaurateurs Clark and Kate Neugold have launched the contemporary and upscale Marygold’s, with menu items like sirloin tartare, roasted halibut, and lobster macaroni and cheese. In the basement level, pizza pro Matt Stanczak is turning out creative pizzas and cocktails in a laid-back tavern atmosphere, with a menu of thin, crispy pies and thickercrust “squares,” a hybrid of Sicilian and Detroit styles. 19 Main St., 203491-2920, goodolddayspizza.com
Toro Taberna, West Hartford
A year after opening Toro Loco in Farmington, chef Tony Camilleri expanded his gluten-free Spanish tapas menu into a second location, the former Park & Oak restaurant in
West Hartford. The new spot features Spanish cheese and charcuterie selections, pintxos of shrimp, iberico and chorizo; varieties on patatas bravas dressed with aiolis, pork belly and lump crab; fideos (soups) with meats, vegetables and seafood, and “picaduras” like potato croquettes, empanadillas and cauliflower hummus. 14 Oakwood Ave., 860-773-4003, facebook.com/torotaberna
This article originally appeared in Connecticut Magazine. On Facebook and Instagram @connecticutmagazine and Twitter @connecticutmag.