First Look: This new Lyncourt cafe serves the heaviest pastry you’ll ever devour

(In First Look, we pay a fast go to to a brand new restaurant or bar in Central New York to provide readers an thought of what to anticipate. Our meals critics would possibly go to these locations ultimately and provides us their take, however we need to spotlight what’s new in our space. If you recognize of a brand new place, ship an e mail to cmiller@syracuse.com or name/textual content me at 315-382-1984. If I take your suggestion, I simply would possibly purchase you a meal.)

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Syracuse, N.Y. — For the previous 22 years, Mike Bolognone has been delivering premium espresso to a whole bunch of companies all through Central New York for his father’s distribution firm. It solely is sensible that his first go on the restaurant enterprise can be to serve the proper pastry to dunk into that espresso.

The Koffee King Cafe opened a couple of weeks in the past at 3712 New Court docket Ave. in Lyncourt, within the constructing that when housed Bob’s Barkers brick-and-mortar scorching canine stand. Mike and his spouse, Rebekah, had talked for years about opening a restaurant that serves her baked items, sandwiches and soups. Earlier this yr, he was on his solution to the workplace on Townline Highway and observed the constructing was on the market.

Mike and Rebekah closed on the property in April. They painted the doorway, constructed a meals counter utilizing discarded wine barrels and scraped years of grease off the kitchen gear. As they restored the within for the cafe, they opened an ice cream stand within the entrance lefthand aspect of the shop on July 2. They serve milkshakes, floats and cones, utilizing domestically made Byrne Dairy onerous ice cream.

The constructing is now absolutely open with 5 tables inside for as much as 18 dine-in clients. Additionally they have picnic tables within the outside patio and a drive-through window.

All through the summer time, Rebekah labored on perfecting her recipes for the cafe. She developed a breakfast pizza, a chocolate peanut butter banana bread, grilled sandwiches and belly-filling soups.

The signature dish right here, although, is the Gooey Buns.

Mike grew up in Syracuse consuming the sticky buns his grandmother made every weekend. Rebekah’s aspect of the household in southern New Jersey had its personal cinnamon bun recipe handed down from her great-grandmother. Rebekah spent months mixing the 2 recipes till she found out the perfect mix.

“I’m in love with the product,” Mike stated. “Severely, these are particular. They do take so lengthy to make, but it surely’s so value it ultimately.”

You’d assume making sticky buns is nothing greater than mixing up some flour, sugar, cinnamon and water and tossing it into an oven.

Suppose once more.

It takes Samantha Kelly, their normal supervisor and head baker, three hours to make a batch of 30-48 buns every morning. “That’s why different individuals don’t make these,” Rebekah stated. “It takes so lengthy for the dough to rise that most individuals simply hand over.”

The selfmade dough recipe comes from Rebekah’s aspect of the household. Mike’s great-grandmother, Malvina, would put melted butter on prime of the dough, beneath the cinnamon and sugar.

You will need to strive …

Gooey Buns ($3.19): A typical sticky bun from a bakery or grocery store weighs 2 or 3 ounces. Those at Koffee King Cafe are something BUT typical. I believe I found out why they name them Gooey Buns right here: The assume syrupy glaze serves as a binder for the 5 rings of cinnamon dough reasonably than a skinny hardened sugar icing.

Considered one of these 6-inch breakfast pastries weighs 9½ ounces, extra in case you order one with nuts and/or cream cheese frosting. This baked yeast pastry is heavier than 5 scrambled eggs, and it’s a hell of lots tastier.

You have to a big cup of their medium-roast Paul de Lima espresso to scrub it down. The espresso is contemporary and enhances the bun properly with out getting in the best way of its taste.

TIP: Be certain you could have a knife. These buns are so dense that with out a fork, it’ll be like consuming an extra-long Pizza Frite on the State Honest. That’s factor.

Sausage Cream Cheese Soup ($4.99): Koffee King gives a creamy tomato soup and this savory soup every day. This simply occurs to be Mike’s favourite. It higher be since Rebekah got here up with the recipe.

The soup has a rooster broth base with heavy cream and cream cheese. She provides diced onions, garlic and tomatoes earlier than including floor Gianelli Italian sausage and parmesan cheese.

I used this as a dipping sauce for my fried bologna sandwich. The tender buttered bun absorbed the meaty broth oh-so properly. It turned out to be the proper bowl of consolation for this time of yr.

Fried Bologna Sandwich ($5.99): That is considered one of few eating places within the space that serves such a sandwich, and that’s a disgrace. We’re not speaking a slab of Oscar Mayer lunch meat between two slices of Surprise Bread warmed up in a microwave oven.

Mike fries seven skinny slices of high-end deli meat in scorching vegetable oil as he grills a buttered potato roll. Once more, that is what Malvina made him for lunch when he was a child. “It’s at all times been my favourite sandwich,” he stated.

Whereas Mike prefers his fried bologna plain, I had him unfold some darkish mustard on prime of the meat. He additionally gives a slice of Colby-jack cheese.

Affogato ($4.49): This Italian coffee-based dessert is not like something you’ll discover at Starbucks or some fancy coffeehouse or ice cream parlor. It’s mainly a espresso float.

Mike plops a wholesome scoop of onerous vanilla ice cream into the underside of a 20-ounce cup earlier than almost filling it with Paul de Lima dark-roast espresso. He provides a shot of caramel syrup earlier than topping that with a dollop of soft-serve ice cream. He finishes with a swirl of heavy whipped cream and a hoop of scorching caramel sauce.

The clear plastic cup winds up wanting like a drinkable lava lamp because the tender ice cream slowly melts its manner into the espresso. That is THE excellent pick-me-up within the late afternoon. Certain, it’ll wreck your dinner, however the caffeine buzz fights a depraved sugar excessive to provide you all types of vitality.

The Particulars

The venue: Koffee King Cafe, 3712 New Court docket Ave., Syracuse. (315) 960-0006.

Hours: Monday-Saturday 7 a.m. to eight p.m. Closed Sunday. (They’ll be closing at 2 p.m. when ice cream season ends.)

Costume: Informal

Alcohol: No

Bank cards? Sure

Eat in? Sure

Takeout: Yep

Parking: Massive parking zone.

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Charlie Miller finds the most effective in meals, drink and enjoyable throughout Central New York. Contact him at (315) 382-1984, or by e mail at cmiller@syracuse.com. You too can discover him on Twitter @HoosierCuse.