BEST of both worlds: Sugar Couture Opens in East Williamsburg

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It’s perhaps the most pleasant sugar high ever, devoid of the jagged ups and downs, shaking hands and elevated heart rate. A visit to East Williamsburg’s new boutique café, Sugar Couture, brings just the right amount of sweet and savory to the daily grind, from breakfast options to afternoon snacks.  

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Café founder and owner, Penny Stankiewicz, is no stranger to the sweeter side of food. Formerly a documentary director, Stankiewicz went to school to explore the creative outlet of food, pastry and cake decorating. Since then she has established a reputation as cake decorator to the stars with her Sugar Couture special occasion cakes.

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Creating a delicious concept where the sweet is mixed with the savory was a natural next step for Stankiewicz. "I was feeling strongly like it was time for a new challenge, “ says the café owner. “And it had always been a dream of mine to have a retail shop, so when all of the pieces began to fall together, I took the leap!”

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 Dessert favorites come alive in an elevated way in the expert hands of Stankiewicz. Sizeable flakes of sea salt make sweet things sweeter and more dynamic, from studded pecan raisin brownies to seductive caramel candies. Meaty pistachios, crunchy and sticky, are savory jewels paired with delicate pear in tasty tarts and earthy pumpkin and the hum of dulcet mature fig combine to create perfect cheesecake. And luxurious chocolate roasted sandwich cookies blend the unexpected.

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Select savories like seasonal soups, salads, warm pressed sandwiches, and hearty vegetable dishes, add yet another layer to Sugar Couture. These rich melodies with eggy accents, flaky pastry, and doughy breads do not forget the sweet roots of the owner. Sultry bacon jam croissants and decadent creamy baked eggs in puff pastry, both crusty, salty, and textured—perfect breakfasts. Even bready focaccia selections have inherent sweetness from the pretty base to caramelized onion, tangy tomato, tender short rib or butternut squash.

Mustn’t forget about the cakes, the sweet treat Stankiewicz is known for. Daily specials like spicy lemon ginger cake layered thick with smooth tropical passion fruit butter cream, or fall flavored slices laced with caramel, browned butter and apple are a staple at the new café.

Along with the handcrafted bites, Sugar Couture offers Toby’s Estate Coffee, specialty drinks and drink infusions to round out the delectable experience. The intimate space complete with fresh details allows for delightful indulgence and a harmony of flavors.

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WHERE:

Sugar Couture

386 Graham Avenue

Brooklyn, NY 11211

Ph. 718.349.1440

www.sugar-couture.com

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12.22.14  

a focus on FRESH: EXKi opens in the Flatiron District

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Perfect for a filling breakfast, quick lunch or low-maintenance dinner, EXKi [eck-skee] offers fresh prepared food full of flavor and nutrition. Beginning in Belgium, the chain of over 75 fast-casual eateries across Europe has stretched to the States with the opening of its first New York City location this week.

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Like the high-quality and convenient foods served and prepared daily on-premises, the space is inviting and clear— high ceilings, visible kitchen, streamlined dining nook and homey second floor with harvest table, cushioned chairs and wooden wall feature.

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EXKi, founded in 2001 by three food-obsessed friends, is like nature’s kitchen through its use of local, natural and seasonal ingredients, mainly vegetables. As Consulting Chef, Galen Zamarra of Mas (Farmhouse) and Mas (La Grillade), says that the mission is to “focus on inserting flavor with vegetables.” He has worked closely with Executive Chef Steven Mettle to adapt the EXKi experience and culture for the States by tailoring exquisite recipes to suit the American palette while maintaining the eatery’s values of authenticity, respect and transparency.

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The veggie-centric menu involves restaurant quality, convenient, flavorful and healthy options, bringing balance to any meal of the day. Breakfast welcomes spinach, zucchini and goat cheese croissants and egg wraps packed with fresh vegetables.

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Lunch can be a chilled trio salad like the Rejuvenated or the With Passion, inventive combinations balanced with natural ingredients. Plump wraps and sandwiches keeping with the fresh approach are also choices. The Waterfront starring succulent shrimp with sweet and warm curry, has a heat cooled by cucumber and bib lettuce, while the Classic Revised bursting with chicken, a creamy Caesar emulsion, and organic mesclun, inserts new life in a favorite.

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EXKi’s fresh eats are not limited to cold goods; the eatery also presents satisfying hot items. Savory tarts include La Menton thick with Arborio rice, mushrooms and salty bacon, and La Toulon brimming with tangy goat cheese and acidic tomato. Available for dinner, steamy cocottes with cod and fennel or shrimp, cauliflower and jasmine rice make for filling comfort foods.

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EXKi also shakes up raw blends, cool and refreshing mixes, like the On The Beach drink fruity with pineapple, coconut milk and mint, and the Passion Tea tangy with strawberry, mint and green tea.

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There is no shortage of sweet bites with flaky pastry like pain au chocolat, fresh fruits, or Belgian style old fashion tarts. Sharp rhubarb is topped with sugary streusel, just sweet enough apples are heightened with a delicate crust, and dense chocolate is made deeper, bringing each tart alive.

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Even in a fast-casual atmosphere, EXKi produces elegance through simplicity and satiation through balance, creating healthy, delicious and sustainable meals for the fast paced city.

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6.25.14 

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EXKi

257 Park Ave S,

New York, NY 10010
ph 929.236.3954