The former Katzenberg's deli has been given a makeover.
Owner Denise Malpeso has introduced her brand of fresh, vibrant, delicious food for folks on the go in the form of her newly opened Avenue Café. Malpeso traded the corporate world for the food world and has taken her passion for fresh fruits and vegetables and cooking with the best ingredients possible to create a menu that encompasses both healthful and comforting foods that everybody loves to eat. Formerly Katzenberg’s Café, owned by Denise previously, Avenue Café has kept the best of their customers’ favorite items, and taken the eatery to a whole new level.
Here is what Malpeso says about her business.
"The space, located towards the bottom of “The Avenue”, has been given a significant makeover, and incorporates a softer, sleeker touch, with a high tech persona. A clean white backdrop is flecked with circles of colorful mosaic tile, adding a playful dimension to the long narrow space. iPad screens are mounted on the walls for customers to work and play on. Three large HD TV screens stream the Café’s menus, food photos, community news, local advertisers, and news shows and entertainment. Comfortable red leather banquette seating and counter seating along the window looks out over a bustling town and its pressurized commuters.
“Everything we prepare is from scratch,” explains Denise,” From our house roasted turkey breast for salads and sandwiches, to the fresh squeezed orange juice we prepare right behind the counter.”
"Freshly baked muffins, pastries and quiche are prepared by the Café’s pastry chefs who arrive before dawn so the Café is ready for their early morning commuters. Illy Café, the premium Italian coffee brand, is their house brew – straight, espresso drip, or in a fluffy milky cappuccino. Customers can start their day with breakfast sandwiches and burritos filled with scrambles eggs, black beans, cheddar cheese and salsa, or griddled buttery French toast or buttermilk pancakes with pure maple syrup sourced from a local CT farmer.
"Denise’s enjoyment and appreciation for food stems from her own personal lifestyle and passion for food. “I love going to my farmer’s market in Union Square [NY] where I live,” she beams, “The produce is amazing, the eggs are fresh, and I always find something special to cook with. I want to bring this modern food culture to Avenue Café.”
"The Cafe’s signature salad bar allows customer to choose their base greens (Romaine, spinach, field greens or kale) and add a variety of beans, crisp fresh vegetables, cheeses, roast beef, chicken, and the list goes on. In addition to five+ soups made daily and creative salads, hearty sandwich wraps include the buffalo chicken or fresh veggies with hummus. Classic lunch time favorites include; tuna melt with provolone, tomato and sprouts on 8-grain bread; turkey or pork BLT with avocado; house brined hot pastrami on rye with slaw; and juicy premium burgers made with a ground chuck, sirloin and brisket blend from the Café’s Arthur Avenue meat market connection.
"This enthusiastic store owner gets just as excited for the Café’s fresh fruit and vegetable juicing and homemade low-fat yogurt smoothies, as she does for their the top sirloin Philly cheesesteak sandwich and the old world kosher style corned beef and pastrami. Decadent homemade sweet treats such as fresh baked pies, large M&M cookies, and fudge brownies round the Café’s offerings.
"Denise’s dedication flows over to her customers, who she greets every day and enjoys telling them about her Café’s offerings. Corporate catering is a large part of Avenue Café’s business, delivering lunches to large and small companies throughout the area. The New Yorker in her is evident by the Café’s 7-day-a-week delivery service, a unique offering in this city suburb.
“I’ve always wanted to have my own business and incorporate my love for food and people,” says Denise, “And to create this café in a town I love is truly a dream come true.”
HOURS:
Monday-Friday, 7am-7pm
Saturday, 9am-6pm
Sunday, 10am-6pm
Delivery, 7 days, 10am-5pm
Holiday catering menus available
Online Ordering
