NEW HAVEN – Craving some fried dough in the middle of winter? Don’t want to be on a long drive to the nearest festival? Soon-to-open downtown eatery Fest Faves has got you covered.
With a passion for cooking and a love for carnival food, the couple with wife Victoria Streeto and Eric Balcerzak will open the new restaurant on September 7 at 15 Whitney Ave.
“We’ve always been interested in going to festivals and carnivals,” Streeto said. “There’s never been a carnival place before, and this is the first place that’s going to be a year-round fair and carnival where you can get these foods that are only available in the summer and fall.”
The couple’s menu features classic carnival treats like fried pizza dough, funnel cakes, cotton candy, corn dogs and pretzels. Customers can also get taco rolls, buffalo egg rolls, and various new toppings. And of course – lots of deep fried candy.
Streeto created all the recipes herself with the help of her chef father, who specializes in Italian cuisine. She added that all the Italian things served at the restaurant are traditional recipes and made from scratch.
She said the fried food at Fest Faves would be a little different than what people usually get at fairs, “because it’s better.”
“I have to say that I’m extremely proud of the recipe that we created, the fried Oreos and the fried cakes, because it’s all very special to us and we spend a lot of time on it, and when everyone tries it, I think they will know why we love it so much,” Streeto said.
Balcerzak was asked to select a recommended menu item. He chose three: cheesecake, triple chocolate and fried pizza dough.
“Looks like a fan favorite,” he said of the latter. “I think we’re really going to stand out in that category because, again, with the homemade sauce and whatnot, it just gives different flavors and we’ve gotten a lot of good feedback, people asking for that.”
In addition to the carnival-like food, customers will also experience the colorful, festive decorations that give an atmosphere of being in a circus tent with red and white stripes. They said they don’t just want people to enjoy the carnival, but also feel it.
“When people come in, we plan to have popcorn, complimentary music, carnivalesque playing in the background, just giving people that old, traditional, family vibe,” Streeto said.
When asked what types of people should visit the new restaurant, the two agreed on “everyone fun, weird, fabulous, all ages.”
“This is the kind of stuff that puts a smile on your face while you’re eating it, you know,” Balcerzak said.
Fest Faves’ soft opening, which the couple called “a secret opening,” will be Sept. 7, with a grand opening and ribbon-cutting scheduled for the following week.
According to its website, Fest Faves will be open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 11:00 am to 3:00 pm on Sunday.
