New brunch spot with a view emerges at popular CT cafe. ‘Cool setting to hang out in,’ owner says

A bakery and cafe with four locations has started a weekend brunch at one of the spots, complete with alcohol and an inviting second-story view.

Hartford Baking Company has created a more upscale, plated menu for the a la carte brunch in its West Hartford location and now offers wine, local beers and eight handcrafted cocktails to go with it, said managing partner Scott Kluger.

“You get to be very creative, you get to make delicious treats,” Kluger said of the business he started in 2010, adding West Hartford in 2017. Other locations are in Glastonbury, Farmington, and South Windsor, the latter well known for its drive-through window.

He said the West Hartford location is “unique” because while there’s some seating downstairs, there is more upstairs that provides a view of the town.

“Upstairs is a really cool setting to hang out in,” he said.

Kluger said Hartford Baking Company is an American artisan bakery/cafe that offers about 10 different types of bread, their specialty sourdough, as well as croissants, scones, cookies, bars, and pastries that use his mother’s recipes, which he made with her as a youngster.

They also have a breakfast menu, a lunch menu with sandwiches, homemade soups and now a separate a la carte brunch menu.

“We make everything by hand, from scratch,” he said.

Brunch is served Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Other breads they sell include ciabatta, walnut raisin, cinnamon swirl on weekends and others at various times.

While they’ve had a liquor license for “a while,” they just recently instituted brunch and there are no current plans to offer it at other locations.

The brunch menu includes eggs on sourdough biscuits & gravy, fresh avocado toast, huevos rancheros, brioche French toast, buttermilk pancakes, seasonal fruit compote and a lineup of breakfast burgers, including the hangover burger topped with an egg, hash browns, coffee aioli, and bacon.

The brunch craft cocktails include espresso martini, bloody Marys, and blood orange mimosa white peach Bellini made with Prosecco.

“It’s a natural extension of our menu,” Kluger said of the brunch menu.

He said folks have been slow to find out about the brunch, but they’ve received, “great feedback.”…Read more by Pamela McLoughlin