Connecticut Restaurants

[Danielle]

Recently, Bux (France discussion moderator) commented that he did "not remember much very good food there."  He was referring to New Haven, CT.   What a thrill it is to encourage him to come back and see how much the scene has changed in the last five years or so.

I have two personal favorites, probably because they remind me of France:

the Union League Cafe, in a stately old building (the Roger Sherman) near the Yale campus.  The dining-room is large, with a handsme fireplace, huge windows, tables far apart and draped in white, the staff is experienced and sollicitous -- that's a terrific first impression.  Upon sitting down, of course the menu is handed to you to peruse: someone offers to take your drink order, your server comes over with a basket of homemade breads and describes that day's specials -- there are usually very few, so that you won't forget the first few after you've heard the last ten.  The menu is simple and dishes are clearly described.  My favorite for lunch is the "moules marinieres", and the sandwiches are scrumptious, if you can call them sandwiches -- the chef lists them that way!  Lunch prices are very good, around ษ without wine, but it includes salad, "main course", dessert and good coffee.

And then, in Branford, Ct, there is Le petit Café, a bouchon Lyonnais.  They have a unique formula: for a ำ dollars prix-fixe, all diners enjoy the same first courses, a sampling of six different ones: a soup, a mixed salad, a pâté, some cold vegetable (beet root, or celery root, or grated carrots), etc.  Then diners choose a main course from the blackboard: if I recall correctly, it involves four meats and two water creatures (fish or seafood), everyone gets the same vegetable courses, homemade baguettes, and a choice of five or six desserts.  Wine, bottled water, coffee are additional.  The concept was developed by the former owner, Patrick Boisjot with the help of Jacques Pépin (Patrick is now the director of the Culinary School at UNH); the new chef-owner is a superb chef with great creative talents, and his lovely wife does wonders at welcoming guests.  The servers are well-trained, they know all the dishes, because they have tried them.  A real treat.

There is also an outstanding Malaysian restaurant: Bentara's on Orange Street, downtown: the chef uses his mother's recipes, no less!  and it is sooooo good! The decor is classy, the tables far apart, the servers have a few things to learn, but they are OK.

The Cuban restaurant, Roomba, on Chapel street, in the basement of the Roger Sherman building, serves too much food: I usually have to order two appetizers, because picking one main course is not enough to satisfy my urge to try different dishes.  If my husband is in a sharing mood, we order two main courses between us and share.  My only objection is that the noise level is very high, and conversations are difficult, a definite drawback in my not-always-so-humble opinion.

I am probably forgetting some of the others, unfortunately, but I'll shamelessly come back to this topic.

Danielle

[Bux]

I remember a nice meal at the Union League Cafe. It was at least some six or more years ago. I also seem to recall that one needed to reserve some time in advance, especially on certain weekends. Is it under the same management as it was then? There were a few other restaurants that were casual and satisfactory near the campus as well. It's certainly not a dessert.

The Cuban restaurant must be new. Is it not?

Perhaps Shaw will chime in about the pizza, or apizza, in New Haven. He's a fan, but I forget offhand of which of the two famous places.

[Danielle]

Union League Café:  I don't remember when the management changed.  The former owner, now retired is the present owner-chef's mother-in-law, he was the chef of the more formal restaurant under her baton;  the style has changed to "bistro", it is still difficult to have a table for dinner on weekends.

Roomba is probably two-years old, and very difficult to get a table at every night.  Food is truly excellent and well-priced; just too noisy with music and chatter, and nothing absorbs the sound.

I only know of one famous apizza, Pepe's, in the Brewster Street area.  Shaw, are you there? Bux says you know two!

I just remembered to name the Park West Cafe in Hamden, Ct.  It is owned by two interior designers who love to cook; their restaurant, near Quinipiac University is tiny-tiny and they serve only lunch from Monday to Wednesday, reservations are a MUST (203-288-2233): their garlic soup is "to die for" to quote my friend Micki; and you can buy it to go by the gallon (well maybe by the quart).  You can convince them to give a party for you on a weekend, but they'll do it only once a month.

[Bux]

Union Square rang a bell, Cafe didn't. Perhaps it was the more formal Union Square Restaurant I knew.

I believe Sally's Apizza is the other one. The link will take you to Shaw's Pizza page at fat-guy.com where he extolls the virtues of Sally's pizza over Pepe's. I've only had pizza once in New Haven, so I have no say in this argument.

[Fat Guy]

At the risk of repeating what I've said elsewhere, I do like Sally's better than Pepe's. They are connected historically, but at this point I think of the two Sally's more vigorously maintains its quirky, artisanal character. Pepe's is probably more famous to outsiders, whereas the locally born-and-raised connoisseurs I've spoken to tend to favor Sally's. I'd be happy to answer any questions beyond that.

Claire's is also a long-time favorite for casual dining, especially the Lithuanian coffee cake.

Louis Lunch is well known for hamburgers, and in fact claims to have invented the hamburger.

Mamoun's Falafel (I think that's the name) is excellent and has a branch in New York City as well.

I haven't been to Leon's for Italian in the longest time, but I remember it being superb old-style Southern Italian. I once saw the Leon's recipe for "beans and greens" printed in gourmet. It was a memorable dish when I had it at Leon's.

[Danielle]

I am so ashamed, I am almost blushing in embarrassment for forgetting Sally's!  I have not been there in a long long time because I usually go for pizza with friends who prefer Pepe's.  Yes, Claire's is very pleasant indeed, and Mamoun's introduced me to middle-eastern food, so I am especially grateful to "him".

Another very nice place in New Haven, is Zinc, a relatively recent addition -- an after Bux's time kind of  addition, I don't remember if it's two or three years.  I think food is delicious and interesting, i.e. not the usual run-of-the-mill, but portions are too small and noise level too high -- here again, nothing to absorb it: the contemporary decor is quite elegant.

[Bilmo]

I've never been to Sally's.  Who knows, if I went, I might find it to be better than Pepe's.  But, Pepe's white clam pizza is the single most delicous food I have ever eaten!  This makes it very difficult for me to experiment during those few times I'm in New Haven.

[Howie]

While it's been over a year since my days in New Haven, all your memories of the dining scene have brought me back to my bright college years.  Some other notable dining options that haven't been mentioned:

1) BAR pizza - while not as good as Sally's or Pepe's, more of a hip scene, a good bar with different microbrews, and much better than average pizza. And while you're there, don't forget to get their famous mashed potato topping which is definitely worth a try.

2) Royal Palace - one of the newest additions to the recently developed Ninth Square district (near the train station and old Coliseum), great Chinese restaurant with surprisingly fresh ingredients.  Hopefully the quality hasn't fallen off since I left...

3) Book Trader Cafe - Has one of the best blueberry muffins I've ever had and very reasonable, homemade sandwiches.  A nice lunch spot and outdoor seating, too.

Take care, everyone!

[Fat Guy]

Bilmo, if it's white clam pizza you're after, Pepe's is better than Sally's for that pie only because Pepe's uses fresh top neck clams and Sally's shamefully uses canned or frozen (I forget which, but they're lame). However, all other pies are better at Sally's on account of superior crust, sauce and non-clam toppings. In particular, in late summer/early fall the Sally's pizza biancas are amazing -- fresh local tomatoes, or zucchini and yellow squash, with maybe onions (that's how I like it), on a white mozzarella pie no sauce. When those ingredients are not at their peak, such as during winter, another white pie I love is olive and onion. And Sally's sausage, from a local producer, is terrific.

The white clam pie at Lombardi's here in New York City is also excellent. It's close enough in quality to Pepe's that the trip to New Haven wouldn't be worth it to me. And as at Pepe's, most of the non-clam pies at Lombardi's are disappointing. Strange.

[Bilmo]

I started going to Lombardi's the week it opened.  I was so blown away with that first visit.  The crust was just amazing.  My jaw ached for hours afterwards.  I thought it was perfect (although we never did get clam pizza there - I don't even remember seeing it at the beginning).  Anyway, I don't know if it's coincidence, but after that scandal they had, or rather the pizza maker went through, which removed him from Lombardi's, I never thought the pie reached it's former glory.  I still think it's good, but just like I think lots of places are good.  I rarely visit anymore.  I'll go and try the white clam pie, though.

And, that reminds me, speaking of seafood pizzas, has anyone else tried the lobster pizza at Biba in Boston?  I thought it was amazing, and I'm not one to love anything with lobster.  Intense lobster flavor.  I don't know what current incarnation of Biba exists, if any.  Didn't it burn down recently?  This pizza was one of her signature dishes, so if she has a place, there's a good chance of finding this pizza.

[Fat Guy]

I'm reasonably confident that you'll find the Lombardi's clam pie, made with fresh littlenecks, to be categorically different from other Lombardi's pies.

There's a nice lobster pizza available at Trattoria Dell'Arte in New York City. Very thin crust, with the meat of a whole small lobster on top.

[Rachel Perlow]

We tried to go to Sally's and then Pepe's not realizing that neither is open for lunch. So, we ended up having a hamburger at Louis' Lunch followed by falafel at Mamoun's.

An excellent specimen of falafel, highly seasoned patties, rather than balls, with plenty of lettuce, ripe tomatoes and tahini. We also picked up some interesting home made middle eastern candy. It is gelatinous, with a kind of marshmallow chewiness, studded with an assortment of nuts.

PS - thank heavens for GPS! We use the Magellan version 750NAV Plus (same version found in Hertz rental cars). It enabled us to be spontaneous, change plans, and go off the major highways without worry.

[rshorens]

My daughter's a Yale student, so I've had a chance to sample the food on numerous trips in the past few years. In addition to all the postings above, my latest discovery is Ibiza, which I described in a post several days ago under "restaurants in Westport, CT"(the reason why it's there is because Ibiza is the sister restaurant to Meigas in Norwalk, which was discussed under the Westport thread). Any way- the food at Ibiza is exquisite; the restaurant was written up in a recent Wine Spectator(June 30, 2003)article and chef Luis Bollo was named Chef of the Year in November issue of Esquire.

I ate there for lunch, and the value for the magnificent food was excellent. not to be missed.

Roz

[FlaJoe]

I am a native of New Haven, although I live in Florida now. Sadly, Leon's has closed, but it was one terrific restaurant.

The culinary scene in New Haven has really picked up over the past few years.

Union League is always first rate, as are Roomba and Bentara.

I was at Sally's and Pepe's this summer, and I have to say, Sally's still rules.

Pepe's is still good, although not as great as it once was.

Modern Pizza on State is also a place to try if one can't get into Sally's or Pepe's.

Another Italian restaurant that is a must go, when in New Haven,is Consiglio's on Wooster St, between Sally's and Pepe's.

Great food, solid service, and a real nice overall dining experience. They have been around forever, but have really expanded their culinary chops in recent years.

I was there is July for the first time in many years, and it was a great meal.

Made me miss Leon's a little less.

[cheereeo70]

- Tre Scalini in Wooster Street is Incredible. You can never go wrong there. Great service too. Interesting Northern Italian menu. Good wines. Priced right.

- Don't bother with the new Central Steakhouse (owned by Bentara)--way overpriced. Neat atmosphere with a TV screen in the dining room that hangs over the grill and chef area, but the scarsity of what you get is so not worth the coolness of the view into the kitchen. (e.g., chimicurri steak for $39--comes with a pile of boring raw pea shoots on the side!!)

- Zinc is very sterile. Open kitchen.

- New restaurant on State Street-Trevethan's--chef from Citrus in Milford (formerly of Jeffrey's). Supposed to be very good.

- Heard that the new steak place on Wooster Street, 232 Wooster Street Steak House (formerly Alto Basso, formerly Del Monaco's) is absolutely incredible and priced right with a great bright atmosphere, rather than your traditional gentlemen's club steak place atmosphere.

- Blue Pearl also looks interesting but haven't been able to get there yet. (thebluepearlnewhaven.com). Neat casual (homey-style) American menu with great sounding desserts including chocolate fondue.

- Sandra's Place - Great soul food restaurant. She opened new location up on Whitney Avenue, visited often by business folks. (First place is in the seedier side of town but still has the incredible food everyone has grown to love.)

- Pad Thai - Favorite Thai restaurant on Chapel Street.

- 500 Blake Street in Westville section has been renovated. Good food and often forgotten.

- Carmine's Tuscan Grille in Westville - Very good. Nice atmosphere. Excellent service.

[Janedujour]

the Union League Cafe, in a stately old building (the Roger Sherman) near the Yale campus.  The dining-room is large, with a handsme fireplace, huge windows, tables far apart and draped in white, the staff is experienced and sollicitous -- that's a terrific first impression.

HaHa!

I remember when it was Sherman's Tavern on the Green in the '80s. It was a popular place for Yalies to bring their visiting parents to for dinner, as well as a popular happy hour place for single downtown working girls to get wasted night after night.

Guess which one I was?

[HungryChris]

We had occaision to sample the Frank Pepe's clam pie today. The last two times we went there we were greeted by a sign that said "No Clam Pies Today". When we asked what that was about, we were told that

the clams had not been delivered. The last time, as we left, a Connecticut Shellfish truck pulled up as we pulled out.

The clam pie we had today had the indesputable flavor of fresh clams. I think this is a flavor that if you are not accustomed to, can be missed completely. If you know what a fresh clam tastes like, you know enough to appreciate it when you encounter it. That is what we had today, and that was a damned good pizza!

The travel Channel was there filming today, BTW.

HC

[jrinct]

Consider anything on Wooster St...Tre( Scalini) and Perroti's....and Abate

Antonio's in EH and Lucibello's in WH.

Being from the area our social club frequents these places a lot and might be considered our "IN" places....

Edited November 13, 2003 by jrinct (log)

[chow guy]

I am visiting New Haven from New Mexico (editing a book with my publisher here) and I'm in chow heaven. We have been eating out alot... particularly pizza since it's a perverbial dessert for pizza in New Mexico.

The clam pizza at Pepe's was great but the clam pie and the tomato with pepperoni and sausage from Modern Apizza were right up there too.

My favorite pizzza though was Roseland Apizza in Derby. The clam pie (has cheese) and was terrific but the Rosemary pie made me swoon. It had cheese, rosemary sea salt and the thinest crust I have ever eaten. The house special with tomato,cheese and homemade sausage was unbelievable too.

Take out from Gastronomic over near the campus was a winner too. We had Tuna w/ wasbi mashed potatoes and duck breast with wild mushroom risotto.

Lucabello's in West Haven was pretty good too. Obscene sized portions.

The Goulash Place in Danbury is not to be missed. Wow! The best stuffed cabbage and goulash I have had in years and Magda the owner is woth the trip.

[TrishCT]

Irwin (Wesza) will be glad to know you went to Roseland, he has been after me to go and I will...one of these days.... I just can't get it in me to travel to Derby.

You definitely hit some of the most celebrated spots in Connecticut, good going.

[vserna]

I just read about Ibiza on another board, and I looked up their web site. I can't tell about the quality, having never been there, but from my vantage point in Spain I can tell you that this looks like a very good modern Spanish place, the likes of which I haven't seen in NYC, San Francisco or Los Angeles!

Edited January 29, 2005 by vserna (log)

[fchrisgrimm]

Ibiza, together with sister-restaurant Meigas, have received extraordinary press, with the likes of Wine Spectator, Esquire, and the New York Times endorsing with statements such as "finest Spanish restaurant(s) in the country" and "finest restaurant(s) in Connecticut."

I have yet to bother schlepping to Ibiza, preferring Meigas for it's proximity. But I would certainly expect a fine meal at Ibiza. (Though I have noted on other posts that I prefer the less-pretentious Mecca, around the corner from Meigas.)

Barcelona also offers good tapas in both South Norwalk and Greenwich.

While we don't tend to wander up to New Haven to dine, I would recommend a couple of places down in Fairfield County as amongst the finest...

Paci in Southport (Italian regional cuisine in a remarkable location at the old Southport train station)

Thali in New Canaan (Indian)

Faifield seems to grow French restaurants like mushrooms. I'd love any thought on those.

[bushey]

We've only been once, a couple of months ago, but Ibiza was wonderful. Excellent service, absolutely delicious food and an interesting wine list. We live in the Springfield, MA, area and it's definitely worth the drive -- we were just talking about going back very soon. We tried white anchovies, prok, monkfish, fideo. Great little amuse dish and post-dessert chocolate shake with beignet-like puffs.

Pretty reasonably priced, also, as I remember.

[elrap]

I was born near New Haven, lived there for decades and just have to stand up for Pepe's over Sally's, though I can't say why. There was a raging debate years ago indicating that Pepe's used a blend of parmesan and romano cheese while Sally's used straight parmesan, but that's as scientific as I can get. And I'm suprised no one mentioned The Spot, if it's still around.

It was great to read about all these new restaurants, and some of the old ones - Leon's! I was practically married there. One place I miss that wasn't mentioned was the Yankee Doodle lunch counter - pigs in a blanket, with the special sauce they made in their basement (basically a mild green relish). I hope they're still there on Broadway, near the corner of York.

Thanks for giving me a bunch of new places to try next time I'm there for a visit.

L. Rap

[jrinct]

Run dont walk to Antonio's in East Haven. Right on Main Street just over the town line.