OMG, the New Haven restaurant remix

[lagilman]

I have a feeling that the next twelve months will be interspersed with restaurant reviews because, OMG, New Haven is totally foodie heaven.

Tonight we went around the corner and checked out the little Italian bistro that had seemed nice, if not very busy.


They're probably not busy because they actively discourage students (minimum $14 per diner, per dinner) but they're still in business because OMG the food!* The bread was real Italian (i.e. no salt) and the olive oil was green, fuity and rounded; the appetizer (broccoli rabe and sausage) was excellent, the main courses (pork chops, and scallops with linguini) were fabulous (and huge), and the desserts were OMG. Just... OMG. Crepes wrapped around vanilla bean gelatto, and almond biscotti with vin santo. Plus real espresso, which is rarer than we like to imagine (NOT Starbucks-style). And, to finish up, they offered us glasses of limoncello which I suspect was from the chef's own shelf. Plus a bottle of very nice wine from a nice and not horribly overpriced wine list.

For under $100.

And this is my "local Italian cafe."

They do pizza for lunch, too.

I'm so very very doomed.

(and, obviously, Passover has ended for me, tonight. As I said at dinner -- "Lord? I have sinned. Bread is the least of it. Forgive me, for this is GOOD.")

kradical? terri_osborne? You SO have to come up here to have dinner. You may not want to leave.



* the decor is also quite nice -- soothing and comfortable and very welcoming, without even the hint of overdone or Synthetalian.

Comments

[lizziebelle.livejournal.com]

Sounds wonderful! There's a real Italian restaurant (run by a real Italian, named Meno) here in my city. He advertises in the paper I work for, and a few months back, he invited all of us to come there for appetizers. The food kept coming (and coming!) and all of it was wonderful. Best mussels I have ever eaten. I dream about them. *g*

[equesgal.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you'd better get yourself a bunch of new jobs quick!

Yummmmm!!
sue

[mcurry.livejournal.com]

Okay, Gilman, I'll ask....what was the name of this fine establishment?

[lagilman]

Caffe Bravo.

[bgliterary.livejournal.com]

Well, if you've got to end Passover prematurely, do it in style! Congrats on the new backyard discovery.

[klingonguy.livejournal.com]

sounds yummy!

[mcurry.livejournal.com]

Cool. Thanks!

[lagilman]

eat there without stopping by, and you die. Just so's you've fair warning. :-)

[lagilman]

The God of Abraham, Isaac, etc is also the God of Good Eats. I'm quite certain of this.

[dancinghorse.livejournal.com]

He made it. You have to eat it. It's a holy obligation.

[neutronjockey.livejournal.com]

Plus real espresso, which is rarer than we like to imagine

...hmmm last time I had 'real' espresso was Brisbane---which was like (*crap!*) over 8 months ago. Dear god, you're right. I'm soffuring greatly. :(

[bgliterary.livejournal.com]

Someone told me about an article in the NYT last week where a rabbi was quoted, referring to the Passover bans on baking soda and powder and such, "They're just minerals, what does God care?" I thought that was hilarious.

[ianrandalstrock.livejournal.com]

I am so out of touch; I didn't realize you'd moved into New England. But wow! do you make the food sound good (when I lived in Milford, the height of culinary delight was Ponderosa, or the seafood shack by the water, back when they had little seafood shacks). Yum!

[sfmarty.livejournal.com]

whimper

[mcurry.livejournal.com]

So noted. :)

New Haven is great

[douglas-clegg.livejournal.com]

Wait, you're in New Haven? Have you tried Pepe's? Great pizza. I'd hazard that their clam pizza is the best pizza I've ever had. You're very lucky, you definitely are in for foodie heaven (and good prices, too.)

Re: New Haven is great

[lagilman]

Yep, got here a month ago. Which one's Pepe's? So many pizza places, I don't know where to begin...

(but... clam pizza? ugh)

Re: New Haven is great

[douglas-clegg.livejournal.com]

I said the same thing about clam pizza...try it...or try their house special. Frank Pepe's Pizzeria. 157 Wooster St, (btw Brown & Olive), New Haven, CT -- their oven is worth seeing.

It's very basic in terms of drinks (beer or soda, in small glasses), but the pizza is amazing. There are some really interesting restaurants in New Haven. That's a great town -- smart to be there (close enough to NY, but a different experience.)

We're about an hour north on the water, next to Mystic. Very quiet up here, and our peninsula (a small one) has about 600 summer residents and 120 winter residents.

Re: New Haven is great

[lagilman]

Around here, an hour makes us neighbors... *g*