The summer isn’t over yet, but I’ve been eating good so far and need to reflect on the bomb eats. I think I’m a foodie tbh. (Maybe everyone thinks they are.) All of my siblings think that we’re esteemed foodies, trained by Food Network. We were locked in to all of the early 2000s FN shows: Chopped, Iron Chef, Bobbly Flay, Down Home with the Neely’s, Diner’s Drive-Ins and Dives, Giada, Unwrapped, Man v. Food, even Paula Deen before she was canceled. That’s probably what my siblings and I bond over the most- finding new dining experiences and rating food. There were even a few times that we did cupcake wars at home, and the year that Sugar Bakery had their story printed on the cover of the newspaper for winning that year, we brought a copy for them to sign. Like, we’ve BEEN dead serious. For one of my brother’s birthday’s I overnight shipped him a giant tub of Magnolia Bakery banana pudding, another time for my mother’s birthday he shipped my mom this ginormous apple with homemade whipped cream from a steakhouse we were obsessed with. The bottom line is that we will go the extra mile for a food experience, and I feel like that qualifies me.
Restaurants Mentioned :
Connecticut
Rosso Vino – Branford, CT
Gioia – New Haven, CT
City Seed Farmers Market – New Haven, CT
Olmo – New Haven, CT
Shell & Bones – New Haven, CT
The Breakfast Nook – North Haven, CT
Villa Lulu – New Haven, CT
116 Cocktail Bar – New Haven, CT
Cave a Vin – New Haven, CT
Ixtapa Taqueria – New Haven, CT
Atticus Market – New Haven, CT
Viron Rondo Osteria – Cheshire, CT
Harvest – New Haven, CT
New York
chloe. – New York, NY
Ribalta – New York, NY
Rhode Island
Matunuck Oyster Bar – Wakefield, RI
Dinner and Lunch
Restaurant : Matunuck Oyster Bar – Wakefield, RI
What I ate: Grilled oysters, butter and herbs • Beet and goat cheese salad • Scallops, butternut squash and Brussel sprouts
Thoughts : This restaurant is along the water and the view is beautiful. The Brussel sprouts had a meaty and umami taste that was surprising but so good, the scallop dish was definitely the best part of the meal.
Restaurant : Viron Rondo Osteria – Cheshire, CT
What I ate: Salmon, roasted corn, zucchini, beans and cherry tomato • Honey ricotta and toast points • Shishito peppers
Thoughts : Not pictured are some truffle mashed potatoes that I ordered to go with the salmon. I had the force myself to not finish all of the peppers before my dinner came. It was SO good.
Restaurant : chloe. – Manhattan, NY
What I ate: Quinoa taco salad • Classic burger • Maple Brussel sprouts
Thoughts : Whenever I go into NYC and need lunch before class I like to stop by chloe. Really nice vegetarian food that’s intentional. I can’t stand vegetarian spots that aren’t creative enough with vegetables and take shortcuts by making everything with impossible junk meat, while it barely tastes good or feels “healthy”. The brussels sprouts and salad are, to me, more worth it than the burger. Fire!!
Restaurant : Rosso Vino – Branford, CT
What I ate: Pappardelle Al Telefono, lobster and tomato cream sauce pasta • Capesante Picatta, scallops in butter sauce with truffle mashed potatoes • Orange cream-sicle crème brûlée
Thoughts : This place is a cute, low-key spot. The sauce and capers on the scallops were a tiny bit salty, but other than that I was very pleased. The crème brûlée was the best surprise! The idea of orange cream-sicle inspired anything was a little daunting, because I just think of a dessert that’s sickly sweet. But the orange flavor and sweetness was so subtle.
Restaurant : 116 Cocktail Bar by Hachiroku – New Haven, CT
What I ate: Clams • Truffle Fries • Yamitsuki Cabbage
Thoughts : This bar is kind of tucked away and had a cozy, moody vibe. The truffle fries and cabbage were bomb.
Restaurant : Atticus Market – New Haven, CT
What I ate: Salmon Farro Salad, farro, scallion, carrot, cucumber
Thoughts : This salad has been my go to for lunch lately. Expensive, but a filling, healthy choice.
Restaurant : Ixtapa Taqueria @ Long Wharf Pier – New Haven, CT
What I ate : Plato de camarones, shrimp, rice, refried beans, salad with avocado, tortillas
Thoughts : Such an amazing deal for the money. It was $15 or $16, and you could definitely get full with enough with a decent amount of left-overs. Just waiting to eat it again!
Small Bites & Dessert
Bakery : Sono Bakery @ City Seed Farmers Market – New Haven, CT
What I ate: Quiche Lorraine • Veggie Quiche • Guava Cheese Danish • Raspberry Danish
Thoughts : Always a reliable pastry spot! The blackberry almond cream tart is probably my fav, along with the guava cheese danish.
Restaurant : The Breakfast Nook – North Haven, CT
What I ate: Granny’s Glazed Belgian Waffle, apples, brown sugar and cinnamon with whipped cream
Thoughts : This waffle might as well be dessert, its SOOOO fire. Like fire. You won’t want to share, but you’ll share it anyway just so that you can have someone to talk to about it.
Restaurant : Zavory’s Catering @ City Seed Farmers Market – New Haven, CT
What I ate: Arancini, marinara & bolognese sauce
Thoughts : I always love trying the “prepared foods” a the farmers market. The pesto sauce with these arancini were really good.
Restaurant: Olmo Bagels – New Haven, CT
What I ate : Lox bagel, poppyseed bagel, salmon lox, capers, red onion, tomato, beet cream cheese
Thoughts : Also expensive, but the lox bagel is worth it every time.
Restaurant : Gioia Gelateria – New Haven, CT
What I ate : Margarita slice • Olive oil gelato, toasted almonds
Thoughts : The potato slice is my favorite at the window. I’ve yet to sit down in the cafe or on the rooftop, but I’ll make it there soon. Since they let you sample as much as you want, I would recommend the the chocolate coconut and olive oil. The chocolate flavor is rich, like they just melted and froze a brownie, so good though. I don’t think I’m sold on the olive oil in desserts trend, but it’s always fun to try new things.
Crab Cakes
I love crab cakes so much, and going through my camera roll made me realize that if it’s on the menu I’m almost always going to order it. These are a few that I’ve enjoyed this summer.
Restaurant : Shell & Bones – New Haven, CT
What I ate : (Left) Panko crusted crab cake, apple and red cabbage + green pepper ranch
Restaurant : Villa Lulu – New Haven, CT
What I ate : (Middle) Jumbo lump crab cake, tomato jam, shaved fennel, remoulade
Restaurant : Rosso Vino – Branford, CT
What I ate : (Right) Can’t find the name of this crab cake, because I believe it was a special for that week. Although I remember it had corn and bell pepper inside and a chipotle aioli on the side • Fried squash flowers
Thoughts : The texture of the patty and salad that comes with the Shell & Bones crab cake is definitely the best, the tomato jam with Villa Lulus is perfect but otherwise it’s a tiny one, and the crab cake from Rosso Vino might be best overall for flavor and size.