SHELL and BONES

Excellent lunch at Shell and Bones on a sunny afternoon with a storm brewing over the water. The view from our requested window table was perfect and later protected us from the rain. This restaurant is handling the #covid situation very with face masks necessary and floor patterning routes readily available. The staff was very helpful in making sure that our meal was safe and delicious.

I ordered the Crab Cake BLT from the Luncheon Specials menu and was very pleased with my choice. The crab cake was huge and entirely composed of sweet and juicy crab. The pretzel roll was toasted and fill with delicousness of romaine, tomato, chipotle mayo and some extra special sweet and sour bacon. The only drawback was the size of the sandwich for the presentation board which also held a bucket of Old Bay fries. What a wonderful meal. The two other diners chose the Fish Tacos [swordfish that day] and opted for the fries instead of chips. They were both pleased with the choice. Three of us split and order of churro bites with a dip of chocolate and whipped cream. I opted for a cold brew iced coffee and had a Pedlar's Coffee with simple syrup and cream. Definitely the place to be for a good meal. Our only other visit had been to Happy Hour which was a real treat! Return!

SHELL and BONES

Happy Hour starts at noon today! It's 4:30 so we are late. Rushed over from the Long Wharf Theater to a great adventure here at Shell and Bones. Greeted by the cordial bar staff and made to feel at home. Too bad it was a dreary day as the view is phenomenal! Oysters at $1 apiece so had half a dozen and they were fresh and meaty. Oyster fritters were actually deep fried oysters with a bit of batter on top of remoulade.delicious. Steak skewers were cooked just perfectly and a tender bite or two each. The Broccoli salad had hazelnuts, orange segments, kale, pomegranate and a tahini honey lime vinaigrette. There was a can of Black Hog ale that completed this great meal disguised as a happy hour fest.

KITCHEN ZINC

Great lunch today in New Haven at Zinc. Went down to visit art museums so put our lunch in the middle of the trip. Wonderful respite in the center of all that activity. Reservations at noon, the restaurant opened exactly at that time and then started to fill up.

Amuse Bouche of Flatbread and dipping sauce sounds so simple but the taste was outrageous. We had to have a refill.

My Hangar Steak [$16] was delicious, cooked to perfection at medium rare. It was accompanied with good french fries and a side salad with the best vinaigrette. There was nothing left to take home but there was also no room for dessert. A good reason to return. My dining partner raved about her Scottish Salmon over a pesto risotto and sauced very elegantly.

The only disappointment was the lack of Pinot Noir so I ordered a special drink on the menu but couldn't be made for lack of an ingredient. Ended up with a glass of Pinot Franc [$13] which really didn't fit the bill. But none of this will keep me from returning for another lunch.

blognote: There was excellent service from Andrea.

Soul de Cuba

Hearty warm food on a windy day. That was our Sunday afternoon in New Haven at Soul de Cuba. After super mojitos [mine a Negroni mojito], we ended up ordering the same thing. This is usually very frowned upon when dining with me but it just had to happen!

Lechon Asado 'a traditional celebration dish!' mojo marinated pork roasted until tender then hand pulled and topped with caramelized onions and served with rice and black beans [$19]. Rico and delicious!

HEIRLOOM

And another wonderful lunch today at Heirloom in New Haven after a visit to two museums - one before and one after. Started off with a shared Quartino of Montepulciano [$19] and the Olives [$6] and Gypsy Peppers [$8] which were seared and salted.

                
My Fish Tacos [$16] were fresh and delicious and the Smoked Tomato Soup [$6] was a cup of luxurious taste. For dessert we shared an order of Caramel Apple Doughnuts [$10] and each had a cup of very good coffee.

11/11/16
Another successful visit today to Heirloom for a lunch after visiting the British Museum at Yale. One had the Smoked Maine Trout Sandwich Melt [$18] with a Kale Salad and the other of us had the CT Grass Fed Beef Burger [$18] Grafton Cheddar, Horseradish Jam, House Pickles, Heirloom Fries. We also split a half bottle of Pinot Blanc [$24] Coffee and the Cookie Plate Sampler [$10] with a cup of frosting!

7/20/16
Between gallery and museum visits we stopped at Heirloom for a very nice lunch. The restaurant is located in the The Study at Yale Hotel. We started with the WHIPPED CHICKEN LIVER PATE [$10] Bacon Jam, Sea Salt & Toast  and it was delicious!

Then I proceeded [as did my guest] to the CRACKLING CALAMARI SALAD Napa Cabbage, Greens, Cilantro, Cucumber & Carrots, Yuzu-Ginger Dressing [$16] which came with ginger dressing for the greens and a spicy dressing for the calamari. This was a filling bowl of fantastic flavors with the calamari perfectly fried and very tender. This was enhanced by a glass of Pinot Blanc [$14].

Finished with a scoop Salted Caramel Gelato [order split for the two of us $8] and the Heirloom Cookie Plate of four different flavor freshly cooked cookies with a little crock filled with buttercream icing!

blognote: Love the included Valet Parking...

Chief Brody's Bahn Mi

Went to KNOW GOOD Market's first gathering this year on Bartholomew Street. The first truck I saw was the Chief Brody's Banh Mi Truck so I quickly got into line. What a good move that was! The line got longer and longer but was worth the wait. I had the Pork Belly [meat choice of the night $8] loaded [+$3] Banh Mi sandwich. There was also a Bahn Mi Bowl that looked delicious...next time!

blognote: no website but there is a link to Face Book

IKEA Café

Oh, those wonderful Swedish Meatballs. A plate of meatballs, mashed potatoes and lingonberry jam [$4.29] makes a wonderful and inexpensive meal. Here at the Café at IKEA in New Haven we had a great lunch.

After shopping we stopped back at the café and had dessert; four for the three of us! Chocolate Overload Cake [$2.29], Swedish Apple Cake [$2.29], Almond Cake [$1.29] and a new Princess Cake [$1.29]. Then the two Coffees and a Tea were free. What a day!

blognote: My visitors from Hawaii had never been to an IKEA store before.

Atticus Bookstore Café

Had a great lunch here today in New Haven before seeing Ibsen's 'The Master Builder at Yale Rep [actually presented in the Yale School of Drama Theater.

We both had the Cuban Pork Sandwich [$8.95]: Pulled Pork Grilled Onions Chipotle Sauce, Black Beans and Cheddar Cheese Grilled on a Chabaso Brioche Bun and it was delicious and filling. Recession Special, Free Trade Coffee was $1. We finished by sharing one excellent Passionfruit Truffle [$2.50].

bloginfo: See website and menu here.

blognote: This Atticus is a 1082 Chapel Street very near Yale Rep and both art galleries [ Yale British and Yale University Gallery].

York Street Noodle House

Visited the Yale Art Gallery today to see the 'Picasso and the Written Word' exhibit. Had a late lunch at the York Street Noodle House which had just been reviewed that morning in the Hartford Courant. The restaurant lived up to and even exceeded the great review.

We each ordered a Green Salad [$2.75] with Avocado Dressing : one with baked snow pea crisp [S1]  and the other with crispy noodle [S2]. Both were delicious!

Then we shared a [D12] Assorted Steamed Dim Sum Sampler [$5] with 8 pieces of shumai, har kaw and dumplings - veggie/shrimp/chicken served in a bamboo steamer on a bed of edamame. A great taste sensation.

To drink there was a cast iron pot of green tea [$1.75] and a Thai Iced Tea with Bubble [$2.75] which you just have to try!!!

bloginfo: check out the website

blognote: The review does a good job describing the bubble tea: 'Bubble tea isn't only fun to say, it's fun to drink as well. Tiny pearls of tapioca sit in the bottom of a flavored tea - served hot, cold or slushy - waiting to be sucked up through a colorful, oversized straw'.