A Change of Eatery

As usual, gourmet escapades are frequent and blog posts are shamefully few. Here’s one meek attempt to catch up.

Last week’s brilliant dinner at Miya’s led me to recall another memorable New Haven meal outing. Earlier this season, I visited Heirloom Restaurant, which is located in The Study at Yale on Chapel Street. The restaurant boasts a seasonally changing menu of creative modern cuisine and utilizes ingredients from local heritage growers.

Several menu items piqued my interest at first glance. And, with Nick at the table, I felt pretty confident that the meal would begin with cheese, as all good meals should.

Ploughman's Plate, Photo by Nick Caito

It’s true, a good cheese plate can make me feel invincible. My dining companions and I started with The Ploughman’s Plate- not your expected spread of modest wedges, smear of jam, slice or two of meat. Not for ploughmen like us. Instead, we were presented with a towering platter of cured meats, gorgeous artisan cheeses, house pickles, marmalade and toast. More specifically, La quercia american proscuitto, heirloom pastrami, salumi toscano, hot sopresatta, clothbound cheddar, beautiful maytag bleu, and truffle tremor goat cheese.

Local ricotta dumplings, Photo by Nick Caito

Heirloom burger, Photo by Nick Caito

My entree selection made me weak in the knees. Local ricotta dumplings- richly flavored with braised mushrooms, chestnuts, arugula, parmigiano, and luscious truffled pear brown butter…(There aren’t enough adjectives for a dish like this). Two of our dining companions chose the heirloom burgers (grass fed burger with local cheddar, house pickles, horseradish jam) and Nick opted for the veal cheek entree.

Espresso/chocolate pot de creme, Photo by Nick Caito

Since we only had room left for a spoonful of sweetness, the four of us ended dinner with a milk chocolate & espresso pot de creme topped with peanut crunch and caramel crema. Another dish I wouldn’t mind revisiting in its full helping.

All in all, a truly excellent meal.

Breakfast, lunch, brunch & dinner menus are available here.

Heirloom Restaurant, 1157 Chapel Street, New Haven, CT 06511-4806

Every Thursday through Saturday, the Spicy Green Bean in Glastonbury hosts a fantastic BYOB dinner with a weekly inspired menu of creative appetizer and entree selections.

This time around, the Bean is gearing up to celebrate Mardi Gras.

From March 3rd-5th, 5-9 PM, the restaurant will feature a special Louisiana themed menu with mouthwatering dishes and plenty of gluten free options. Here’s a glimpse of what the Bean is preparing this weekend:

Starters

• Cajun Sliders: Mini crispy oyster po’ boys topped with lettuce, sweet tomatoes, slaw & a Cajun remoulade drizzle 15
• (GF) Grilled smoked sausage with caramelized onions & finished with a Louisiana aioli 12
• Grilled cheddar jalapeno cornbread topped with savory buttery garlic escargot 12
• Crawfish steeped in Creole butter broth w/ crunchy baguette 14

Entrees

• (GF) Creole Blackened Sea Bass over dirty red bean risotto 24
• (GF) Carne De Jur! Peppercorn crusted beef seared to perfection with dirty rice & collard greens 26
• (GF) Sassy Scallops: Cajun rubbed Jumbo sea scallops grilled to perfection on a bed of cheesy roasted Poblano risotto 28
• Bourbon Street Chicken Tender chicken medallions topped with Andouille sausage, fresh asparagus, melted aged provolone simmered in a zangy lemon butter sauce 21

The Spicy Green Bean also invites you to bring your favorite beer, wine or whatever else you choose to enjoy with the meal– there’s no corkage fee to worry about.

Reservations strongly suggested– this tiny place was packed the last time I attended one of the BYOB dinners.

225 Hebron Avenue, Glastonbury, CT  06033

Hours and regular menu are available on the website at http://www.spicygreenbean.com/