Clover Eats!
Sharing restaurant experiences through photography!
CloverEats: G Cafe Bakery in New Haven
One of the places we go the most often, this cafe that’s super close to our apartment, a great stop for a pastry for breakfast or a nice space to study as well. Opens nice and early at 7AM, with a wide variety of baked goods and also prepared on-the-spot goodies like this amazing avocado on toast tartine. Also tasty was the brie with arugula and honey, and you can’t go wrong with a smoked salmon tartine. There are seats outdoors for those nice sunny days as well. Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
Blueberry pocket, chocolate mousse cake
Avocado on toast, egg, bacon tartine
CloverEats: Skappo’s in New Haven
Sparkling wine
We walked past Skappo a few times before deciding to try it out. The restaurant is run by a family; at one point, Mama, frequently referred to on Yelp, came out and talked with everyone; she was so welcoming and warm! Everything we ate was great, from the figs to the dark rice. Unfortunately, they were waiting for a shipment of mozzarella from Italy, so I couldn’t get my go-to caprese dish. The dark rice was certainly interesting, and lent a more complex flavor than regular rice would have. Certainly a fantastic spot for a meal, and again, a great, warm and welcoming atmosphere! Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
Figs stuffed with gorgonzola salad
Risotto Nero con Pere: black rice and pear compote
CloverSlurps: Lam Zhou in NYC: Chinatown
Words don’t really convey how amazing it is to have craved hand-pulled or knife-shaven noodles for years in between opportunities to get it. There are a few places in Chicago with good hand-pulled noodles but it’s been years since I’ve had knife-shaven noodles. I’m pretty sure the last time was when I was back in China several years ago. Lam Zhou is literally a hole in the wall, and there’s barely enough room to get in and sit down. The counters are super narrow and it’s a rather claustrophobic experience. You get to hear the slap as a big roll of dough is slammed down onto the board as the hand-pulling process begins. It is mesmerizing to watch as the noodles are folded and pulled, each time doubling in quantity and thinning out until you get a fantastic, doughy experience that land steaming onto the wobbly counter in front of you. Also, the dumplings were an unexpected amazing surprise, absolutely bursting with flavors and juices, and a ridiculous bargain at $3 for 10! The dumplings were so fantastic that I’d come all the way back to New York just for more. Overall, an excellent experience, and one I’m hoping to repeat soon! Check them out on Yelp!
Hand-pulled noodles with beef aka “niu ro la mian”!
Knife-shaven noodles, “dao xiao mian”
Dumplings aka “shui jiao”
We also walked around the city a bit and hit up Chelsea Market, where even more wondrous food options awaited us. Then we walked along the high line and saw everything from Lego towers to free-for-all painting!
It was Comic-Con, so there were tons of people dressed up!
CloverSnacks: Spot Dessert Bar in NYC Koreatown
After getting snacks from Bunn and noodles from Dadam, we got dessert at Spot, also located on the third floor of Food Gallery 32, a food court type building in Koreatown. We went for the signature chocolate green tea lava cake, which came in a rather fancy plated presentation. The chocolate green tea oozes out of the lava cake, and the green tea ice cream is the perfect accompaniment. I also wanted to try their macaroons and The Harvest, which comes in a little pot that is filled with oreo crumbs, but was simply too full. I wish the location was little bit nicer and less crowded, but it definitely speaks to the tastiness of the treats that everyone still comes here despite the location. (Apparently, Spot also has another, much cuter location out in St. Marks.)
Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
CloverExplores: Dadam in NYC Koreatown
We originally got pulled into Food Gallery 32 because of Bunn (separate review to come), with delicious soft red bean fish that were simply fantastic. However, once we stepped in, we were delighted by the vast array of offerings in this food court style building. We had seen rave reviews for Dadam on Yelp, but hadn’t known where to find it – turns out it’s on the third floor of this building. Despite being a cafeteria-type restaurant, Dadam had quite high production value photography of their food, which was displayed on loop on some of the monitors. We sat, eating our red bean fish, and watched photo after photo of beautiful noodle dishes and then had to try one.
We got the three color handmade noodle soup (these noodles were absolutely fantastic in texture, chewy and thick, with the added bonus of being three colors). Hungry City had a great article about another spot by the same owner, and described noodles as being colored with carrot and beet juice. You also get a side of two kimchis, which cut through the noodles and perilla seed broth. I’ve never had perilla seed broth for my noodles before, and found it probably a little too nutty for my taste, although Fred liked it a lot.
Overall a great spot to stop and grab some food. If I lived close to this place, I’d be in here every day. We saw lots of people grabbing lunch, and one order is more than enough to fill you up. Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
CloverSnacks: Bunn in NYC Koreatown
These delicious buns in the window are what pulled us into Food Gallery 32, a food court type building in Koreatown. We also ended up eating at Dadam and Spot on the third floor, both of which were quite food. We went for the pocket buns, which are the open version, rather than the traditional closed buns. The meat was super flavorful (spicy pork and marinated beef), and the slaw was crisp and stringy. These buns are a great snack, coming out fluffy and savory, but perhaps even better are the taiyaki (the baked fish-shaped cakes). You can watch these being made in the Delimanjoo machine, and you can get fillings such as red bean or custard. I recommend eating it as soon as it comes off the grill – it’s like a waffle filled with mild sweet goodness. What a fantastic snack! Check them out on Yelp!
Snapshots: Smorgasburg in NYC
We spent some time in NYC these last few weeks and had a great food adventure! One of the places we visited was Smorgasburg, which was a delicious feast. Enjoy these snapshots!
These scallion pancakes by Outer Borough were fantastic, with just the right thickness of dough.
Although simple, this pho really hit the spot on the cold, windy day!
This sticky rice with mango and coconut was so tasty, with just the right amount of mild sweetness!
This Starbucks has alcohol!
CloverEats: Fornarelli’s in New Haven
We stopped by Fornarelli’s during their lunch and were the only people in the restaurant. It’s a nice spot, with large front windows that open up. I got the caprese, which was probably a little below the average caprese I’ve had. Fred got the Picatta Chicken, which was actually quite flavorful and good. Since this rather simple lunch, we’ve been here a few times, and enjoyed their Eggplant Rollitini appetizer the most. I would say it’s a nice Italian restaurant, with good service and a nice atmosphere, but with food that isn’t particularly amazing.
Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
CloverEats: Istanbul Cafe in New Haven
I absolutely love the decorations and blue tile and wooden bar that reminds me of a grape vineyard. There’s little cubby seats, tons of decorations on the walls, and they even have hookah and belly dancing on Friday and Saturday nights!
Ayran, a cold salted yogurt drink
This yogurt drink was actually perfect, basically a thin yogurt that was a little sour and savory, kind of like drinking liquid cheese. It was super refreshing and great with our food, especially when Fred accidentally bit into a spicy pepper.
The bread was amazing!
Hunkar Begendi (Sultan’s Delight): tomato-marinated chicken and creamy smoked eggplant, a ‘classic Ottoman dish’
I don’t know how they get the eggplant to be so creamy and smooth, while the meat was a little bit dry, I highly recommend this dish for the fantastic eggplant!
Soquk Meze “Cool Spread”: Nohut Ezme, Patlican Salata, Antep Ezme, Ispanak Ezme, Yaprak Dolma and carrot salad
It’s always nice to have a dish composed of several other dishes. My favorite here was the Patlican salata, which is eggplant with lemon, garlic, vinegar, and olive oil.
Sütlac
This baklava was some of the best baklava I’ve ever had! It was so fresh and warm…amazing!
Baklava
Things were a little on the slow side because there was only one waitress, who I think might have been one of the owners, for the whole place on a Friday night. She greeted many of the patrons by name, and they, her. Overall a great, authentic Turkish meal! Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
CloverEats: Bella’s Cafe in Westville, New Haven
Cannoli French Toast: Texas brioche encrusted in an almost crunch filled with creamy cannoli filling with chocolate chips and pistachios in a brandy maple syrup
Pomegranate bellini
We drove all the way out to the corner of New Haven to visit Bella’s Cafe after seeing some pretty amazing photos around the internet. There was a parking lot just down the street from the restaurant. We unfortunately went during prime brunch time, and while we were seated quickly, the whole meal was very slow. Ordering was slow, the food was slow to arrive, we ordered a side of grits that we never got, had to go up to get our water refilled, etc. It was over 40 minutes from arriving to when we actually got our food. Luckily the food was fantastic. We got a savory and sweet to split, and debated between the cannoli french toast and the sticky bun french toast, but in the end went with the texas brioche. It was rich, creamy, and decadent, just as brunch should be. I never had an arepa before coming to New Haven, but it seems like they are everywhere here. The arepa here was not as sweet as ones I’ve had elsewhere, but the tenderloin provided a hearty component to the meal that balanced out the sweet, sweet french toast. The cafe is also quite cute, with roosters everywhere. My pomegranate bellini was okay. Overall, this was just your average brunch cocktail, nothing special. Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
Arepa: petit tenderloin over a corn arepa topped with scrambled eggs, cheese, red onions, tomato, cilantro, lime, jalapeno, potatoes
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