Clover Eats!
Sharing restaurant experiences through photography!
Mezcal in New Haven
Fred loves anywhere with mole chicken, so we checked out Mezcal. I actually found my favorite part to be their hot puffy fresh chips! Also big margaritas are always nice. Check them out on Yelp!
Just opened! BonChon in New Haven
After many months of painful waiting, with several delays holding up their opening day, BonChon has opened its New Haven doors! One of my students told me about the exciting news this week, and first day off I got, I went to check them out. Though it was Saturday night, we were able to get in without a wait by snagging a seat at the bar. Wood ceilings, painted brick, and music set the atmosphere. We went straight for the fried chicken, though some of the appetizers (salmon avocado ball) were certainly tempting. It comes in drumsticks, wings, or strips, and you can go from soy-garlic to the (impressively hot) spicy sauce. Even the half/half sauce was a little too spicy for me. I always love pickled radish and biting into the crunchy skin of the chicken brought me back to the good old days of Seoul Street in Ann Arbor. Korean Fried Chicken always has a place in my heart for late nights and beer with friends. Things were just a tad slow but it is only their first week open, and everyone was super nice. Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
Penrose | New York
LITTLE JACKPOT: Botanist Gin, Lemon, Lillet Rouge, St. Germain, Maraschino, Orange Bitters, Absinthe Rinse
Oyster sliders
We stopped by this bar on a late wandering evening in New York; it was unfortunately a little more crowded and loud than we would have liked, but the drinks were amazing. Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
Michelin kick: Per Se in NYC
We had the most amazing time at Per Se in the city last week. We booked our reservation more than a month in advance and basically planned our rotation around this monumental event. Fred has been on a Michelin kick ever since we experienced Eleven Madison Park two years ago, with the goal to hit all of the three Michelin star restaurants in NYC while we’re in New Haven. While he believes the food at Per Se was even better than at EMP, I have to say I like the playfulness of EMP more. We both agreed that the lubina fillet was the best fish either of us have ever had, and really has changed my opinion of the genre. The black winter truffles were well worth the 125 supplement, but the most worth-it upgrade was definitely the foie gras; at only 30, it far outshone the radish salad. Everything was perfect, only I think we overdid it on the ‘candies’ after the generous dessert spread. We’ll have to moonlight more this upcoming year, but this was such a treat. Check them out on Yelp, or at their website!
Voodoo Doughnut | Portland
Lucky for us they are open 24hrs a day because we went around midnight and there was still a line filling up the store but then we passed by it during the day and the line was insane, going all the way down the block. The doughnuts were good but probably not worth waiting in that huge line during the day. Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
CloverCooks: hot pot at Chengdu in New Haven
It’s pretty much got the same structure and look as K2, which it replaced, but Chengdu Food Trail offers two important things that its predecessor did not: hot pot and BBQ. Of course, they’re still quite understaffed, and it takes quite a while to get any of your orders, but I’m nevertheless pleased that the quaint little town of New Haven has a place to go out for hot pot! The meat quality isn’t that great, and they don’t have the largest variety, but on a cold winter night, nothing really feels as good as hot pot with friends. You can, fortunately, get half spicy half mild pots, and I like the udon noodle and tofu skin. I love how you get to mix your own sauce because that way I can put as much vinegar as I want!
3M: Eleven Madison Park | NYC
By far the most amazing meal of my life. My husband surprised me this birthday with dinner at Eleven Madison Park. He told me we were going to Little Beet Table but wore a suit jacket, which in retrospect should have been suspicious, and then despite my protestations that we had passed the restaurant, walked us into Eleven Madison Park. The staff was gathered in a circle for their daily meeting, and we were seated shortly after. Everything about this meal was impeccable, and while the service was perfect, it never felt stuffy. Multiple members of the team wished me a happy birthday (I hear that the staff googles patrons beforehand), and never once was anything less than stellar. My husband hates cilantro and mushrooms, but I’m glad he made an exception for this meal because the mushroom tray was an amazing opener. The duck breast was the most succulent thing I have ever eaten. Dessert was a game of matching the chocolate with the animal it came from. I could go on for pages about how amazing this meal was, but I hope the photos can speak for me. Plus, the story of how the restaurant came together – the partnership between Chef Daniel Humm (so young!) and Will Guidara – it’s really astounding. Cannot recommend enough. Check them out on Yelp or at their website!
116 Crown | New Haven
I have wanted to try 116 Crown for a long time, seeing all the nice photos of the patio in the summertime, but somehow didn’t make it out until more than a year since we moved here. I’m sad I didn’t go earlier! They have a beautiful bar lit from inside and these cozy booths with cushions that look like logs. Their drink list goes on for pages and pages, and their snacks aren’t bad either! Yelp; website.
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