lunch. caseus, new haven.

Our old friend Mike Belinkie was in town this week and we hosted him at our house last night.  It was so nice to reminisce about 'the good old days' over dinner and wine.  I had to get him back to New Haven today, giving me, Mike & C a great excuse to head out for lunch.  I wanted to highlight something delicious but non-touristy for Mike and thought immediately of Caseus.

Just north of city center, you'll find Caseus on the corner of Trumbull and Whitney streets.  Part bistro, part cheese shop, this spot will not wow you with it's decor, but it's homey, warm and inviting nonetheless.  The restaurant space is NOT big, so make sure you make a reservation whether you go for lunch or for dinner.  Either meal, you will not be disappointed.  We arrived just before 1pm on a Thursday and the place was packed with diners, mostly hip looking twenty somethings and Yale employees.  We did not have a reservation, but waited patiently for a table to open up about ten minutes later.  There were several other parties waiting for tables behind us.

Once seated, we tackled the lunch menu.  With so many choices to choose from, Mike and I decided to share both the house special Mac & Cheese (Mike added kobe beef hot dogs to his) and their special Corned Beef Hash, with a side of pommes frites.   We rounded out our lunch with the house bread plate (which costs extra, bread is not part of the deal at Caseus.)  Breads are locally made and the butter flavor is always different - today is was peanut butter and jelly butter, interesting!  Service was friendly but not quick, so if you go, plan a leisurely lunch.  Everything came out at once and we dove right in.

The Mac & Cheese, which was recently highlighted on the Cooking Channel's Unique Eats show, was cheesy, decadent and very rich.  How could it NOT be with all those cheeses! Made with at least six different cheeses, it's a wonderful marriage of flavors.  I especially loved how it was topped with bread crumbs and the added flavor of the sausage to give it all an extra punch.  My corned beef hash, with (I think) duck eggs was a refined version of your usual diner fare, with almost crunchy corned beef and savory onions and potatoes.  It was good, but a little on the greasy side.  The eggs, too, were a bit over cooked for my liking.  I would have liked to see them a little runnier to mix into the hash.  Both dishes were served with a small side salad.  We ordered C a side of pommes frites - a perfect blend of peanut-oil fried potatoes, served bistro style in paper to soak up any extra grease.  We helped C out and dipped them in both the ketchup and mayo served along side.  Four breads, most whole grain rolls, were served with their unique peanut butter and jelly butter.  I'm not sure how they captured the taste of the orginial sandwich in butter, but they did!  The warm rolls helped melt the butter to make for a bite that any kid would long for at lunchtime.  We nearly finished everything on the table and walked away satisfied.

Caseus is not a diet-food destination, but a great place for a lively and hearty meal.  This is comfort food at it's best.  Just don't forget to make a reservation, unless you want to hang out with the Yale professors also waiting for tables or go shopping in their cheese shop, also in the same location.

Caseus Fromagerie & Bistro
93 Whitney Avenue
New Haven, CT 06510-1236
(203) 624-3373