New Haven Register (Sunday) (New Haven, CT)
Volume, flavor & lots of cast iron
New, weighty brunch at Cast Iron Chef Chop House in New Haven
Executive chef and restaurateur Attilio Marini has added a brunch to his Cast Iron Chef Chop House and Oyster Bar in New Haven, and patrons have noticed.
You can’t help but marvel at this monster feast of sugary glaze, carbs, cheese, meat, eggs and pitchers of mimosa — served out on the sunny front sidewalk or inside the steakhouse-decor restaurant at at 660 State St. Light-colored, rough-plank walls and local photos are backdrop for red booths and reddish-tile ceiling.
With buffets on the outs due to COVID-19, this restaurant brings a simmeringhot smorgasbord to you, and that’s a key point because the meal costs $45 per person. So your bill with tax and tip should top $115 for two. But you can take home enough to eat for two more meals.
Here’s a look at the family-style Sunday brunch’s eight elements:
Cinnamon Rolls: Small ones served in (you guessed it) a cast-iron pan with super sweet glaze. At home, this would be half of a weekend breakfast.
Bananas Foster Pancake: Quartered in the pan, these alone will make your heart race and your voice rise in affirmation, with a banana topping, sweet and crusty exterior and almost-chewy, delicious interior. Don’t try to eat two quarters; there’s too much more coming.
Frittata (Italian Omelet): Perfectly seasoned eggs with diced peppers, baked to perfection.
Cast Iron Home Fries: Some would call these overdone, but I found the charred mix of potatoes, onions and peppers scrumptious, like a burned New Haven pizza.
Rigatoni with Braciole, Meatballs, Sausage: This hefty pan of Italian Sunday sauce (some say “Sunday gravy”; we never called it that), pasta and meat was as impressive looking as it was tasty. The massive meatballs were very hot (chili powder hot, I mean), the sausage was quite mild and the braciole was melt-in-your-mouth tender, best I’ve ever had. (A source says
Chef Attilio uses ribeye steak to make it.)
Gorgonzola Salad: Like my mother did, the salad was put out a little later in the meal, with the pasta dish in this case. Nice.
Mimosas and Bloody Marys:
These are endless, served in a pitcher for two people (max time at table is two hours, which is longer than I can sit anyway).
Cannoli: Two small cannoli with pistachio/cheese filling in a cocktail glass. I didn’t try to eat them; I only had enough energy left to fill them to take home. Could have used a stronger pistachio taste, but they were good a day later.
The brunch (11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.) began Sept. 27 and there’s been a pretty good crowd both weeks so far, we hear. Service was very strong (you have to be strong to hoist the 12-inch rigatoni-and-meat pan), but it remains to be seen how many diners will choose to eat indoors (as we did) if the pandemic lingers when the weather gets frosty.
In any case, you may be looking to walk off part of this gut-busting meal. So throw your sneakers in the car.
New, hot chicken place opening
There’s a pretty solid pedigree of owners behind the new Haven Hot Chicken eatery slated to open Oct. 17 at 21 Whitney Ave. in downtown New Haven.
“New Haven has long been regarded as a serious foodie destination and we’re excited to join the ranks of so many accomplished brands,” says Chef Rob LaTronica, one of four partners in the takeout-delivery place Haven Hot Chicken, in a release.
LaTronica, formerly of Wheeler’s
and The (closed) Beer Collective, is complemented by partners Craig Sklar, owner of The Beer Collective; Jason Sobocinski, of Caseus, Ordinary and The Stack, to name a few of his ventures; and Etkin Tekin, former founder of The Little Salad Shop, according to a news release. Together the four created the concept based on their passion for the fiery cuisine that originated in Nashville.
The takeout place will open after
months of sold-out popups, social media giveaways and curbside pickup popups, says the advance publicity. Haven Hot Chicken will feature cult classic Nashville Hot Chicken (and vegetarian Not Chicken) in a variety of heat levels. One percent of profits will go to different groups working on “equality for all people,” say owners.