If you’ve dined around the Connecticut restaurant scene with regularity, it’s pretty common to see familiar chef faces. Edgar Marcial is one of those.
Just under two years ago, Marcial opened exactly the type of spot he was looking for in Downtown New Haven.
And what he’s doing at Tacos Los Gordos is all love.
And judging from the waves of customers that wander in here and smash tacos and wash them down with a Mexican Coke out of his vintage Coca-Cola cooler, they’re loving it, too.
What’s represented, taco wise, is from all parts of Mexico: carnitas from Michoacán, beef birria from Tijuana, of course crispy cod taco that reps Baja and SoCal, and al pastor, cooked on a spit, from Mexico City that’ll immediately catch your eye upon entry.
While driving (read, stuck in traffic) along I-95 in New Haven, right by the IKEA, how many of you have noticed the rectangular cubed shaped building with the small windows and the void almost in the middle? You’ve clearly seen it countless times. But if you’re like me, you probably always wondered “what the heck is it?”
Designed by modernist architect, Marcel Breuer, the building in question which began construction in 1968 and was completed in 1970, was the home of the Armstrong Rubber Company first, then Pirelli Tire in the late 80s into the late 90s. After Pirelli vacated, the space sat vacant for a long time. IKEA purchased it in 2003—and removed a piece of it— and owned it until 2019 when it was purchased by the development firm, Becker + Becker, who would develop it into a net zero energy hotel, that right now, is operated by Hilton Hotels’ Tapestry brand. But within this hotel, there is a restaurant. And that restaurant has to operate like its hotel does, completely sustainable. And at this restaurant, that’s named BLDG, they needed a chef at the helm who believes in all of this through and through.
If not for her belief of setting “unrealistic goals,” Sandra Pittman’s namesake restaurant, Sandra’s Next Generation, may not have ever been born in the first place.
Now in over 34 years with no signs of slowing down as evidenced by our Thanksgiving week visit where we witnessed the crew rapidly filling catering orders and making so much cornbread stuffing and baking hundreds of homemade pies it would blow your mind.
And even with an already booming takeout business (the restaurant is mostly takeout, but there’s a patio when the weather is nicer), Pittman’s still finds time to put the SOUL in soul food by consistently giving back to the New Haven community and all its charitable causes.
Wait. Did I say 34 years? To tell the origin story of Sandra’s, we have to take it even further back to New Haven’s Edgewood neighborhood where Pittman, whose name back then was Harris, started cooking in the first place.
“If this is good, people might throw bricks through the window. It would be a badge of honor.”
The “this” that Brian Lance is referring to is the twice weekly pizza pop-up that goes down on Thursday and Friday at Atticus Market in New Haven’s East Rock neighborhood.
Lance—who serves as Atticus’ bakery manager—knows that taking on pizza in New Haven could be viewed as crazy, but he, along with chef Matthew Wick and their staff have created something that’s both current and pays tribute to the city’s pizza style.
They also know if they were going to tackle pizza, they needed a stellar dough recipe.
What should I make for dinner? This daily lament is the million billion dollar question fueling a booming meal kit industry. Weekly deliveries of fresh ingredients with easy-to-follow recipes offer the promise of an easy weeknight dinner. However, a growing segment of this audience such as young professionals and busy families is seeking something even simpler, less time consuming, and healthier.
Carey Savona is the Executive Chef of Heirloom at the Study at Yale in New Haven and the Head of Culinary Development for Study Hotels. Heirlooms's self-described "American-heritage" approach to cooking, leveraging small batch growers and neighborhood artisan suppliers, makes it one of our favorite New Haven haunts.
A tireless force in the Connecticut food scene, Chef Savona is passionate about seasonality and the city of New Haven. He earned his kitchen stripes working alongside some of the most talented chefs and restaurateurs in the country. Savona has lived and cooked in San Francisco, Connecticut, South Florida and in New York City where, with Drew Nieporent and the Myriad Restaurant Group he earned Two Stars from Frank Bruni of the New York Times for his work at Mai House in Tribeca.
If you had unexpected guests arriving at your home for dinner in 1 hour, what would you whip up?
Spaghetti Carbonara. We always have pancetta, guanciale or bacon. Always eggs and good cheese and parmigiano or pecorino is part of that repertoire. Carbonara is great anytime. Better for breakfast or after a night of too much wine. Is there such a thing?
What is the last dish you cooked for yourself?
Last dish at work was spaghetti with olive oil, parsley, chilies and pecorino. Eaten out of a mixing bowl, quickly huddled next to a stove as we began to get hammered with dupes. Last dish I made at home was an egg and cheese sandwich for my wife (Alison Savona) and I that we shared over coffee before we both left for work. Best and saddest part of my day.
Today is National Grilled Cheese Day, so what better time to interview the King of the Grilled Cheese, Jason Sobocinski of Caseus Fromagerie Bistro than today? Chef Sobocinski is the owner and founder of New Haven's innovative cheese-centric gastropub and cheese shop. A graduate of Providence College, Chef Sobocinki earned his master’s in gastronomy at Boston University and after working his way through the ranks at the Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, he opened Caseus.
1. If you had unexpected guests arriving at your home for dinner in 1 hour, what would you whip up? What is the last dish you cooked for yourself?
I'd probably put out a few hunks of cheese, surprise. I always have good bread on hand, jam, mustards, crackers...I like the idea of having a grilled cheese party where you lay out bread, different cheeses, and condiments and let guests make their own creation. Bust out a couple of bottles of wine and everyone is happy. I’m actually judging a grilled cheese recipe and wine pairing contest. Last dish I cooked for myself was left over Easter Ham, fried up in brown butter with two over easy eggs and a hunk of bread baked in the oven. I covered the entire plate with finely grated black diamond cheddar and then a drizzle of maple syrup. This was around 1am last night. I had a Cadbury Caramel Egg for desert with a glass of St. Francis Zinfandel.
