Located in a handsome Chapel Street brownstone, Union League has been New Haven restaurant royalty ever since it opened in 1993.
Indeed, it was mobbed upon our arrival on Tuesday evening of Restaurant Week. This lovely lady
asked us to wait at the bar until our table was ready.
I used the time to take a few photographs. I always enjoy these lovely murals when I visit.
Back room
and front room alike were full of happy diners soaking up the food and the scene,
including this pretty face in the crowd.
My wife and I didn’t mind the wait, because we knew that Restaurant Week gets a bit crazy at the premier New Haven venues and one should be prepared to make a few allowances. We were greatly anticipating Jean-Pierre Vuillermet’s stellar French cooking. Twenty minutes later, we were seated in the front room next to this charming couple.
Soon we were brought a little plate of gougères (Gruyère cheese puffs made with choux pastry)
and good bread with hotel butter.
By interesting coincidence, Union League’s soup offering was very similar to Zinc’s. Never mind—it was fun seeing how two of New Haven’s finer restaurants would approach the same item. I liked both a lot. Union League’s was a butternut squash velouté with toasted pumpkin seeds and pumpernickel croutons.
Our other starter was a sparklingly fresh endive, apple and frisée salad with a Brie cheese dressing.
Next came the entrées. For vegetarians, pasta lovers and/or lighter eaters, roasted eggplant ravioli with a Pinot Blanc sauce and sautéed baby spinach were offered. Being none of the above, my wife and I ordered the coq au vin and the rainbow trout, which you see our server, Geovanny, bringing out to us.
Here’s a close-up of the coq au vin, a traditional version with sautéed mushrooms, pearl onions, lardons and creamy polenta,
and here’s a close-up of the absolutely splendid trout entrée, three pieces of fillet in a sauce Nantua (a crayfish béchamel), the skin beautifully crisped, served with disks of trout mousseline, a leek fondant and basmati rice.
Both dishes were delicious, the portions generous.
The desserts were also delightful. Slow-baked Gala apple was served over a Brittany cookie crust with caramel mousse and apple sauce,
while bittersweet chocolate mousse was layered with salted Piémont hazelnut caramel and crunchy hazelnut biscuit.
As if this weren’t enough, we were sent out a little tray of petit fours.
I close with a photo of gracious general manager Jean-Michel Gammariello, a face that will be familiar to anyone who visits Union League with any kind of frequency.
Union League Café, 1032 Chapel Street, New Haven, 203-562-4299