Heirloom Restaurant - The Study at Yale Hotel

When The Study at Yale opened a couple of years ago, I started to take my laptop and just sit at the cafe, have a coffee and a blueberry muffin, and spend some time there - relaxing, thinking, reading. It became one of my favorite spaces around Yale campus by its classical, clean and quiet atmosphere. I realized, then, that if I turned right, at the entrance, instead of left, I would find a great restaurant - the Heirloom. The atmosphere is the same - a place where elegance and casualty embrace each other in perfect balance.

The room is wide and bright. The decoration revolves around wood and leather and a cleaver mirror game gives you a sense of even more space and clarity. Nevertheless, one can find more intimate corners in this restaurant as well as a charming bar. The touch of seasonal fresh flowers adds the sense of life all healthy environments call for.

If the space could not, just by itself, make New Haven surrender, Heirloom's vision about food will make any foodie guilty for not going there, at least once. The restaurant's philosophy embraces New England cuisine in all it splendor making sure that all the ingredients are seasonal and local. That may be derived from the restaurant's chef origins. Mr. Carey Savona is a native of New Haven.

For someone who grew up next to the ocean, like me and my husband, living in New Haven can be hard, as far as the consumption of fresh fish and seafood is concerned. I know (yes, I can hear you...)! New Haven is on the shoreline. But believe it or not, one does not realize that while living here and for some reason, fish is not something that is extensively part of the restaurants' menus. At least, around campus. For that reason Heirloom is our "Mecca". They offer the most amazing collection of seafood one can find here. Their oysters... OMG! They are always super fresh and delicious and always come from New England. It is like biting the ocean! I almost cry of happiness every time I have them. Actually, is already a ritual having oysters when we go there. We cannot resist.

Their menu has a variety of salads and sandwiches all very tasty; their brunch is known to be the best in town; and their desserts go from decadent to elegant. They also offer great cocktails and a fair wine list. The dessert wines are quite overpriced for the quality offered and they join the club of those who serve Vintage Port by the glass. It is, still, a mystery for me how can restaurants do that without scamming the costumer. I will find out... eventually.

Today, we started with half dozen of Connecticut Oysters and half a dozen of New England oysters (rrrrrr.... so delicious!!). The only thing I would argue about it would be the presence of ketchup with horseradish (terrible combination, in my opinion) in the oysters' plate. Seriously? Is there anyone who spoils these beautiful oysters with ketchup? I guess someone does. Otherwise the sauce would not be there. It is hard to believe, though.

The main course was a fish-steak sandwich with chickpea spicy salad for me and a crab sandwich with fries for my husband. The chickpea salad was delicious. Very well seasoned with the perfect spiciness. The sandwiches... oh well... what can I say? Before trying their sandwiches I thought this was the kind of food one can almost guess the taste of. These sandwiches showed me that with the right approach, a sandwich can be an outstanding meal. They are flavorful and original in the treatment of the ingredients. The best example of that is the crab sandwich. Chef Savona actually fries the entire crab, shell and everything. I never thought that would be possible. But actually, there is a crab species which shell is much softer and can be eaten. I am guessing that Chef Savona used that kind of crab for this sandwich and it was not only a delicious experience but also a very funny one. The only thing I have to point out about it, though, is that the crab was a little bit oily for my taste. Besides that, it is an amazing dish.

Fish Steak sandwich with chickpea spicy salad

Crab sandwich with Fries

Crab Sandwich

We finished our meal with two tasty desserts: Butterscotch Pudding and Milk Chocolate Pot the Creme. The pot the creme is very good but really sweet. The butterscotch is amazing. The toasted marshmallows on top make it irresistible for those who, like me, cannot say no to a marshmallow. 

Butterscotch Pudding

Milk Chocolate Pot de Creme

In sum, when in New Haven, one must not miss Heirloom restaurant for its great atmosphere and food. Their overall philosophy screams "welcome!" to everyone who likes to enjoy oneself in charming places without having to conform with all the formality (and sometimes "snobness") this type of places usually call for. If my description cannot give you an accurate sense of what kind of thought is behind the space this will do:

One of my favorite place in New Haven, food wise at least (it is hard to compete with Sterling Memorial Library :P).