Vegetarian Fare at Thali Too in New Haven CT

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In the Broadway Historic District of New Haven, is Chef Prasad Chirnomula's  casual and fun dining experience, Thali Too. This all vegetarian restaurant features traditional Indian food in a unique setting amidst the Shops at Yale.  At Thali Too, you can dine inside or out on their spacious patio, and they also offer food "to go".

Thali Too on Broadway in New Haven
(next to the Yale Bookstore)

Chef Chef Prasad was the winner of both the 2011 & 2013 Elm City Iron Chef Competitions, and has also been featured at area food and wine festivals (Greenwich Food & Wine Festival, and Savor CT, Foxwood Resort Casino's Wine and Food Festival).

In addition to Thali Too in the Yale district, Chef Chirnomula is the owner/operator/chef at four other restaurants in Connecticut, Thali in New Haven, Westport, and Ridgefield, and Oaxaca Kitchen, also in New Haven.

Thali Too has a really unique menu - it's a tablet that allows you to view pictures of the items and offers a full description of the menu selection. What a great option this is for newbies to Indian Cuisine and Vegetarian food, like me!

Thali Too Menu Tablet

We started our tasting with some cocktails!  Of course!

Pictured left to right below are the TAJMO COCKTAIL (Svedka Vodka, Triple sec, fresh lime juice and cranberry juice), the MUMBAI MARGARITA (Matador Tequila, Lime juice, Stirrings All Natural Orange Liqueur with a spicy lemon chili rim) and FAITHFULLY GINGER (Gin, Elder Flower, Ginger, Lime and Turmeric)

L-R Tajmo Cocktail, Mumbai Margarita, Faithfully Ginger Cocktail

First on our tasting was BHEL POORI (CHAT) a sweet, sour ,and spicy emulsion of chat, puffed light rice and lentil noodles. This was sooo good and the flavor combo was incredible.

BHEL POORI (CHAT)

Next, we cleared our palates with a great Mediterranean style salad, complete with stuffed grape leaves!

GREEK GODDESS SALAD

Romaine lettuce, Bulgarian feta, olives, red onion, stuffed grape leaf, 

naan bread with garlic & lemon oil vinaigrette

There is also a flat bread pizza available. This is a great item to share!  The one we sampled was deliciously crispy and topped with my favorite eggplant!

Naanizza Flat Breads

Paradise Flat Bread with roasted eggplant, 

artichoke hearts & portabella mushrooms

We then munched on some nan bread served with a delicious chick pea dipping sauce. This was another of my favorites. The chick pea mixture was billed as spicy, but I found it to be moderately spicy. Not overpowering at all.

CHOLE BATHURA (H) (V)

Spicy chick peas and deep fried nan bread

Next was an Indian version of a 'taco' - served with a deliciously crisp salad!

PANEER TACOS
Corn tortilla, spiced paneer, and cilantro pesto, cucumber salsa

Another favorite was the Falafel which was served with a side of the most amazing crispy fried vegetables.

FALAFEL

Nan bread, chickpea and herb falafel, Tahini

The showstopper of the evening was the Dosa! A humongous crepe-like bread, served with dipping sauce. This was a fun item to share with friends! You just rip off pieces of the bread and spoon some of the toppings on your plate to dip (and double-dip!!) to your pleasure!

DOSA
A thin rice crepe served with dips

We then moved on to desserts, sampling GULAB JAMUN and some VANILLA ICE CREAM.

Yum!

GULAB JAMUN

Deep fried milk balls in just so slightly sweet honey syrup

And Yummmm!!!

ICE CREAM

Here's a quick picture of the interior of Thali Too.

And a picture of the outdoor dining area - my favorite area to eat in the summer!

Thali Too is a wonderful place to get some traditional Indian food and Indian Street Food. And it's located in such a great area with some wonderful retail outlets like J. Crew, Yale Bookstore, Urban Outfitters, and more. So much to do - and steps away from beautiful Yale  University where you can view some amazing Gothic architecture!

Be sure you stop and visit Thali Too soon!

Thali Too

65 Broadway
New Haven, CT 06511
 (203) 776-1600
http://www.thalitoo.com/index.php

Disclaimer: We were invited to Thali Too by members of their managment and marketing team, however all views expressed are our own.


© Home Place

My Wine Stroll with New Haven's Flights of Fancy

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Flights of Fancy in New Haven

This year was the first year I was able to participate in New Haven's Wine Crawl "Flights of Fancy" through the Chapel Street Historic and Broadway District. As soon as the Wine Gods smiled down upon me I cleared my schedule and grabbed friends Gayle and Maggie and made plans for the night!

This totally affordable wine crawl costs only $20.00 ($15.00 if you saved your glass from last year) and gives you the opportunity to sample over 30 different wines, and visit some great boutiques, stores, and restaurants . In addition, you also get to admire some classic Gothic architecture as you stroll through sections of the Yale University campus.

Maggie and Gayle pose in front of a Yale entryway

We checked in at the Study at Yale Hotel, got our wine glass and entered ourselves in the raffle that featured prizes from many of the merchants we were visiting, as well as a grand prize drawing.

Check in at the Study at Yale

With maps in hand everyone set out to do some wine tasting and shopping on this fun wine stroll!

Let's get this party started!

In alphabetical order, here are the participating merchants and the wine they served, as well as any discounts or extras they were serving their visitors.

Because we like to stop and chat with every merchant, we weren't  able to visit every one - but here are some of the highlights of the Wine Stroll and the participating merchants.

Ashley's Ice Cream (280 York St.) 20% off purchase. Serving: Villa Rosa Moscato NV.

Barbour (27 Broadway) 10% off 1 item that evening only. Serving: PJ Valckenberg Gewurtztraminer.

Campus Customs (57 Broadway) 20% off purchase. Serving: Vicolo Montepulciano d'Abruzzo.

Canditopia (1022 Chapel St.) 20% off & free truffles with the wine tasting. Serving: Cascina Sant' Ubaldo Brachetto d'Acqui

Canditopia

Denali (13 Broadway) Offering 20% off 1 item. Serving: Societe Cooperative Castelmaure Corbieres Col des Vents.


Derek Simpson Goldsmith (1094 Chapel St.) Anniversary Sale 20-70% off. Serving:Tenuta Ulisse "Sognodiulisse" Chardonnay Malvasia.

Derek Simpson Goldsmith

Elm City Social (266 College St.) Offering Happy Hour pricing to participants. Serving:The Federalist Cabernet.

Elm City Social

Froyo World (46 High St.) 20% off your purchase. Serving: Adega de Pegoes Moscatel de Setubal NV.


GANT (268 York St.) 20% off 1 item that evening. Serving: Lockhart Cabernet Sauvignon.

GANT

Harvest (1104 Chapel St.) Free glass of Prosecco or Moscato with dinner purchase. Serving: Cape Point Vineyards "Stonehaven" Sauvignon Blanc.

Harvest

Hello Boutique (1090 Chapel St.) Additonal 25% off the existing 15-50% sale items. Serving: Nik Weiss Urban Riesling.

Hello Boutique

Hull's Art Supply (1144 Chapel St.) 20% off 1 item. Serving: Sin Nombre Crianza.

Hull's

Idiom Boutique (1014 Chapel St.) 20% off 1 item. Serving: Charles Smith Kung Fu Girl Riesling.

Idiom /Boutique

J. Crew (29 Broadway)Extra 40% off final sale styles*40% discount valid on the purchase of select final sale items in J.Crew stores from January 26, 2016, 12:01am ET through January 31, 2016, 11:59pm ET. In-store discount as advertised. Cannot be applied to previous purchases and cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with any other offer.  Serving: Groiss Gruner Veltliner.

J. Press (206 College St.) 25% off 1 item. Serving: Red Tail Ridge Sans Oak Chardonnay.

Kiko Milano (11 Broadway) Offering 20% off 1 item. Serving: Line 39 Petite Syrah.


L'Occitaine en Provence (1042 Chapel St.) 10% off total purchase. Serving: Laudun-Chusclan Cotes du Rhone Les Costes Rouge.

Lou Lou (23 Broadway) 30% off 1 item. Serving: Auspicion Cabernet Sauvignon.

Merwin's Art Supply (1052 Chapel St.) 20% off 1 item. Serving: Roc des Anges "L'Effet Papillon" Cotes du Rousillon Blanc.

Merwin's 

SHiFT Cycling (199 Crown St.) Free class pass for participants and 20% off a 3-day pass. Serving: Ten Mile Bridge Red.

Tarry Lodge (278 Park St.) Offering complimentary Antipasti or Soft Serve with purchase of pizza, pasta or secondi. Serving: Laya Garnacha/Monastrell.

Tarry Lodge

Thali Too (65 Broadway) 20% off total check for participants. Serving: Castellargo Nero d'Avola.


The Green Teahouse (1008 Chapel St.) Free tea pastries & 15% off all merchandise. Serving: Hakutsuru Sake Junmai Excellent NV.

The Green Teahouse

Therapy (286 York St.) Offering 20-30% off 1 item. Serving: Laudun-Chusclan Cotes du Rhone Les Costes Blanc.

Therapy

Trailblazer (296 Elm St.) Offering 20% off 1 item. Serving: Domaine des Cassagnoles VdP Cotes de Gascogne.

Trailblazer

Wave (1406 Chapel St.) Offering 20% off 1 item. Serving: Real Companhia Velha Porca de Murca Douro Tinto.

Wave

Willoughby's Coffee & Tea (194 York St.) Official coffee sponsor of the event. Offering 20% off your purchse. Serving: Moobuzz Chardonnay.

The Wine Thief (181 Crown St) Stop by for various wine samples and pick up your favorite bottle from Flights. Most wines provided during event are from the Wine Thief.

The Wine Thief 

Yale University Bookstore (77 Broadway) Offering 20% off 1 general reading book or 1 apparel item. Not serving wine.

Yorkside Pizza (288 York St.) 1/2 price beer or wine. Spend $25 or more and receive free pitcher of soda. Serving: Josh Wines (Chardonnay & Legacy).

Yurway Boutique (1130 Chapel St.) 50% off sales items. Serving: Tortoise Creek Zinfandel.

Yurway

Before the night was over we headed back to the Hotel at the Study at Yale to listen to some great music and enjoy getting together with all the strollers for the special drawing and prizes!

 

Congratulations to the winners!

Special shout out to Harvest who had a wide array of nibbling items and to the Green Teahouse for taking a fun picture of me and Gayle (and for some amazing organic cheesecake). (See that photo HERE on their facebook page).

And we LOVED seeing our babe Chef Sam (Samantha) Moore at Tarry Lodge! 

Chef Sam Moore
Look at that megawatt smile!

We had a beautiful night to enjoy this fun event. The weather was crisp and clear and the recent snow fall had mostly melted away or was cleared from the walkways.

The Lights on Broadway

Special thanks to the sponsors of this event, the Broadway Merchants Association, The Wine Thief, The Study at Yale Hotel. 

This was a wonderful evening organized by the Town Green Special Services District - don't miss their next one scheduled for July 14th, 2016!  (SAVE THE DATE). I'll be back with details as soon as they're available!

For more pictures of the Flights of Fancy visit the Home Place facebook page ==>> HERE

and while you're there, don't forget to "like" us!

Disclaimer: I was invited to Flights of Fancy by the event's marketing department. However, all views and opinions are my own.

Louis Lunch in New Haven CT

Ever since I was a little girl my dad would tell me the story of the famous Louis' Lunch in downtown New Haven CT.

Louis' Lunch, pronounced "Lou-ees", is credited for being the birthplace of the American hamburger. Legend has it that a businessman, hungry, and running late for an appointment, popped into Louis' and asked for something quick to eat. The proprietor scooped up some chopped meat scraps and formed a meat patty and broiled it for the gentlemen, placing the cooked beef  between two slices of toast to make the meat easy to eat on the run.

The American burger was born!

Dad also played the famous a capella Yale Whiffenpoofs' song for me, that contains the lyrics "the place where Louie dwells" referring to this wonderful downtown New Haven establishment's original proprietor. The Whiffenpoof Song contains several references to old New Haven locations such as "Mory's" and "Temple Bar".

The cowboy and I decided to stop at Louis' Lunch while running some errands in New Haven, and for both of us it was our first time there! It's a tiny little place located on Crown Street and as you can see, I was really excited to finally be there!

Louis' Lunch in New Haven CT

The place is teeny-tiny!

While we waited for our burgers to cook we ordered a side of potato salad and some Foxon Park Birch Beer.  We bellied up to the wooden lunch counter filled with over a century of etched sentiments carved into the wood.

Potato Salad and Foxon Park Birch Beer

Legend also has it that Lou was a hamburg snob (chuckle) and would never allow any condiments on his burgers.

And legend holds true today...

If you want ketchup or mustard or mayonnaise on your chopped beef sandwich - there's none to be found here. The only thing allowed on THIS burger is cheese, onion, and tomato.

There's even a sign saying "this is not Burger King - you won't get it cooked your way".

Well, I have to tell you, Louis' Lunch's way is pretty good! The burger was cooked a perfect medium rare on very lightly toasted bread with a thick slice of tomato and some grilled onions. *Note: You can have it cooked a bit longer to a med well or well done by asking. 

Louis Lunch Burger - Medium Rare with Tomato and Grilled Onions

And here's a few candid shots of Louis Lunch interior!

If you want to soak up some historic New Haven atmosphere - make it a point to stop at Louis Lunch and have a burger cooked their way!

Louis' Lunch

261-263 Crown Street

New Haven, CT 06511

(203) 562-5507 

On the Web: http://www.louislunch.com/

Follow them on twitter:  @LouisLunchCT

Like them on facebook: www. facebook.com/LouisLunchCT

Some things to know

• Cash only is accepted
• There is limited on street parking but a paid parking lot is right next door ($2.00 per hour)
• Seating is limited - lunch time is extremely busy but the turnover is quick
• Crown Street is one way
• Hamburgers are the only thing on the menu
• The only sides are chips and potato salad and for dessert homemade pie
• Beverages are limited to soda, ice tea, and water (no alcohol - no coffee)