Union League Café
Guadaloupe – Fresh Pineapple Juice, Lime, Vanilla Beans
Gougeres
Fennel Seed and White Bread with Butter
Venison Terrine – Chestnut, Huckleberry Jam, Frisee Salad, Grilled Oatmeal Bread
Jarret de Sanglier – Wild Boar Osso Bucco, Creamy Polenta, Carrots, Onions. Bacon Lardons, Red Wine Reduction
Baba au Rhum – Caramelized Banana, Exotic Cremeux, Passion Fruit Sorbet
Cranberry Souffle – Walnut Crumble, Apple Compote, Calvados Cream
Although one could easily indulge on nothing but crispy Pizza and remarkable Soul Food in New Haven it was upon learning that Union League Café Chef Jean-Pierre Vuillermet had been named Maitres Cuisiniers de France that the decision was made to end an evening there, the location directly across from Yale not widely discussed amidst dining-circles but receiving local accolades for nearly 25 years.
Situated in New Haven’s historic theater district and designed in the style of a French Brasserie, a few steps up to the Chapel Street entrance giving the aged building a sort of grandiose feel in comparison to Coffee shops and bookstores nearby, it was immediately on entering the room in clothing designed for winter travel that conditions felt out of place, the main dining room full and busting with no one attending the hostess podium.
Listing no dress code on the website but clearly a space favored by the well-heeled and elderly, a pre-theater crowd comprising the bulk of diners at 6:00pm on a Saturday, it was after a sixty second wait that a thin man in a suit approached asking “can I help you” as if to someone looking for directions, his demeanor quickly becoming more formal to the response “I have a reservation.”
No doubt sizing up the situation in his head, a younger-than-average guest with no jacket or tie, it was after hushed conversation with a waiter that the long journey through the main area to a table past the bar and on the cusp of the bathroom took place, a statement of “here is a great table with a full view of the room” shrugged off as two septuagenarians glared onward, only to be outed later for their ignorance when asking what “poulet” is after puzzling about who Paul Bocuse was and why he warranted a tribute menu.
Offering Lunch, Dinner and Tasting Menus, the layout fairly typical and everything from Green Salad to housemade Terrines offered, it was with improved service from a young waiter carrying a prominent European accent that an order was placed, the non-alcoholic Guadaloupe providing refreshment alongside Water moments before a basket of dull Bread and Gougere dumbed-down to “Cheese Puff” were presented.
Playing a non-descript blend of music overhead, the back-area seating honestly preferable to 30 more decibels near the entrance, it was after a moment of indecision as relates to interpretations of Bocuse’s Truffle Soup VGE or Lyonnaise Sausage that the decision was made to instead invest in Chef Vuillermet’s own creations, the Terrine of Venison riddled with Fat and Chestnuts a beautiful winter dish full of funk and flavor but largely unspreadable on grilled Oatmeal Bread served in accompaniment.
Passing on Duck a l’Orange and Foie Gras in favor of another hearty dish, the Wild Boar Osso Bucco in Red Wine with Bacon and a side of Polenta befitting the skills of a man born at the base of the French Alps, it was based on rumors that Union League Café offered some of New Haven’s best Desserts that two were selected, the Soufflé overcooked to the point of browning and thus losing a lot of its lightness despite good flavors while the Baba au Rhum was served halved at an exorbitant $12.75 and ruined by Passion Fruit Sorbet that was not listed in the menu verbiage.
http://unionleaguecafe.com
