They’re propagating like rabbits! It can be hard to see SBC, which stands for Southport Brewing Company, as anything more than just an inferior, mass-produced version of Bar, New Haven’s legendary brewpub-pizzeria. But we also appreciate that this mini-chain, modeled on the much larger Rock Bottom Brewery chain, is locally owned and serves decent burgers, sandwiches, and appetizers.
It’s kind of hilarious that they group their beers by color, and then compare them to major brands that people are familiar with. (“If you like Bass Ale, you’ll love our Big Head Brewnette!”) We’re immediately skeptical of a brewpub chain that gives each of its beers different names for each franchise outlet, but we’re even more skeptical of a brewpub whose tanks are just for show (the beer is actually brewed elsewhere). Most of the beer is serviceable, no better. Our favorites are the hoppy but austere “Branford” Red and the Saltonstall English Pale Ale.
The… [More]
9.4 Caseus
9.3 Ibiza
9.1 Union League Café
9.1 116 Crown
9.1 Bar (Brü Room)
9.1 Frank Pepe’s
9.1 East Japanese Restaurant
9.1 Sally’s Apizza
9.0 Heirloom
Top Cuban:
There was a moment when it seemed that the restaurant that delivered New Haven’s culinary scene to the 21st century—Luis Bollo’s Ibiza—was slipping. Lately, the kitchen seems to have gotten its mojo back. Still, it doesn’t seem to have evolved much over the past half-decade. The menu hasn’t drifted at all away from the overrichness that dominated the first few years of 21st-century cuisine and toward the purer, simpler flavors that are driving the next generation. Perhaps this is why it’s no longer as difficult to score a reservation here: people are no longer as interested in spending this kind of money on such a heavy, complicated meal.
If there’s a unifying theme to this menu—other than the generalized notion of nouvelle Spanish—it’s unbridled richness and wintriness (even in spring), from crisp, melty croquettes of foie gras with jamón serrano (as good as ever) to “raviolis de rabo” that aggressively infuse… [More]
Britain’s Sun recently reported that supermarket giant Tesco sold two bottles of counterfeit Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé, distributed by Hatch Mansfield, to a customer named Danny McGowan of Clacton, Essex, who described the fake bottle as having a label that “looked photocopied.” Apparently, the bottle was on sale for £5, down from a usual £14.49. (As of this writing, the Pouilly-Fuissé was on the price list at the Tesco website for £12.99.)
The Sun article, which was sent my way by the illustrious wine-counterfeiting scholar/economist Günter Schamel (whose work I’ve previously discussed here), has the amusing title “You Plonkers” and an equally amusing photo of a nonplussed McGowan.
The most unusual thing about this story is that while has been much discussion of counterfeit wine in the high-end rare and fine wine market—Jefferson bottles… [More]
