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Mickey's
Restaurant &
Bar, Hamden
By: Elise
Maclay
07/24/2007
***
Same-old,
same-old doesn't
always happen
again and again.
Someday somebody
breaks the
chain. Mickey's
in Hamden is a
case in point.
Housed in a
building with an
inauspicious
past (a
procession of
eateries too
undistinguished
to recount or
even recall),
Mickey's looks
pretty much the
same on the
outside. Inside
is a different
story. Here good
taste (visual
and gustatory)
makes the most
of an
interesting
floor plan,
which features
stylish but
comfortable
booths arranged
in a half circle
around a lively
bar, the dining
crescent
carpeted for
sound control,
the bar pulsing
in the center
like a friendly
heart. The food
comes close to
being
sensational.
The driving
force behind
this new
dynamism is
chef-owner
Mickey Josephs,
whose Israeli
background adds
depth, color and
exotic accent
notes to a
genuinely
eclectic
cuisine. While
there are
Italian dishes
and ingredients
on the menu,
Mickey's is
definitely not
just another
Italian
restaurant
calling itself
Mediterranean or
New American.
The intrigue is
in the details-a
soupçon of
Israeli cous
cous, a fluff of
Moroccan carrot
slaw, a timbale
of baba ganoush
(eggplant baked
with chick peas
and tahini).
Appetizers range
from
"Firecracker
Point Judith
calamari" tossed
with cherry
peppers so hot
they explode in
the mouth to a
suave little
salad of Bibb
lettuce with
gossamer-light
blue cheese
dressing. The
latter au
courant version
of ye olde
steak-house
wedge of iceberg
under a ton of
Gorgonzola is
characteristic
and welcome. At
Mickey's,
appetizers do
what they are
supposed to
do-intrigue the
eye and prime
the appetite for
entrées to come.
For example,
Connecticut
oysters, freshly
shucked,
expertly fried
and gloriously
tasty, are
served in oyster
shells filled
with
chipotle-spiked
sauce remoulade-take
that, oysters
Rockefeller!
Sometimes the
name gives only
a hint of the
complexity of
the game. "Goat
cheese tarte
tatin," for
example, is a
delicious
mélange of
caramelized
onions,
oven-roasted
tomatoes and
warm-to-melting
goat cheese on a
delicate leaf of
pastry.
An entrée of
salmon
medallions
brings the
Middle East back
in focus. Rubbed
with "seven
spices" (ah,
sweet mystery),
the fish is
served on
Israeli cous
cous and topped
with carrot
slaw, also
spiced, this
time with a bit
of heat, a
suggestion of
cumin and a
splash of
something like
vinegar. The
salmon is North
Atlantic, not
wild Alaskan, so
it's a little
mushy, but the
complex
seasoning makes
texture beside
the point-and I
feel like
writing chef
Josephs a
thank-you note
for creating a
dish to revive
our interest in
a fish we find
on every menu
and feel almost
obliged to eat
because it's
good for us.
Roasted rack of
lamb would be
wonderful but
for the fact
that it arrives
overcooked for
medium-rare.
Again we love
what comes with
it: homemade
spaetzle, sauce
bordelaise and a
tempura
asparagus baton
light and
crunchy enough
to do credit to
the best
Japanese chef.
An entrée of
risotto with
wild porcini
mushrooms, fresh
asparagus,
Parmesan and
white truffle
oil is so
fragrant it
makes my head
spin. It's
simply the best
risotto I've had
outside Italy
and perhaps the
best I've had
anywhere. Filet
mignon, one of
the least
flavorful cuts
of beef, is
revved up with
golden raisins,
pine nuts, a
film of melted
Gorgonzola and a
surprising sauce
involving a
balsamic honey
reduction. Very
Middle-East.
Fork-tender, of
course (isn't
that why folks
order it?), and
unexpectedly
delicious.
Dessert, anyone?
Not needed, but
we indulge.
Chocolate
soufflé turns
out to be yet
another fallen
chocolate cake,
but an alluring
one with a hot,
dark, liquid
soul. Coconut
crème brûlée is
refreshingly
garnished with
mango sorbet and
pineapple
carpaccio (how
ever do they
shave this pesky
fruit so thin?).
Mickey's tarte
tatin is yummier
than French
patisserie-more
like Grand-mère's,
with puff pastry
topped by a
whole baked
apple, mushy but
still chunky,
caramelized and
gooey. All
desserts are
house-made,
including
sorbets and
gelatos in
interesting
flavors. The
pistachio is
studded with
whole pistachio
nuts-and no
green coloring.
We end on a
happy note: the
check. The most
expensive dinner
entrée is $25.
Salmon
medallions are
$18. A bar menu
offers a whole
pound of buffalo
wings for $9 and
sliced New York
strip steak on
ciabatta can be
had for $19.
Most pastas can
be ordered in
appetizer- or
entrée-size
portions, priced
accordingly.
Service is
sprightly and
helpful. When
the attractive
young woman who
is serving us
sees that we
like to share,
she skips
cheerfully back
and forth
bringing us
extra clean
plates. She
smiles a lot.
Mickey's would
be a find
anywhere. Lucky
Hamden.
Mickey's
Restaurant & Bar
2323 Whitney
Ave., Hamden
(203/288-4700)
Lunch daily
11:30 to 4.
Dinner Sunday
through
Wednesday 5 to
9:30, Thursday
through Saturday
till 10:30.
Wheelchair
access. Major
credit cards.
Price range:
appetizers $6 to
$10, entrées $16
to $27, desserts
$8.
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