Connecticut Restaurants, Hamden, CT - Mickey's Restaurant & Bar

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A Hearty Return, From Starter to Dessert
As featured in the New York Times, By STEPHANIE LYNESS
Published: September 19, 2004

ROSEMARY & SAGE in Old Saybrook had been open for only a year and a half when a car drove through the window fronting Route 1 in the middle of the night and closed the place down for almost 12 months. The restaurant reopened this year at the end of June.

Micky Josephs, the owner and chef, is still at the stove. If you knew the restaurant in its first incarnation you will find it substantially the same with the exception of a new décor. The menu has a Mediterranean bent: Italian with some Middle Eastern influence. (The excellent smoky eggplant dip and the Marrakech salmon are examples.)

Of incalculable importance for a restaurant is a client's experience of the first and last bites. (A great starter sets the tone for the meal; if the main course is less appealing, but the dessert is excellent, one will still want to come back.) Rosemary & Sage does a good job on this score, starting off with a basket of warm, dense, crusty white bread served with olive oil and a too-small ramekin of baba ghanouj-style eggplant; the combination of lemon, smoky eggplant, and herbs is exceptionally savory.

(There was no eggplant one weekday night. Our young, competent waitress explained that it is not always available except on weekends. This is unfortunate because it makes an outstanding first impression.)

While it is rare to find a restaurant in this part of Connecticut where the desserts are as good as the cuisine, at Rosemary & Sage they are. A crème brûlée is cool and rich, and tastes delicately of egg and the super-thin layer of caramel on the top: bravo. The tiramisù is what I first understood this simple dessert to be before it got manhandled beyond recognition: ladyfingers soaked in strong espresso and layered with mascarpone cheese flavored judiciously with amaretto. Sorbets (not made in-house) are smooth and taste of fruit. A chocolate-Grand Marnier soufflé (more cake than soufflé) is warm with a gooey interior.

Appetizers and entrees are consistently well cooked, seasoned and presented, but the real surprise here is that Mr. Josephs is a fine saucier. There are no generic sauces here. Each pan sauce is distinct, specifically crafted for the dish it accompanies. The cream sauce under baked oysters (stuffed with crab, spinach and peppers) one night was marginally thicker than desirable, but it was the exception that proves the rule. The balsamic-honey sauce (for beef fillet) referenced a sweet and sour taste without being either cloying or acidic. In a sherry sage sauce that accompanies a surprisingly tasteless veal layered with prosciutto, eggplant and mozzarella (Veal Principessa), we clearly taste sherry and sage.

Amongst the appetizers, the fried calamari and spinach soup are particularly good. The calamari is fried to create a crust, then tossed with a tomato sauce flavored with chiles, capers and Kalamata olives. Tomato sauce with fried food seems a contradiction to me: the tomato softens the crust. Here, it works.

The excellent soup is built on a delicate tomato broth garnished with spinach and sliced garlic (a lot of garlic, but mild taste); try it with the poached egg (Portuguese style) and grated Parmigiano.

The chef uses a refreshingly light hand with the bacon and goat cheese in the spinach salad. Strawberries in an arugula salad? Weird, but it tastes fine. Caesar salad could use more lemon. There was lots of garlic in a zuppa di vongole. New Zealand cockles were sweet, but you've got to take something off the bill when you spill soup on a client.

Meats are perfectly cooked to the requested doneness. Chicken Grana with an egg and Parmigiano crust is silky and tender; try the veal tenderloin -- porcinis don't have much taste except in the sauce -- grilled veal chops, lamb and beef fillet.

The wine list is extensive and reasonably priced (with some more expensive reserve choices) and our waitress capably steered us toward a good bottle.

At about $40 a head on food alone before tax or tip, Rosemary and Sage is a little pricey but it delivers.

Rosemary & Sage
1080 Boston Post Road,
Old Saybrook
(860)388-1166

Very Good

ATMOSPHERE -- White tablecloth restaurant, upscale for the shoreline (although dress is casual).
NOISE LEVEL -- Loud.
SERVICE -- Friendly; can be slow, but is mostly competent.
RECOMMENDED DISHES -- Firecracker calamari, beef carpaccio, zuppa di vongole, stuffed oysters, spinach soup, spinach salad, gnocchi, squid ink linguini with seafood, pollo grana, filet balsamico, rack of lamb, any of the desserts.
PRICE RANGE -- Appetizers: $6 to $12. Main courses: $17 to $27. Desserts: $8.
CREDIT CARDS -- All major cards accepted.
HOURS -- Monday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.
RESERVATIONS -- Recommended.
WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY -- Good.
Reviewed by The Times Sept. 19, 2004.

Ratings -- Extraordinary, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fair, Poor. Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change.

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	Back A Hearty Return, From Starter to Dessert As featured in the New York Times, By STEPHANIE LYNESS Published: September 19, 2004 ROSEMARY & SAGE in Old Saybrook had been open for only a year and a half when a car drove through the window fronting Route 1 in the middle of the night and closed the place down for almost 12 months. The restaurant reopened this year at the end of June. Micky Josephs, the owner and chef, is still at the stove. If you knew the restaurant in its first incarnation you will find it substantially the same with the exception of a new décor. The menu has a Mediterranean bent: Italian with some Middle Eastern influence. (The excellent smoky eggplant dip and the Marrakech salmon are examples.) Of incalculable importance for a restaurant is a client's experience of the first and last bites. (A great starter sets the tone for the meal; if the main course is less appealing, but the dessert is excellent, one will still want to come back.) Rosemary & Sage does a good job on this score, starting off with a basket of warm, dense, crusty white bread served with olive oil and a too-small ramekin of baba ghanouj-style eggplant; the combination of lemon, smoky eggplant, and herbs is exceptionally savory. (There was no eggplant one weekday night. Our young, competent waitress explained that it is not always available except on weekends. This is unfortunate because it makes an outstanding first impression.) While it is rare to find a restaurant in this part of Connecticut where the desserts are as good as the cuisine, at Rosemary & Sage they are. A crème brûlée is cool and rich, and tastes delicately of egg and the super-thin layer of caramel on the top: bravo. The tiramisù is what I first understood this simple dessert to be before it got manhandled beyond recognition: ladyfingers soaked in strong espresso and layered with mascarpone cheese flavored judiciously with amaretto. Sorbets (not made in-house) are smooth and taste of fruit. A chocolate-Grand Marnier soufflé (more cake than soufflé) is warm with a gooey interior. Appetizers and entrees are consistently well cooked, seasoned and presented, but the real surprise here is that Mr. Josephs is a fine saucier. There are no generic sauces here. Each pan sauce is distinct, specifically crafted for the dish it accompanies. The cream sauce under baked oysters (stuffed with crab, spinach and peppers) one night was marginally thicker than desirable, but it was the exception that proves the rule. The balsamic-honey sauce (for beef fillet) referenced a sweet and sour taste without being either cloying or acidic. In a sherry sage sauce that accompanies a surprisingly tasteless veal layered with prosciutto, eggplant and mozzarella (Veal Principessa), we clearly taste sherry and sage. Amongst the appetizers, the fried calamari and spinach soup are particularly good. The calamari is fried to create a crust, then tossed with a tomato sauce flavored with chiles, capers and Kalamata olives. Tomato sauce with fried food seems a contradiction to me: the tomato softens the crust. Here, it works. The excellent soup is built on a delicate tomato broth garnished with spinach and sliced garlic (a lot of garlic, but mild taste); try it with the poached egg (Portuguese style) and grated Parmigiano. The chef uses a refreshingly light hand with the bacon and goat cheese in the spinach salad. Strawberries in an arugula salad? Weird, but it tastes fine. Caesar salad could use more lemon. There was lots of garlic in a zuppa di vongole. New Zealand cockles were sweet, but you've got to take something off the bill when you spill soup on a client. Meats are perfectly cooked to the requested doneness. Chicken Grana with an egg and Parmigiano crust is silky and tender; try the veal tenderloin -- porcinis don't have much taste except in the sauce -- grilled veal chops, lamb and beef fillet. The wine list is extensive and reasonably priced (with some more expensive reserve choices) and our waitress capably steered us toward a good bottle. At about $40 a head on food alone before tax or tip, Rosemary and Sage is a little pricey but it delivers. Rosemary & Sage 1080 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook (860)388-1166 Very Good ATMOSPHERE -- White tablecloth restaurant, upscale for the shoreline (although dress is casual). NOISE LEVEL -- Loud. SERVICE -- Friendly; can be slow, but is mostly competent. RECOMMENDED DISHES -- Firecracker calamari, beef carpaccio, zuppa di vongole, stuffed oysters, spinach soup, spinach salad, gnocchi, squid ink linguini with seafood, pollo grana, filet balsamico, rack of lamb, any of the desserts. PRICE RANGE -- Appetizers: $6 to $12. Main courses: $17 to $27. Desserts: $8. CREDIT CARDS -- All major cards accepted. HOURS -- Monday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. RESERVATIONS -- Recommended. WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBILITY -- Good. Reviewed by The Times Sept. 19, 2004. Ratings -- Extraordinary, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Satisfactory, Fair, Poor. Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction to food, ambience and service, with price taken into consideration. Menu listings and prices are subject to change. Back
	Mickey's Group, LLC. 2006-2007 2323 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT 06518, Tel: 203.288.4700 Fax: 203.288.4727
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