The nearest Ikea to Stamford is in New Haven. Anyone that knows my wife and I knows that we like Ikea. Heck, we've even been to an Ikea in Finland -- and yes, Ikea's Swedish meatballs are exactly the same in Finland as they are here. Also, all the items have the same crazy names, except in Finland the names don't sound so crazy.
After our shopping trip to Ikea we drove into downtown New Haven to find a place to grab some dinner. This led to our discovery of 116 Crown.
116 Crown is a beautiful space. The decor of the restaurant is very modern. There are white birch branches everywhere. Also, the bar is made of white onyx and is lit from below. It runs two-thirds the length of the restaurant and has seating on both sides. It looks like this:
.116 Crown's bar is put to good use with the excellent cocktails. My wife had the Glitterati, which is made with Plymouth Gin, creme de cassis, lemon juice, simple syrup and brut champagne. I think that Fairfield County lacks a good cocktail bar. I find this kind of depressing because there was an awesome cocktail bar, called The Flatiron Lounge, very close to our old apartment in Manhattan. The cocktail menu at The Flatiron Lounge mostly consists of cocktails from the 20's, 30's and 40's. 116 Crown had similar cocktails on its list, as well as cocktails which were inspired by their classic forefathers. Since moving to Connecticut, 116 Crown is the closest thing that we have found to a real cocktail bar. So close, in fact, that I seriously thought about renting a hotel room in New Haven and having a few instead of being the "designated driver."
116 Crown's cocktail list can be a little overwhelming. DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK FOR HELP! The bartending staff is very nice and will ask you a few questions and bring you exactly what you could have wished for -- at least that is what they did for my wife.
The drinks were not the only thing at 116 Crown worth mentioning; the food was also excellent. We started our dinner with the brussel sprouts. They were very simply prepared with a little olive oil and salt and the chef cooked them by placing them under the broiler for a few minutes. They were very simple, yet tasted incredible. In addition, we split the duck special. The duck was grilled medium rare and served on a bed of greens. It was perfectly cooked and likely the best duck we have ever tasted. Finally, we had roast beef bone marrow. I know, you probably think bone marrow is gross. Well, you'd be wrong. When it is cooked, bone marrow becomes gooey and spreadable. The marrow was served in the bones. You eat the marrow by scooping it out of the bones and spreading it on bread. The best thing to do was to spread it on the bread and wait about 30 seconds or so before eating it -- this allowed the marrow to soak into the bread. Yum.
So, the next time you find yourself at the Ikea in New Haven or, just want a cocktail from days gone by, I highly suggest you eat at 116 Crown.
116 Crown
116 Crown Street
New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 777-3116
www.116crown.com
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