Roìa

Date
4/8/2014

Location
Downtown New Haven
261 College Street, New Haven, CT

What I ate
Salad of blood orange, grapefruit, and shaved fennel with toasted nuts
Agneau braise a l'oignon (Braised lamb with onions, kale, peppers, and potato pancakes)
Poppy brioche bread pudding

Website
Roìa

Thoughts
In looking through the New Haven Restaurant Week menus, this was one of the ones that stuck out and it didn't disappoint; let's go right to the food.  I'm generally not a fan of grapefruit, but this seemed like a good opportunity to change that and I wasn't keen on the other appetizer options.  My only complaint was that there wasn't more of it.  It was delicious and I would've eaten a double-portion without hesitation.  The entree was even better.  The lamb was mixed with the delicious veggies and the potato pancakes acted as a great base, sopping up anything that was left behind.  This was also one of the largest portions for an entree I've ever had at any restaurant week, so they score a few bonus points.  The dessert was a bit of a letdown.  It was good, it just didn't carry through the momentum from the preceding courses.  Frankly, it has been about a month since I went and, while I can clearly remember how the salad and the lamb tasted, I'm drawing a bit of a blank on the bread pudding.

The place feels like it used to be a lounge outside of the symphony, but doesn't take itself quite that seriously.  The ceilings were tall and, while I liked the sense of openness, it did get a little loud once the place filled up.  Still, it had a general inviting feel to it, a little dark, a little warm, but not at all sedate.  The wait staff and kitchen were also very accommodating, finding gluten-free substitutions for my date and happily talking through both the menu and wine options.  Oh, and don't be thrown off by the sink in what looks like the hallway.  There isn't one in the restrooms, so that's what you use.  It seemed weird to me, but friends who know such things assure me that's something restaurants do.

Recap
Pros - Tasty food, helpful wait staff, comfortable atmosphere
Cons - A little loud at times
Overall - When the food is that good and the complaints are that weak, it's going to score well.  There are so many places in New Haven I still have to try, but I'll be heading back to Roìa before too soon.