On a cold day in February, there’s no better way to sustain yourself than comfort food. For us, that’s Atelier Florian…even though we’d never been before.
New Haven is a city by the sea, though I-95 obstructs easy access to the Long Island Sound. Perhaps this proximity is the source of our recent hunger for seafood—specifically shellfish.
We started with one Blue Point oyster each, served with a mignonette (classic), salsa verde (somewhat less classic), and a delightfully tiny bottle of tabasco sauce. The oysters are clean, briny, and delicious. But we want more. Atelier Florian is known for their Moules Frites: one or two pounds of mussels in a broth of your choice with a side of Belgian fries and a lemon aioli. After deliberating between the marinière and lobster broths, we opt for lobster and also order a croque monsieur for fun.
If you thought the relaxed three-martini lunch was a relic of bygone times, Atelier Florian’s—mostly older—clientele would prove you wrong. Flutes of champagne and long-stemmed cocktail glasses adorn most of the tables around us. Between the elegant wood-paneling and patterned tile, it felt like we should have been making some business decisions or discussing the political climate over our lunch. But there we were, between lectures, an anomaly in the dining room. The combination of cozy and classic styles had drawn us in.
When the food came out we dug into the large, steaming pot of mussels. Many of the shells came up empty, their meat falling into the broth below, but we steadily made our way through the pile. While the mussels tasted good, the broth was the star of the show, and we learned that the mussels were better the longer they stayed submerged. The only thing missing was a spear of crusty bread to sop it all up. We made do.
The croque monsieur is already a hedonist’s sandwich, a stack of ham and cheese, topped with creamy bechamel, before being broiled till golden brown and bubbly. It does, however, improve with the addition of lobster broth, and soon we were both spooning the rich liquid onto our plates. The broth soaked into the bread, melding with the gruyere and bechamel. Thinking back, our antics were a bit much, the kind that a parent would admonish as “playing with your food.” But damn did it taste good.
The joy of moules frites and an extra rich ham and cheese sandwich is that lunch becomes a slow process. Taking time with a meal, devoting a little work to get at a tasty morsel, and enjoying an elegant space has been wiped from the American lunch tradition. Maybe it’s time to bring it back. Picking through mussel shells with a tiny fork, luxuriating in lobster broth, and chasing both with a thick-cut belgian fry is a recipe for great, lengthy conversations. And maybe gout.
Atelier Florian feels comfortable, yet elevated, and has prices that are surprisingly reasonable. All the food was delicious, but the broth was particularly too good to waste. Hardy got a plastic to-go container and sipped what was left in lecture, bringing some warmth and flavor to the concrete halls of the Loria Center.
Atelier Florian is located at 1166 Chapel St, New Haven, CT
Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10:00 AM to 8:30 PM Saturday through Sunday
Recommended Dishes: Moules Frite with Lobster Broth, Croque Monsieur, Oysters with accoutrements. $25-$40 a person without beverages.
