Zinc: Denise Appel, Keith Ruttan. |
1st) Zinc
Chef Denise Appel has been the co-owner of Zinc with Donna Curran since 1999, and Keith “K.C.” Ruttan has been the chef there for five years. In that time, they’ve locked down the qualities that are important to them in a restaurant: quality ingredients from local farms and a constantly changing menu that follows the availability of the local seasons. So “American” means “regional” in the sense that what you’re eating comes from what’s in the area, but it also means varied dishes — as Ruttan says, he likes to cook the food he loved to eat growing up, where one night might be tacos and the next pasta and the next Indian. For Appel, it’s all about going out to the farmers markets and deciding on the week’s 11 entrees based on what looks good. That means “what’s for dinner” is a changeable feast and a new website has just been launched to help dedicated clientele keep up.
964 Chapel St.
New Haven
(203) 624-0507
2nd) Park Central Tavern
1640 Whitney Ave.
Hamden
(203) 287-8887
3rd) Prime 16
172 Temple St.
New Haven
(203) 782-1616
