I don’t know about you, but I love cheese. It goes great with nearly everything, it’s got a certain comforting quality to it, and, simply put, it’s one of the ultimate food groups in life. Being a lover of all things cheese, it was only a matter of time before I stumbled on Caseus Fromagerie in New Haven, a restaurant that has an entire menu dedicated to this wondrous food.
Caseus isn’t a restaurant in the purest sense of the word. Instead, it is a mix between a cheese store, restaurant, and learning experience.
The Store and Restaurant
The store houses and sells more than 100 kinds of artisan cheeses and many hard-to-find ingredients and herbs, making it a dream come true for the foodie in your group. Though it is known for its cheese, the quality of all of the ingredients that it sells is what makes it a major draw for restaurants and cooks in the New Haven area.
As for the restaurant itself: It’s a bit pricey, but not extravagantly so. The average lunch meal goes for anywhere from $12 to $30, and a dinner meal costs about the same. I haven’t actually sat down for a meal, but while an intern in New Haven I was treated to a charcuterie board—my very first—and it changed the way that I saw cheese from that moment forward. Beyond merely being a topping, cheese very well can, and should, occasionally take the center stage; and even if it isn’t the main star in a meal, it has the power, when partnered correctly, to elevate almost any food you can think of.
A Cheese Truck?!
When I was interning in New Haven, The Cheese Truck was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because it brought delicious, delicious cheese within walking distance of my office, and a curse because I found myself spending most of my meager stipend on meals from it.
The truck serves a number of gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches (add-ons include things like grilled red onion, apple-wood bacon, Jambon de Paris, Guacamole, and the like), tomato soup for dipping, and salads from the restaurant.
But whereas the restaurant can get a bit pricey, meals from the truck are decidedly cheap—$5 for your standard grilled cheese, and $3 for a side of tomato soup—making it a beacon for starving college students and interns everywhere.
The Caseus Cheese Truck: Delivering home-cooking to college students everywhere.
I can’t say that it was the best grilled cheese and tomato soup that I’d ever eaten, because my mother would probably kill me. But it was a very close second, and I recommend it.
The truck varies its locations from day to day and time to time, so if you’re in New Haven and hankering for a gooey grilled cheese, check their Facebook page to know where you should be heading. It looks like a slice of cheddar, so you shouldn’t miss it out on the street!
Visitor Info
Where: 93 Whitney Ave, New Haven
When: The store is open from Monday through Saturday, from 10:30am to 5pm (Monday and Tuesday) and until 6pm the rest of the week. The Restaurant has lunch and dinner hours. Lunch is served from 11:30am to 2:30 Monday through Saturday, and Dinner is served from 5:30pm to 9:pm Wednesday and Thursday and until 9:45 Friday and Saturday. There is no dinner service Monday and Tuesday, and both the store and restaurant are closed on Sunday.
Costs: Varies per meal
