Temple Street market and cafe arrives at last
By Todd Lyon
From the New Haven Register
Owner RoseMarie Foote with her pastry chef Amie Soltis’ Raspberry Almond Tart. |
It’s been a long time coming; I’ve gotten used to driving down George Street, past the former Macy’s Men Store and wondering: When is it going to be here?The facade has been ready for months, looking great: a rooster with a flourish of feathers against a black background that reads, Bella’s Downtown Market Cafe.
Owner RoseMarie Foote with her pastry chef Amie Soltis’ Raspberry Almond Tart. |
It’s been a long time coming; I’ve gotten used to driving down George Street, past the former Macy’s Men Store and wondering: When is it going to be here?The facade has been ready for months, looking great: a rooster with a flourish of feathers against a black background that reads, Bella’s Downtown Market Cafe.
Chef/owner RoseMarie Foote and her business partner, Margie Gintoli, had expected to open Bella’s Downtown in January. I had spoken with them in September, and they had explained that they wanted to take their time and not rush to open before Christmas. After all, Rose was busy with her Westville restaurant, Bella Rosa Cafe, while Margie was still working at her primary career as an R.N.
They’d never expected that various design and engineering glitches would delay the project until June 27. On that day, Bella’s Downtown Market Cafe opened with a gala ribbon-cutting ceremony, and the city was treated to a stylish new place that is part gourmet market, part bakery and mostly restaurant, serving breakfast, lunch, weekend brunch and, Thursdays through Saturdays, dinner.
The place is a treat for the senses. A foyer with a crazy orange floor is centered on a gleaming case full of gorgeous desserts, created by pastry chef Amie Soltis, that instantly set the taste buds spinning.
To the right of the 3,300-foot space is a European-style market with prepared foods to go and precious items like Mediterranean sea salts and 22-year-old Balsamic vinegar. (Said one of Rose’s customers, "I don’t have to order from Williams Sonoma any more.")
Chef Rose is especially proud of her selection of cheeses, and loves it when customers buzz through and fill their baskets with fig cakes from Spain, spreads from Italy, dried sausages, fresh breads, interesting crackers and all sorts of cheeses. She’s also glad to offer Greek olive oil from a "fusti," a giant canister with a spigot that allows customers to fill a decorative bottle with olive oil, then bring the bottle back for discounted refills.
On the other side of the space is a comfortable, casual restaurant with seating for about 50, positioned against a glass wall that looks out on the Criterion Cinemas. There, the breakfast crowd can feast on quality selections like the Santa Fe Omelet, with Cheddar, bell peppers, onions and fresh-tomato salsa; the Grilled Summer Vegetable Omelet, with yellow squash, fire-roasted red peppers, caramelized onions, grilled eggplant, portobello mushrooms and Asiago cheese; and old favorites like Blueberry Pancakes.
Lunch is all about sandwiches and salads, with a few entrees, and all of these are carefully selected and prepared. Rose’s most popular choices are the Home-Style Tenderloin Chicken Salad with orange-tarragon aioli, Finlandia Swiss cheese and fresh radish sprouts on grilled cranberry-pecan bread; and Roast Beef Au Jus with caramelized onions and herbed cheese on ciabatta bread. "I can’t make enough of it," says Rose.
At Bella Rosa Cafe in Westville, which has been going strong for five years, Chef Rose serves breakfast and lunch only. So it’s something of a novelty — and a welcome creative challenge — for her to offer dinner service at the new place.
Her menu is obviously made with love, and features such specialties as North Atlantic Cod and Blue Crab Cake, Pan Roasted Tenderloin, and Grilled Halibut with citrus almond salsa over brown basmati rice pilaf and spring vegetables. Dinner can be enjoyed with a bottle of wine of your own choosing; the place, at least for now, is BYOB.
So far, it’s the restaurant side that’s been getting most of the attention. Rose’s customers from Westville have been coming out in droves to support her, and she suspects that the people of downtown New Haven haven’t fully "discovered" her gourmet market yet.
But with increased business at Criterion and the general downtown renaissance, she knows that will soon change. And let’s not forget that, within the next three to five years, Bella’s Downtown Market Cafe will be right in the lap of the new Gateway College.
In the meantime, get out there and discover Bella’s Downtown for yourself. It’s got plenty to offer, and is definitely one of the city’s newest pleasures.
Todd Lyon of New Haven is a freelance writer. |
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