REVIEW - BRIE & BLEU - New London, Conn.

I can honestly say I have been to Brie & Bleu in New London on several occasions finally when visiting New London during January I decided to once again visit this finely restored early 1800s building on New London's Bank Street.

Brie & Bleu and Thames Wine & Spirits share two historic or should I say one historic building on one of New London's two main streets. Located on the historic Bank Street the cradles the Thames River Brie & Bleu offers a serious touch of class to New London and all of Southeastern Connecticut. The decor is simple but aesthetically pleasing, with tremendous views of the Thames River (they-mes) and in the summer a handsome deck nice shaded from the usually very warm summer sun.

Located in a cheese shop that offers a variety of cheeses from across the globe Brie & Bleu has fast become one of the favorite spots of businessmen, local artisans and lovers of cheese from across the region. Samples of three different varieties are available and of course the helpful personnel are always ready to offer samples of any cheeses in their chilled counter.

When seated, this time facing the busy Bank Street with a nice view of the Hygienic Arts Building and Park we glanced at the menu. Due to the size of their little but usable kitchen located immediately to the left of the cheese counter the menu features a number of Salads, Bruchetta (open sandwiches) and a soup or two. On this occasion we ordered the Tuscan and Venice bruchettas. One featuring locally made Orsini Sausage, Fresh Mozzarella, Aged Provolone and Basil Oil while the other offered Rosemary Cured Bacon, Gorgonzola Cheese and sliced tomato's on (like the Venice) sliced and toasted bread.

Beverages at Brie and Bleu are water usually from VOSS a Norwegian producer of bottled water, in trendy flasks, a fresh soft taste to the water if that is possible. Izzy soda's a "micro brewer" of soda was my choice and a diet one of those variety as lunches are best "light" so that one not weigh down the rest of the day. If you have a taste for wine or other similar alcoholic beverages a unique partnership with the next door Thames Wine and Spirits allows you to walk over, ask for a suggestion that fits best with your meal and take it back to Brie & Bleu where they bring you glasses and if necessary (in summer) ice to chill your summer or white wines or micro-brew beer.

Our order took some time to arrive but then again this "food" is to be enjoyed and allows one to relax, take in the sights of the bustle of Bank Street or the Thames River, but when it arrived it was crafted to perfection. The cheese were melted just enough to appear to be a blanket of soft winter snow, the sausage portion was just enough not to over power the other flavors and the lettuce greens were fresh and relatively crisp. The Gorgonzola appeared to be nicely packed and the aroma not so pungent as some can be. My colleague mentioned that this was truly "excellent".

Being lunch we opted not to have desert but I understand the cannoli, cheese cake and Lemon Torta are excellent choices as well. With all of this in mind our ratings go as follow for Brie & Bleu:



RATINGS KEY:
SCALE:1-Low/Check out other places, 3 "ok" to 5-Highly Recommended

Dining

                                                                

Food (quality & presentation)	5
Variety	4
Service	5
Beverage Selection (with partnership of Thames Wine & Spirits)	5
Atmosphere	5

Summary

All in all an excellent experience in a nicely restored historic building I could only wonder how good their wine dinners are and if they began to offer a full dinner menu!

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