I’ve driven by the building hundreds of times in the last 45 years and had absolutely no idea it was designed by one of the greatest architects of the 20th century, Marcel Breuer, one of the famous Harvard 5. Commissioned by the Armstrong Rubber, I knew it as the Pirelli Tire HQ, sitting on the northern side of I-95 across from the food trucks and on the same campus as Ikea. You all know the building from its exterior, the interior is now a Hilton, and hidden within the lobby floor is some of the best food in New Haven county…served at BLDG. 

Overseeing the kitchen is former Hell’s Kitchen finalist, Megan Gill, whose door did not open on the last night of Season 20, “Young Guns,” while the winner Trenton Garvey’s did. After a quick stop in Texas at a high-end country club Megan moved to CT and I am glad she did, the food is spectacular. The space is more hotel breakfast diner than upscale chic, but make no mistake about it, the food is way up the sophistication scale. 

We started with a shared MARINATED OLIVES with garlic, lemon, orange peel, and herbs.

$8. I rarely rave about a bowl of olives, but these were special. They were soft, full of flavor, and completely infused with a good level of citrus-ness. This was a great start to the meal. I give them a 9.

For my entrée, I chose the NE FISH & CHIPS, described as Massachusetts skate, house fries, malt vinegar, and lemon ($26). I am a big fan of skate and just a big a fan of fish & chips. When I saw this combo, it was a gotta-have. And I am glad I did. The breading was perfect, lightly coated and then flash fried. The result was a complete crisp-moist combo between the exterior and the interior. The skate was a fantastic choice by the chef. This was easily a 10. The fish sat atop a huge mound of seasoned fries. If there was one small nit to the dish, the bay seasoning that covered the fries was just a little too much, I would have preferred a lighter touch.

While not on the paper menu, one of the specials for the evening was Sesame Noodles with peanut sauce. If the server lets you know it is available on your visit, you absolutely must order. While the server mentioned that a protein can be placed atop, go naked with the dish. The noodles were spectacular and the dressing even better. The peanut sauce had just a touch of spiciness. This is easily a 10+.

Back on the menu was the TRUFFLE RISOTTO ($10). As a big fan of risotto and add another fave, the truffles, it was an easy choice to include as a shared dish. Everyone was “give me more” on the risotto, one in the party thought it was even better than the noodles, sorta a how high is up argument. The rice was perfectly cooked with just a little resistance, a little gooey-ness from the cheese, and then the flavors kicked in and they were fantastic. This was the second 10+ appetizer for the table.

Almost every meal has a weak link, and it was unanimous that the MUSHROOMS was the unfortunate member in that category on our visit. Whether the kitchen lost focus when prepared or the item was still in beta mode, this was a plate of chopped and sauteed mushrooms, full stop. No one at the table thought they were in the same league as the rest of the dishes. Unfortunately, I can only give a 1 for this dish, with the hope that the kitchen was focused elsewhere when it was preparing.

Dessert time rolled in, and we opted for two of them. The big winner was the APPLE GALETTE, prepared with NY honeycrisp apples, and caramel sauce, and served a la mode ($12). the pastry chef nailed the galette. I was very surprised by the size, it was a very large portion, contrary to the current downsizing approach to many desserts. The crust was buttery, and crispy and was a great canvas for the apples. The choice of honeycrisp was a great idea and the caramel sauce was a wonderful accompaniment. I give this an easy 10.

On the other hand, the CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE ($12) with house-made whipped cream and fresh berries was a distant second. While many restaurants serve this as a cake on a plate, BLDG serves their lava cake still in the ramekin, which was more lava than cake. While the flavors were incredibly rich and chocolatey, it was more of a wonderful chocolate accompaniment for the whipped cream and berries. I can only give this a 6.

When we saw the space, we were a little skeptical, but when the food started descending onto the table the elevation of excellence soared. The noodles, the risotto, and the fish & chips were all perfect and then to conclude with the perfect galette made for a wonderful dinner.