John Davenport's at the Omni Hotel
John Davenport’s at the Top of the Park was born to merge the storied history of New Haven, inspired by those first settlers in 1638, with our abundantly distinctive New England cuisine. Our aim is to return to our roots and revive traditional New England cuisine yet present it with a contemporary flair certain to excite and tantalize the senses. We are resolute in our determination to use only the freshest local products available from the surrounding counties and from around New England. So we begin with local cuisine that exercises frugality and simplicity in the face of seemingly unending abundance of the New World, such as cheeses, honey, herbs and so much more. Hearty, filling foods that combat the cold and don’t offend God by being too fussy or decadent. Native Americans influences on colonial cuisine, both in the ingredients they introduced, such as corn, beans, and maple sugars, and the methods they used. Despite its meager, rocky soil, New England proffered a bounty of raw ingredients, fish of all kinds, shellfish and game too, filled the air and the fields. All sorts of berries (cranberries, blueberries, strawberries) and nuts covered the hills. For many years, New England was the launching site for migrations into uncharted country, and her tastes traveled as far as the Pacific Northwest, where you can still get a blueberry cobbler made from an old Maine recipe. Famous still are one-pot stews that can be made year-round. Succotash combines lima beans, hominy and a goodly amount of salt pork stewed in a hundred and one variations. Boiled puddings combined English desserts with Native American ingredients; corn flour and molasses were staple favorites, and the Indian puddings and steamed brown bread still survive, ever popular. In these foods, you can taste the British and colonial fondness for Indian Spices : mace, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. While straightforward, New England cuisine at its best creates that full-bodied honesty that comes from the combination of America’s great bounty and her love of simplicity. Finally, the time has come to repose and savor the experience of our culinary ancestry. While taking in the breathtaking view of our historical green, the central square in accordance with old English custom, from the only rooftop restaurant the city has to offer.
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