Margie and I waited until autumn to take time for vacation, the cool days, changing colors, and leaf piles adding to the delight of time away from work. Leslie and John Eddy had invited us to camp at their lovely home in Cos Cob, CT, a village that melts into neighboring towns along the border with New York. A forty-minute train ride takes you into New York City, where we went to enjoy the creative and energetic Broadway production, “Stomp.”
Leslie works for Bloombergs—not the mayor but his firm—and sometimes is delayed long enough that they meet for dinner in Greenwich, a train stop just prior to Cos Cob. They generously took us to their favorite spot, twice in fact, a lovely restaurant, Crew (you can visit Crew online here). Each time we sat at the bar to talk and enjoy a leisurely meal, and it became quickly obvious that the people who gather there have over time come to know and appreciate one another. They’ve also gotten to know the owner (who doubles as the chef) and wait staff—producing an atmosphere of friendliness all too rare in American eating establishments. I was reminded more of a British pub, a place where neighbors can meet not just to eat and relax, but to talk and deepen friendships.
The first time John and Leslie took us to Crew, I ordered the “Seared Lamb Sliders.” (I ordered them the second time we went, too.) They came with a roasted shallot/garlic aioli on a fresh potato roll. I like lamb, and having suffered the fast food version wanted to know if the chef, owner Chris Geideman, could redeem the term.
He could and did. Oh, did he!
If you live on the East Coast, I recommend you eat at Crew. If you don’t live there, travel through and eat at Crew. If you can’t get there, well, life is unfair and you’ve received the short end of the stick.
If you do stop by Crew and the menu has changed, no worry: everything we tried there was superb. Kate, who keeps bar, makes a mean gin and tonic, by the way, which I also recommend, and which I think complement the Sliders nicely.
Crew manages to create the sort of neighborhood gathering place that celebrates good food and drink creatively prepared and presented, in an atmosphere designed to nourish friendships and conversation. And that is a good thing in such a broken world.