Putting The New Back In New Haven

NYC might be going down the toilet, but it doesn't take a Yale scholar to realize that nearby New Haven, Connecticut has been sprucing itself up and actually going a bit more upscale. To show off their assets, the city just sent a bunch of us press whores down for its first ever Restaurant Week of compulsive gorging, and I came back happily looking like a Herman Melville character.

Among the gastronomic highlights:

*Louis' Lunch, where they allegedly served the country's first burger, and still sell it on toast with no ketchup or mustard! (Sneak in condiments at your own risk.)

*Caseus Fromagerie and Bistro, where they were frantically prepping for "the pre-Thanksgiving cheese rush." (It's like a dairy version of what happened to Washington Mutual, but much more financially beneficial all around.)

*Willoughby's, where I defy you to dislike--or to spell--the Ethiopian Yrgacheffe

*The Cupcake Truck, which can drive up to my mouth anytime

*And Frank Pepe's, where the waitress correctly told our insatiable group, "Three medium pizzas won't be enough!"

The gay bars? I'll save both of them for the column.