Find Great Tastes at Taste

You don't need to live in Manhattan to appreciate culturally diversified, creative and stimulating dishes this evening. Sitting right on the boarder of North Haven and Hamden lies , a restaurant and lounge that boasts a menu that includes Tibetan, Mexican, classic American and more. 

Start off with savory goat cheese stuffed peppers, then dive straight into house-made ricotta dumplings tossed with garlic and swiss chard. You could also go with the bacon and onion tart salad and pulled pork with chipotle barbecue sauce. I personally plan on taking home the crab cake salad and buffalo shrimp wrap with jicama slaw and Gorgonzola cheese. 

Don't let the menu fool you though. This is no "fancy, schmancy" establishment, says owner and chef Jason Ruocco. In fact, all the dishes are as real as the customers and the menu directly reflects their tastes. 

"I definitely try to cater to the people who come here," said Ruocco, "My salads, I've never tasted them, but they all do really well. The pork pot sticker appetizer, I won't take that off, salmon has been on the menu since day one, the shore ribs is pretty popular, the Talapia has been on there for five years because it’s so popular."

Taste, which has been at its current location for seven years, is the latest installment in a location that has served North Haven as a dining establishment for over four decades. Ruocco, who started and runs Taste full-time, made sure the space underwent a full scale, visual overhaul.

"We did major renovation. I think we were going for a little more contemporary, but keeping in mind where we are and where we’re trying to portray. We weren't trying to come across as some fancy, schmancy, metropolitan-style place. We didn’t want to exclude anyone, we just wanted to brighten the place up for sure," said Ruocco.

The atmosphere, which you could describe as sophisticated, has already attracted a regular customer base, one which has kept Taste afloat and thriving for nearly a decade. 

"The neighborhood is what supports me," said Ruocco. "I've got a regular customer base, I have people who come in twice a week for the last seven years. There are people I see every week and I know almost every single table in the dining room. The support is overwhelming.

"During worse times they were there for us. I do enjoy the town of North Haven, I grew up in here. The town has been good to me, town officials have always been good to me."

As the temperature increases and pleasant weather reaches New England, the patio seating will open up at Taste and new dishes will be added to the spring menu. So feel free to stop by, soak up the sun and enjoy one of their popular martinis and the crème brulee, or enjoy a local brew and the mixed berry crisp with vanilla ice cream. Ask for Ruocco and he will no doubt be there to answer any questions. 

"I'm always there," said Ruocco, "I still wash dishes and change light bulbs. I’m the sole owner, I don't own anything else, there's no money to invest, just my own blood sweat and tears. I've got to keep my food better than everyone else’s at a lower price than everyone else’s, which isn’t easy, but I think I do a heck of a good job at it."

See  for their hours of operation and contact information.