Eat, Shop, Joy

Looking for the perfect place to indulge in food so comforting and delicious that it put the comfort in comfort food? The name kind of says it all: .

You’ll find this gem in in a sweet little space with periwinkle trim and an outdoor deck. The shop’s sign bears a long-lashed squid wearing a red chapeau, reflecting owner ’s view that squid are feminine with their fluid, flowy multiple arms. Add Mystic’s nautical location, the variety of cheeses available and the famous French culinary school’s name, Le Cordon Bleu—and you’ve got the Bleu Squid.

You’re bound to work up an appetite during your village shopping and strolling … so you’ll want to give this place a try. You can even continue your shopping, as the café, now in its third year of business, also sells marine-themed gifts such as starfish and shells, squid stuffed toys and decorative pillows with woven sea life designs.   

You will love Bleu Squid’s food—your waistline probably won’t. My favorite, or one of my favorites, is the macaroni & cheese made with a special cheese blend. It is hot and gooey and crunchy on top and all things you’ve ever remembered about the macaroni-and-cheese casserole you ate when you were a kid, back when you called it by its full name, rather than its modern mac ’n cheese moniker.

There’s the Original Grown-Up Grilled Cheese, with a mix of Havarti, Fontina, extra sharp Cheddar and Muenster cheeses. If you’re good, you’ll only eat half—and save the rest for later. Or, how about the Famous Lobster Grilled Cheese with chunks of fresh lobster meat and an original cheese blend on extra-thick white bread.

Then there’s the cheese case filled with a unique assortment. Here are just a few choices: Langa La Tur from Italy, a creamy, mixed-milk cheese with a nice tang and complex taste; Quickes Oak Smoked Aged Cheddar, smoky and delicious; Midnight Moon, a goat cheese gouda; cranberry white Stilton; lemon Stilton; and last but not least, the heavenly Fromager D’Affinois, a double-cream soft cheese, often mistaken for brie, that—even right out of the refrigerator—melts in your mouth. Its texture, that of a thick, nearly whipped spread, happens through ultra filtration that breaks down fat molecules in the milk.   

We haven’t even gotten to the homemade soups and breads, the and the cookies, brownies and bars. The shop also sells an assortment of gourmet crackers and a line of spreads from northwestern Connecticut’s Bridgewater.

So, remember—take time out and treat yourself to timeless culinary comfort. You deserve it.