The scrumptious tuna melt. Photo: Asher Price/Axios
👋 Asher here. Last week I stopped by Handsome Dan's, a newish bar and bodega at Springdale Station whose vibe is meant to conjure up rural bait shops from the 1970s.
Think vinyl stools at the counter and taxidermy hanging from the walls.
The intrigue: I think of Handsome Dan as the name of the bulldog mascot of that non-rural-bait-shop university in New Haven, but the restaurant has its own naming backstory.
"Handsome Dan is that hunting and fishing guide everyone wanted to learn from," reads the restaurant's website.
The friendly owner, Josh Hare, who was manning the register when I visited, told me that Handsome Dan was also the nickname of the stuffed deer-like creature behind him … so who knows.
What I ordered: The generous, moreish tuna melt — house-made tuna salad, served with a tongue of melted orange cheddar on grilled Easy Tiger sourdough — and the handsome Italian, on ciabatta.
