Chalk up another foodie destination for Niantic now that Haylon’s Market is in business. You’ll have to travel past the downtown area to sample the excellent fare at Haylon’s, but it’s well worth the extra ramble down Route 156 if you’d like something special for lunch or dinner.

And “special” here doesn’t necessarily mean “fancy.” On a recent visit, the hot options of the day included lamb stew with Duchess potatoes ($14/pound) and a sausage and peppers sandwich special ($8.75) and cold-case items included chicken pot pie ($10.50) and chicken salad, among several other options. But where these New England comfort-food basics become special is in the preparation.

I tend to be fussy with lamb, but Haylon’s lamb stew elicited no fuss at all. The meat was tender, likely super fresh, and perfectly imbued with the flavors of the other ingredients — carrots, celery, a leafy green, well chopped, that might have been parsley. It didn’t taste “lamb-y” like some lamb dishes sometimes do. The lamb actually brightened the whole dish. The Duchess potatoes (per Wikipedia: mashed potato mixed with egg yolk, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg) added a subtle tanginess to the mix, further lightening the overall effect of this technically hearty dish. Two of us devoured every last bit of the stew and it’s something we will order again.

But it’s quite possible the sausage and peppers edged out the stew for our favorite dish of a recent sampling. Served on a beautiful ciabatta roll with, I believe, some sort of mayonnaise or maybe aioli applied to the bread, Haylon’s mix of sweet sausage, peppers and onions will easily compete with anything you might get on Wooster Street in New Haven. Perhaps the secret is in the bitter greens added to sandwich, offering a deep green flavor to some bites, which made the spices in the sausage sing. Of course, that spicing is maybe its own special ingredient; it struck me as similar to some Asian spice mixes, and it beautifully warmed up the flavor of the entire sandwich. A nice touch was the side dish of cold chickpea salad that came with the sandwich. The salad wasn’t terribly remarkable flavor-wise, but it was a nice palate cleanser.

And even though the Apple Crumble Tart ($4.25) we selected for dessert was spectacular, we’re still raving about that sandwich. But credit where credit is due: the rustic tart features a delicious pie crust we also encountered in the chicken pot pie. It’s buttery in the best way possible — like the best biscuit you’ve ever tasted. What we found interesting about the tart was, while the selected apples were neither particularly tart nor sweet, they became an excellent choice when combined, with each forkful, with the crumbles. The bold mix of (what we guessed was) brown sugar, cinnamon, allspice, clove and spices of that profile added a pop of flavor and gave way nicely to the perfectly stewed apples and the buttery, wonderful crust. I imagine the tart would be absurdly delicious with vanilla gelato.

And while we’re talking about desserts, if you go into Haylon’s and see mini chocolate cakes topped and filled with minty (probably cream cheese) frosting ($2.75), grab at least one because they are spectacular. The cake isn’t overly sweet and neither is the frosting, which makes it a great accompaniment to coffee (or to anything really).

Back to the chicken pot pie, which, smaller than some I’ve encountered, still sated two of us for dinner with a small bowl of Haylon’s black-bean chili ($3.25 for a small; $5.50 for a bowl). Maybe it’s the thick layer of crust that filled us up or perhaps the generous amount of chicken within, but we were happy campers after dinner. First, the pot pie smelled heavenly, thanks to that yummy crust. The interior of the pie proved just as pleasing, with tender chicken well-flavored by herbs, plus the requisite pot pie veggies. The resulting sauce was more broth-like in texture (versus a gravy), and that was absolutely no problem at all — it added a sense of lightness along with whatever herbs were added.

As for the chili, one of us loved it (me) and one of us was underwhelmed and dubbed it “vegetable stew with some black beans.” Not that there’s anything wrong with vegetable stew with black beans, but my tasting partner was looking for a bit more peppery heat in his chili. I love black bean dishes in general and enjoyed the more smoky, subtle flavor of the dish. And as someone trying to sneak more veggies in to my diet, I also appreciated the clever use of other vegetables to flesh out the flavor — we think we spotted some eggplant and squash in the mix, among other smart choices that were tough to identify after simmering in a pot all day. Of course, chili is best when topped with shredded cheese, and Haylon’s made sure to top off theirs with a generous handful. The herbed mini biscuit that came with the chili is a reason in itself to order soup at Haylon’s.

In an effort to be thorough in my sampling, I did select one of the more unusual dishes on offer recently: curried chicken over quinoa ($13.50 a pound). Packed separately, you can add as little or all the quinoa you wish to what’s basically a chicken stew. Loaded with carrots, celery and light and dark meat, the stew itself is a tasty dish; paired with the perfectly prepped quinoa (incomplete prep is easy to do), it becomes a rich, nutritious, rustic meal. What would have made this dish a standout for me was more overall curry flavor. My contrarian tasting partner thought the level of spice was just fine.

That’s fine. I look forward to sampling the curry again on what will likely be many return trips to Haylon’s Market.

Haylon’s Market

Haylon’s Market

157 West Main St., Niantic

(860) 739-9509

www.haylonsmarket.com 

Cuisine: Prepared foods from pot pies to chicken salad; plus fresh sandwiches, entrees, soups, salads; catering available

Atmosphere: Small storefront, with dashes of old New England décor; no seating. Presentation seems to be a work in progress; on a recent visit, half an hour after opening, the coffee station wasn’t fully prepped and management were practically crawling over customers to hang some art on the walls. Seemed a project better left for closing time.

Service: All business but courteous

Prices: Moderate; sandwiches average about $8.50; entrée items around $12

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Credit Cards: Yes

Reservations: N/A

Handicapped access: All on one level; ramps available, but small interior