Topped with a deceptively thin layer of garlicky mashed potatoes and aged cheeses, the ultra-thin pie is even better topped with crisp, chopped chunks of bacon. Must Eats. Caseus also has a four-wheeled ambassador, The Cheese Truck, which rolls across the state each week serving memorable cheese-filled dishes. Food. One of Connecticut’s favorite hot dog stands, Super Duper Weenie first began operation as a food truck in 1992, before moving to its permanent Fairfield location in 1999. Living // Food. You’re in the right place. The Sycamore’s homemade root beer is crafted using a secret family recipe that has been passed down from its original owners. Each burrito is made to order; vegetables and marinated beef are griddled to maintain their texture, twice-fried french fries are used as a key starch component, and housemade sauces bind each hefty burrito, which is then grilled on both sides. Chef Marcell Davidsen, a native of Denmark, works closely with nearby farms to curate much of the restaurant’s seasonal menu, but one of its most-popular dishes remains year-round: G. Swensen Meatballs. Whitecrest Eatery, Stonington. Up the spice quotient with “stingers,” Colony Grill’s vernacular for "charred jalapenos.". With so many flavors to choose from, selecting a favorite is an impossible task. Especially when those highlights involve food. With a menu built around seasonal ingredients and the very best produce local Connecticut farmers and fishermen have to offer, the restaurant creates dishes that include grilled house-cured pancetta with chicory salad, and the seared duck breast with a polenta and Swiss chard cake. 12 Chef-Recommended Grocery Store Hot Dogs,... Footlong West Virginia-Style Hot Dogs with... © 2021 Discovery or its subsidiaries and affiliates. Do save room for dessert: Shady Glen began as a dairy and farm store in 1948, and it still serves delicious homemade ice cream. The cash-only outdoor restaurant is open seasonally, weather permitting. All The Best Food In Connecticut You Need To Eat In 2019 - Across Connecticut, CT - Put these Connecticut restaurants and bars on your 2019 culinary bucket list, The Daily Meal says. Each is served with melted butter on a toasted hamburger bun — a signature departure from the split hot dog roll typical to Connecticut style. Every meal at The Whelk should begin with the restaurant's addictive smoked-trout dip, served with crispy trout skin and Parker House rolls. CONNECTICUT — As 2018 came to a close and 2019 has begun, it's a good time to think back on the highlights. The New England-chic dining room with its statement white marble bar befits a sophisticated oyster bar, but The Whelk goes beyond with craveworthy small plates. Go to: Threats Of Violence Heighten Inauguration Security — And Anxiety, the ineffable Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, This Restaurant Named Best Breakfast In Connecticut: People Magazine, This Is The Best Burger Restaurant In Connecticut, New list Says - Patch, 'I Have Never Felt That Bad': EMT Describes Battle Against Virus, 11 Good News Stories: Kidney Bean’s Promise; Pizzeria’s Special, Police Officers Among Latest Charged By FBI In Capitol Siege, Will Inauguration Day Bring More Insurrection? As a result, all of Super Duper Weenie’s toppings are made in-house (including a top-secret homemade relish), house-baked rolls and fresh-cut fries. Constitution State Staples: Connecticut's Most-Classic Dishes, On the Road: Food Network Stars' Favorite Miami Restaurants, On the Road: Top New York City Restaurants, Where to Eat in Austin: 27 Top Texas Restaurants, Cotton State Classics: Most-Amazing Eats in Alabama, Ocean State Eats: Rhode Island's Most-Iconic Dishes. Serving classic Italian cooking with a deference for well-sourced ingredients, Liana’s Trattoria in Fairfield is a cozy hidden Italian gem. Take home a … Chef-Owner Paul Mannion spent time in the Southern California city and was determined not to leave his cravings behind when he returned to his home state, so he launched the Green Grunion. Though its New York neighbor gets more culinary street cred, Connecticut is a hotbed of local flavors, including a local take on the lobster roll, collegiate-level ice cream and coal-fired, clam-topped pizzas that lure fans from around the world to the Nutmeg State. Restaurants in Connecticut seen on TV shows like Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Man v. Food and more. Prospect Dairy Bar and Marcus Dairy Bar keep that tradition alive.. Smyth's Trinity Farm in Enfield produces glass-bottled milk, cream, yogurt and butter – not to mention seasonal eggnog made with, you got it, real eggs. The Lunchbox is a best source of Meriden, Connecticut's unique steamed cheeseburger, which is extremely juicy with tangy molten cheese on a sturdy bun. Located in the rural Litchfield County town of Washington, Community Table is home to Nordic-inspired cuisine in a Scandinavian-modern setting. Burgers, sandwiches, and great appetizers top the list of fare you’ll find at a traditional tavern-style restaurant. Carlson’s Landing, Essex. Go to: Hamilton Park / High George, New Haven. Caseus Fromagerie Bistro. What sets this burrito apart from any other in a 100-mile radius is Mannion’s attention to detail and the brilliantly layered components. Inspiration for the menu’s hot dog offerings stretches from California to New York, but the house favorite is the New Englander. Best New Restaurant. The executive chef and managing partner of Mill Street, Geoff Lazlo, along with partner Bill King, has formulated a menu filled with rustic yet sophisticated dishes that embrace the bounty of land, farm and sea. Family-owned lunch counter Ted’s Restaurant is home to one of Central Connecticut’s specialties, the steamed burger. Related: Best Gourmet Food Stores In Connecticut. Twin wood-fired ovens turn out the majority of dishes on the menu, which includes antipasti, pastas, classic Italian entrees and pizzas. A friend gave me the idea to use V8 juice in vegetable soup because it provides more flavor. Beginning with local ricotta cheese and finished in the hands of DeMeglio, these gnocchi forever change expectations. These are served at hundreds of Connecticut restaurants every day, but these are the very best bets for the next time you crave Chinese food. Read our picks for the best food & dining in Connecticut. All rights reserved. Dining. While the staff members won’t give away the recipe for their meat sauce, they will give you some hints (no hot sauce, no beans; just meat and spices) and even let customers buy it by the pint. Though the shop has at least a dozen different types of award-winning fruit, nut and cream pies, perhaps none are as famous as her Thanksgiving pumpkin pie, as seen on an episode of Throwdown with Bobby Flay. The unpretentious outdoor dining space is a collection of about 50 bright-red tables, tree-stump seating and a single large painted wooden menu towering above. But the burger doesn’t become the famous Ted’s Steamed Cheeseburger until the beef is topped with its molten-cheese partner in crime. Tall glass windows along the facade allow light from Crown Street to brighten the split dining space, an airy factorylike setup with two bars and a house-brewed beer menu that nearly rivals the size and following of its pizza menu. The humble Venezuelan arepa, a pan-roasted or fried corn cake filled with a variety of ingredients, is the foundation for one of Norwalk’s most-popular restaurants. Connecticut-style hot dogs, burgers, pizzas and lobster rolls await. — to having been the birthplace of the hamburger, at the still-thriving Louis' Lunch in New Haven. Best Dining in Hartford, Connecticut: See 10,800 Tripadvisor traveler reviews of 439 Hartford restaurants and search by cuisine, price, location, and more. Mark G. McLaughlin is a professional and prolific writer with a proven publishing record in a wide variety of fields. Founded in 1895, Louis' Lunch claims the lofty title of “the birthplace of the Hamburger Sandwich.” The restaurant's simple and straightforward juicy burgers are made daily from a proprietary blend of ground beef, cooked to order in the restaurant’s original open-flame cast-iron grills, and served on toasted white bread. If not, it’s just as easy to grab a box of doughnuts to go. Best ramen: Kawa Ni Westport Since opening in 2014, this casual Japanese spot has powered Connecticut’s otherwise sparse ramen scene, gaining a well-deserved cult following in … Go to: Beautiful Mystic River views, plentiful outdoor seating and a BYOB policy help seal Abbott’s popularity as a southeastern Connecticut summer destination. Rather than fries, Ted’s serves crispy home fries, with — you guessed it — steamed cheese. Along the shore, look for the state’s much-loved hot lobster roll, fried clams, and steel-gray clam chowder. Ferris Acres Creamery. Go to: The best part of these egg muffins is you can use any of your favorite fillings. The key to their success may be how little things have changed over the years. Most known for its to-die-for homemade pasta, Grano Arso boasts high end Italian cuisine made from locally sourced ingredients that are seasonally inspired. Situated along the Saugatuck River, The Whelk is the locus of Westport’s thriving dining scene, representing one of the state’s most-creative seafood menus, thanks to James Beard Award-nominated chef and owner Bill Taibe. I love to use leftover sausage, zucchini, spinach, and tomatoes. Each is hand-packed and cooked using a custom-built steam cabinet. Best food truck Show More Show Less Connecticut Magazine teamed up with food experts from around the state to put together a list of must-try restaurants and eateries in Connecticut. Stepping through the doors of Bethel’s Sycamore Drive-In Restaurant feels like stepping back in time. Cappy’s opened as a shoe-shine shop that sold hot dogs to entice new customers, then flipped its business model to focus solely on the meat-topped hot dogs that customers demanded. 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