January 2019

Dec 21, 2018

What are your favorite places to eat and drink in Connecticut? Once again we asked our readers that very question, and this month we present the results from our biggest Best Restaurants: Readers' Choice survey ever, with statewide and county winners in more than 70 culinary categories. We've also once again assembled a panel of experts to dish up a second course of great restaurants from around the state, and our own food writers take a look back at some of the places they wrote about and fell in love with in 2018.

A great restaurant means great food, of course, but for chef Ben Dubow at Bistro on Main in Manchester it also means offering second chances and inspiring hope. Also this month, we explore what makes the town of Deep River a great place to live or visit with the debut our new monthly feature About Town, and we pay a visit to the Consumer Reports automotive track in East Haddam, where new vehicles are put to the test.

Note: Best Restaurants: Readers' Choice and Experts Picks will be published online on Dec. 26.

Features

Our Favorite Restaurants In 2018

Erik Ofgang, Mike Wollschlager

Connecticut Magazine's food writers take a look back at their favorite places they wrote about in 2018.

FOOD & DRINK

Best Restaurants 2019: Readers' Choice

By Staff

The results of our latest restaurant survey, presenting our readers' favorite places to eat and drink by county and across the state.

FOOD & DRINK

Best Restaurants 2019: Experts' Picks

By Staff

Our panel of experts weigh in on their favorite places to eat and drink throughout Connecticut.

FOOD & DRINK

A Chef Who Makes Kindness a Key Ingredient

Erik Ofgang

It was opening night at Bistro on Main in Manchester and executive chef Ben Dubow had an unsettling thought. As he looked back at the stations of his kitchen — his line — he realized, “There wasn’t a single person who had worked a hot line before.”

THE CONNECTICUT STORY

Going Under the Hood at Consumer Reports' Test Track

Mike Wollschlager

Tucked away in the woods of central Connecticut is an asphalt oasis. A winding dirt road leads to an old dragstrip, for decades a theater where race cars would scream down a straightaway at breakneck speeds, now somewhat ironically repurposed as a sanctuary of safety.

Home & Garden

Raising the Bar: Serving Spirits With Style

Caitlin M. Bagley

If the phrase “home bar” conjures up images of dingy basements and neon-bright St. Pauli Girl beer signs — well, times (and tastes) have changed.

First

New Books About U-boat Hunters, Mark Twain's Feast and Overdue Homecomings

Erik Ofgang, Mike Wollschlager, Albie Yuravich

A monthly look at new books with a Connecticut connection.

A Local Doctor Has Launched a Groundbreaking Coalition to Rebuild a Broken Health System

Robert DiGioia

Most Americans think the U.S. health care system is troubled. Nearly three-quarters say it is “in a state of crisis” or “has major problems,” according to a 2018 Gallup survey.

Stepping Out with Mental Health Connecticut, Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford, the Connecticut Humane Society and More

Fundraisers, galas, charity balls and other events where people have been seen around the state.

Fine Art Photographer Adrien Broom Brings Fantastical Stills to Life

Kristin L. Wolfe

The photographer's latest project is an ever-evolving, two-year multimedia project exploring the history-filled homes of noted artists and writers.

Is It Time For a Digital Diet?

John Roche

Tech ethicist David Ryan Polgar wants us to reflect, change and even consider “dieting” when it comes to how we use technology and social media.

This Month

A Window into Tiffany’s Art at New London’s Lyman Allyn Museum

Karena Garrity

Walking through the Lyman Allyn Art Museum’s Chappell Gallery, which is dedicated to the artist and designer Louis Comfort Tiffany, is like going back in time to experience the opulence and luxury of the Gilded Age.

Bob Woodward on Donald Trump and the State of the Modern Media

Mike Wollschlager

Woodward’s latest book is Fear: Trump in the White House, and he will be at College Street Music Hall in New Haven on Jan. 22.

'Moonlight' Screenwriter Tarell Alvin McCraney Aims for New Heights on Broadway and Television

Frank Rizzo

Tarell Alvin McCraney sits at one of his favorite haunts in New Haven, Soul de Cuba Cafe on Crown Street. The space’s imagery of the Yoruba people of West Africa reminds him of his youth in Miami when a Santerian priest told him he was “touched and blessed” and that “the gods are talking to you.”

Things to Do in January

Greg Moody

Our top picks for events happening around the state this month.

West Hartford’s New Escape-Room-Bar-and-Restaurant Combo Makes Getting Out Less Appealing

Erik Ofgang

West Hartford’s newest escape room, Skeleton Key Adventure Emporium, has something few others do: a full bar. You might think twice about trying to get out.

Columns

Backstage

Long Wharf's New Artistic Director Wants to Build 'a More Inclusive American Theater'

Frank Rizzo

To get a sense of his personal taste, we asked incoming artistic directory Jacob G. Padrón to choose a handful of works that have made significant impressions on him.

Beachcombing

Pizza Lover Colin Caplan Explores the History of the Elm City’s Greatest Creation

Randall Beach

Colin Caplan was raised on New Haven pizza, and he has never lost his deep affection and desire for what’s now recognized, he proudly notes, as “the best in the world.”

TRAVEL

About Town: Deep River

Erik Ofgang

In this new monthly feature, we take a closer look a what makes a community in our state a great place to visit or live in. First up: the charming small town of Deep River.

The Connecticut Table

Recipe: International Flavors Are at the Heart of Arugula Bistro Chefs’ Filet Mignon of Tuna

Pamela Brown

Gehami gets excited when she can recreate a flavor from her childhood. “Food is memory, and the more you remember, the better it tastes."

Sasso’s in Torrington Was Born of a Longing for New Haven Pizza

Erik Ofgang

In the late 2000s, Jeff Smart found himself stranded in a pizza wilderness.

Noble Jay Brewing Co.’s New Beer Honors a Fallen Medal of Honor Recipient

Erik Ofgang

When Mike Lincoln Jr., the owner and brewer at Noble Jay Brewing Co. in Niantic, was asked to make a beer in honor of U.S. airman John “Chappy” Chapman, the pressure was on.

The Cue in Danbury is Known for Barbecue and Lots More

Erik Ofgang

As soon as you open your car door in the parking lot of The Cue, you can smell the aroma from the smoker — a sweet mix of burning wood and cooking meat that on this cold afternoon feels like all the good parts of winter.