CT/NYC Suburbs

My current recommendations when you find yourself outside of NYC:

The Cottage: I challenge you to even make it past the starters! Great menu, cool space, excellent food/cocktails/spirits, and an awesome vibe; burger and deviled eggs are musts ($$$) [Greenwich]

Siren Restobar: A new little gem in Old Greenwich: tapas, Mediterranean-style! Delicious small plates, generous portions, great service, and a ton of fun! ($$$) [Old Greenwich]

Happy Monkey:  Excellent new Pan-Latin spot on the Avenue with great food, cocktails, and vibe; so much fun but hard to get a table ($$$) [Greenwich]

Grigg Street Pizza: the dudes from Corbo’s take it up a notch with the highest quality pizza around; their passion for quality is unparalleled ($$) [Greenwich]

Famous Greek Kitchen: casual, delicious, great service…a big thumbs up here; the Greek combination platter is the winner with awesome lamb gyros ($$$) [Port Chester]

Le Penguin: a lively neighborhood French bistro that consistently delivers; the mushroom ravioli, steak frites, and peas with pancetta are all must-haves [Greenwich] ($$$)

Colony Grill: thin crust bar pizza at its finest; get sausage, hot oil, and stingers; that’s all you need to know ($$) [Stamford]

Sally’s Apizza: skip the drive and skip the wait!  Sally’s is now in Stamford; all the classics; it might not have the same vibe but it definitely has the same pizza ($$) [Stamford]

Orienta:  it always feels like a party here, like a party in 1993 at Le Colonial or Indochine; the food is awesome too ($$$) [Greenwich]

Sal’s: the pans they cook the Sicilian pizza in would be older than my grandmother if she were still alive; it’s what makes this the best Sicilian slice anywhere ($) [Mamaroneck]

Bodega:  Head to Darien for great Mexican with an awesome margarita and a tremendous tequila list ($$$) [Darien]

Bedford234:  Cool little place with a super friendly owner, an amazing chef, great little bar, and the nest baked oysters anywhere ($$$)

Le Fat Poodle: same owner as Penguin but (as the name suggests) much more eclectic; something that Old Greenwich really needed [Old Greenwich] ($$$)

Kelly’s Sea Level: in the basement of a home in Rye; near perfect execution of bar food: wings, burgers, dogs, etc.; nice pours from the bar; try the Death Dog ($)

Piero’s: a total living-room-style hole-in-the-wall where the brothers will make you anything you want as long as it is classic Italian; a good place to bring your own wine to [Port Chester] ($$$)

The Restaurant at Rowayton Seafood: Great seafood, cool bar, awesome atmosphere; and it over looks a river; all of the seafood here is really fresh, prepared simply and wonderfully good! [Rowayton] ($$$)

Rebeccas:  Always one of my favorite restaurants in Greenwich! absolutely wonderful food perfectly executed in a contemporary style; it is impossible to make up your mind with the menu; I loved the black truffle risotto, the lamb, the rabbit and the Dover sole; don’t miss the hericot verts/artichoke/truffle oil salad;  [Glenville] ($$$$)

L’Escale: a Provencal restaurant in the Delamar Hotel; the atmosphere was a little rough, but the food was outstanding; the pan-seared foie gras in a pea broth with bacon was amazing; double-cut pork chops, rack of lamb, and all the seafood was also first rate; although the portions were generous, order some of the side dishes, especially the fries and the artichokes; don’t save room for dessert…it was disappointing. [Greenwich] ($$$)

Elm Street Oyster House: incredibly fresh, well prepared seafood in a mellow setting; I never order tuna, but I always will here! [Greenwich] ($$$)

Applausi: great neighborhood Italian; awesome food; friendly service; and, the best osso buco I’ve had maybe ever! [Old Greenwich] ($$$)

Boxcar Cantina: pretty solid Mexican in a fun family setting; a little upscale with Niman Ranch meats; try the soft tacos [Greenwich] ($$)

And if you are looking for a little more grit:

Joey B’s: There’s a new best hot dog in town, either boiled, fried or grilled; the chili is also great (and spicy), so go with the chili cheese fries. For breakfast:  Hacksaw with bacon.  So much better than Top Dog was! Click here for some photos [Cos Cob] ($)

Greenwich Pizzeria: hands down the best pizza in Greenwich; the pizza master from ReNapoli left to open this great take-out spot ($$)

Walters:  did anyone say hot dog? Since 1919, the best dog around ($) [Mamaroneck]

Villa Nuova: great Italian deli; the Villa Nuova (chicken cutlet, prosciutto, fresh mozzarella, sauteed broccoli rabe, add tomato is the bomb ($$) [Greenwich]

Alpen Pantry: c’mon dude!  I did NOT call in my order.  Sorry.  Get over it and keep making those incredible sandwiches! [Old Greenwich] ($)

Hubba Hubba: best chili ever; put it on a dog, a burger, some fries, or a spoon [Port Chester] ($)

El Charrito:  The famed Mexican truck from Stamford just found a permanent home in Riverside; the BEST tacos (and tortas) on the East Coast are now 3 minutes from my house! Dios Mio! [Riverside] ($)

Garden Catering: Old Reliable: The Hotsie, The High School Special (Home Run Stye), fried chicken, and iced coffee [Old Greenwich] ($)

Louie’s: Great spot for a drink/meal at the bar; pastas are great, especially the penne a la vodka with sausage [Cos Cob] ($$$)

BSF: BSF = Burgers, Shakes and Fries; the burger is great…sloppy and enjoyable; I’m ready to go back for another! [Byram] ($)

Los Gemelos:  a tortilla factory that serves some of the best, most authentic tacos I have had; don’t forget the radishes and limes! [Port Chester] ($$)

El Cayote Flaco: Some serious food that embodies Hecho en Mexico [Portchester] ($$)

UGH:

Lugano’s: feels like you are eating in a noisy Amtrak dining car; thankfully the solid cocktails can help with that, but the food is completely uninspired; not just tasteless, but boring with mediocre execution at best; if you think the Dining Car comment is too harsh, then let’s upgrade it to a Marriott lobby restaurant; and the noisy people who filled up the restaurant actually seemed to like the food…which was surreal.  ($$$)

Polpo: not so bad; the atmosphere was great (visually), but the food was simply OK and it was way over-priced; the wine list had nothing affordable; some of the waiters were great, but the seasoned vets were rude and rushed; many, many 50+ wealthy guys with thirty-something trophy babes ($$$$)

Valbella:  ugh; avoid this Soprano’s casting-call experience; the decor is like a bad wedding; the waiters should have never left their valet parking jobs; and the food blows; a mere $25 for that Italian favorite, penne a la vodka ($$$$)

Q Authentic BBQ:  The place looks cool; the menu makes you drool; but the BBQ is no better than average; same with the sides; its surprising that the folks from Kneaded Bread disappoint here [Portchester] ($$$)