CONNECTICUT — If you’re looking to dine out more as the weather now that the coronavirus is on the run in the state, we’ve got some tasty news for you.
The Daily Meal recently unveiled its list for the “101 Best Restaurants In America,” and the online food and dining site included two restaurants from Connecticut.
Here are the best restaurants in our state, according to the Daily Meal’s rankings.
Millwright’s in Simsbury came in at No. 98. The restaurant is located inside a beautifully renovated old mill, and the Daily Meal praised chef/owner Tyler Anderson for showcasing New England ingredients “like few other chefs do.” The restaurant offers two separate dining experiences — you can grab a burger, a fried chicken sandwich or fish and chips in the tavern, or go all-out with a seven-course tasting menu with clam chowder tapioca custard and venison osso bucco with rye spaetzle in the dining room. The eatery also offers a spectacular brunch. Millwright’s Restaurant & Tavern is located at 77 West Street in Simsbury.
Grano Arso, in Chester, was ranked at No. 94 on the list. The Daily Meal was impressed that chef/owner Joel Gargano and his wife Lani are so committed to serving the best pasta that they mill native New England grains in-house. Along with the stellar traditional pasta dishes, the restaurant turns out classic Italian-inspired fare like eggplant al forno with housemade ricotta, and seared scallops with spinach and carrot-ginger puree. Grano Arso is located at 6 Main Street in Chester.
Alinea, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Chicago, was ranked as the No. 1 eatery in the United States, according to the Daily Meal. The top five restaurants were rounded out by Eleven Madison Park in New York City, Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, Le Bernardin in New York City and Inn at Little Washington in Washington, Virginia.
“These 101 restaurants serve food that’s thoughtful and thought-provoking, and they also have a dining room and a level of service that suit the quality of what’s on the plate, a good beverage list and a true sense of personality, imagination and consistency,” authors of the Daily Meal rankings wrote in an introductory statement to the list. “Visiting one of these restaurants feels like a truly memorable culinary experience.”
To compile the rankings, the Daily Meal contacted hundreds of dining experts around the country to ask which restaurants they considered the absolute best in their respective cities. Those restaurants were then added to other establishments that have “garnered near-universal acclaim” and eateries that have been featured on previous Daily Meal lists.
The remaining restaurants were subsequently ranked according to metrics such as food, service, beverage options and environment.
