It’s official: there’s a dining renaissance happening in Greater New Haven. In New Haven itself, almost every downtown block boasts a restaurant that’s a destination. We’re talking about the daring tapas of Ibiza, the sleek small plates of 116 Crown, the farm-fresh New American food of Zinc, even American’s first hamburger sandwich from Louis’ Lunch. And somehow more superb restaurants keep opening, offering the sort of smart, unexpected cooking you’d expect only in a far larger city. Let’s not forget New Haven’s signature food, of course: coal-fired pies at the old-school, family-owned pizzerias, Sally’s and Pepe’s– a pilgrimage for many visitors. Your dining options extend well beyond New Haven: in Branford alone — to pick a town at random — you have to choose between the impeccable Parisian bistro Le Petit Café and the New England-authentic seafood of Lenny’s Indian Head Inn. We could go on — Milford’s East Japanese for sushi, say, or New Haven’s Rice Pot for in-country Thai. But we’re saving room for more later.
