50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #46

Creole shrimp at Sharpe Hill Vineyard, Pomfret. This is really all about the experience of dining outdoors in a charming space looking out on a Connecticut vineyard. The shrimp are marinated in a hot sauce and then wood-grilled, served with lemon thyme rice and fresh mango chutney. A bottle of Sharpe Hill's Ballet of Angels makes a nice accompaniment.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #45

Roasted littleneck clams at The Place, Guilford. The littlenecks at this classic outdoor grillery are roasted over wood, split open, splashed with hot sauce and then put back on the fire until the sauce and clam juice meld perfectly. Enjoy them with the roasted-in-the-husk corn on the cob.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #44

Penne peppered vodka at La Tavola Ristorante, Waterbury. Sometimes a well-known favorite perfectly prepared can be just what you most want and need. Penne with vodka sauce, combining fresh pasta, plum tomatoes, prosciutto, cream and Grana Padano cheese, gets a memorable treatment from La Tavola's talented kitchen.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #43

Two soups in one bowl at Rebeccas, Greenwich. A striking presentation of delicious, luxurious soups - in warm weather it's yellow and red gazpacho surrounding a pinch of crab meat in the bowl; in cold weather, it's butternut and acorn squash with roasted chestnuts.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #42

Steak au poivre and the prix fixe dinner at Le Petit Cafe, Branford. Another French fling, this time for the whole meal rather than just one dish. Since 1997, chef Ip at Le Petit has offered a changing prix fixe menu in this charming little spot. The steak, with its lucious brandy-black peppercorn sauce, is a very good way to go.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #41

Backhendl with lingonberries at Hopkins Inn, New Preston. As you dig into the fried-chicken-cutlet dish while gazing out at Lake Waramaug and the surrounding hills, you may, for a moment, think you're overlooking a lake in Austria. You're not, but it's a nice thought.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #40

Lithuanian coffee cake at Claire's CornerCopia, New Haven. Just really good coffee cake whose ingredients include, among other things, coffee, vanilla, brown sugar, walnuts, cinnamon, ginger and raisins.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #39

White mashed-potato pizza at BAR, New Haven. Unusual and delicious, all the elements come together here: the crust, the cheese, the potatoes, the garlic, the bacon. This dish has found its way to prominence even in pizza-saturated New Haven.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #38

Dagwood Burger at Sycamore Drive-In, Bethel. A big burger with all the trimmings served in the unbeatable atmosphere of a must-visit drive-in from another era. Go on a scheduled Cruise Night for the full effect. Try the homemade root beer, too.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #37

Avocado Salad . . . Deconstructed at Shrine, MGM Grand, Mashantucket. This marvelously unique and creative concoction includes avocado, spicy mayo, two types of crab, tobiko (flying fish roe) and lemon. And it's so beautiful on the plate you may be tempted not to eat it.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #36

Mesquite-grilled Montana buffalo rib-eye steak at Palomino, Greenwich. A terrific dish at one of the state's best new restaurants. This steak is served with a potato, and onion and cheese gratin.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #35

Ceviches at Sabor and Bespoke, New Haven. At last look, this meant citrus-cured shrimp and scallops with onion, chipotle, cilantro and tomato. While the ingredients change, the quality and pizzazz of Arturo Franco-Camacho's ceviches never do.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #34

Caneton roti sauce bigarade for two at La Bretagne, Stamford. Crispy duck with orange sauce, but far from the sickly sweet sauce you may be thinking of. This is the best way to immerse yourself in La Bretagne's classic French cuisine and atmosphere.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #33

The fried-flounder sandwich at Cove Fish Market, Stonington. Simplicity itself, as a fresh piece of flounder is lightly battered, fried and served on a hot-dog roll. There are only a handful of Connecticut shoreline classics, and this is one of them.