50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #20

Paella negra at Ibiza, New Haven. Tuesday night is paella night at Ibiza, with a special menu served only then. This spectacular dish (which needs to be ordered by at least two at your table) includes squid ink rice, Spanish prawns, shrimp, mussels, squid, clams, day-market fish and herbs.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #19

Italian combo grinder at Nardelli's, Waterbury and Naugatuck. Get back to the roots of the whole grinder thing with this original beauty, circa 1922: prosciuttini, cappicola, salami and provolone, with lettuce, tomato, olives and hot sauce.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #18

Hot oil pizza at Colony Grill, Stamford. The crust on these pies is so thin that it's actually brittle, creating a delicious crunch unlike any pizza you've ever had. Some find it very hard to go back to pizza-as-usual after experiencing the Colony's version.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #17

Cheeseburger at Shady Glen, Manchester. A cheeseburger is just a cheeseburger? Not at Shady Glen, where several slices of cheese are allowed to extend beyond the edges of the burger as it cooks; the cheese melts onto the grill and turns crisp and chewy before being folded back onto the burger just before it's served. Hard to picture? Guess you'll have to go.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #16

The "hi-rise" of shellfish at Max's Oyster Bar, West Hartford. A wonderful thing to behold, the mountain of shaved ice is embedded with an assortment of fresh shellfish, oysters, clams, mussels, snow crab claws, jumbo shrimp and other market crustaceans.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #15

Meat loaf at Dressing Room, Westport. The grass-fed beef for this delicious, comforting dish is from nearby Stonebroke Farm, and it's served with mixed seasonal vegetables, home-style mashed potatoes, caramelized onions and garden herbs.

50 Dishes to Try Before You Die - #14

Porterhouse for two at Joseph's Steakhouse, Bridgeport. At about $75, this is a beef lover's blowout. Hot dinner plates are set down seconds before a steak platter arrives bearing pieces of beef that were presliced in the kitchen, then put back in place along the bone so you can see exactly which section of steak you are eating. A delicious steakhouse classic.