CW’s Chops ’N’ Catch makes the most of whole smoked pork bellies, cutting the meat superthick and braising it in chicken stock and Coca-Cola before adding it to numerous entrees.

A bistro at Chamard Vineyards provides a glorious view of vines, a rustic décor and a locally sourced menu.

At the 50 West restaurant in Plainville, Conn., the corn bread and jams are homemade, and the aiolis and salad dressings are also concocted in-house.

Bodega Taco Bar in Darien has a menu and atmosphere that wander far afield of Mexico.

Sophia’s Ristorante Italiano, in Westbrook, offers hearty, plentiful food, like a tender pork osso bucco and a rich rigatoni Bolognese, in a cheerily appointed setting.

The Main Street Grill takes a fresh approach to “new American” cuisine, recasting some old favorites, like nachos and carbonara, in novel ways.

A chef’s passage from town to country has been accompanied by a shift in culinary culture, from avant-garde act to a heartier, simpler cuisine.

At Republic, a boisterous gastropub in Bloomfield, Conn., what unifies the menu’s wild eclecticism is the chef’s decision to take the path of highest calories.

At Millwright’s Restaurant, the chef Tyler Anderson offers a brashly elegant take on homey American classics in a magnificently rustic eating space complete with a dam and waterfall.

Four new breweries are changing Connecticut’s reputation as something of a laggard in the production of craft beers.