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Jane Stern

Jane Stern, a Ridgefield resident, coauthored the popular “Roadfood” guidebook series with Michael Stern. Join her each week as she travels Fairfield County finding a great meal in unexpected places for $20 or less.

Stories By Jane Stern

Ching’s Table stays consistent as it expands its geographical reach

Most of us have something that we really like about a restaurant. Mine is consistency. There are few things I find more annoying than dining at restaurant X, ordering dish Y, loving dish Y, and returning a week later only to find dish Y looks and... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: A rainbow of delights at the Stamford Diner

Our restaurant critic finds that ‘real tuna’ in the salad is just the beginning of good, honest food in an out-of-the-way eatery By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Carminuccio’s hasn’t changed a bit, and that’s a good thing

The Newtown pizzeria brings back childhood memories for our restaurant critic By Jane Stern

Connecticut’s best butcher shop goes beyond simple cuts of meat

Butcher’s Best Market in Newtown has the best roast beef this side of Buffalo, and also takes care to source quality produce and seafood, says critic Jane Stern. By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Bartolo is one of Connecticut’s best Italian restaurants

Living in Connecticut it is often easy to take for granted how we have the best Italian restaurants this side of Italy. Give thanks to the Italian forebears who immigrated here generations back. By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: The food and drinks at Sono Seaport are laugh-out-loud delicious

Our restaurant critic is tickled to find herself dining dockside at Sono Seaport. By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Love at first sight with Capri’s Cuisine

This Norwalk eatery made a good first impression by keeping wifi off the menu. Then came the empanadas. By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Norwalk Peruvian restaurant Fiesta Limena delivers a world of flavors

A Peruvian restaurant in Norwalk is one of those places our restaurant critic is reluctant to share with the public, but today she is feeling generous. By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: LobsterCraft doesn’t need condiments, gimmicks or even a water view

LobsterCraft lacks a water view, and our restaurant critic couldn’t care less. By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Joseph’s is the best steakhouse in Connecticut

A downtown Bridgeport restaurant is expensive, but worth every dollar, says our restaurant critic. By Jane Stern

Jane Stern’s best meal of the year was at Craft 14

I have a big grin on my face as I write this. I had dinner last night at a newish restaurant in Wilton called Craft 14 and that is the reason I am smiling. If you have not ventured out recently, please let me tell you there is a boom in new... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: House of Yoshida is all Japanese in a pan-Asian world

There are so many Asian restaurants in Connecticut that I have lost count. What these restaurants all share is that they have morphed from being simply Chinese or Japanese, to a broad borderless cuisine now called Pacific Rim, or pan-Asian,... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Dere Street Steak represents a new British revolution

I am probably one of the few people who adore British food. This is a cuisine that people make fun of. They sing about the awfulness of mushy peas, HP sauce-covered meats, gruel and porridge-like stomach fillers, along with canned baked beans... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Mex on Main brings a touch of San Diego to Trumbull

Mex on Main is a place I had not previously heard of, and did not plan to stop at. I was on the way to the dermatologist in Trumbull when I noticed Mex on Main and made a mental note. After my skin had been taken care of I quickly backtracked and... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Boca at Steelpointe Harbor is a mixed catch

It feels like a dream. I am enroute to Bridgeport’s new Steelpointe Harbor. I see it in the distance and it does not look like any marina I have seen before. I am on a long straight road heading toward what looks like a black castle in a video... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: ‘Asian hawker fare’ is welcome in Westport’s restaurant scene

I was cruising along the Post Road when a new restaurant caught my eye. It is Mama Chow and under the name of the restaurant are the intriguing words “Inspired by Asian hawker fare.” “Asian Hawker” refers to the delicious street food found in... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern takes fondly to Sandy Hook’s Foundry Kitchen & Tavern

I love a certain type of restaurant and Connecticut is gloriously chock full of them. I love old buildings that have been transformed into charming and cozy places to eat and drink. This is perhaps why I took so fondly to Foundry Kitchen &... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: A classic Westport restaurant comes back, sort of, in Georgetown

If you have lived in this area for many years I imagine that you often miss some of the great restaurants in Westport. I find myself nostalgic for the day when Maneros was where one went for steaks, The Clam Box on The Post Road was the place for... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Thank goodness for Fridays at Hungarian Bistro

Frequent readers of this column will know that I am a lousy navigator. Even with a map, a compass and a GPS I usually drive in circles, muttering curses. Sometimes it takes me two trips to locate a place. I have also learned the hard way that... By Jane Stern

Jane Stern: Vivianne’s Middle-Eastern Food is where salad is a full meal

When food lovers try to top each other when comparing little-known restaurants, the conversation can grow heated. These conversations usually start with the description, “It’s a real hole the wall.” Among foodies this is not an insult, but the... By Jane Stern