I grew up, with a mushroom cut, in an extremely small town called Tolland, Connecticut. A place where cows roamed, streetlights were almost nonexistent, and for some reason a strip club operated out of the basement of one of our premier Italian restaurants.
I had a good little life that felt safe and filled with the tropes of suburban americana like lightning bugs, riding in the back of pickup trucks, and going out to eat as a family on the occasional special night. Sometimes we’d really get to ride the lightning, posting up at establishments like Outback Steakhouse, TGI Fridays, or even the 99 Restaurant (which, as you may know, has 99 reasons you’ll always come back for more). But within my little slice of heaven known as central-northeast Connecticut, we had some damn good local eateries as well. Places serving appetizers and entrees that I largely consider on par with, or better than, meals I’ve had all over the country.
And I’m telling you it’s because the food is exquisite.
But also- like maybe, maybe there’s a chance that it reminds me of a time when I wasn’t filled with such anxiety and dread on a daily basis. A time when a text message from a friend didn’t send me down a spiral simply because it feels like too much effort to answer. A time when I didn’t disassociate from my problems by taking long baths and watching reruns of Cheers. A time when I didn’t scroll through my phone, loading twitter and instagram over and over in succession because if I’m left alone with my thoughts for more than twenty seconds they start to wander into a gray area that I’ll never be able to lift myself out of.
They also have amazing garlic bread and cheese!
If I had to list my favorite restaurants that I grew up with, it would be (in some order depending on the day) as follows:
I can not suggest to you more that if you are ever driving on I-84, and you pass any of these restaurants, that you hop off the highway and patronize them immediately. And I’ll tell you why.
Papa T’s is the aforementioned Italian restaurant with great pizza and pasta, daily specials, a garlic bread and cheese I would die for, and homemade desserts. It is a local town diner mixed with an Italian eatery and it makes my heart sing like the Masked Singer (Jenny McCarthy is largely responsible for the resurgence of measles!). They always make you feel like you’re home, I know many of the employees like extended family, and it bottles up and distills Tolland in a way that no other place can.
*It’s also the place I most often went before, and after, my mom died; and the restaurant I most associate with my entire family dynamic of eating, so who the fuck knows if I can be trusted at all!
Willington Pizza is actually sort of famous! Their signature dish, the red potato pizza, has been featured on the Food 
Network, Good Morning America, The New York Times, and every text I’ve ever sent about pizza. Technically just over the town line in Willington, this classic pizza joint delivers consistent home runs every single time you walk through the door. While the red potato is just stupid good, they’re never ready to rest on their laurels, serving up taco pizza, seafood casino pizza, cheeseburger pizza and more. The crust is outstanding, they have huge salads that are mostly meat (the best kind of salad), and their appetizers are great too.
*But splitting a Willington pizza reminds me of my dad and I splitting a pizza, just the two of us, after my sister had gone to college. It reminds me of my friends and I bringing a deck of cards and playing spades while we waited to demolish as many slices as we could. It fills me with a joy that feels simple and different from the joy I’m able to experience in my adult life, after years of processing my own trauma. So fuckin shrug emoji on whether I could ever be a neutral source of information, right?!
And last, but certainly not least, Rein’s Deli, which you could also sort of describe as Connecticut famous! People come from all over for the classic deli fare, including matzo ball soup, stacked sandwiches, breakfast all day with their homemade corned beef hash, and all the smoked fish you could ever want. But there is one specific reason why I will visit any time I’m within an hour of Vernon, Connecticut: HALF. SOUR. PICKLES.
If you’ve never had a half sour pickle, I feel terrible for you. What a dreary, gray life you’ve lived. Dill is nothing more than a pleasant crunch, and bread & butter pickles should be outlawed, along with anyone who ever says they enjoy them. But half sours. My god.
Crisp little garlic cylinders with just the right amount of kick, just the right tang, and a refreshing aftertaste that encourages you to eat more. I will usually eat 10-15 per lunch, and if you think I’m exaggerating you are a dumb dick. (I’m sorry, you’ve probably just never seen me eat them. I really like them a lot and I will eat them until I am ill.) All of the food at Rein’s Deli is worth exploring, but make sure you pick up a bucket of pickles every time you’re there. You will never, ever regret it. And if you do, I truly and actually think you suck.
The New York style jewish deli food they serve is unmatched, especially in our neck of the woods. The portions are incredible. The freshness of every single ingredient they use is almost staggering. Rein’s Deli is, quite simply, a perfect lunch spot.
* Half sour pickles, and by extension Rein’s Deli, always felt like something that I had for myself. It was a unique part of my makeup that most people didn’t know about, let alone care about. It is one of the first foods I fell in love with, and one of the first times I could talk endlessly to people about what food means to me. It is, essentially, the first opinion I made in blood about what my tastes are. So who knows if I have any god damn idea what I’m talking about!
When you come home you have to try Basil’s, that’s my version of Cheers.
Hilltop is good too, a socializing place in particular.
At Storrs Center, Dog Lane Cafe is the little brother of the Vanilla Bean.
Enjoying your California foodie article even though they are soooo far away.
Oh man, we love Dog Lane! We take the baby every time we’re back. And I’ve been to Hilltop a time or two as well, my dad has Lion’s Club meetings there. I’ll have to try Basil’s for sure!