1. Coromandel
City: Darien, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 662-1213
Address: 06820
Description: This is one of the best Indian restaurants in the state, with a great decor of murals and mirrors, and delicious food. The buffet lunch here is a bargain, with great choices of a half-dozen or more main dishes, along with naan bread, a variety of chutneys, and tandoori chicken. The dinner menu is also reasonably priced; try the lasi gobi, a fried cauliflower, and the Indian lamb chops. Everything can be ordered at a comfortable level of spice. This is the original, and some say the best, Coromandel, but now there are two other locations in Fairfield County, one in Stamford (68 Broad St., 203-964-1010) and one in SoNo (86 Washington St., Norwalk, 203-852-1213). There is also a Coromandel in New Haven County (185 Boston Post Rd., Orange, 203-795-9055) that is just as good as the Darien location, though in a less impressive location in a shopping center.
2. 1020 Post
City: Darien, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (203) 655-1020
Address: 1020 Post Rd.
Description: Like a brasserie from the turn of the 20th century, 1020 (or Ten-Twenty) Post has so many items on its menu you’ll like, it’s tough to choose. Calling themselves an oyster bar/bistro, it’s clear that the folks at 1020 can’t decide either. That’s okay, because everything is great. From their two-tiered seafood platters of raw and pan-fried oysters and clams to the braised barbecue ribs, this French-inspired American seafood cafe restaurant is many things to many people. The most interesting thing on the menu might be the “simple fish”—a selection of haddock, trout, salmon, and many more, done, as they say, simply, with either beurre blanc, soy-ginger jus, or 1020’s own chutney for accompaniment. The beautiful dark wood furniture, the old-fashioned bar stools, and the light coming in the long row of windows all combine to make this a comfortable, friendly place, with a sense of old and new, French and American, fish and feast, that will keep you and your stomach happy.
3. Helen Ainson Darien
City: Darien, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (203) 655-9841
Address: 1078 Post Rd.
Description: Helen Ainson opened an independent clothing store in NYC in 1948, and her daughter Erica opened this one in Darien in 1977. Since then Erica’s store has won recognition for having the best women’s clothing in Connecticut. The longevity of a boutique like this is a testament to great service and great taste, as well as to the expertise of the carefully hired staff. They carry cocktail dresses, evening separates, designer sportswear, and other special-occasion attire. This is a community store, too, and Erica gives back to the Darien community as a sponsor of various local charities. If you have an event you need to look good for, Helen Ainson Darien has something for you, and best of all, they have it in sizes 2 to 24.
4. Darien Cheese And Fine Foods
City: Darien, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (203) 655-4344
Description: Established in 1967, long before cheese shops were a popular sight in America, this Darien shop focuses on artisanal cheeses. Carrying 200 varieties from around the world at any given time, proprietors Ken and Tori Skovron keep their shop between 58 and 62 degrees to maintain the cheese aging process. Best of all, Darien Cheese and Fine Foods carries a number of the great Connecticut cheeses from local farms, like Cato Corner in Colchester, Beltane Farm in Lebanon, and Sankow Beaver Brook Farm in Lyme. Try Cato Corner’s beautifully marbled Black Ledge Blue or their Drunken Hooligan cheese, washed in red wine from Connecticut’s Priam Vineyards. Sankow makes a raw sheep’s milk cheese, the only one in the state.