1. Char Koon
City: South Glastonbury, CT
Category: Restaurants
Telephone: (860) 657-3656
Address: 882 Main St.
Description: The small dining room and the line of people at the little aquarium waiting for takeout at Char Koon might lead you to believe that this is just another typical Asian restaurant. Nothing could be further from the truth. All sorts of creative Asian fusion comes into play here, from India to Japan, with Thai and Malay and Vietnamese in between. If anyone has any complaints, it’s that the chefs at Char Koon are too creative with dishes like Orchid Crispy Shrimp with melon balls, and that’s a great problem to have. This is cutting-edge fusion cuisine that will leave you wondering what new delights are coming to Connecticut from the Pacific Rim. I’ll take the Mee Laut, please.
2. Belltown Hill Orchards
City: South Glastonbury, CT
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (860) 633-2789
Address: 483 Matson Hill Rd.
Description: Donald and Mike Prelli are the third generation of the family to own the farm on Belltown Hill, begun by their immigrant grandparents in 1910. You can pick your own peaches, pears, cherries, apples, pumpkins, and tomatoes here at Belltown, or buy the finished products in one of their great pies at the bakery. You’ll also find apple cider donuts, caramel apples, jams, jellies, and more. The Prellis’ farm is open every day June through Oct, and Mon through Sat in Nov and Dec, when you can pick out a Christmas tree. You can also catch them in Jan on weekends only. Belltown makes a secret-recipe applesauce that has become famous in the region; get some and try to figure out what they put in it to make it so darn good.