City: South Windsor, CT

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (860) 289-7929

Address: 989 Ellington Rd.

Description: A huge old gristmill on the Podunk River is now a romantic favorite in northern Connecticut, with its riverside deck, gazebo, and covered bridge. The interior just oozes class and sensible design, without the kitsch that sometimes accompanies historic restaurants. In fact, if it wasn’t in a 200-year-old mill, you might think it was out of some perfect restaurant dream. The menu shows influences of both French and Mediterranean cooking, with chilled gazpacho and vineyard escargot chablisienne. Try the crispy Blue Point oysters, the blackened redfish nouvelle, or one of their great steaks, complete with creamed spinach and truffled fries. This is a place to impress a date, or maybe even ask someone to marry you.