River Tavern introduced farm-to-table cooking to Connecticut fourteen years ago, and although many copied the format, it’s still the go-to for their daily changing menu and innovative use of locally sourced ingredients. While you’ll rarely have the same entree twice here, there is a dessert that their devoted customers would heartily protest if removed from the menu: Date Pudding with Dark Rum Caramel Sauce, otherwise known as sticky toffee. Warm, comforting and completely irresistible, the airy date cake sits in a puddle of caramel with a dollop of freshly whipped, barely sweetened cream. The combination of gooey sauce, steaming cake and cooling cream is a wonder. Sometimes we skip dinner and just order pudding, with a Vodka Pink (their signature cocktail) on the side. It’s on my short list of best desserts, ever. Plan ahead, each serving is made to order.

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