On very rare occasions, I'll utilize this space to highlight a few isolated, quick-hit food items that I feel citizens should be familiar with - as opposed to a full-on review of a complete restaurant experience.

Consider, for instance, that it's the holidays, a peak time of civic madness in which the weather is not only frightful and the traffic is, as the song says, "terrific" - but folks are often resigned to grabbing a frenzied bite in a mall food court or whipping into the drive-through at Whataburger, White Castle or Steak 'n Shake. Oh, wait: we don't have any of those fast food chains in our part of the world. Dismal.

Well, here are some tasty options we DO have that you can sample as you dart to and fro.

Philly Cheese Steak Grinder

Illiano's, Waterford

$7 small, $8.25 large

Some would suggest that it's hard to ruin a Philly Cheese Steak unless one really sets out to ruin it. The concept is pretty simple. But true fans know that the quality difference in cheese steaks is wide-ranging and, in Philadelphia, at least, capable of inciting fevered debate or even violence.

I've only been to Philly once, so I'm no expert. But I'm an increasingly large person enamored of the cheese steak phenomenon, and I really like the twist that Illiano's incorporates. Yes, there's a hot heap of lean shreds of steak nestled under molten cheese on a crispy, sesame seed grinder roll. You can have fried onions, mushrooms, lettuce and tomato in any combination - and it's all fresh and ladled out in calculated proportions so that one ingredient doesn't overwhelm any other and the beef remains the focus. Here's what's cool, though: Illiano's marinates their steak in Worcestershire sauce. Brilliant!

Does this break some sort of Philly-based cardinal rule of steakery? Damned if I know. Probably. But this bothers me not at all because the meat is so delightfully tangy. I love this sandwich. I assume it's available at all Illiano locations, but I've appropriated the Broad Street outlet in Waterford, across from Cedar Grove Cemetery, because of its convivial diner-shape and slatted wooden booths. It's the ideal way to sample their cheese steak greatness.

Spicy Thai Chicken Pizza

Daddy Jack's, New London

$14 small, $17 large

The maestro, Jack Chaplin, opened his new venture about two months ago - stay tuned for a full review coming soon - but as an estimable hint at the greatness therein, I lustily encourage you to try this incredible pie. Said concoction comes courtesy of Chaplin's hell-glow wood-fired pizza oven, and it's a tremendous fusion of traditional and Far Eastern elements.

Over the astonishing and crispy thin crust, Chaplin sculpts this visionary work by interweaving tasty bits of roasted chicken breast and caramelized onions. There are fresh basil and roasted garlic to provide punctuation, and both gorgonzola and cheddar cheeses for tangential bite. But fusing the whole thing together is an amazing Thai peanut sauce - incredibly rich, slightly tart and slightly sweet. Together? It's like what happened when Brian Wilson gathered his family around the piano and taught them the harmony clusters on "Please Let Me Wonder."

(In fact, Google Vocal Sessions for "Please Let Me Wonder" and listen to it while you eat this pizza.)

Chicken, Shrimp and Sausage Gumbo

Washington Street Coffee House, New London

$8 special

I already know what you're gonna ask. After years of my complaining that those rare people in this part of the world who really DO try to make gumbo, sorta can't - is the Washington Street Coffee version authentic?

And I will say unto you: well, not exactly. Most of the major ingredients are present including okra and tomatoes and onion, and the stew is wonderfully full of toothsome chicken, bite-sized coins of flavor-burst sausage and medium shrimp. There's something not quite on-target with the roux - but that doesn't mean this recipe isn't tasty; it is. Very much so.

The thing is, roux is a many-splendored thing and everyone makes it a bit differently. It's one of those deals where you know it if you taste it. A thought: I recently did a phone interview with jazz musician Harry Connick, Jr., a famous New Orleans native who waxed lovingly and eloquently about his father's gumbo sorcery. And Harry - now a longtime New York resident - said something that resonated: to wit, that the distinct taste of the water in Orleans Parish is a huge factor in the flavor of roux.

In that case, none of us up here can hope to totally replicate an authentic Louisiana gumbo. And, as far as the Washington Street recipe is concerned, that's okay. Whatever this dish is, it's great fun. Oh, and please note that the gumbo isn't on the menu but pops up randomly as a daily special.