Maybe you can't get away to a foreign country, but you can always enjoy a taste of it — literally. The Day's dining critics select some of their local faves that have an international flavor.

Mofongo

Mambo Bar & Restaurant, New London

Banh-mi sandwich

Bon Voi, Chester 

The best meals to order at a restaurant are the ones you can't make at home or would have never thought to come up with on your own. My favorite international dishes of the year fall under both categories. The first, mofongo at Mambo Bar & Restaurant in New London, is an appetizer consisting of mashed plantains mixed with butter and served with a brothy garlic sauce — rich and delicious. The second, the banh-mi sandwich at Bon Voi in Chester, epitomizes the restaurant's French-Vietnamese fusion: spicy pork meatballs, sesame paste, Asian slaw of bean sprouts, daikon and sweet dried papaya served in a French baguette. I'm savoring those last bites into 2016.

— Alex Nunes

Mutter Paneer

Northern Indian, New London

If the buffet at Northern Indian restaurant in New London has taught us anything, it's that the restaurant offers many fine dishes. I very much enjoy buffet-regulars such as baingan bharta and chicken tikka masala in particular. However, if I'm working late, or need some comfort food, or just simply want a meat-free, hearty meal, I order the mutter paneer entrée ($10.95 for dinner; comes with papadum crackers and rice). Custom-made to your preferred level of spiciness (medium for me), this dish of rustic paneer cheese, a creamy-tomato sauce and peas spiced with garam masala is a savory celebration of Indian cuisine that offers a fun array of textures — warm, rich sauce, thick cubes of cheese and tender peas. It warms the body, fills the belly and pleases the palate.

— Marisa Nadolny

Szechuan Ma Po Tofu

Golden Chopstix, Westerly

If tofu and I aren't sworn enemies, we at least typically glare at each other from across the table. Because my wife is a vegetarian, this happens more frequently than I'd prefer. Imagine my humble embarrassment, then, at the greatness of this dish. Silken cubes of tofu float like swimsuit models on a lagoon of sauce conjured of chili, bean paste and the sort of exotic spices that Marco Polo was after when he hiked across the known world. Yes, there's a slow-building heat involved, but it's not one of those flamethrower, for-the-sake-of-it third-degree burns; it's a whispery, lingering and totally pleasant aftershock. Amazing. Tofu, you're welcome anytime. Sorta.

— Rick Koster

Pierogi and potato pancakes

Smakosh Restaurant, Uncasville

If you’ve ever said to yourself, “I wish I knew of a decent all-day breakfast joint around here that also served a fine pierogi,” well, then buy a lottery ticket immediately because this is your lucky day. 

The pierogi and potato pancakes at this Polish-American diner will ring all your comfort food bells. The potato and cheese pierogi served with kielbasa and sauerkraut, $10.25, arrive at your table as a quintet of tender, pillowy, cheesy dumplings, piping hot and sprinkled with fried onions, with two side players: a pile of tart, richly brown sauerkraut and a log of smoky, garlicky kielbasa — decidedly not the ubiquitous store brand. 

The potato pancakes are spectacular, three to an order, each the size of a large saucer. They are thin, fried dark brown with wide, super crispy edges and creamy centers. The applesauce on the side is homemade, chilled, and perfectly tart and sweet. And they're a bargain at $5.25. You could eat an order yourself for breakfast or lunch and walk away full. They alone are a good reason to try Smakosh. 

— Jill Blanchette

Avgolemono soup

St. Sophia Church Greek Festival, New London 

There are many, many of us who mark our calendars for the semi-annual Greek Festival at St. Sophia Church in New London. For some, it’s because they crave spanakopita. For others, they’re dying for some oregano chicken. Not me, though. Those dishes are great, but what I pine for regularly is the avgolemono soup ($3), referred to by some as “Greek penicillin” for its restorative powers. Maybe it’s the protein boost provided by the egg yolk and light and dark meat chicken in the soup that makes it so curative and delicious; or perhaps it’s from the Vitamin C-laden zap of lemon juice, which gives the soup its unique flavor. I suspect it’s an alchemical miracle that results from all of the above plus a dash of the wonderful community spirit that infuses the festival. If you need to mark your calendar, the Greek Festival typically takes place in early June and again in November.

— Marisa Nadolny

Four-Cheese Ravioli

Uncasville Diner, Uncasville

If one doesn't reflect too deeply on the perhaps unlikelihood of a diner hitting a home run in the ballpark known as "international dining," one should consider the Italianate four-cheese ravioli ($14) entrée at Uncasville Diner (in the old Ed's Creamery location). Visualize redolent images of six celestial pillows of goodness and a variety of savory spices working their magic on a mixture of mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan and Romano. And, yes, while the whole world is tired of folks describing marinara sauce as "zesty," well, it was. Or you could just say "effervescent" or even "playful and sparkly." In any case, this is a beautifully represented Italian standard.

— Rick Koster

Chocolate Cornets with Smoked Chocolate Mousse

Ocean House, Watch Hill

I think it's probably cheating to include this incredibly decadent dessert on a list of international favorites, but as far as I'm concerned, it must originate in the foreign land of Holy-Cow-That's-Good! Accompanied by Earl Gray marshmallow and graham cracker ice cream, this ultra swanky sweet will set you back $12, but I'll be darned if it wasn't worth every penny. It's really a S'More gone mad, the smoke of the campfire infused in the mousse that fills the duo of dark chocolate cones, each capped with the toasted, tea-flavored marshmallow and nestled next to a quenelle of buttery ice cream, the transformed graham cracker. It's like eating a piece of art.

— Jill Blanchette