Stella's Restaurant and Pizzeria

163 Boston Post Road, Old Lyme

(860) 598-9385

dineatstellas.com

Pizza fans of Old Lyme, fear not: the former Illiano's on Route 1 is reborn as Stella's Restaurant & Pizzeria, offering more than just your standard pizza pie.

Italian classics like ravioli and eggplant parm get an update with well-curated ingredients — many of them organic — and expert presentation. Consider ravioli served with smoked tomato butter ($17.95) or eggplant dishes breaded and lightly fried to perfection.

As for the pizzas, they are pricey but satisfying, and the menu offers an intriguing array of gourmet pies, from the more basic Four-Cheese to more complex constructions like the FraDiavolo (topped with fresh tomato sauce, mozzarella, spicy salami, pepperoni, and cherry peppers; $16.95).

If possible, save room for a dessert off of Stella's inspired menu of house-baked treats. We can recommend the ricotta cheesecake with strawberry drizzle ($7.50) and look forward to sampling more sweets — and more — at Stella's.

— Marisa Nadolny

Go Fish Restaurant

27 Coogan Blvd., Building 22

Mystic

(860) 536-2662

gofishct.com

After a months-long renovation process, Go Fish in Old Mistick Village has reopened for business with a less expansive dining area and a more sophisticated feel. The menu offerings are still wide ranging — from fish and chips to a creative sushi rolls — and the quality of the fare remains high, even possibly improved.

Items that impressed me on my recent visit and would recommend: the crab cake appetizer with generous portions of meat and a crispy exterior ($15.50); the lobster ravioli, with a distinctly ricotta flare and chunks of lobster in a light cream sauce ($30); and the tempura scallop roll ($12.50), prepared with near-buttery scallops, seaweed, an rice, served with a sweet and spicy sauce.

— Alex Nunes

B&B Dockside

19 Margin St., Westerly

(401) 315-2520, bnbdockside.com

If you live in New London, there are plenty of dining spots on the water that are closer than Westerly. On the other hand, B&B Dockside, hard to the Pawcatuck River and with a nice view of leisure-class vessels, is certainly worth the drive.

We've enjoyed both breakfast and lunch possibilities, but highlights would include, from my wife Eileen's vegetarian perspective, the Two Egg Scrambler ($6.95). There are numerous fillings available — carnivore or herbivore, and she went with goat cheese, thyme-roasted mushrooms and spinach — and the fusion with cloud-soft scrambled eggs and Cajun-seasoned hash browns was stunningly good.

I went with slow-roasted, homemade Roast Beef Hash ($9.95), delightfully crisp and balanced with sauteed　onions and potatoes and served delightfully brittle.Another irresistible choice is Portuguese Toast ($3.75 half order, $6.95 full order), upon which lightly-toasted bread　slices host　an ambrosial medley of vanilla, cinnamon, crushed cornflakes　and warm maple syrup.

— Rick Koster