But searching for cheap eats can also yield treasures here in Connecticut. Sniffing out promising leads as unerringly as truffle hounds, my friends and I find plenty of places to eat well without breaking the bank. The menu changes seasonally, but the goat cheese salad with cranberry vinaigrette is forever. Slide into a brick-walled booth, scuff your loafers on the old wood floor, and relish the knowledge that you're paying about half for that grilled swordfish as the nobs upstairs.
Regulars swear by the crab cakes and the onion-topped flank steak.
The way to San Jose is lined with such amiable and unassuming cafes, but this one's in a Stamford strip mall just south of the Merritt Parkway. Check the handwritten specials taped to the counter. In a kitchen the size of a business envelope, three chefs augment the menu with a dozen daily specials. Fortunately, they are not large men. Open daily until 4 p.m., Sunday until 3.