Cookhouse (New Milford, CT)

View of the Bar From the Second Floor Balcony

There are people who Know Barbecue, the sort of folks who get all huffy when anyone refers to grilling as barbecuing or, indeed, when anyone refers to anything as barbecue, short of a whole pig cooked in the ground, lovingly tended to from dusk to dawn by beer-fueled men. And then there are the rest of us who just eat barbecue and enjoy it. To be clear: I don't really Know Barbecue. But I grew up in the southern U.S. and I've eaten a fair amount of it -- enough to know what I like, at least.

Kebab Grill (Danbury, CT)

Samosa Chaat

Danbury, it seems, is a land of strip malls. This is not an aspersion. I love strip malls. Every time I visit my in-laws in New Jersey, I experience paroxysms of delight at the sight of a Ski Barn, Baby Depot, Pet Smart, Office Depot, A&P, liquor store and dollar store, all within steps of one another. Such efficiency! Such unparalleled convenience! And in Danbury's strip malls... such deliciousness, too!

I've already raved to many people about one such strip mall find, Pho Vietnam, which we stumbled upon after a long, arduous hike in Bear Mountain Reservation and have been back to about twenty times already in the space of a few months. On a recent evening, after several equally arduous hours at the DMV, we followed a Chowhound lead to another strip mall restaurant, Kebab Grill. It's located in the White Street Plaza, in the same complex as a nice-looking Brazilian Bakery (Pão Gostoso Bakery and Pastries), a travel agency and some sort of check cashing business.