Darien Eatery Wins 'Restaurant Of The Year' For Fairfield County

DARIEN, CT — A popular Darien eatery earned Restaurant of the Year honors for Fairfield County at the Connecticut Restaurant Association's annual CRAZIES awards held at Foxwoods Resort Casino last week.

Restaurant L’Ostal, described as a "provencal restaurant rooted in history and tradition celebrating the cuisines of Southern France and its boundaries" and located at 22 Center St., in Darien, took home bragging rights this year and went up against 29 Markle Ct (Bridgeport), Allium Eatery (Westport), and Çka Ka Qëllu (Stamford).

Community Table in New Preston, the Litchfield County Restaurant of the Year, won Connecticut Restaurant of the Year, and Ashley Flagg of The Laurel in West Hartford was named Chef of the Year.

Additional finalists for Restaurant of the Year in CT included Restaurant L'Ostal, Hartford County Restaurant of the Year, Le Mazet in West Hartford; Middlesex County Restaurant of the Year, Grano Arso in Chester; New Haven County Restaurant of the Year, Gioia Cafe & Bar in New Haven; New London County Restaurant of the Year, Whitecrest Eatery in Stonington; Tolland County Restaurant of the Year, Camille’s Wood Fired Pizza in Tolland; and Windham County Restaurant of the Year, Anya in Thompson.

“The 7th Anniversary of the CRAZIES Awards Gala stands as another milestone moment for our association, for our industry, and for the tens of thousands of Connecticut residents whose livelihoods are supported by hospitality," said Connecticut Restaurant Association President & CEO Scott Dolch, in a news release.

"The excitement and energy of bringing together 1,500 industry professionals once again highlighted the strength and resilience of Connecticut’s restaurant and hospitality community—an economic force that represents nearly 10 percent of all jobs in our state," Dolch added. "The CRAZIES continues to shine a spotlight on the remarkable talent, passion, and dedication that drive our industry forward, and we look forward to elevating this celebration year after year as we encourage everyone in hospitality to be part of this annual tradition."

View all the winners and categories here.

— This post contains previous reporting from Patch editor, Rich Kirby.