THE FEED: Vacation Dupes!

Tuesdays on The Feed, Kevin and Jenna chat with CT Food Girly about all the great places to eat in Connecticut. You can find Alex on Instagram: @ctfoodgirly. Today, Alex takes us on a culinary vacation right here in Connecticut as she highlights local spots offering delicious dishes inspired by Kevin and Jenna's dream travel destinations. It's the perfect way to satisfy your wanderlust and your taste buds without ever stepping foot on a plane!

Jenna:

Jamaica: If you want the sweet, smokey, and spicy flavors of Jamaican cuisine, but can’t hop on a plane soon, I have a great list of the best Jamaican cuisine in CT

Dunns River Restaurant is serving up Authentic Jamaican Cuisine in Hartford. Mark Brown is the owner and he was born in the rural parish of St. Ann’s Jamaica, Dunns River has been open since 2008, bringing authentic Jamaican cuisine to the Greater Hartford area. Customers rave about the jerk chicken and butter fish. They also have an incredible fried chicken with rice and veggies, as well as whiting fish, which also gets all the love. You will see goat, roti (row-tee) (which is a round flatbread that differs from naan, as it doesn't have yeast), rice, wings, and delicious gravies on the Dunns river menu.

Caribbean Kitchen Restaurant in Waterbury. They have a great menu with chef specialty chicken options. Brown stew chicken in a slow cooked soup, breaded and fried chicken, jerk chicken in a delicious mixture of herbs, spices, and seasonings. As well as beef specialties like curry goat, oxtail, pepper steak, cow and beef stew. I really want to try their fried plantains, they look incredible.

Rum & Tequila Fusion in Bridgeport. They’re blending Jamaican and Mexican culture into some delicious cuisine. For Jenna, they have tostones on the menu, Jamaican jerk chicken wings, oxtail with onions, bell peppers and butter beans, a pineapple bowl chicken and everyone raves about their rasta pasta with chicken. This is a creamy pasta tossed with jerk chicken and bell peppers, it’s full of flavor and in a really rich sauce.

Kevin:

Ireland

We have Duffy’s Tavern nestled in the shoreline community of West Haven. This is a quaint little gem in the neighborhood serving a variety of comfort foods as well as gourmet cuisine. Inside has a very warm atmosphere, with rich oak antiques and the ambience of an old time speakeasy with authentic Irish decor. If you want to go to Ireland, you’ll need to try their Shepherd's Pie with Layers of ground beef, corn, carrots and celery topped with mashed potatoes, finished with savory brown gravy. They also have baked meatloaf, hot roast beef, slow roast pot roast and liver, bacon and onions.

Next, we have O'Briens Sports Pub and Restaurant in Danbury. This is another great spot to enjoy authentic Irish food and drinks. For Irish favorites here to transport you right to Ireland, they offer a Full Irish Breakfast with Irish bacon, Irish sausages, black and white pudding, fried tomatoes, 2 eggs and toast. Corned Beef and Cabbage, Beer-Battered Fish & Chips, Bangers and Mash, which is irish sausages served over a bed of mashed potatoes and topped with caramelized onions and a brown gravy and lastly you can’t forget about the Homemade Shepherd’s Pie.

Next Tigín Irish Pub in Stamford. It's Gaelic for “small home” or “cottage” that is inspired by the environment of the Irish cottage. This is your classic grub with craft beer pints, lots of whiskey, and pub games in this local hangout. They have a reuben, a whiskey bacon marmalade pub burger, fish and chips, shepherd’s pie, a Guinness mac and cheese in a creamy sauce, and of course that Irish breakfast.

image credit: Getty Images