Sesame Seed Restaurant

If you are nostalgic for the early ’70s and you are looking for a place where you can proudly wear your tie dye and Birkenstocks, this is your kind of Roadfood.

The soul of Sesame Seed is Middle Eastern. The tahini, hummus, babaganoush are all so good that it has kept this place going for decades and made it the mecca for local vegetarians.

Recently a friend (a vegetarian and long time Sesame Seed patron) and I decided that we would venture beyond the pita and hummus into the “wild side” of the menu, a surprisingly long array of fish dishes, pastas and chicken.

It was an adventure worth taking, if only to have found the four star lasagna. It was odd to order lasagna here. It seemed out of place and especially here, as there are more Italian restaurants in Connecticut then stars in the galaxy. As TV’s Gomer Pyle used to say, “surprise surprise.” I have not had better lasagna than this anywhere, even dare I say, Italy. It was a huge portion, deep, thick with ricotta and beautifully seasoned.

The red sauce was like Mama would make (not my Mama, but a lucky someone whose mother did not order out). In fact the whole laid back vibe at Sesame Seed is homespun: a great hodge podge of kitsch salt and pepper shakers, and an attic’s worth of fun old stuff hung on the walls. It really is a one-of-a-kind place.