Holiday Cheer (and Food) in Ellington

The man walked into Holiday Restaurant & Pizza and announced he was hungry.

''Hey Billy,'' he said to owner Billy Saxon, ''I need a red potato.''

With that, Saxon stretched out the dough, placed it in a pan, and added sour cream, bacon and cheese - and a couple of secret ingredients - to the red potatoes.

''Man, just what I wanted,'' the man said while heading to his car with the takeout order.  With that, here's this week's choice:

- Need, want, it doesn't matter, the red potato pizza is the specialty on one side of the menu at Holiday, nestled in a shopping plaza at the corner of Main Street and Route 83 in Ellington. The chicken alfredo entree is the specialty on another side and the eggplant parm grinder (homemade and fresh) is somewhere in the middle.  Saxon was trained classically - at least when it comes to cooking pizza - in the shadow of New Haven and can make a pretty mean traditional pie to go along with the red potato. Holiday serves up an extensive menu that features dinner entrees and a full bar for adults (the whole fried clams have a homemade batter) and kid-comfort foods for the younger crowd. Serving options include dining in, takeout or delivery, seven days a week. Weekends feature karaoke and impersonation shows. 12 Main St., Ellington, 860-871-6733. Open daily for lunch and dinner. Prices: $7.50 to $15.95 for entrees, $4.75 to $7.25 for grinders, $6.75 to $20 for pizzas.  Check out the dinner for two specials at $15.95.