A made-to-order pasta dish inside a giant wheel of cheese? You can get it in CT.

Adriana’s Restaurant & Wine Bar, New Haven Adriana’s offers a wide variety of pasta options with the cheese wheel preparation, said manager Adrian Gjonbalaj, with both red and white sauces. “Predominantly, it’s the ones you finish off with cheese,” he said, noting options like Bolognese and carbonara. While other restaurants often douse the wheel with high-proof liquor and set it ablaze to soften and melt the cheese, Adriana’s does not, Gjonbalaj said. Instead, they just rely on the heat of the freshly cooked pasta to do the melting. “Sometimes some people use grain alcohol, and then once that starts burning with the cheese, it changes the complexity of the sauce,” he said. Since the portions are usually prepared for parties of two, they range from about $35 to $55, Gjonbalaj said. With larger parties, they may have two cheese wheels at the table, with chefs preparing more than one type of pasta. As the wheel presentation is popular, it’s good for diners to ask for it with advance notice, he said. 771 Grand Ave., New Haven, 203-865-6474, adrianasnewhaven.com. D’Amelio’s Italian Eatery, Waterbury Every Wednesday night, D’Amelio’s rolls out a wheel of fine Parmigiano Reggiano for a spaghetti carbonara special. Diners not only get dinner and a show, but a history lesson from chef and co-owner Giuseppe D’Amelio. “We come to the tableside with the wheel, I give you the entire history and how they make the cheese, where it comes from all the details. I spend about 10, 12 minutes giving you a nice little story,” he said. The chef uses grappa to ignite the wheel and prepares the pasta inside of it, incorporating the warmed cheese, he said. D’Amelio’s has offered the specialty for four years, turning Wednesday into “a great night” at the restaurant. The carbonara is $15 (appetizer portion) or $30 (entree). 718 Highland Ave., Waterbury, 203-755-0261, damelios.com . BALLO Italian Restaurant, Mohegan Sun The “flaming mac and cheese,” an off-menu specialty item ($25) at BALLO, is prepared tableside in an 80-pound wheel of authentic Italian Grana Padano, and topped with real, freshly-shaved black truffle. Chefs use grain alcohol to light the wheel and melt the cheese. The prized cheese is a favorite at BALLO — the team can go through more than one wheel in a week, said Charisse Huff, a public relations specialist for Mohegan Sun. 1 Mohegan Sun Blvd, Uncasville, 860-862-1100, balloitalian.com . Caputo Trattoria, Foxwoods Caputo has temporarily paused the offering because of COVID-19, but in the past, the coastal Italian-inspired restaurant has offered cacio e pepe prepared tableside. Chefs pour Italian grappa into a wheel of genuine Pecorino Romano and set it aflame to soften the cheese. “As the alcohol cooks off, we slowly scrape the wheel to soften the cheese. We then add in our spaghetti with a not-so-traditional ingredient: cream. (This allows all the ingredients to melt together),” said executive chef Gary LaMothe. The dish ($32) gets about four ounces each of freshly grated 24-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano, imported from Italy, and more Pecorino Romano, and the chef twists in 15 cracks of fresh black pepper and mixes everything until smooth. Once plated, the pasta is finished off with more freshly ground pepper and a few grates of Parmesan. 350 Trolley Line Blvd, Ledyard, 860-312-2788, caputotrattoria.com . Note: Other Connecticut restaurants, including The Painted Lemon in Sherman and DeNovelli’s in Rocky Hill, have offered a cheese wheel presentation in the past. Both restaurants have temporarily discontinued this because of COVID-19 concerns and the pandemic’s impact on imports from Italy.