Weekend in Litchfield area: West Cornwall
 

I am taking my boyfriend to a B&B in West Cornwall, CT for his birthday in a couple weeks. I'd love to find a local place to eat dinner the first night. The B&B suggested The River Grill Main Street and The Wandering Moose Cafe. Has anyone eaten at either place, or heard any reviews? Something romantic would be good, but wonderful food is more important. Looking forward to hearing your suggestions in and around West Cornwall!

I assume you have a car; in that case I recommend Cannery in Canaan CT or , somewhat less enthusiastically, West Street Grill in Litchfield. Either is a reasonable drive away.<BR>I loved the low-key atmosphere and the truly wonderful food at Cannery.<BR>The more famous West Street Grill <BR>had excellent food, but I was a bit put off by the prices ($10 for three ravioli in an appetizer!) and the attitude. It has been THE place to eat in the area for quite some time and comes with the requisite attitude if you're not a regular.<BR><BR>In West Cornwall itself, I've never tried the restaurants, but right next to the covered bridge are a few benches and picnic tables that made a simple picnic <BR>dinner (at sunset of course) wonderful

Thanks, Cindy! Yes, we will have a car...I should have mentioned that! The Cannery is actually a place we thought looked great...and you just confirmed that. And we had also read about West Street Grill in Zagats...it was described as "A lively, hip New Yorky sort of place". Since we are coming from NYC, it sounded like the kind of place we would want to avoid for the weekend. Not exactly what we're looking for! : ) Again, your description confirmed that. <BR><BR>Your picnic idea sounds perfect as well. And I think our B&amp;B is right near that bridge. <BR><BR>Thanks a million, Cindy!<BR><BR>And I'd still love to hear any other suggestions from anyone else...thanks.

Glad I could help.<BR>By the way, where are you staying?<BR>I love the area but I've had only<BR>moderate luck finding a nice place to stay (maybe because I always wait until the last minute!) and could always use another suggestion. Have you stayed there before? If not, I'd appreciate a 'report' when you get back.<BR>Thanks.

We are staying at the Hilltop Haven B&amp;B.<BR><BR>http://www.hilltopbedandbreakfast.com/<BR><BR>I've never been to the Litchfield area, so I did lots of research on the web and in the bookstore and I thought Hilltop looked charming. It was also reasonably priced compared to The Boulders and some other places. It seemed a little off the beaten path, which was something I wanted. <BR><BR>One night we plan on trying the restaurant, Oliva, in New Preston. It sounds like it's low key with good food. And I'd love to visit a winery, do some hiking, and go antique hunting.<BR><BR>I will definitely post a report when I return on the B&amp;B, the restaurants we visit, etc. Thanks, again!

New Preston had some cute antique shops<BR>It's not really a town, but an attractive intersection with a few stores that are set on a stream/waterfall(?). Nice view from the back of some of the shops.<BR><BR>I agree that Boulders and some of the other places around the area are too pricey (Mayflower Inn about 300-400 night?) I hope Hilltop is nice. I suspect it's hard to get reservations for weekends because there are so few rooms! <BR><BR>The only winery that I remember on the CT side of the area was at Boulders, and I don't remember being very impressed.<BR>On the NYS side, there is Cascade Winery in Amenia (very pretty out-of-the way area) that has a well regarded little casual restaurant. I haven't been there in a couple of years but all I remember was that the food was good, but we waited over half an hour for someone to take our order in a room the size of a NYC classroom! It was, as I mentioned, off the beaten track, and too late to look for another place to eat, so...)<BR><BR>Other wineries on the NYS side that I enjoyed were Clinton Wineries (Schultzville(?) NY-near Salt Point/Clinton Corners? Millbrook) and Millbrook Wineries. Both were large areas with ample picnicking space (Millbrook has tables, and I think they offer food--but check with them if interested-- and the people at Clinton were lovely and basically invited us to picnic anywhere on their grounds) .<BR><BR>I hope my adding to this thread helps you, and keeps bumping it up for others to offer suggestions!

Hi, Cindy, <BR>Back from West Cornwall. A great trip...very relaxing. Our B&B was perfect, in a very remote, secluded area. The innkeepers were very pleasant and accommodating. The place is full of antiques and books piled all over. Amazing views, very peaceful. <BR> <BR>We ate at The River Grill the first night, one of the two restaurants in West Cornwall. Delicious food, huge portions. Saturday we toured a bunch of towns, went to Haight and Hopkins winery which were not very impressive. <BR> <BR>We visited The Last Post, an animal sanctuary that housed over 100 cats, a couple goats, and a very large, adorable pig. Saturday night we had another great meal at Oliva...delicious Mediterranean/Moroccan food. I highly recommend both restaurants. I also recommend the B&B. It's definitely for someone who likes the outdoors, something off the beaten path. Far from a 4 star hotel, it's extremely charming. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps! Feel free to email me if you have other questions! Thanks again for your help.

Just to clarify...the wineries weren't that impressive...all of the towns we visited were adorable. Litchfield, West Cornwall, Lakeville, New Milford, Salisbury, etc.

My brother-in-law, who is an excellent home chef, lives in Litchfield and swears by Oliva in New Preston. Says the food is fabulous and he knows his retaurants. It's also BYOB which is a plus. He turned us on to Lupa and Babbo in nyc before word got out so while I haven't been to Oliva, I trust his judgement.

Hi Rachel. Glad to hear you had a good time, and that the B&B turned out well. <BR>I'm always looking for a good place to stay in that area since it's so close to the city, yet 'miles apart' <BR>Is the River Grill the place that has a little take-out/almost grocery-like section in it? If it is, I remember the menu looking good but pricey

Also Rachel, Even though Hopkins isn't an impressive winery, the setting and scenery is beautiful. Have a drink on the patio overlooking Lake Waramaug. Also drive up the road BEHIND the Hopkins Inn. You'll see an incredible country estate with amazing views. It's a nice, short ride around the Lake as well. Litchfield proper is also a very pretty, quintessential New England village. Enjoy!

Curious, <BR>Your brother-in-law has great taste! Babbo and Lupa are two amazing restaurants. Lupa is one of my faves. And Po is great, too (although I think Mario Batali is no longer a partner). I live in NYC, and I love to discover new restaurants right before the press does! Prune is an excellent one in the East Village that we found before most people...now we can barely get a reservation! :) Oliva was incredible...the yummiest Moroccan chicken, tortellini with ricotta in a butter, sage and proscuitto sauce...and that was just our main courses! <BR> <BR>And you are correct...Hopkins is in a beautiful setting! Magical! And we drove all around the lake. All of the roads were beautiful to drive on. And something I loved was that there were barely any other cars on the road. It seemed peaceful, exclusive and was very relaxing. It's nice to visit somewhere that's not so overpopulated. <BR> <BR>Cindy, <BR>You hit the nail on the head about Litchfield 'so close to the city, yet 'miles apart'! The River Grill does have a little grocery/bakery/take-out area. It was a bit pricey, but BYOB helps. Plus, it's a little better priced than most restaurants in NYC. We also ordered way too much. The portions were so large we could have easily split everything...and we definitely didn't need dessert (although it was delicious!) <BR>

I love Chaiwalla in Salisbury,Ct for a relaxing afternoon lunch.