A Golf Course Offers a Hidden Treat for Diners
By Michelle Madden
Clubhouse Provisions, the (public) restaurant at Stonybrook Golf in Litchfield, is one of those places that, when you go, you can’t believe you’ve never been. Take a five-minute detour off Route 202, and when you see a big, gray weathered barn with Stonybrook written on the side, you’re there.
The kitchen is overseen by executive chef Jonathan Philips, who hails from Massachusetts, where his former restaurant earned awards such as Best of Boston and Chef of the Year for Cape Cod (twice). His wife, Jill, is a PGA golfer and the family owns the golf course. This was bound to happen.
The barn was once a chicken coop. The chickens moved out in the ‘50s, to make way for the golfers, who have now made way for the diners. There are soaring ceilings with rustic crossbeams, and open HVAC that asserts itself in a must-see kind of way. Large drum-shaped pendant lights hang from above, lending a modern flair. Panoramic windows grant you unlimited views of the greens, and with no wicker in sight, the room is more hip dining than New England country club. It’s welcoming, fashionable, and down-home––all at once.
Usually I encourage restraint when it comes to bread before dinner, but not here. The baguette comes out warm, and is sourced from Bakehouse Bread in Litchfield. Philips’ grandfather, a baker in Boston, would have been proud.
The menu offerings are appropriately pitched to the palates of both the very hungry, looking for American-style fuel, and those in the mood for something lighter. For the former, there is the attention-grabbing smash burger and the giant crispy chicken sandwich that both come with a basket of thick-cut fries. “I serve a lot of burgers and chicken sandwiches after 7 pm,” says Philips, “and it’s not to the golfers.”
Much of the menu is Asian-themed (an interest and specialty of the chef’s). The miso-marinate black cod is moist and highly flavorful, and sits on sautéed bok choy and a crispy rice cake. The Thai calamari salad consists of lightly fried calamari, with spinach leaves, a hint of grapefruit, and a smattering of peanut bits. The Japanese-style rice bowl comes with perfectly cooked blackened shrimp, and a spicy sauce that’ll wake you up. The General Tso’s brussels sprouts are dense with flavor. Get them as a side and don’t hold back. The dumplings have a delicious spicy pork filling, enveloped in a thick wrapper of dough.
When asked if you’d like dessert, say yes. The crème brûlée is one of the best and most original I’ve experienced. It is cut with a hint of orange zest that elevates it far above the ordinary.
For the midweek crowd, Tuesday to Thursday is the Two-Buck Shuck (oysters). Sunday Supper is three-course, family-style, prix-fixe, with a menu that changes monthly.
There were no real surprises on the menu, but that’s part of the appeal—that and the fact that you will feel you just unearthed a hidden gem when you roll up. Golf cart not required.—stonybrookgolfct.com/restaurant.
