Destination dining in Litchfield
By Charles Dubow
Photos by Sabrina Eberhard
It is essential that an upscale inn in Litchfield County offer a first-rate dining experience. While those of us who are fortunate enough to live here year-round know how beautiful our little slice of Connecticut can be, there are some months when it can be less enticing. Certainly, if one is planning on driving up from Manhattan for a romantic weekend in, say, February, there had better be darn good food waiting for you when you arrive.
Fortunately, for those from far (or near), The Lost Fox Inn is definitely worth a drive regardless of the time of year. Located on Route 202 between Litchfield and Torrington, this 15-room boutique inn is utterly charming, and its restaurant is terrific.
It is also worth noting that the room rates are quite reasonable compared to most other high-end inns in the area. A king room starts at $450. The most expensive option is the massive Schoolhouse Suite, which goes for $800. Breakfast, including handmade pastries, is included.
The inn itself dates back to 1745, and was most recently the Tollgate Inn and before that the Captain William Bull Tavern. Its Colonial provenance means that the dining rooms are snug, and each has its own fireplace. Much of the second floor has been converted into a “great room” that has been designed to host large events. There is also an outdoor space with a marquee.
The kitchen is overseen by chef CJ Barroso, who hails from the Philippines. A veteran of the New York City dining world, he has worked in such award-winning restaurants as Aquavit, Public, and The Finch. His inventive seasonal menu, which relies on using local ingredients, is full of clever twists on classic dishes. A leg of lamb made with kimchi and served with wild rice, bok choy, an Asian pear-and-cucumber salad, and cilantro was wildly tasty and wonderfully tender. Speaking of tender, the Spanish octopus with bite-size potato gnocchi, chorizo relish, cilantro, and pistou practically melted in my mouth.
Other favorites included the grass-fed beef tartare, the Niman Ranch pork belly with a vindaloo sauce, and the beautifully prepared fire-roasted mussels.
For pescatarians, I recommend the roasted whole rainbow trout with an ajoblanco that gives it a delicious kick. Special mention should be made of the sunchoke soup served as an amuse-bouche: My wife, Melinda, loved it so much that Barroso brought her out a whole bowl of it, which she promptly devoured. And I would be remiss not to recommend the warm, homemade, seeded whole-grain bread served with house-cultured butter, radishes, and rosemary salt.
The inn, opened last June, is the brainchild of husband-and-wife team Tim Trojian and Eliza Clark, owners of the Foxfire Mountain House in the Catskills. Eliza, who also designed the interior, saw great potential in the old-world beauty of the tavern. “We want to bring true care to serving our guests great food and drink, and are so excited to be in Litchfield.”
The Lost Fox Inn, 571 Torrington Road, Litchfield—lostfoxinn.com
