City: Litchfield, CT

Category: Restaurants

Telephone: (860) 567-3885

Address: 43 West St.

Description: The mirrored walls, wood paneling, and immaculate white tablecloths introduce you to the experience you’ll have here in Litchfield’s West Street Grill. Right off the green, this is by far the best choice for fine dining in the village, and the food will not disappoint. The intelligently limited menu allows the chef to focus on a handful of creative dishes. They will all look familiar on the menu, without any intimidating names, but are all done in a startling modern way, with twists and turns. Their lunch menu is a great deal for what you get here; try the pulled beef short rib sandwich with aged cheddar and espresso bean barbecue sauce, and then try not to beg for the recipe. They serve some Connecticut wine that can be tough to find from Strawberry Ridge (it’s one of the state’s vineyards that doesn’t allow visitors). Strawberry Ridge’s wine is the house blend for the famous Rao’s restaurant in New York City, so if you can’t get a reservation there, try the West Side Grill.