West Street Grill, Litchfield, CT

Located 16 miles northwest of Waterbury, 34 miles west of Hartford, 40 miles from New Haven, 52 miles from Springfield, Massachusetts, 78 miles from Greenwich, and 96 miles from Manhattan, make Litchfield, Connecticut a desirable day-trip location. We had a lovely lunch at West Street Grill on Saturday, March 13, 2021 where gracious hospitality began when we entered the door.  

James O'Shea, Owner
West Street Grill, Litchfield, CT

The inviting and attractive décor recalled fond memories of visits to Provence with its sunny yellow walls, burgundy wainscotting, and exposed brick wall. Black Windsor chairs flanked black oak trimmed tables, artsy chandeliers and sconces illuminated the restaurant, and a striped Roman shade added interest to a window in the back of the dining room. While the colors of the restaurant conjure visions of Provence, the gorgeous black and white horse photographs that grace the walls are a nod to owner James O'Shea's Irish heritage. Hailing from County Kerry, Ireland, James elevates Irish hospitality with his team's attentive, yet obtrusive service.  

Ryan Pelletier shaking up the tempting cocktails

The cozy well-stocked bar includes international, domestic, and local spirits including those from nearby Litchfield Distillery, which we had visited earlier in the day for a tour and tasting. In keeping with our local Litchfield focus, we had their Litchfield Bourbon Old Fashioned and a Ginger Martini made with Litchfield Peach Vodka, Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, ginger honey syrup, and lemon juice, garnished with a generous lemon peel.  

To accompany our cocktails, we began with the restaurant's signature Parmesan Aioli Peasant Bread, which has been on their menu, and rightly so, since 1990. Served warm, this was a lovely introduction to the style of the restaurant and a perfect accompaniment to our well-crafted cocktails.  

Parmesan Aioli Peasant Bread

We also had their crusty artisan bread accompanied by hummus and extra virgin olive oil, Himalayan salt presented in a tiny wood salt cellar with a spoon, and a pepper grinder. The restaurant has strong ties to the community and gets their tasty and delicious bread delivered daily from The Bakehouse, located across the street from the restaurant, where owners Jeremy McKendry and Allison Varian have been crafting bread and pastries since May 2018.  

Tre Colori Salad

We continued with the West Street Grill's Tre Colori Salad, a colorful and tasty presentation of arugula, endive, radicchio, tomatoes, and Gorgonzola, with a Sherry-Dijon-Shallot vinaigrette. The restaurant's focus is on Modern American Cuisine with an emphasis on fresh vegetables, fresh fish, and locally sourced ingredients. When the restaurant opened in 1990, they were one of the first in Connecticut to adopt this practice, along the lines of the restaurants Spago and Chez Panisse. The Tre Colori salad celebrated this culinary philosophy with its fresh taste and stunning presentation.  

Fresh Mushroom Ravioli

For the next course, we had their Fresh Mushroom Ravioli filled with a mélange of mushroom puree and presented with thinly sliced shitake mushrooms, green peas, and sage brown butter sauce, drizzled with a balsamic glaze, and crowned with micro-greens. Making homemade pasta is a delicate art, too much flour and overworking it can make the dough tough, not enough flour and the dough will be too soft. Johnson & Wales Culinary School Graduate Chef Stephen Murphy has a deft hand with the dough, and the ravioli were perfect, tender to the bite with an excellent ratio of filling to the dough. Drizzled with the balsamic glaze, this course sang all the right notes.  

Miso Glazed Salmon

For one of our main courses, we had the Miso Glazed Salmon (Faroe Island) with a soy ginger drizzle accompanied by sushi rice, and sauteed spinach. Cooked to perfection, the salmon appealed to the eye as well as to the palate. For our other main course, we had the Fish and Chips, which was fresh cod served with fresh cut fries. The cod was presented in a light and crispy tempura that brought out the fresh taste of the fish, and the fries were a fries-lover dream with their crispy exterior and soft interior.  

Fish and Chips

We ended our delicious lunch on a sweet note with a Chocolate Trifle made with warm chocolate cake with whipped cream, drizzled with an Irish Whiskey chocolate sauce, followed by steaming cups of black coffee, and two Irish Whiskeys, Paddy's Old Irish Whiskey, and Powers Irish Whiskey. Sláinte! (Gaelic for to your health!  

Chocolate Triffle

The restaurant had a steady flow of clientele and everything that came out of the kitchen looked delicious. One of the items that we wished we had tried was their Smoked Atlantic Salmon, Irish Style, "On the Boards" presented to another guest as cold smoked salmon with mullet egg, shallots, capers, crème fraiche, and crostini, which was delivered under a dome on a wood board that elicited a lovely aroma of smoked herbs when the server lifted the dome. We will need to make a return trip to try their smoked salmon.  

Chef Stephen Murphy

Also notable are the number of vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free items on the menu that make the West Street Grill the perfect dining location that will appeal to diverse palates.  

West Street Grill is open Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for Lunch beginning at 11:30 am, and for Dinner beginning at 5:30 pm. Please call to make a reservation as days and times are subject to COVID-19 restaurant restrictions.  

Until next time, Bon Appetit!  

For more information on West Street Grill, please visit their website: www.WestStreetGrill.com  

Cheers!
See you at West Street Grill

Read Chefs' Recipes  where Chef Stephen Murphy tempts your palate with his delectable recipe for Pan Roasted Duck Breast.  

West Street Grill
43 West Street
Litchfield, CT 06759
Telephone: +1-860-567-3885
Website: www.WestStreetGrill.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestStreetGrill/
Twitter: @weststreetgrill
Instagram: @weststgrill 

Read more about Litchfield in the Destinations, Liquor Cabinet, and Chefs' Recipes sections.  

For more information on Litchfield, Connecticut, please visit the website: www.ctvisit.com 

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