Bantam Bistro

Bantam Bistro is located within the historic Litchfield Inn. We went to check it out a few weekends ago and, while the scenic views and gorgeous interior are beautiful, they can't quite distract you enough from a disappointing dining experience.

Atmosphere

Bantam Bistro is located right off the main lobby of the Litchfield Inn through a set of wide French doors. The restaurant is modest in size, with dark woods, dark khaki colored walls and touches of modern lighting. A row of booths sits along the far wall tucked individually behind arches. We were seated in one of these booths and they have a very private and segmented feel - a nice touch.

Food

We had our fill on this menu, ordering:

House made Gnocchi: local zucchini, peas, arugula pesto and truffled pecorino
Crisp Calamari:  pesto pomodoro, asiago aioli, tossed with chili and garlic
Grilled Pork Flat Iron: fennel sausage and broccoli rabe, creamy polenta and a smokey demi
Pan Seared Scallops: cauliflower-potato puree, cippolini and mushroom ragout
Grilled Steelhead Trout: shallots and haricot vert, almond basmati and a crab and chive buerre blanc

It took FOREVER to get our food. However, when it did arrive, everything tasted great. The house made gnocchi was delicious, coated in lots of melted pecorino cheese and tender vegetables. The gnocchi was very plump and absorbed a lot of the oil from the melted cheese. The result was a very flavorful dish.

The grilled pork flat iron came out as grilled pork sliced and placed over polenta, sausage and broccoli rabe. That's right - two types of meat in one dish - I was in heaven. The pork was very heavily peppered and the fennel sausage gave this entree a little kick to it. This was a big dish and even I was full after finishing it.

All of us thoroughly enjoyed our food, although the overarching comment was that everything was very heavily seasoned.

Service

The service is where this meal went south. We had a reservation and requested a booth. When we arrived, the restaurant was fairly empty, with only a few occupied tables. However, all the occupied tables were booths, leaving no empty spaces for us. We were told it would be a five minute wait. Ok - no big deal at all. We gladly said we'd wait a little bit for a booth and the hostess told us we could sit in the room next door while we waited. Nearly 20 minutes later, we were curious what was going on. We discovered the table had been cleaned and ready for us for 15 minutes. The hostess completely forgot to let us know.

Our waitress wasn't much better. The service was unprofessional, sloppy and slow. The waitress had poured nearly a full glass of wine before remembering she had to offer us a taste first. We had to proactively ask for water refills numerous times and at the end of the meal we were never asked if we wanted dessert. Instead, the check came and we got the impression it was time to leave. Our food also took an eternity to arrive at the table. I don't know what the kitchen was doing since the restaurant was practically empty, but they need to get their act together.

Value

The prices range from $10-$14 for appetizers and average in the low $20 range for entrees. If you put the prices up against the quality of food, the value at Bantam Bistro is great. However, add in the low quality service and I'm not happy to be paying these prices.

The Verdict

Bantam Bistro serves up some great food with terrible service. The entire meal, while delicious, was underscored by continuously shoddy service that detracted from the overall experience. Bantam Bistro needs to get its act together. If this is how things are when the place is practically empty, I'd hate to see what it's like on a busy night. If you're around the Litchfield Inn and hungry, keep going. I don't recommend Bantam Bistro and will not be going back.

My husband and I stayed at the Litchfield Inn this weekend and had both dinner and Sunday brunch at Bantam Bistro, the restaurant within the Inn.  I don't know all the background information, but this Sunday was the first day they had Sunday Brunch (maybe they had discontinued it during the renovations?) and so things were a bit behind schedule while they were setting up.  The wait was well worth it; every single item on the buffet was exceptional.  I read previous reviews and it seems they have scaled down the offerings, and also the price; we paid $19.95 each for a selection of four items on the steam table (roasted potatoes, cauliflower gratin, bacon, salmon in a wonderful sauce), fresh Belgium waffles with whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate shavings and/or (real) maple syrup, made-to-order omelets with many choices of mix-ins, and a carving station with roast beef and ham.  The cold buffet had field greens salad, fruit salad, croissants, muffins, and key lime tarts and/or chocolate tartlets for dessert.  There was probably more that I can't remember; suffice to say every item was delicious, many were exceptional (I didn't know cauliflower could taste that good and the waffles were especially sweet and light).  Coffee and juice were included and cocktails were $5 each.  We both ate more than we should have, and wished we could have eaten even more.  

Dinner was good, as well, although I was less happy with my entree than my husband was with his, and the service was a little hit-or-miss.  My husband was very enthusiastic about both his crab cake appetizer and pasta Bolognese.  I enjoyed the butternut squash soup, was less impressed with the beet salad (good, but not wonderful), and really didn't care for my mahi mahi entree.  The fish was cooked without any real seasoning and served over quinoa which was also unseasoned.  A mango salsa accompanied the fish but didn't really blend with it.  Since that was the only dish out of both meals that didn't please me, I chalk it up to my taste in food rather than the chef's ability in the kitchen.  We both had creme brulee for dessert as there was little to choose from (the waitress said they had a new chef so many of the usual offerings weren't available).  I had asked for the cheesecake but she made a mistake and brought us both creme brulee and I decided not to exchange it - it was very good and satisfying so no complaints there.  With three drinks between us and coffee for me, the bill came to about $120 for dinner for the two of us.

We'd definitely go back, especially for the brunch.  At Friday night's dinner the atmosphere was end-of-the-week noisy with people at the bar and a large raised table in the center that looked like a happy hour gathering place.  We sat in a quieter corner and didn't find the noise distracting.  Sunday morning was very quiet; I imagine since this was their first Sunday brunch, word had yet to get around that they were serving it again.  All in all, I'd recommend this as a nice place to spend a meal.

The Bantam Bistro was the celebration location for my 27th birthday this past Monday night. The staff accommodated our larger party with a million different dietary needs very well.

The drive to Litchfield seems a little far from just about everywhere. Coming from Vernon, we left early to avoid traffic through Hartford and Farmington, and made it there in just about an hour. While the ride is long, there is some very nice scenery along the way.

The Bistro is a part of the Litchfield Inn, a very fancy and very pretty. Jeff and I started at the bar while we waited for the rest of our group. The bartender was very friendly, and worked with us to make whatever drinks we wanted, even modifying the ones on their list so they would be to our taste. Very nice touch. He also told us about the happy hour that was available, drink and appetizer specials at a really good price.

Once everyone arrived, we order a little of everything!!

Very nice wine list, we ordered a couple bottles of a nice dry Spanish white wine which was chilled to the perfect temperature. Steamed mussels, heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil, and a charcuterie plate were the starters, and we had enough to share between 8 people.

Jeff and I shared the Watermelon Salad, which was very good, but the blue cheese crumbles were unbelievably strong. We also shared a special Gazpacho for the soup. It was very full of flavor, but very brothy.

My entree was seared diver scallops with a sweet corn polenta cake, kale, and grilled peaches. It was so fresh and delicious!! Jeff enjoyed a beautiful lobster fettucini, and my brother was very happy with his Vegan option, fresh veggie ratatouille.

I was the only one who optioned for dessert, being the birthday girl, and I chose the strawberry shortcake. A lot of shortcake, not enough strawberries.

All in all, we had a lovely time. We were one of the only tables in the place, so we laughed loudly and drank plenty. The staff was friendly and accommodating. If you are already in the Litchfield area, this is a very nice spot to stop into!