Litchfield Saltwater Grille

My husband and I found this gem while out on a a Sunday drive. It has now become our favorite place to dine. The food is fresh and delicious. The staff is very friendly and the owner takes the time to introduce himself to everyone. We bring our friends there often. They also have a variety of special events which keeps it interesting there is always something going on. We love it, you won’t be disappointed.

We came to dinner tonight (Friday 2÷26÷16) just because of the advertisement of tarot readings in the paper. The readings must be doing phenomenally well, because by the time we had soup, salad, and entrée done, the reader was ready for us.
During the wait, we were definitely not suffering. We were seated quickly, and the stoic and silent water boy showed a keen interest in our staying well hydrated. The SWG New England Clam Chowder was more seasoned than one usually sees, it was a sea of herbs instead of a milky white. It was also lacking clams, IMHO, but the flavors delivered and was full of potatoes. Our salads had the cutest waffle cut carrots, and the dressing automatically came on the side. A big plus for me, not being a big fan of dressing.
For the main course we all had burgers, which in my heart of hearts I know is sacrilege at a sea food restaurant. But tonight’s was a cost-​effective meal, for a special occasion I’m going back for that lobster. The interesting thing about the burgers is all of the buns were toasted at different consistencies, it was like a homage to the Three Bears. Mine was too «raw», one was toasted «just right», and the third could have doubled as charcoal at the edges. That was sent back, replaced quickly, and everyone was very nice about it, but as TV reality show chefs would bark, «standards people!» Once we got beyond that, with an exception of a little overcooked bacon and the meat being a degree below what everyone had asked for, it was well seasoned, juicy, and the buns were a nice compliment. The fries were fries. My personal preference is they could have been cooked more, but que sera sera.
The best parts of the evening were 1) Eric the tarot reader and 2) the oreo cheesecake. I have no idea what my tarot reading means, but I’m looking forward to the trip I may take, even if it is to benefit others. I also found out a lot about tarot from him, like what the different suites mean, and interpreting some of the symbolism. He’s really interesting to just listen to, even if you’re not having a reading. But oh, that cheesecake… It was light and fluffy, topped with oreos, an oreo crust, and a vanilla sauce. It was almost sinful, I think I could have eaten a whole pie.
The Saltwater Grille seems to have a lot of activities going for it. Besides Tarot Monday and Friday, they also had advertisements for a paint and cocktails night, and a comedic magician. I did not know I had this potential for entertainment so close to home.

Overall I had a really nice experience at the Saltwater Grille, largely driven by the quality of food. While I did enjoy my experience and would make the drive to return, there are also some areas of opportunity that they could work on.
We used a Groupon here, so we were ordering off of a special menu for that I believe, as I saw some other patrons ordering items that were not on ours, and the waitress called it «the Groupon menu». That said, I was very pleased with the food selections on this menu.
I’ll talk about the food first. The prix fixe menu we had the Groupon for included one shared appetizer, and then a soup or salad and entrée for each individual. There were many options that looked fantastic! We ended up choosing the mussels in white wine sauce as the appetizer, and it was phenomenal. The mussels were perfectly steamed, the sauce was fantastic, and it was a more than generous serving, which was nice because we avoided fighting over them :) I chose the house salad for my next course, and my dining partner chose the clam chowder soup. The salad was simple but very good– the mesh-​cut carrots were a nice touch, and the citrus-​y dressing was phenomenal. I tasted the clam chowder and found it to be good but not amazing, but that may just be preference – I like the thicker, creamier versions when I order New England chowders. This one was very fresh – tasting, which was a good sign, and had some interesting flavors, but was just not my ideal chowder.
For my entrée I ordered the rare seared tuna, and it was a fabulous choice. It was seared to perfection, exactly how I like it. The heavy pepper on the crust was a tad overwhelming, but I brushed some of that off and it was delicious. It was a truly generous serving of wonderfully seared rare tuna. The mushrooms that came served over it in a sauce were the most incredible-​tasting part of the whole meal– just perfect. The dish also came with vegetable du jour, which in our case was roasted carrots and parsnips, and were quite good. It also came with a choice of wild rice or potato, and I opted for wild rice. It was perfectly cooked, although I honestly didn’t each much of it because the rest of the dish was so good I focused on that. The best part was how healthy it was! My dining partner ordered the roasted chicken dish as his entrée, and was also pleased. The glaze on his chicken was pretty good, although (in my opinion) not nearly as good as my tuna dish.
We ordered a bottle of the Dierberg 2012 pinot noir with dinner. It was a little young-​tasting but paired really nicely with the tuna steaks and chicken. The menu price was about double what you would find it for in a liquor store, which is a reasonable markup for a restaurant. We didn’t see anything priced either fantastically good or bad on the wine menu.
We ordered crème brûlée for desesrt, and it wasn’t one of the better ones I have had. I don’t hold that against them too much– they are not a french restaurant, and not everyone can master this dessert dish. It happens to be my favorite dessert, so I’m probably a bit pickier than most. The texture was a little off, it was a little too sweet, and the caramelization on top was too thick. It was also served with whipped cream, which is not typical, although didn’t really detract from it.
There were some downside to the overall experience as well. The seating is odd, at least in the part of the restaurant we were in. We were sitting right next to a door, and it was cold enough near the floor that I had to keep moving my feet. The acoustics in this room were strange as well, and the tables were small and close together. We were whispering, because you could hear every word of every conversation of the other 3 nearby tables, and were fairly sure they could hear you as well. There were loud kitchen sounds coming from nearby, but otherwise it was a weird quiet feeling except for the very clear voices from surrounding tables. If the acoustics can’t be fixed, slightly louder music is definitely in order, to make the experience less awkward.
Two couples who arrived after us were either served or had orders taken before us, which didn’t upset us but was odd. But, the waitress was very friendly and overall we enjoyed the service.

Nothing to right home about but not horrible either.

We were very happy with the restaurant and don’t understand some of the mixed reviews. They have a nice varied menu leaning towards seafood but something for everyone. Their wine list was strong and reasonably priced. And we thought our service was good.

BEST mussels I’ve had in the area! Cesar salad was fantastic as well, not overdressed. Exceptional service and I loved sitting outside for the live music!

I went here for a date and it was just really pricey for the food that they have. The fried calamari was excellent but otherwise the rest of our dinner was so-​so, I really was expecting so much better, and wanted this place to be awesome, its just ok. Honestly if you are in Litchfield looking for a nice dinner I would suggest Bantam Bistro, its a beautiful place with nice food!

Place really nice and great service! But the fish and Mac and Cheese was pour Salt!!! Won’t be back

Since the new owners have been taken over I have been inundated with emails telling me about all the special events they have I. e. Monday night of fortuneteller, Sunday jazz, wine tasting dinner, cigar smoking dinner, and on and on. One thing they haven’t emphasized is the food and at probably because they know it’s just terrible. We thought it appropriate to try this restaurant under the new owners last night and a hamburger ordered medium was well done and tasteless, my fish and chips was overcooked and the chips while very good. There are a lot of young waitresses scurrying around but what they were doing I have no idea because they weren’t taking care of us in the tap room. When I complained to the waitress someone of authority came over and offered us a glass of wine or dessert which we happily declined and left never to return.

We were a party of six here last Sunday evening. Cocktails were smallish and not much of a kick to them. The waitress was loud, said yes to our requests we made but then didn’t follow through.
Food for the most part was bland and tasteless. We will NOT be going back!

Had a wonderful lunch with my elderly Aunt visiting from Florida, she was craving Maine lobster. The broiled lobster tail dish was beautifully presented and expertly prepared, she said it was the best she’d ever had. The server and owner were so kind as well.

About 1-​year ago, my wife and I happened to stop by the Grille one afternoon. It was summer and we elected to sit outside on the porch and have a few cocktails and an appetizer or two. We selected the mussels and were elated when this big bowl of mussels arrived at our table. They were delicious!
Since that time, we’ve gone out of our way several times (we live in Cheshire) to stop back and order our favorite dish. We have found the wait staff and bartenders to be very pleasant and attentive. I think they like their jobs. That’s not something you see at every restaurant. The restaurant itself is nicely decorated and spotless. The overall experience is wonderful.
We met the owner one fall afternoon outside on the porch. He was very hospitable. We left with the feeling that he really enjoyed what he did for a living. Put this gem of a restaurant on your short list of places to visit. You will be glad you did.

Food was delicious. Portions were a little big and service was a little slow. Could understand being the night it was, only problem I had was the beer selection wasn’t the best, wine selection was superb. Oatmeal cookie martini was delicious according to my date, would definitely go again.

Food was good (minus the special soup of the day. Way to watery). Steak was cooked well and lobster was amazing. Service however was horrible. 1 hour after ordering we finally got apps, a salad and shrimp cocktail mind you. This was after taking 30 mins to order due to having waiter/​waitress switching. By the end of the night we had 6 different waitresses.

Restaurant is cute. Separate bar area, and outdoor patio, and then a dining room.
We went with our team for a team dinner, and were seated in the dining room. It was a Thursday dinner time, and we were one of 3 parties there. (One was in the bar, one was on the patio, and then we were in the dining room)
Server was nice and friendly, but she should’ve warned us to save our money and go elsewhere.
The prices are WAY too high for the quality of food. My husband got the steak. Ordered Medium well, it came out well. Not one bit of pink in there. And it was a filet! What a shame…
I got the lobster/​shrimp meal and asked if they could sub the shrimp for scallops. She said they don’t usually sub but she’d check. Chef said he would. Awesome… I was happy… until I got the meal. I asked for the scallops well done b/​c I’m pregnant… they came jusssst cooked. I got a very small portion of veggies on the side that was soggy and overcooked, and the chef’s potato (red skinned potato) that seemed like it was just boiled and cut up and put on my plate. Nothing done to them. For $ 40 I was SUPER disappointed.
Team members got some dishes that looked ok. No one was raving about the food, and I’m sure they wouldn’t complain with us paying for their meal.
Their one score was their clam chowder… it was fantastic. Thank goodness I got it to fill me up a little.
Side salads with the meals were lacking.
We didn’t order dessert, and they kindly brought us some complimentary chocolate chip muffins to take with us. I wish I could say they were awesome, but we didn’t enjoy them either… and ended up wasting a couple of them.
Would much rather spend that kind of money up the road at Arethusa!

We stopped in here for a quick lunch on a Sunday. What a treat! We had the best clam chowder I have had in a long time and we then had the Freedom Tower. OMG was it good. More than enough for the two of us. The highlight was the tuna. Perfect!!!
Freedom Tower* **
8 Little Neck Clams, 8 Oysters, 8 Jumbo Shrimp, Chilled Lobster Tail, Sliced Rare Tuna, Smoked Salmon Plank Served on Crushed Ice, Cocktail Sauce, Horseradish, Horseradish Cream, Red Wine Mignonette, Fresh Lemon

We were celebrating our relationship ready to splurge a bit
With a coupon from a local paper we received a free appetizer a crabcake and it was absolutely wonderful.
We also ordered another appetizer American seafood on a bed of crushed ice four shrimp four delicious fresh oysters four fresh clams on the half shell: outstanding! A salad came with our meal: her entrée was the sea scallops cooked perfectully;however they did not come as ordered NO rice nor veggies, a mound of lettuce. Mine was the cod with rice and veggies. My cod was tasty but small the rice just warm
The waitress trying to correct them brought a steaming bowl of rice and a bowl of fresh green beans. The beans WERE RAW
The owner/​manager agreed with the uncooked beans
He extended two complimentary desserts a gracious act on his part
We will give it another try the appetizers were GREAT. The meals fair to middlin!
Give it a try!

Quite the drive for me coming from Danbury, but I’m a big seafood lover and this place was introduced to me by one of my friend. She also love seafood as much as I do so we decided to come here for our birthday dinner. The atmosphere was nice and eloquent. The food was also really good. The service was a little slow. It took awhile for her to come with outlet drinks and food. Overall, a good experience.

Excellent food, service, and atmosphere/​décor. The new owners have really outdone themselves. They bought the place back in October 2013, revamped it, and reopened the restaurant in December 2013. So, any reviews prior to December 2013 really do not do this place justice.
We started with the fresh raw bar oysters, which are shipped in directly (no sitting in a truck for several hours en route as part of multiple deliveries all over NYC), 5 – 6 days a week straight from the Long Island Sound. We also had a generous portion of the steamed clams, which are plump (no puny littlenecks) and come in a wonderful briny broth with toast. For entrees we had the salmon, the seafood chimi (a fried burrito stuffed with lobster, crab, red bell peppers, scallions, and served with brown rice and spicy salsa verde), and the bouillabase. Everything was delicious!
All of the other dishes looked great, too. The steaks that other tables ordered with creamy mashed potatoes, or «chef’s potatoes», was absolutely drool-​worthy. Plus, their special of the night, beer mussels with angel hair pasta, for 20 bucks, was large enough to serve two people, and looked like a really fun, tasty plate.
The bouillabase had actual chunks of juicy lobster meat, plus scallops, clams, and mussels in a spicy red sauce. I loved my seafood chimi, and the salmon looked amazing. We also got a side of spinach Rockefeller, which was the best creamed spinach I have ever had! For dessert, we had the crème brûlée and the key lime pie, both divine, and served with house-​whipped cream. The portions are great for the price, and the quality really some of the best for the area. They serve small rolls at the beginning of the meal with whipped, salted butter, which I could not get enough of, and their light, lemon house vinaigrette that came with our salads was tangy without being sour at all.
Finally, a great seafood joint in the center of Litchfield!

New ownership and revised menu along with much improved customer service. While keeping a small collection of old favorite menu items line the seared ahi tuna and sole entrée the new menu offers great salads (Caesar is excellent) and a variety of tasty entrees. The bread rolls and butter are good enough to ruin your meal if you don’t have self control… which we all have…:) owner Andy and staff have really stepped up to make SWG a much improved local place to gather.