Fife ’n Drum Restaurant And Inn Offers Dining Excellence In The Litchfield Hills

A scenic ride up Route 7 into Litchfield County, paralleling a meandering Housatonic River backed by rolling hills, and just over the railroad tracks in Kent, lands one at the doorstep of the Fife ’n Drum Restaurant and Inn, a landmark building since the 1920s, and under the apt management of Audrey and Dolph Traymon since 1973. The Traymons are joined in the business by daughter, Elissa Potts, who serves as general manager and hostess for the restaurant.

Low evergreen hedges border the stone and clapboard building, and along with striped green and red awnings over the windows and entryway, create an attractive façade.

Two larger dining rooms break off to the left of the small foyer, with a third private dining room to the right. A sleek mahogany bar is flanked by the dining areas, softly lit by stained glass panels overhead, and offering comfortable upholstered bar chairs. Even on a Monday afternoon, the dining room and bar are populated by the many tourists, bikers, and hikers that come to Kent and the surrounding Litchfield County towns to enjoy the country atmosphere.

The smaller dining room to the right of the foyer pays homage to one of Fife ’n Drum’s early customers, the late artist Eric Sloane. Soft golden walls are hung with numbered prints by the local painter, who lived and worked in nearby Warren. Ivory linens drape the tables, set with cloth napkins and pewter chargers imprinted with the Fife ’n Drum logo.

“This was the original dining room, and was always a rather formal room,” said Ms Potts. “People loved it for its elegance, but felt they had to dress up to go here,” she said. To accommodate a growing clientele, and to create an atmosphere more to the liking of the casually attired families and tourists that stopped in, Fife ’n Drum added on the dining room to the immediate left of the entrance in 1978. Then, prompted by nonsmoking laws, a second addition beyond that was built in 2003 to provide a nonsmoking area. “Right after we finished it, all smoking was forbidden in restaurants, anyway,” laughed Ms Potts.

The two newer dining rooms are not dressed down, however, with each table set with the same linens and pewter place settings as the original dining room. A fireplace in each of those areas, and dark, barn wood paneling, with low lighting from hurricane lanterns posted on the walls in the front dining room, or shaded wrought iron lamps in the rear dining room, gives a casual country feel, with a sophisticated edge, to the restaurant. Tables down the length of one wall in the front dining room are bordered by a room-length booth on one side, and on the opposite sides by solid, early American-style wooden armchairs. Smaller booths for more intimate dining are interspersed with tables on the opposite side of the room. Rich red leather cushions provide comfortable booth seating.

Here, too, art admirers will enjoy being surrounded by the works of yet another regional artist, the late David Armstrong, who studied with Eric Sloane. His numbered watercolors depict people and places of Kent.

A vaulted ceiling and high windows give natural light and spaciousness to the rear dining area, where tables are set to welcome individuals, couples, or groups. “This is a very popular room with organizations and clubs, or for parties of up to 50 guests,” said Ms Potts. “We get so much use out of these two newer dining rooms,” she said. Regular customers often request a particular room or table, she said, with the fireside settings very popular in chillier months.

Diners in any of the rooms enjoy a special treat that will not be found anywhere else, each evening, when Mr Traymon, a former pianist for Peggy Lee, Frank Sinatra, and the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, sits down to play standard tunes and jazz on one of two Steinway baby grand pianos in the Fife ’n Drum.

The other draw to the Fife ’n Drum, said Ms Potts, is the classic tableside service not found in any other area restaurant. One of the most popular items on the dinner menu is the roast half duck flambé, $28, carved tableside and served with a sauce du jour, featuring seasonal ingredients. In early November, chefs Leon Bouteiller and Chris Lanza were serving a cranberry and pear sauce with the duck entrée.

Flambéed with brandy tableside is another dinner offering ordered regularly by customers, the filet mignon au poivre flambé, $35. A special cream, mustard and Bordelaise sauce with green peppercorns adds the finishing touch to the filet.

Diners seeking a lighter meal, but one with panache, will like the Caesar salad tossed tableside by waiters dressed in classic black and white attire.

Roasted all natural chicken, $20, comes with sage brioche stuffing and cranberry ginger walnut chutney, and a grilled center cut rib pork chop, $23, is dressed with a warm maple apple compote and cider reduction. Chanterelle mushrooms form the base of the sauce that accompanies another dinner item, the sautéed veal scallopini, $24.

The goal of Fife ’n Drum, said Ms Potts, is to provide classic meals, but to keep them updated, as well. “Times change, and we want to stay current,” she said. Chefs Bouteiller and Lanza work with Ms Potts to create seasonal menus, utilizing fresh, local ingredients whenever possible, in exciting new ways that intrigue diners and staff alike.

 “Our specials are a little edgier,” Ms Potts said, and there are four innovative specials on the dinner menu every night, including one featuring fish and another vegetarian.

Appetizer and lunch specials also receive special attention from Chefs Bouteiller and Lanza. One appetizer that has taken off for the Fife ’n Drum is the grilled octopus. Served on a bed of fingerling potatoes, with feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and a lemon oregano vinaigrette, the salad has a loyal following. Grilled chicken and apple sausage is served with Riesling-braised lentils, pumpkin seed oil, and pickled red cabbage, in yet another of the half dozen appetizers.

Diners are hard pressed to choose between four salads to kick off the meal, including a roasted beet and artichoke heart salad with citrus vinaigrette or the arugula, cranberry, and Honey Crisp apple salad.

A soup du jour is made on site every day, or warm up on a cold day with French onion soup gratinée. Soups and appetizers range from $6 to $12.

The full menu is available at the bar, as well, but “Bar Bites” are most popular with the casual diners that congregate at the well. Crispy sticky chicken, $11, served with spicy Thai buffalo sauce, a pizza ($10–$13) like the sweet Italian sausage and broccoli rabe on a hand-thrown crust, or chili beef quesadilla with a house made pico de gallo sauce, $12, are among the best sellers for quick bites with a brew.

Lunchtime customers enjoy the 8-ounce cheddar burger, hot BBQ roast beef brioche roll, the turkey panini, each $10, or any of the other creative sandwiches on the menu. Eggs Benedict is found on the lunch menu, as well, for those who want to roll breakfast and lunch together.

Fife ’n Drum Restaurant and Inn is also known for its Sunday brunch, served 11:30 to 3 pm, featuring menu favorites and specials to tempt the palate.

Along with the expertly executed menu and interesting specials, said Ms Potts, what brings people back to the restaurant is the extraordinary wine list. “We have been a Wine Spectator magazine recipient of the Best of Award of Excellence for the past 15 years,” she said, an honor shared by only eight other restaurants in the state. Ms Potts is responsible for all of the wine buying, and is proud that diners who know wines choose to come to Fife ’n Drum, where they know that they will find serious values on wines of all years and from around the world. With 7,300 wines in the inventory, it is not unusual for wine lovers to request that the entire list be e-mailed, prior to dinner. This allows them to select a wine without spending a great deal of time at the table deciding. “But we do have many who just love to come in and read our wine list,” Ms Potts said. The staff is educated on the wines, too, she said, so that they can make recommendations to customers requesting assistance in wine selection.

“The staff is another factor that makes our restaurant stand out,” Ms Potts said. A low turnover in staff means that regular customers are greeted by name, and waitstaff is aware of favorite seating arrangements and other details that add up to a great dining experience. “People really like seeing the same staff, and knowing they will be well cared for,” she said.

Fife ’n Drum Restaurant and Inn is always looking forward, said Ms Potts. “In these challenging times, you need to stay on top of food and wine trends, and we stay involved in the community.” One thing that does not change, though, is a dedication to excellence in dining.

Fife ’n Drum Restaurant and inn is closed on Tuesday. Lunch is served Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:30 to 3 pm. Dinner is served Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 5:30 to 9:30 pm, and on Friday and Saturday from 5:30 to 10 pm. Sunday brunch is served from 11:30 am to 3 pm, and Sunday dinner from 3 pm to 8:30 pm. The bar is open from 11:30 am to closing each day, except Tuesday. All of the menus are available for takeout by calling ahead to 860-927-3509. Please call for Fife ’n Drum holiday hours. The restaurant is open Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. More information about the inn and gift shop associated with Fife ’n Drum Restaurant and Inn can be found at www.fifendrum.com, as can the wine cellar list and information about private parties.