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Mystic/Stonington Ten deluxe guest accommodations and an acclaimed restaurant are the hallmarks of this inn on six rural acres surrounded by 300 acres of Nature Conservancy woodlands and stone walls northwest of Mystic. The inn began in a handsome yellow 1807 Georgian Colonial residence, converted first into a B&B by Joan Egy and her late husband Lynn. It became an inn upon expanding into a three-story barn showcasing The Grange dining room on the ground floor and six large guest rooms upstairs. From the expansive, granite-walled dining room, floor-to-ceiling, multi-paned windows yield a grand view of a landscaped stone dining terrace, a grapevine-covered pergola and a water garden. The interior is furnished like that of an English country manor, with a lounge area of high-back couches facing a fireplace and well-spaced tables set with cream-colored linens and Villeroy & Boch china It’s a thoroughly delightful setting for outstanding fare that tied for the highest restaurant ratings in Connecticut in the 2005-06 Zagat Survey. As prepared by James Veal, the inn’s original sous-chef, dinner begins with an amuse-bouche, usually a couple of morsels – perhaps a spring roll with apricot-fennel filling, a shumai dumpling or a mushroom tart – that hint of treats to come. We were pleased with a couple of sensational starters, baja-style scallop seviche with cucumber and a grilled tortilla and the trio of exotic shrimp: curry-coconut with spiced banana chutney, spicy rangoon with ginger-hoisin sauce, and chile-cilantro grilled over cucumber. Sesame-seared Asian tuna with shrimp and scallop lo mein and rack of lamb with garlic aioli are signature main courses. We liked the paupiette of veal paillard stuffed with artichokes and bel paese cheese and wrapped in prosciutto, and the pan-roasted duck breast and confit with bing cherry glaze and a fabulous brie and wild rice risotto. The dessert specialty is the night’s chocolate trio, at our visit a little pot of intense chocolate mousse, three homemade truffles and a chocolate fudge brownie, plus a bonus, chocolate ice cream with a stick of white chocolate. An equal triumph was the banana and Bailey’s Irish cream cheesecake with brûléed bananas and chocolate sauce. Afterward, we had only to head upstairs to one of the barn rooms and suites, which are larger and more sumptuous than those in the main house. Each has a king or queensize bed, a sitting area, a gas fireplace with a built-in TV overhead, and a large bath with double whirlpool tub and separate shower. They’re elegantly furnished in country French or English styles, plus one in Colonial decor for Yankee purists. All open to private or shared wraparound balconies overlooking the rural scene. Terrycloth robes, bath sheets rather than towels, Crabtree & Evelyn toiletries and soft music throughout the common areas help provide a serene stay. Breakfast is an event, served in the original B&B’s dining room, the restaurant or on the tiered flagstone terrace beneath a venerable maple tree. Baked bananas, pineapples and mangos in a lemon-rum sauce might precede buttermilk waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, herbed scrambled eggs with turkey bacon or a cloud omelet (so-called because it’s four inches high) layered with smoked salmon or cheese. The ginger scones and cheese-almond danish are addictive.
(860) 572-0771 or (800) 772-0774. Fax (860) 572-9161. E-mail: innkeeper@stonecroft.com For more information: www.stonecroft.com.
Entrées, $18 to $30. Dinner by reservation,
Tuesday-Sunday 5 to 9.
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