Litchfield's, the signature restaurant at The Wigwam, went dark on June 1 for a renovation scheduled through September 30. It has since reopened with a reworked bar and lounge, updated indoor and outdoor spaces, and a new director of culinary overseeing the resort's kitchens.
The reopening came just before the stretch that matters most for a restaurant in this town. Between this Saturday and Christmas, The Wigwam has set its Thanksgiving dinner, six Breakfast with Santa mornings and its Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners inside Litchfield's. The city's two big outdoor days fall on either end of that run. With the room open again, Litchfield Park's holiday season has its indoor anchor back, and you can plan the next seven weeks around it.
What came back in October
Boutique Hotelier reported that the resort hired Jarell Tucker as director of culinary after a multi-million-dollar food and beverage upgrade. Tucker spent more than 17 years at luxury hotels and resorts, including The Ritz-Carlton Buckhead and The St. Regis Atlanta. He now oversees Litchfield's, Red Allen's Bar and Grill and Wigwam Bar. He told the publication he wants to bring "a fresh perspective to its dining experiences, particularly as Litchfield's enters a new era."
The restaurant still describes itself as ranch-inspired Southwestern and American cooking around an exhibition kitchen. The Litchfield's menu on OpenTable, last updated October 7, gives you a sense of the price range:
- Oysters at $5 each
- Beet tartare at $18
- Squash-blossom fettuccine at $32
- Wood-fired branzino at $52
- Steaks starting at $49
- A half seafood tower at $85
The hours have changed too. The resort's Litchfield's page lists dinner Tuesday through Saturday from 5 to 10 p.m. The bar opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday and Monday aren't on that schedule, so a Sunday-night dinner plan needs a different room. Red Allen's serves lunch and dinner daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with weekend breakfast from 7 to 11 a.m. Wigwam Bar opens for breakfast at 6 a.m. every day and serves food until 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Seven weeks, in order
The season starts this weekend in town and moves to the resort later in the month. From there it settles into a December rhythm of Friday nights and weekend mornings.
- Saturday and Sunday, November 7 and 8. The city's Litchfield Park Festival of Arts runs 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days at Litchfield Square Park, with fine art, live music, food and a beer and wine garden.
- Friday through Sunday, November 20 to 22. The Wigwam Holiday Festival of Arts, presented by Vermillion Promotions, runs at the resort at 300 E. Wigwam Blvd. Admission is free.
- Thursday, November 26. Thanksgiving comes with two options, covered below.
- Friday, November 27. The Wigwam's free Annual Tree Lighting runs 5 to 8 p.m. on the Front Lawn. Santa arrives by firetruck, and there are crafts, face painting and bounce houses, plus a hot chocolate voucher tied to a toy drive.
- Fridays, December 4, 11 and 18. "A Winter Wonderland at The Wigwam" runs 6 to 8 p.m. at Wigwam Bar and Organization House, with s'mores, seasonal treats, a Winter Princess and Santa's Elf.
- Weekends, December 5 through 20. Breakfast with Santa at Litchfield's runs Saturdays December 5, 12 and 19 and Sundays December 6, 13 and 20, from 8 to 11 a.m. It's $50 per adult and $30 per child ages 4 to 12, and children under 4 eat free. Reservations are required.
- Saturday, December 12. Christmas in the Park, the city's 39th, runs 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 279 N. La Loma Ave., with the hometown parade on Old Litchfield Road at 10 a.m.
- Thursday and Friday, December 24 and 25. Christmas dinners at Litchfield's.
After this weekend, only one weekend has nothing scheduled at either the city or the resort: November 14 and 15. That's the open weekend if you're planning around family travel or a houseguest.
Thanksgiving is a choice between two rooms
On November 26 The Wigwam is serving two separate Thanksgiving meals at different times and prices.
Litchfield's serves a three-course prix fixe from 2 to 6 p.m., starting at $129 per adult and $35 per child. Gratuity and service charges are extra. Children 4 to 12 pay the child price, and children under 4 eat free. The reservation listing on OpenTable asks for a card and carries a seven-day cancellation policy. Based on that policy, change your plans by November 19 if you can.
The Wigwam Ballroom serves a Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at $99 per adult and $30 per child, with the same age rules and gratuity terms.
The $30 gap per adult is about format and timing. The buffet is an early-afternoon meal and is over by 3 p.m. The Litchfield's dinner starts at 2 and runs into the evening. A table of four adults costs $396 at the buffet and at least $516 at Litchfield's before gratuity. Because the tree lighting is the next evening, a family that eats in the Ballroom on Thursday can come back Friday for the free event without spending another dollar on a meal.
December 12 puts both halves on the same morning
The second Saturday in December is the one day this season when the town and the resort overlap.
Christmas in the Park is held every year on the second Saturday in December. This year the city expects an estimated 8,000 attendees. The parade on Old Litchfield Road typically draws more than 1,500 participants, including marching bands, local dignitaries, kids' groups and decorated floats. Admission and parking are free. There are stage acts, Pictures with Santa, food vendors, artist booths and free make-and-take crafts in Santa's Workshop.
That same Saturday is also one of the six Breakfast with Santa mornings at Litchfield's, which runs from 8 to 11 a.m. The parade steps off at 10. A family that books the 8 a.m. seating can finish breakfast before the parade starts. A later seating cuts into the parade. If you want both on December 12, book early. If the parade matters more, the Sunday breakfasts on December 6, 13 and 20 avoid the conflict entirely.
Santa makes a lot of appearances this season. He arrives by firetruck on November 27, sits for pictures at Christmas in the Park, and hosts six breakfasts in a single dining room. Only the breakfasts cost money and need a reservation.
The ordinary weeknight, which is most of the season
Most of these seven weeks are regular Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the resort's happy hours are where the reopened kitchens are easiest to try. The posted dining happenings break down this way:
| Spot | Happy hour | Drinks | Food |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Allen's Bar and Grill | Monday to Friday, 3 to 6 p.m. | $1 off drafts, $2 off well drinks, $1 off house wine | Select appetizers at $13 |
| Wigwam Bar | Sunday to Thursday, 4 to 6 p.m. | $1 off draft beer, $2 off select cocktails, $1 off house wine | Chips and salsa $8, elote ribs $10, fundido $12 |
Holiday exclusions apply to both. Between the two, the resort has a happy hour every day of the week. On Sunday and Monday, when Litchfield's is closed, one of these two bars is running a happy hour. Red Allen's describes itself as outdoor dining with golf course views and rotating local craft beer. Wigwam Bar adds live music, firepits and lawn games and welcomes locals along with resort guests.
Christmas week
Christmas Eve is a Thursday this year, and Litchfield's is serving a three-course prix fixe from 4 to 8 p.m. that night and from 2 to 6 p.m. on Christmas Day. It starts at $155 per adult and $35 per child. Reservations are required, and tax and gratuity are extra. That's $26 more per adult than the Thanksgiving dinner in the same room.
The resort's other two outlets are open on the holiday too. Red Allen's serves Christmas Day lunch from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wigwam Bar keeps its regular hours on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and adds Posole Rojo to the menu. On Christmas afternoon you can choose between the prix fixe at Litchfield's, lunch at Red Allen's and a bowl of posole at Wigwam Bar, all at one resort.
The full schedule, including the tree lighting, Winter Wonderland nights and the Santa breakfasts, is on The Wigwam's Holiday Happenings page. The city's events are on the Litchfield Park calendar.
I've worked in this market for decades, and a town calendar this full says a lot about what a neighborhood is like to live in. If the season has you thinking about a home in Litchfield Park, or about hosting family here next December, Laura Lee Cahal can walk you through the streets around it. Let's Connect.
