The Connecticut Table

I quickly learned the charming restaurant has nothing to do with the classic American novel — sorry Lit junkies, there’s no “Atticus Finch Finger Food” on the menu. Instead, the restaurant’s name is a nod to the literal, not literary, mockingbird.

Chef and owner Samantha Tilley draws inspiration for her cuisine “from the mockingbird — who masters a wide variety of bird songs — to engage in a global culinary conversation,” she explains on her website. Her dishes pay homage to her favorite food cultures, but she remains dedicated to using Connecticut products. The result is a New American menu that at its best is a United Nations of flavors that celebrates creativity with a delicate chicness, but this generally enjoyable culinary song occasionally goes off key.

The restaurant has origins as a supper club that Tilley organized at nearby Litchfield restaurants. Tilley had previously worked at Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley and traveled extensively, sampling foods from various cultures while working in apparel design. More recently she worked in the kitchen at Good News Café in Woodbury.

In 2012, Tilley took over a portion of the nearby Tollgate Hill Inn in what was the first incarnation of Mockingbird Kitchen & Bar. That location closed last January. At that time, she purchased the former Bantam Inn and spent much of 2015 renovating it before reopening this past Columbus Day Weekend.

The new space is one of the highlights of the restaurant. A long wood bar is the centerpiece of two dining areas with rustic but sleek chairs and tables. Soft lighting envelops the space with the warmth of candles and hanging deck lights. Its perfect date-night ambience impresses with sophistication, not snobbery — you’d feel comfortable in either slacks or jeans.

On the bar, bowls of fresh fruit serve as unofficial endorsements of the well-crafted cocktails offered. One speciality is the Lion’s Tail, featuring Michter’s bourbon, St. Elizabeth’s Dram, lime, Peychaud’s bitters and simple syrup; the result was a refreshing but not-too-sweet accompaniment to the meal. In addition, the restaurant has a global wine list and a solid craft beer lineup. Beer from two Connecticut breweries, Half Full and Black Hog, were on tap, each poured with a clean freshness.

My favorite dish of the night was the Asian dumplings. “[They’re] made with pork, green onion, ginger, black soy and sesame oil,” Tilley explained when contacted by email after my visit. She added, “They sit is a classic chili and vinegar sauce, topped with palm sugar syrup.”An appetizer special, these little pieces of culinary goodness were crave inducing. Our dinner group stopped just short of fist-fighting for them.

Less impressive on the appetizer front were the falafel fritters, a wonderful sounding mixture of Southern American-style fritters and Middle Eastern tradition that evoked images of cross-food strokes of genius like the Cronut, but lacked the moistness of my favorite fritters or the fluffy crunch of an excellent falafel. Also disappointing were the chicken wings. Made with pear chutney and served with winter greens, the wings are a great looking dish but were lacking something; I wanted them to be spicier, or have more of a citrus kick.

Another winner was the Free Bird Farm chicken breast tagine, utilizing chicken from Free Bird Farm in New York State. The dish was served with sweet potato puree, pearl couscous, parsnips, carrots and tomato chutney, and was one of the shining examples of the restaurant’s local-sourcing meets global-inspiration menu. The tomato chutney acted like a sweet barbecue sauce for the chicken, giving the dish a flavor that was equal parts Southern soul food and French cuisine. Unfortunately this seasonal specialty has been taken off the menu for the spring.

Other entrées I sampled included a solid-but-not-spectacular steak elevated by exceptionally airy mashed potatoes, and a jalapeno-powered burger special that came with delicious housemade fries.

For dessert, I sampled two dishes, the chocolate lava five-spice cake and the coconut orange panna cotta. On a return visit, I’d skip the chocolate lava — the combination of peanut butter ice cream, chocolate sauce and chocolate crumbs proved an overload of cocoa and left me in a sugar coma I’m only just coming out of — and stick to the orange panna cotta served with banana cream sauce and delicious coconut ice cream. It was a great cap to the meal.

By the time I left, I had forgotten my earlier questions about the origins of the name, and the philosophy of the place was clear. It would be a sin not to eat at this Mockingbird.

810 Bantam Road, Bantam 860-361-6730, mockingbirdkitchenandbar.com Hours: Wed.-Fri, 5-10 p.m., Sat. 2-11 p.m., Sun. 2-10 p.m. Closed Mon.-Tues. Price range: Appetizers $10-$16, dinner entrées $18-$30 Wheelchair accessible

AMBIANCE Classy with a capital C. Great mood lighting, beautiful bar and dining rooms with a warm fireplace. Perfect for dates and special occasions, yet casual enough for an after-work happy hour.

SERVICE Staff was friendly, attentive and informative. Questions about the cocktail menu resulted in a visit from the bartender to further explain the beer list.

FOOD The food pushes the boundaries of the “New American” designation with farm-fresh products and globally inspired flavors that generally work well together.