Arethusa al tavolo

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Local, Seasonal, Inspired

Arethusa al tavolo opened in June 2013 inside what was once the Village General Store in Bantam, Connecticut, situated next door to the Arethusa Farm Dairy store — formerly the Bantam Firehouse. That proximity is not incidental; it defines the restaurant. Every dish on the daily-changing menu draws on Arethusa's own award-winning dairy, from the ricotta on the flatbread to the camembert melted over a beet-and-endive salad, the yogurt sauce on the Scottish salmon, and the artisan cheese course served with fresh honeycomb and rye-sourdough crackers.

The Kitchen Behind the Menu

Executive Chef Dan Magill grew up on Long Island's North Fork, surrounded by productive waters and vineyards, before training at The Culinary Institute of America and working his way through New York City kitchens. Since founding al tavolo, he has brought that same sensibility to Connecticut's northwest corner. In 2016 he was nominated as a James Beard Award semi-finalist for Best Chef Northeast, and in 2017 the Connecticut Restaurant Association named him Chef of the Year. The restaurant has appeared on OpenTable's Top 100 list in the country five times — recognition that reflects both the consistency of the cooking and the loyalty of its following across Litchfield County and beyond.

Alongside Magill, Chef de Cuisine Michael Barnett brings a French-inflected precision honed at the Todd English Group and several Connecticut fine-dining rooms, while Sous Chef Daniel D'Angelo — raised within sight of Litchfield Hills farms — contributes a plating style shaped by travel and an arts background. Executive Pastry Chef Stacy D'Angelo rounds out the team, responsible for desserts like the Citrus Mille-Feuille with yuzu curd and dark chocolate ganache, or the Flourless Chocolate Cake finished with espresso mousse and hazelnut croquant.

What Arrives at the Table

The menu changes daily, so specific dishes shift with the seasons, but the kitchen's character is consistent: fine American cuisine that reaches confidently across traditions. Starters might include Wellfleet oysters with Arethusa sour cream and Kaluga caviar, braised duck dumplings with red chili à l'orange, or uni toast on black bread with wasabi cream and jalapeño. Main courses range from Atlantic halibut gently poached in olive oil with rock shrimp and chorizo, to pistachio-crusted lamb tenderloin with tamarind jus, to savoy-wrapped mushroom purses filled with Arethusa Camembert. The wine program has earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence, and the cocktail list — featuring house creations like a Webster Old Fashioned made with Litchfield Bourbon — holds its own alongside it.

As Chef Magill puts it: "You always take more pride in the product that you are working with, when it is your own." That pride is legible in every plate that leaves this kitchen.