Looking for a Little Luxury? Well, Here It Is

Don’t ask Maureen Jones why she and her husband, Cliff, decided to open the Rooster Tail Inn and Restaurant in the middle of nowhere — Warren, that is.

   With blazing blue eyes, she’ll tell you, “that’s where you’re wrong. Warren is in the center of everything in its part of Litchfield County.â€�

   And, of course, she’s right: Despite the quiet, rural character of what is essentially a hamlet, Warren is close enough to the galleries and shops of Kent, the waterfall and shopping of New Preston, and the storied charms of Litchfield and Washington to offer outings to inn guests and to draw customers to the restaurant.  And Warren has its own attractive antiques stores, too.

   The Joneses built houses for well-to-do customers for 30 years, and from that experience Maureen  knew where in New York City to find the furnishings and fixtures she wanted.  When an unused parsonage came on the market in Warren, the Jones snapped up the existing structure — one part from 1772, the other from 1895 — gutted it and rebuilt, adding a kitchen and guest rooms (there are now six), a sauna and spa with fully equipped exercise facilities, and an enlarged, modernized barn for themselves.  Wherever possible, original beams and posts remain, peeking out of new wallboard.

   Clearly, Maureen — the creative force behind the establishment that Cliff, a contractor, built — didn’t want a quaint country inn.  Her Rooster Tail is about comfortable,  luxurious rooms, spectacular tiled and marbled baths, high-end perfectly laundered linens covering custom king-size  mattresses.  Public areas — sitting room, woody bar and bright dining room with an entire wall of windows overlooking the hills — are welcoming, like pages from a higher-end West Elm catalog:  lots of browns, soft greens, rusts, the occasional Oriental rug, antiques and reproductions thrown in here and there.

   Each room or suite is unique in color scheme and style; each bathroom tiled and marbled differently.  But all have custom head- and foot- boards, Neorest toilets with heated seats, rain and hand-held shower heads.  Accessories are carefully chosen by either Maureen or friends.  (One room boasts two beautiful yellow silk pillows with embroidered roosters, gifts of Richard Lambertson, who owns the Privet shop across the road.)

   None of this comes cheaply.  Rates range from $275 per night for the first floor room to $450 for the largest suite with its own outside entrance.  Most are $325-375, but special packages are available — winter holidays, Valentine’s weekend, spring break.

   And, according to Maureen, the Joneses’ effort is paying off.  Since opening “very softlyâ€� last spring, they have built a steady inn business. A couple from Seattle with relatives in the county have stayed four times; a couple from England spent their honeymoon at the Inn. (The husband is paraplegic, and the Joneses arranged outings — with driver — that he could enjoy.)

   The restaurant is doing well, too. Maureen plans the menus (they change weekly) and cooks the first night of new selections to make sure her staff knows what she expects the rest of the week.  Menus feature “tavern platesâ€� at $14 and slightly more substantial  “dinner platesâ€� at $17.  Bar snacks are homemade, delicious and free.  And Sunday brunch has been a runaway success with frequent waits for tables.  

   Maureen is clearly proud of what she and Cliff have made, and if she drops customer names like a rock slide — a Kissinger here, a Joan Rivers there — she does so with apparent humility. This is a place bucking the downturn. The couple is working hard but enjoying every minute of it.

The Rooster Tail is at 11 Cornwall Road in Warren. 860-868-3100.

Latest News

Nuvance hospital system to merge with Northwell Health

Sharon Hospital would become part of a larger regional health systems with 28 hospitals.

Yehyun Kim/CTMirror.org

Nuvance Health, which owns four hospitals in Connecticut and three in New York, will merge with Northwell Health to form a larger regional health system across two states.

Together, the companies will own 28 hospitals and more than 1,000 sites of care and employ 14,500 providers.

Keep ReadingShow less
The Creators: An interview with filmmaker Keith Boynton

Keith Boynton, left, with Aitor Mendilibar, right, the cinematographer who shot “The Haunted Forest” as well as “The Scottish Play” and “The Winter House.” In the background of is Vinny Castellini, first assistant director.

Submitted

Keith Boynton is a filmmaker who grew up in Salisbury, Connecticut. He attended Salisbury Central School, Town Hill School, and Hotchkiss. He has made numerous feature films including Seven Lovers, The Scottish Play, The Winter House, and is just wrapping up a new film, The Haunted Forest, which is a horror/slasher movie. Boynton has made numerous music videos for the band Darlingside, and for Alison Krauss. He is a poet, a playwright, and comic book art collector.

JA: This series of stories The Creators focuses on artists, their inspiration, and their creative process. Keith, what was the seed that got you started?

Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton director is an Oscar nominee

Arlo Washington in a film still from the Oscar-nominated short "The Barber of Little Rock."

Story Syndicate

John Hoffman, a Millerton resident, has been nominated for his film “The Barber of Little Rock,” which he co-directed with Christine Turner, in the Best Documentary Short Film category at the upcoming 96th Academy Awards.

Distributed by The New Yorker and produced by Story Syndicate Production in association with 59th & Prairie, Better World Projects, and Peralta Pictures, “The Barber of Little Rock” explores the efforts of Arkansas local hero Arlo Washington, who opened a barbershop at 19 years old and, with a mission to close the racial inequality gap in his community, went on to found the Washington Barber College as well as People Trust Community Federal Credit Union. Washington’s goal is aiding his primarily Black neighborhood, which has historically been underserved by more prominent banking institutions.

Keep ReadingShow less
Inside Troutbeck's kitchen

Chef Vincent Gilberti

Courtesy of Troutbeck

About growing up in Carmel, New York, Troutbeck’s executive chef Vincent Gilberti said he was fortunate to have a lot of family close by, and time together was always centered around food.

His grandparents in White Plains always made sure to have a supply of cured meats, olives, cheeses and crusty bread during their weekend visits. But it wasn’t until his family moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, when he was 16 that his passion for food really began. It was there that he joined the German Club, whose partnership with Johnson & Wales University first introduced him to cooking.

Keep ReadingShow less