Litchfield's at the Wigwam Resort

Every once in a while, a dining experience comes along that makes you wonder, What in the heck have I been eating all this time? The experience can serve as a palate reboot, and it’s something you’re bound to experience at Litchfield’s, the culinary centerpiece — literally — of the Wigwam Resort.

The menu, which is the brainchild of Chef Brian Cooper, combines comfort food with new, inspired farm-to-table creations.

“My strength is putting together great teams in the kitchen,” Cooper says. “I challenge them every day.” He also thrives under pressure. Cooper cooks in a kitchen right in the center of the restaurant, preparing meals as hungry patrons wait, watch and salivate.

Among Cooper’s favorite menu items is the lamb dish. It’s smoky and always grilled to perfection with the utmost care. Paired with a cucumber-lime yogurt dip, it’s an epicurean revelation. The salmon, too, is worth trying. Perfectly tender and crusted with honey, it’s sweet and delicious. Try it with the beet salad — which includes arugula and honey walnuts — and garlic mashed potatoes, and you might call it the best thing you’ve ever eaten.

Although the items on your plate will be the primary reason for your culinary euphoria — ahem, prosciutto-wrapped dates, sweet-potato hummus with grilled flatbread, and crème brûlée — the atmosphere at Litchfield’s is especially impressive, too.

Overhauled indoor-outdoor seating, modern-rustic wood tables, wicker chairs and lodge chandeliers take the restaurant to a level beyond the average upscale American bistro. It’s less overtly decadent and more effortlessly elegant. You’ll love the way it looks, and you’ll really love the food. In fact, don’t be surprised if dinner on the patio, with a glass of Arizona wine in your hand and the smoky scent of mesquite wood warming your soul, causes you to forget about everything you’ve ever eaten before.