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February 25, 2003
  Articles on this page: • America's premiere dining destination
America's premiere dining destination It wasn't enough to be the choice destination for "culture in the country." To that we added natural country settings, hillside splendor, great skiing and easy access to the slopes. Next, some of the most beautiful inns and bed and breakfast establishments in the Northeast, and now ... fine dining joins the list of top-notch Berkshire attractions. It's not that we didn’t have good restaurants available in years past. We did. Some of the best, and some of the most accessible, of those are still with us. But it seems that lately we’ve been seeing the arrival of a whole host of new establishments dedicated to the art of the aforementioned "fine dining." A quick glance into the local Bell Atlantic phone directory for the year 2000 shows five yellow pages of restaurant listings, and that includes all of the display advertisements. For 2004 the Verizon book offers up 30 pages of listings, with more than 70 restaurants listed that didn't exist four years ago, and larger ads and sample menus. Clearly a new emphasis has been added. For well over a quarter of a century the county has offered some exceptional dining choices and many of them are still here, spots like The Old Mill in South Egremont, Wheatleigh in Lenox or The Old Inn on the Green in New Marlboro, still doing what they've always done so well. The re-conceived Elizabeth’s in Pittsfield went from pizza to superb pasta but never let go of its rightly famous house salad -- a feast in itself. The former Roseborough Grill on Church Street in Lenox, now Firefly, features a new tapas menu and an Asian-Spanish fusion cuisine that caters to just about everybody’s taste in some way. For at least the same amount of time we've had the opposite end of the spectrum as well, with Friendly’s and other chains, along with the odd and unusual spots that no one likes to miss, the Joe’s Diner and Dos Amigos sort of places. But things are changing everywhere. I remember 30 years ago driving up to a small restaurant on Route 22, about 85 minutes north of the city, for a dinner that was charming, but nothing special. A person would have to be awfully hungry for something that New York City or Boston doesn't offer to make the long drive up, eat a meal and spend half the night making the drive back. Now, I am told, people are doing just that. So what's exotic, superabundant, novel, sensory in Berkshire eateries these days? What’s making the difference to these perceptive palates? There are two ways, obviously, to make the case for great food in local restaurants, both new and old, from deep South County to Far North: your own experiences and asking around.
Spice Root The last decade has seen an increase in Indian cuisine in the region. One of the newest restaurants is Spice Root, recommended by friends from Stephentown, N.Y., located at 23 Spring St. in Williamstown. Opened in December, 2002, by Tarun Narula, the restaurant features the cuisines of all four regions of the subcontinent, particularly the northern and southern cuisines. "Most people, when they think of Indian food, are thinking of the northern cuisine," Narula said, "the Muglai and Tandoori styles of cooking." These dishes often include a korma, a rich sauce made from cashew nuts and almonds, creamy and very mild served over chicken, lamb vegetables and seasoned with cardamom and saffron. Tandoori dishes, cooked in the special oven, are richer but mild in spices. The southern cuisine, heavily featured at Spice Root, is hotter and spicier. "This is partly because the spices also work as preservative for food in that climate," Narula said. "We use a lot of coconut, mostly mustards, curry leaves, hot tropicals for flavor. Our signature dish is the dosa, a long, paper-thin, lentil-flour crepe, stuffed with spiced potatoes and peas. It's always at least 10 inches or longer and when we bring it out, people stop eating to look at it." Spice Root uses nuts and raisins to make their meals both milder and richer. They are open Tuesday through Sunday and they have a new moderately-priced menu, aimed at locals, residents and tourists. They even have a $10 dinner with entree and compliments to introduce newcomers to the exotic cuisine. Café Lucia Café Lucia, located at 80 Church St. in Lenox, has not lost its hold on the championship in osso bucco, veal shanks stewed in a sauce that seemingly opens the gates to heaven. I've eaten that particular dish on three continents and this Lenox restaurant offers the best I’ve had. The Lucia costs you big city bucks in a small town setting, but the value is in the eating and drinking. The wine list is appropriately fine, the food is delicious, the service is excellent and the other menu options, such as anything that comes served with Jim Luce’s risotto, are of equal interest and quality. The setting is sedate and cozy and even on a crowded night seems private, intimate. Milan From the stars of the Williamstown Theatre Festival last summer came the recommendation for a new Italian restaurant in North Adams, Milan, located at 55 Main St. Jack Carlow, a resident of Guilderland, N.Y., opened the restaurant in June of 2002. Carlow describes his establishment as a long, narrow space, Manhattanesque in design seating about 35, but also with a private dining room that can be booked. Not a traditional Italian-American experience, the cuisine here includes specialties from Bologna, Calabria and the southern boot regions. "We strive more towards real Italian food," Carlow said, "the foods people would be eating in Italy, things like braised octopus. Definitely not the run of the mill." One such item is an espresso-rubbed filet mignon which goes for $22-23. The basic menu features about 40 items, but there is a specialty menu every night as well, including salads, pasta dishes, risotto. "We've been featuring a hot Italian sausage with roasted red pepper, baby arugula, and parmigiana risotto, very special on a cold day; it really sticks to the ribs." Pearl's Joe and Karen Corcoran insisted on introducing us to Pearl's Restaurant, at 47 Railroad St. in Great Barrington. Opened by Jason Machiog, Charlie Schultz, and Steve Picheny in May of 2001, this is one of the most elegant and visually arresting restaurants in the county. Our evening there felt like a special one long before we glanced at the menu or sampled the chef’s expert cooking. While we liked the highly epicurean meat sampler, a mixed grill that changes nightly, according to general manager Tim Buchanon, the menu provides more options that should be noted. Their signature appetizer is tuna tartare served with homemade potato chips. They offer a baby spinach salad people come in for time and time again. Their most popular dessert is molten chocolate cake with a créme anglais. With a wine list of more than 300 bottles, the simplest of meals at Pearls can become pricey. "We really feature low-country, Charleston, S.C.-based comfort foods, like fried chicken with okra, or macaroni and cheese, along with our many simply-prepared meat dishes," Buchanon said. "Last winter we offered a pretty straightforward meatloaf that sold like crazy." One thing is sure, for $22 or more per entree, you get a lot of food and with the right wine and dessert you can spend quite a bit for a dinner here. One of the top-rated dining establishments in the region, it came out near the top in the current Zagat's Guide.
Rouge Rouge is located at 3 Center St. in West Stockbridge. This is a tiny village with a big history of good eating, but Rouge has made a special difference to the overall tone of the town. William and Maggie Merelle opened their contemporary French restaurant on Bastille Day, July 14, 2002, and getting a table there became difficult only a few days later. It is a small assortment of odd rooms, with a Parisian bistro feel to them. In the warmer months there is an eating porch option and often there are musicians passing through the rooms playing brass or string works for chamber groups. The bar features two different menus, a tapas selection and a bar sandwich menu with a Caprisi salad sandwich, among others. The restaurant itself has a full dinner menu and with prices for entrees starting at $19 it is an experience. Just making the choices can be difficult. "William doesn't cook in the old French style with creamy, heavy sauces," Maggie Merelle said recently. "You wouldn’t necessarily lose weight by eating this food, but you leave feeling satisfied, wanting more." Merelle cooks everything to order from duck to chicken. “I think the true test of any restaurant is a roasted chicken,” Maggie commented. "William has surpassed himself with this, it's like a drug. People come back for just the chicken and it’s all in the butter. Everything is cooked to order. He makes each sauce fresh for each chicken." A personal favorite for me has been their steak au poivre. As far as I know, Merelle is the only local chef who butchers his own meat on the premises -- not the whole cow, but making his own cuts from full sides of beef. The sauté fois gras is exceptional and the patés are unique, made once again by Chef Merelle. Even their baby back ribs are uniquely French without being "old French." At this restaurant the chef is passionate about his food. Restaurants open. Restaurants close. It's the nature of the business. Good food, beautifully prepared, nicely served, exquisitely aromatic and delectable on the palate, are the elements that make the difference. If the setting is sweet, redolent of the region the food reflects, that doesn't hurt either. Word of mouth is everything when it comes to keeping these places open. And as more big city appetites keep journeying our way, better and better options will keep arriving as well. Imagine -- the Berkshires as a "premiere culinary resort."  RETURN TO TOP |
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