Bill’s second course was pan-roasted Maine lobster chunks (no fuss, no muss), over potato gnocchi, with wild mushrooms in a “gravy” made from lobster stock. Heavenly! It was served with a Soave from the Veneto region of Italy.
I was savoring the sauce from my garlic-roasted chicken legs, as it seeped into one of Kate Jennings’s biscuits and surrounded the baby carrots, corn kernels, and blue-footed chanterelles. Finished with a touch of crème fraiche, the sauce was delicious. Other diners were digging into Matt’s baked mac ’n’ cheese, with a gooey middle and a crusty top, savoring half-pound burgers with a choice of cheese and local tomato preserves, or enjoying seared chicken livers.
Bill’s third course was a mixed berry spice cake, with a sweet moscato d’Asti to accompany it. It was topped with a citrus curd and fresh whipped cream, and he left no crumbs on his plate.
It was up to me to peruse the other desserts, each $8: blueberry upside-down cake with fresh chevre ice cream; peach crisp with brown sugar ice cream; chocolate bread pudding with espresso ice cream.
You see the theme — Kate’s homemade ice creams. I chose the vanilla pound cake with nutmeg ice cream and black currant compote. Though I found the cake a bit dry and would have liked more of the compote, the ice cream was worth it.
One criticism of this small eatery is that we found the noise level sometimes unbearable. Any sound-dampening methods would have enhanced our dining experience. Nonetheless, the food, the wine, and the service were superb.
Johnette Rodriguez can be reached atjohnette.rodriguez@cox.net.
