The Bottle Tree Grocery

1415 County Route 7; Ancram, NY  518-329-0444

Ancram?  Yes, Ancram.  Sort of in the middle of nowhere, in what used to be a filling station, Liz and Eric Macaire have created a charming and funky little restaurant, open only on Friday and Saturday nights.

Bontá Restaurant, Hampton NH

On May  14, 2008 Chris, Lawrence, Linda and I dined at Bontá Restaurant on the Exeter Road in Hampton NH.

Eating in the Berkshires and the Green Mountains – July 2007

The culinary day of July 5, 2007, started with a Nespresso chez Gary et Varian.

Next came an oatmeal and raisin cookie, a Macadamia/chocolate chip cookie and a French Roast coffee at the lobby coffee stand in the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown.   

This was followed by chicken-fried pork with delicious sweet and sour cabbage (the Thursday luncheon special) at The Chelsea Royal Diner in Battleboro, Vermont.  

Sound Bites-The Berkshires (USA)

Albany, NY ENVY, 55-57 Pearl Street, 518-694-3668. Yesterday a “Dollar Store”, today “ Envy,” an ambitious, trendy restaurant – a giant step forward – and hopefully so goes downtown Albany. A first-class chef creates an unusual and well-executed menu, including buffalo frog legs (grenouilles will never be the same), melt-in-your-mouth beef tenderloin and amazingly tender ostrich steak. The flourless chocolate cake with home made ice cream was irresistible. After dinner, the inner tables are removed and the center floor is given over to Latin dancing and Euro dancing. Great Barrington, MABIZEN, 17 Railroad Street, 413-528-4343. Reserve one of the tatami roooms for a kaiseki prix fixe dinner. Very authentic and very good, although pricey. CASTLE STREET CAFÉ, 10 Castle Street, 413-528-5244. Casual dining in the bar and more upscale fare in the dining room from this former NYC chef. Jazz on the weekends.PEARL’S, 47 Railroad Street, 413-528-7767. Casual and elegant steak house. Not particularly creative, but, hey, you did want steak and potatoes, and these are best of class. Lenox, MA CHURCH STREET CAFE, 69 Church Street, 413-637-2745. Some of the most interesting cooking around and a great wine selection. Lunch on the porch in the summer is special.  The three dining rooms are simple and the hospitality friendly and welcoming.Pittsfield, MA SPICE, 297 North, 413-443-1234. American traditional around the corner from Barrington Stage’s new theater. Large bar seating area with very reasonably priced small dishes.West Stockbridge MAROUGE. 3 Center Street, 413-232-4111. French bistro with classically trained French chef. Everything is special but you have to try the ribs. The bar menu is also terrific and varies from the main menu. Open dinner only Wednesday –Sunday.Williamstown, MAMEZZE, 16 Water Street, 413-458-0123. Sophisticated New American dinner menu. For lunch go to their cafe at MASSMOCA in North Adams.THAI GARDEN. 27 Spring Street. Basic Thais food and Japanese sushi bar for a pre-theater dinnerHudson, NYRED DOT, 321 Warren Street, 518-828-3657. Sort of the in-scene of Hudson.  Wade through the bar crowd to the dining room or small garden in the back for good bistro food.SWOON, 340 Warren Street, 518-822-8938. A husband/wife team with experience in to New York restaurants work the kitchen. The menu is New American – creative and delicious.. 

L’Espalier – Boston

As our time in Boston winds down, Karyn and I have created a list of the Boston restaurants that we have always wanted to go to but haven’t made it to yet. On top of that list was L’Espalier, with its renowned tasting menu. And so on May 19, 2007 we went there for dinner.

Miel “Brasserie Provençale” – Boston

www.intercontinentalboston.com/dining 

Last May Karyn and I had the pleasure of dining with Mike and Linda at La Bastide de Saint Antoine in Grasse on the côte d’azur. After the meal our table had the opportunity to talk to its well-known chef, Jacques Chibois. During the conversation he mentioned that he was opening a Provençale restaurant in a hotel in Boston.

Home Hill

Plainfield, New Hampshire  Two years ago we spent a few nights at a Relais and Chateaux property called Twin Farms., just north of Woodstock on the Vermont side of the Connecticut River.  The entire area – the Upper Connecticut River Valley – is lovely, and the town of Woodstock is charming.The disappointment of that trip had been the inn itself which is highly touted.  It had no tennis court and no place to swim; and in fact, had very few places to even sit outside.  The restaurant was passable but hardly memorable.  We did take some walks in the woods, some of it on trails that they groom for skiers in the winter. A lovely setting, pleasant rooms, and comfortable public rooms but this time we wanted to be in the area but with even better facilities.We found it at Home Hill, a Relais & Chateaux property on the New Hampshire side of the Connecticut River.  In addition to charming and well-appointed public rooms, great grounds, rooms and suites in near-by cabins, it also has a lovely terre-battu tennis court and small pool.  The main building, dating to 1818 is set on 25 acres along River Road beside the Connecticut River. 

The owners and hands-on hosts are Victoria and Stephane du Roure who bought it in 1996 and turned it into a French country inn, right down to the petanque court and a totally French staff.  A lot of great taste and hard work earned them their R&C listing in 2002.The two restaurants, however, overshadow all these trapping and amenities.  Yes, you read it correctly; there are two different dining options in this inn of 12 rooms.  Our first night we ate in the comfortably elegant main dining room (inside, but adjoining is a very pleasant dining terrace), ordering a la carte  because we were not hungry enough to wade through either the degustation menu with its 6 courses ($89 or $154 with wine pairings) or the four-course Menu Poisson.  Eat well we did ala carte, in spite of our three-course decision.  The amuse bouche was an unusual white gazpacho with rapes and pine nuts.  Varian’s cold pea soup with crab, avocado and pink peppercorns ($16) was perfect. 

Gary’s duet of sweetbreads, saltimbocca style wrapped in prosciutto with fresh sage and fig-onion jam and piccata with lemon, parsley and capers ($16) was ethereal. The main course kept up the high quality and our attention, which is often hard to do after fabulous appetizers.  Gary’s roast veal tenderloin with baby turnips, cumin and honey-glazed carrots, served with exotic fruit chutney and a spiced veal sauce ($38) was so good he didn’t want to give Varian more that a little taste.  But don’t feel sorry for Varian, because her Moroccan spiced Guinea hen with pearl couscous and a salad of watermelon radish, cucumber and tomato ($36) was equally delicious.As usual, Varian had a cheese plate, and Gary reveled in a mixed dessert plate which included sliced figs, tuiles, and buffalo yogurt ice cream.  With the meal we drank a Le Grange St Julien 2003 which, at $70, was a good value.  The wait staff, all French, was knowledgeable, pleasant, and professional.

The next day we played some tennis, swam, walked around the Dartmouth campus (15 minutes away), and had a salad at the Hanover Inn.  Dinner back at the inn was in their bistro next to the main room, but totally separate physically and in spirit.  It is only a la carte and a little lighter than the main dining room.  Both of us started with a salad of tomatoes and mozzarella which was perfect and a fairly priced at $8.

Gary’s roast chicken ($16) with mashed potatoes and baby carrots passed his test of a chef with flying colors.  Varian’s hangar steak au poivre ($20) with sautéed spinach was delightful.  No dessert and no cheese but we did enjoy the same Le Grange St Julien.And while you are in the area, don’t forget to visit the Simon Pearce complex in nearby Queechee.  This glass-blowing operation, plus a huge store sells glass and other products for the home, also is the home of a restaurant hanging over a river at the base of a spillway.  The dishes are mostly simple and reasonably priced (as are the wines) making it a great place for a lunch and post-lunch shopping.