While Keith was busy in Chicago this past weekend, Cindy and I attended our niece's graduation from Smith College, located in Northampton, MA.
We headed out from Kennebunk around 1:00pm on Saturday and enjoyed a leisurely drive down Rt 495 to Rt 2 which was a truly lovely ride. Cindy and I have both gotten hooked on the Nintendo DS game system and it seems to travel everywhere we go. On this particular day, we were busy trying to conquer the "Professor Layton and the Curious Village" game which requires players to "solve brainteasers to crack the case!" Before we knew it we had arrived at our destination once again Professor Layton proved to be mentally superior, at least for the time being!
The plan was to meet up with Heather (the Graduate), her boyfriend, friends and family at an old mill in Montague, MA and enjoy an early dinner there at a place known as "The Night Kitchen at Montague Mill".
The Montague Mill located at 440 Greenfield Road is a historic landmark and the home to a compilation of neat little shops, a really interesting book store, The Lady Killigrew Cafe and The Night Kitchen Restaurant, all of which sit overlooking a rolling brook complete with waterfall. In a word "peaceful"!!!
As Cindy and I were the first to arrive, we wandered around a bit and then settled down at a small intimate table, outside overlooking the falls...a terrific reprise and a wonderful place to enjoy an afternoon pint of local ale. Shortly, Heather and friends arrived and more pints ensued along with some nice conversation about college life and plans "post" graduation.
Although several members of our party had yet to arrive, we made our way down the winding stairs to the patio entrance to the restaurant just before 5:00pm which is when the reservations had been made. As we made our way inside, we noticed that the restaurant had their hours posted as 5:30 - 9:00 but we learned that the restaurant had opened early to accommodate our party of 10 and proceeded to seat our party (or the half that was present) at a lovely table overlooking the falls on one side and a wonderful view of the "open kitchen" on the other.
I love "open kitchens"...from a chef's point of view, it's nice to be able to welcome and chat with guests and observe instantly what the "buzz" is in the dining room. From a guest point of view, I like to be able to watch the "action" of the crew, it's like being able to see behind the curtains of a Broadway theater, and for me it's often more exciting then the actual play or production.
My first experience in an open kitchen was when I was 15 years old in Westport, CT and loved every minute of it. I knew when I was planning "Windows on the Water" that the dining rooms would be visible from the "open kitchen" and vise versa. But I'm getting off-point...how shocking!
Anyway, the dining room was simply decorated with exposed wooden beams, pale yellow walls with a red brick trim, a few vintage paintings and a lovely worn hardwood floor. The amazing backdrop of the falls and the water below did not call for anything more. Our table was dressed in crisp white cloth and outlined by the handsome dark cherry chairs. There is nothing overstated here and as I came to learn, nothing needed to be!
As we were being seated, we learned that another party of 27 guests was due to arrive at 6:30pm, which is one of the reasons the restaurant granted our hostesses request for a 5:00pm seating. Our server welcomed us and offered beverages, we selected a nice crisp Pinot Noir and allowed the conversation to once again continue. Time passed and minutes rolled by; 5:20 - 5:30 -5:40 and still the rest of our party had yet to arrive. At one point we suggested to our server that if needed, we would go ahead and order our meals to help move things along but the staff insisted that everything would be fine and we should wait for the entire party to arrive before ordering our meals. Having spent over 35 years in the restaurant business, I know first hand how easily one tables delay can turn an entire evening on it's ear, especially when one realizes that sheer size of the kitchen space can only effectively handle so many meals at one time, no matter how talented the staff.
Finally, shortly after 6:00pm the remaining members of our party arrived and we quickly placed our orders with Sam, our server.
Let me take a moment and point out a very important detail about our server...he was a professional in every sense of the word. He was gracious, attentive, knowledgeable, polite, at ease and most importantly...he did not greet the table by stating that his name was Sam, the only way I know his name is because I asked. I cannot stand it when I am greeted by "Hello folks, my name is Bob and I'll be your server this evening." Why do so many restaurants believe this to be a professional way to introduce a server to a guest's party?
Obviously, The Night Kitchen knows better and thus the professional waitstaff, pleasantly and graciously welcome guests, attend to guests needs without broadcasting their names throughout the dining room - thank you!
Cindy ordered the pan seared cod cake with an herbed-lemon aioli as an appetizer and the duck breast with port soaked cherries and Israeli cous cous for her entree. I indulged in the caramelized onion soup with Gruyere crouton as my starter followed by the grilled pork porterhouse with herb roasted potatoes and an apple, pancetta and onion compote. I could not see what everyone else ordered but I do know that several people opted for the organically grown mixed green salad and at least one person ordered the phyllo wrapped Camembert cheese with honey and red onion marmalade. For entrees a few people ordered the barramundi fish special, which is a fresh water white fish from New Zealand, is a sustainable choice and is delicate in flavor and yet has a slight sweetness to it. Others ordered the pan seared trout served with a chive and horseradish creme fraiche.
Although I did not try each and every dish, what I did sample was delicious, properly seasoned and prepared and creatively presented. During dinner, all I could hear at our table were the sounds of content taste buds and palettes being seductively romanced bite by bite. Soon, the table was a mass of empty plates and contented smiles...then came dessert!!! I could not resist the lavender creme brulee as several others tried the heart of darkness chocolate torte. I did get a chance to sample the torte and it was device. Rich but not heavy, creamy and luscious. The creme brulee was very good, but I have to say not as good as mine classic Tahitian vanilla bean creme brulee which I have made for years and years...many of you have had the pleasure of sinfully enjoying it. A wonderfully exuberant women once commented of my brulee that "if silk had a taste, the creme brulee would be it."
Even though it was a very busy weekend in the area with several graduations taking place, never during our entire meal, were we ever made to feel rushed, ever made to feel as if our tardiness had put the restaurant out, ever made to feel that we should move along. Quite the contrary in fact, at one point during dessert, Heather's boyfriend, JonPaul wanted to take some photo's of the group together. Sam, our server stepped right up and offered to be our impromptu photographer. And when we realized that one of the camera's batteries had died, Sam immediately retrieved a set of new batteries from the host station...now that is "class". Cindy and I just looked at each other and commented on what a nice touch that was. We always had a few pairs of reading glasses available for when guests forgot theirs, but we never thought to have some batteries available for guest's cameras..and we thought we were "professional grade".
When we made our way to leave, everyone offered us a good night greeting, the servers, assistants, the chef's, maitre 'd - everyone. In my opinion, that is a sign of a well trained staff. Even though the restaurant was full to capacity at that time and clearly everyone working there was busy, each and everyone of them stopped and wished us well and thanked us for having joined them - very well done!!!
If any of you ever have the opportunity to visit the Berkshire area of Massachusetts and find yourself anywhere near the town of Montague, you owe it to yourselves to seek out the Montague Mill and enjoy a pint of the local ale while sitting out looking over the falls or better yet to enjoy a wonderful dinner at The Night Kitchen. You will not be disappointed that you made the visit. I know that if I find myself in that neck of the woods, The Night Kitchen will be a "must stop" for me.
For more information, here is the link to The Night Kitchen: http://www.montaguenightkitchen.com/
Now because I'm so nice and because you have all grown accustomed to me providing you with at least one recipe with each post, I thought I would be extra nice and share my prized Tahitian Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee recipe with you.
Tahitian Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee:Serves 6
1 Quart - Heavy Cream
3/4 Cups - Granulated Sugar
1 Each - Tahitian Vanilla Bean Pod, split lengthwise and vanilla beans removed
1 Pinch - Kosher Salt
8 Each - Egg Yolks, slightly beaten
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the heavy cream, sugar, vanilla bean pod and beans and salt. Using a candy thermometer, bring mixture up to 185 F.
Once temperature is obtained, remove from heat and slowly whisk about 1/3 of the cream mixture into the egg yolks which have been slightly beaten. Make sure to continually whisk the eggs while adding the cream to prevent the egg yolks from over cooking. Now whisk egg mixture back into the remaining cream mixture.
Remove the two halves of the vanilla pod and discard.
Fill (6) 6-ounce ramekins with the mixture then place the ramekins into a baking pan that has side of at least 2" in height. Gently pour warm water into baking pan until the ramekins are half submerged in the water bath.
Carefully set pan with water and ramekins on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. Rotate pan front to back and continue to bake for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until the mixture in the ramekins is a soft yellow color that is slightly firm when shaken. The mixture should wiggle slightly (like Jello).
Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Refrigerate until ready for service.
To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon of Turbinado Sugar over the top of each ramekin and caramelize the top using a torch or broiler until golden brown and almost burnt. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and enjoy!
Until next time,
Chef John
COOK with JOHN
