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Dining Changes in Amherst, MA
Ooops. Just to clarify my White Hut comment about milk shakes. I checked the White Hut Amherst menu, and they do have milk shakes! I'll have to try one. Sorry White Hut. Should've checked the menu first.
Dining Changes in Amherst, MA
Last summer, I originally inquired about local places that were going to be opening in Amherst. It took awhile, but we now have the White Hut, High Horse, Lumberyard, new Chez Albert, Johnny's Tavern, and the new Boltwood Restaurant at the renovated Lord Jeff. My husband and I tried three of them. Herewith:
--White Hut: It is what it is, i.e. several notches above fast food. So yay. My husband and I get in the mood for that once in a while. The menu is minimal--made-to-order "thin" burgers, fries, hot dogs with good onions on the burgers and other condiments. Better than McDonald's. My husband and I tried a take-out night. I can see myself bringing the burgers and a drink to the Amherst town green in the summertime before an Amherst Cinema movie if we don't have time for a sitdown meal. Wish they had milkshakes. Wish a lot of things but especially that the White Hut would go up to the seasonal Sugarloaf Softee/Freezie, whatever the heck it's called up in Sunderland on 116, take milk shake lessons, and offer milk shakes with the burger and fries. So far, I think it's just sodas and water. But it's fine for what it is. Service was friendly. It's bright and clean, but we didn't eat "en place." I'm judging it by some of the local, seasonal stands in the Pioneer Valley that make me nostalgic and do offer milkshakes. Still, it's in town and really quite okay.
--Lumberyard. We gave it a shot right before Christmas right after it opened when it was working out the kinks. At that time, the service was a little uneven, but it's probably smoother by now. We were seated right away but had to wait way, way too long for drink menus. They do have an excellent wine list by the glass, half bottle, bottle, and a creative cocktail menu. But come on, hand over the drink menu. Then we had to wait a long time for the server to take the drink order. Hope they worked on that since.
Like another Chowhound poster, my husband's burger was not rare, as ordered, not even medium rare. They need to pay attention to that since they have some competition with High Horse and Johnny's Tavern with the gourmet burgers. The fries were incredible, though, as was their amazing bread (had to ask for that, too, but darned good.)
I had some kind of lamb with a great sauce and presentation. I can't remember now what it was exactly, but I do recall thinking: "This is incredible. If only it were hot!" It did come rare, as ordered, but THE DISH WAS BARELY WARM!!! I didn't send it back because I was too hungry. I don't recall if we had dessert. We'll definitely go back because they were in a shakedown period and probably have worked out the problems with service and food. I can tell they have the chops, literally, to offer a creative, fresh menu. Attention to details will make this a terrific place where we might become weekday regulars and bring out-of-town friends. The setting is much more sophisticated and modern than anything else in town--liked it a lot despite the aforementioned problems. But If they don't get the service right or don't bring food as ordered and at the temps it should be, then we won't become regulars.
High Horse. Thank you, thank you High Horse owners for bring some great brews into town à la Moan and Dove along with a superior burger with Grafton Cheddar (not a mega monster burger but "just-the-right-size-burger that we like," which came hot and rare, as ordered) The wonderfully crispy, crispy French fries came in a metal cone--love that sort of Brussels/pub kind of thing. The garlic mayo was fantastic. The service was friendly and efficient. We went there early on a Tuesday night before a movie at Amherst Cinema. The downstairs pub/bistro is light years nicer than the old Amherst Brewery even though the layout is somewhat the same. I can't comment yet on the rest of the menu, but let's call it an somewhat upscale artisanal beer pub, just what we'd hoped it would be. Someone on Yelp complained there aren't enough beer choices. We found a long-enough list for any menu pairing imaginable. I do see us eating here regularly, probably during the week, which is when we hit Amherst Cinema. I can also see it as a great place for alums and parents of students taking their kids out when they come for college visits. It's much more grown-up--at least the downstairs was the night we were there--than the Amherst Brewery was.
Our only concern is that when it gets busy that it'll be very noisy since it has all smooth surfaces. But we were early birds because we were going to the movies. I'm happy about this place because we've been kind of starving in Amherst--great food supply with all the farms, dairy, etc, but so-so restaurants catering primarily to college students, which we haven't been for decades. Lumberyard and now High Horse used very fresh, good ingredients.
We'll give Johnny's Tavern at shot soon. I peeked in and liked the decor. Hope the food is good as well. We also might try some small plates and wine at the new Chez Albert.
We're just happy to have more choices. And we're only months away from the Sugarloaf Frostie reopening in May--something to look forward to. So that's my take on "dining changes in Amherst."
Dining Changes in Amherst, MA
Does anyone out there know about some new changes in restaurants coming to Amherst, MA soon?
I read that the manager of the incomparable beer pub, Moan and Dove in South Amherst, has been hired to run a restaurant in the space that Amherst Brewing is vacating in Amherst Center. (AB is going to a new, larger space on University Drive.) My fantasy restaurant for the vacated space is Moan and Dove 2.0 but with fabulous burgers and pub food that goes with the great beers they serve at their current space where they don't serve food. Anybody out there have details on what's planned? Things move slowly in Amherst, so I probably shouldn't let my mouth water anytime soon. I'm longing for a grown-up beer pub. Amherst Brewing didn't do it for me--kind of had that college vibe you find at Antonio's, Souper, Hanger, etc. The Moan and Dove has a more varied crowd and just lacks great pub grub to make it perfect.
There's something called Lumber Yard planned for Main St. down past the Emily Dickinson house. Any details on that?
And I read that White Hut of Springfield is coming to Amherst, probably good for takeout.
Still haven't tried Chez Albert, which is moving a bit north to another location on North Pleasant.
I've got my fingers crossed about all of the above. Anybody out there know anything about these possible new restaurants?
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Moan and Dove
460 West St, Amherst, MA 01002
Chez Albert
27 S Pleasant St, Amherst, MA 01002
White Hut
280 Memorial Ave, West Springfield, MA 01089
BLUE HERON Sunderland.. WINE GOUGING
I know this is an old thread, but it's appropos of a recent dining experience my husband and I had at the Blue Heron. We've eaten there on a few special occasions and love the food. Our most recent dinner there was delicious--duck and turbot. But do we plan to go there again? Not if they don't offer more wine selections under $30. The wine list is fabulous at the high end, but would it kill them to offer a few creative selections around $20-$25? Even in the under $40 range, the selections are sparse. They do offer their burger and had some belly Ipswich clams on the menu for a reasonable price. But if you're a wine lover, you're gonna pay! I think we're done with the Blue Heron, sad to say.
Weekend Lunch or Brunch Between Hartford and Amherst/Northampton
Well, it's been a year since I asked that question in 2010 and we never did do that lunch reunion halfway between Hartford and Amherst/Northampton near I-91 . . . until today. My sister remembered a very nice newspaper review of an Eastern European restaurant in Enfield, very close to 91, Silvia's Restaurant. Mind you, it wasn't exactly cozy--a bit of a catering hall feel to it. Moreover, we were the only people there for lunch. However, on a cold, gray winter day Siliva, the owner, made it as cozy for us as a country inn.
When we arrived, some lively Romanian music was playing and added a lot of cheer to the big room being set up for a wedding that evening. Silvia, and our family, added the rest of the cheer. The menu was full of hearty dishes as well as soup/sandwich combos and other lunch choices. Silvia brought out a huge warm challah loaf and a tureen of farmers' soup for the table. These were a perfect start on a cold day. We ordered Romanian beer--a good choice for the hearty food we couldn't resist ordering.
The winter weather had made us all hungry, so we went for beef stroganoff over golden mashed potatoes, three Polish plates of kielbasa, accompanied by incredibly light fried cheese periogi AND superb stuffed cabbage. One of us had the German plate with several sausages, those out-of-sight pierogies, and schnitzel (can't remember if it was chicken or veal--both were on the menu.) Except for the slightly dry schnitzel in the German dish, every morsel on everyone's plates was fantastic--tender, well cooked and full of flavor. The beef in my stronganoff was like butter with a wonderful sauce served over a bed of excellent buttery mashed potatoes. This was a special and not on the menu. As we were winding down, Silvia brought over containers for leftovers. As delicious as everything was, the portions were too huge to finish. Then she came over with a dessert platter of six moist brownies, still warm, sprinkled with powdered sugar-- scrumptious.
Although the food was more substantial than we'd planned on for a lunch off I-91, it was wonderful. We didn't mind at all that no one else was there; this kind of homemade food probably draws a dinner crowd. It seemed festive because of the Romanian music and the fact that there was going to be a wedding reception there that evening. So anyone looking for a stop with excellent homemade food, Silvia's is an easy right off I-91 South (Exit 48), in Enfield, less than a half mile from the Interstate.
Silvias
23 North Main Street
Enfield, CT 06082
(860) 741-6969
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Silvia's Gourmet Restaurant & Catering
23 N Main St, Enfield, CT 06082
Weekday Lunch Recommendations Near Danbury Train Station or New Fairfield
Thanks,. That's where we'll go since it's open and on our route tomorrow.
Weekday Lunch Recommendations Near Danbury Train Station or New Fairfield
Any restaurant recommendations for lunch near the Danbury train station or along the road to New Fairfield that are a step up from deli, diner, or chain places? We've got eclectic tastes, don't want to break the budget, wouldn't mind eating outside if it's warm enough. Thanks.
Creperies in Quebec City?
Ah, that explains why the streets are so clean. Quebec City, at least in the Old Town, is cleaner than most other cities with a lot of tourists. We just love it except for the aforementioned crêpes.
Creperies in Quebec City?
The single star is simply because serving food in a restaurant is such hard work. My husband and I went to Au Petit Coin Breton because we'd been craving crêpes, and the restaurant was directly across the street from where we were staying. Plus it was raining, so we had only to dash across the street.
We went in, and the staff looked ready to go home. (It was 7:30) It took awhile to get the menus with all the strange crêpe concoctions. I ordered the cheese crêpes; my husband chicken and mushroom. We ordered the house wine A) because we were tired and B) because we foolishly thought that house wine, since someone in the "house" picked it out, might be drinkable. It wasn't. Thank goodness it was noticeably watered down, which lessened its peculiar odor.
The crêpes were beyond dreadful. As stated upthread, they use the same sweet batter for savory crêpes as for dessert crêpes. I don't know what style they are. I've had real Breton and French crêpes. These weren't even close to either style. Besides being sweet instead of savory, they were so dry, pieces flaked off. There was very little cheese in my cheese crêpe, and it was rubbery--a total, cold, flaky mess. My husband's was gluey, and we couldn't drink the undrinkable wine. It was the worse kind of tourist trap, and they should just give it up.
I'm surprised, with other decent restaurants in Quebec City, that some enterprising real crêpemakers don't set up street stands like those in France and rake it in. Domage.
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Au Petit Coin Breton
1029 Rue Saint-Jean, Quebec, QC G1R1R9, CA
Miss Saigon in Amherst, MA
We may give Miss Saigon one more shot. The meat was definitely "off" that first night. I've had pho and other Vietnamese dishes in West Hartford, CT that was great, so it's not that we got spoiled in NYC or Viet Nam. The pho at Miss Saigon, to me, was slightly above the general level of takeout won ton soup in any old Chinese restaurant.
We do like some of the noodle dishes at the Korean/Japanese restaurant up in North Amherst, though I find it somewhat absurd that they have two cuisines under one roof. The equivalent would be having an Italian and French restaurant together offering classic dishes of both cuisines under one roof. Still, on a cold night, their noodle dishes are light years above Miss Saigon's.
Miss Saigon in Amherst, MA
My husband and I really want to love this restaurant, but we can't based on two dinners there so far. We may give it one more shot with something other than pho. We both had pho--mine with beef the first time, seafood the second. The beef was definitely not fresh, and the some of the seafood was that weird orangey crab combo stuff. The broth was flavorless. I did add some of the Asian basil and condiments, but pho should stand on its own.
My husband, not a picky guy, has traveled to Viet Nam a couple times, so his dish was pretty far removed from the original. That's okay, but we've had Vietnamese food in Europe and New York, which was fabulous. This wasn't even close.
The service is strange. The young woman who waited on us both times seemed to be annoyed to see us--sorry, but it was only 8:30 and they're open until 10:00. Then she was all smiles. Neither time did we get the requested tea even after asking twice.
I'm with the posters on the other Amherst/Northampton boards who are also recent arrivals to the area. I'm open to try things. I don't want to be picky. I want to support the local places and not diss them. But every place we've tried is sort of just okay. Thank goodness the local food sources are great--awesome breads at the farmers' markets and in Northampton, great, great produce in season, wonderful dairy, e.g.ice cream at Flayvers in Hadley, etc. So it's all the more disappointing that the taste level is so low in the restaurants. It's probably due to the overwhelming college population. I'd kill for a good hamburger place in Amherst--Amherst Brewery is not it unless they get rid of that very bad carpeting and don't seat us next to the bleach-y bathrooms.
Oh, I'd better stop. Honestly, I'm not a picky, never happy food snob. I want places to succeed, but for now I'm putting together ingredients for pho I can make at home. Miss Saigon is a missed opportunity. If we try it again, and we have a good experience, I'll post again.
Weekend Lunch or Brunch Between Hartford and Amherst/Northampton
We're meeting up with five adult family members this weekend about halfway between Amherst/Northampton, MA and Hartford CT for lunch or brunch. It doesn't need to be right by 91--we could drive a few miles in for the right place.
We're looking for fresh, well prepared food in a nice cafe or cozy restaurant setting with a full menu (not just a coffee place) Nothing too white glove or stuffy. Country-ish with local suppliers would be nice. Ethnic could work. Great brunch (but not buffet) would be wonderful, too. We plan to do this periodically, so throw out what you have, and we'll sort it out.
Thanks.
Hungry Ghost Bakery Northampton MA
Here's the web site for Hungry Ghost with directions and their bread menu and schedule:
hungryghostbread.com
Yelp.com also has some reviews of Hungry Ghost along the lines of mine--red wine, cheese, bread blowouts.
Hungry Ghost Bakery Northampton MA
Moving to Amherst after living in Paris for a year and a half, I pretty much decided that certain foods were now part of memory, bread in particular. (And happily realized tout suit that this area has ingredients France doesn't have--corn to die for, better ice cream, heirloom tomatoes, zebra tomatoes, kielbasa, better apples, maple anything, its own outstanding potatoes, decent bakeries, great beer--oui, especially great beer). In Paris, my husband and I had lived between two outstanding bakeries--Gosselin and Eric Kayser. One was Michaelangelo; the other Leonardo. We particularly favored Kayser's soughdough batard--crusty, chewy, yeasty, hole-y. Au revoir Paris batard.
Then yesterday, while on an Italian sausage mission at Serio's on State St. in Northampton, I felt a powerful bread force pull me into the crosswalk to a charming brick building across the street. It was late in the day and all the specialty breads were gone. But there were still about a half dozen of their batards left. (This is a HEAVY bread, not too sexy looking--solid oblong loaf-y loaf.) So I got one. Five bucks. Ouch.
But well worth it since I never got around to making dinner. Once home--not sure I ever took off my jacket--I got out our big wooden breadboard and strong bread knife and applied some muscle to the crust and sliced through. Just the slicing process transported me back to France! Then I bit into it sans butter, oil, or anything. I could've closed my eyes and been back at the kitchen counter at the apartment we lived in in Paris. We never could wait to bring bread to the table. This had the same correct amount of sourness, crustiness, density, yet loads of air holes so essential to any kind of bread. "How do they do that dense/air thing?" Pretty soon my husband and I were standing at this kitchen counter with glasses of red wine and a hunk of outstanding local cheddar cheese from Serio's. We devoured all but the heel of the batard.
This morning I called Hungry Ghost in between slices of the heel, which I slathered with raspberry jam--told the guy who answered this was right up there with the astounding Eric Kayser batard. Then I licked raspberry jam from my fingers so I wouldn't smudge my keyboard and typed this paen to Northampton's French batard.
