Anastasia's Profile
Fiori-Great Barrington Massachusetts
Thank you for your review! I have been meaning to try this place. Now I know why it always is so quiet (minus the summer months).
Spring Street Pizza-Williamstown, MA
Lenox637,
Did you ever find out about the guy that might/might not have been doing pizza out of his home? I remember some post a while back where you were going to try to find out.....curious as I still have hope for BRK to have some decent pizza.
Looking for breakfast, W. Stockbridge, MA area
If I may, my favorite go to place for breakfast is The Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge.
Many reasons why......
Fresh squeezed orange juice (not sure about the other juices)
local Berkshire Mtn. Roasters coffee which is excellent!
homemade grass fed corned beef hash,
"lion frittta"
linen tables.
They used to have "crunchy french toast" on their menu, but regrettably have taken it off, however, if you request it, they will make it. Pair that with warmed Vermont pure syrup. Bliss....Oh man....I'm drooling. Oh also, they give you the butter, jam and cream cheese in small ramekins on the table, not the pre packaged ones that you fight with. They really try to keep things local too which is awesome... you won't be disappointed.
Looking for Thanksgiving options in Western MA.
Agree with Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough, MA... perfect spot for a holiday meal.
John Andrew's in Egremont....really?? Need some CH's opinions please!
Hey CH's....
Just took some family members from out of town to "wow" them at JA's....and while the food was very good (three of us had the farm to table set menu) the service was downright awful ( waited 20 minutes for someone to greet us at the door even with a reservation....never asked for drinks first before asking for our order after 40 minutes of sitting with the menus.... food came out sporoatically and not together.... never asked for coffee or dessert even though it came with the menu selection...etc...etc...)...almost laughable... Is this the norm here at JA's or did we just time it on a bad night? This is our second visit in a year, and BOTH times service was awful, but this time took the cake!
We dropped a pretty penny here and while we all enjoyed the food (squash blossom app was to die for!) and the steak was prepared and executed perfectly....we are hesitant to go back ...any thoughts or recent visitors who can share their views or thoughts? Hate to cross it off my list, but at the moment, with money being tight, I feel a bit cheated and won't return.
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John Andrew's Restaurant
RR 23, North Egremont, MA 01252
Friday night in Great Barrington without a reservation?
Eat at 20 Railroad. No reservation needed. Order the vietnamese spring rolls (Jaques Pepin has raved about them). Thank me later.
Restaurants in or near Lenox
Nudel in Lenox, and John Andrews in Egremont, the service at JA is awful.however the food does make up for it.
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John Andrew's Restaurant
RR 23, North Egremont, MA 01252
Nudel
35 Church Street, Lenox, MA 01240
Tsk tsk for Shiro Pittsfield
I just ate a quick lunch here today and have to agree that the service was abrupt and cold. No offer of a "drink" while browsing menu. We opted for the 2 roll lunch special and the rolls were very small (6 small pieces). Ginger dressing was something out of a bottle and not fresh (wayyyy too orange). But the rolls albeit small were tasty. It was a good option for us as we were in a time crunch. Also, found it a bit dirty (windows and ledges were stained).....a good quick option if you are craving, but by no means anything great.
Greenhouse Cafe in Vero Beach
Still very new, so not complaining too much
Go for atmosphere, and eat outside if it is nice enough to.
Breakfast menu very limited. Mostly eggs.
Service stinks.
Food took way too long, but was OK when arrived.
Plates should be more appealing (ie. adding a touch of fruit for color etc.)
Fresh juices should be offered....c'mon this IS Florida!
Coffee was great.
Never filled tea water or asked to refill (this is common and I wish it wasn't).
A little work to make this better, lets see if they do it....
Anything new and noteworthy in Provincetown and Wellfleet?
We just returned from Wellfleet and from what we were told, Pearls restaurant (Mayo Beach) is either new, or under new management. We went for lunch and it was very good. We ordered fish & chips and the batter was amazing (very light and crunchy, almost tempura but not exactly) and also had a local fish wrap which was tasty. Only downfall was the price (too expensive). Also, I ordered an ice tea and it was $3.00, and refills cost extra...that is a shame! The outdoor deck upstairs looks nice, as does the outdoor bar on the right side of the restaurant. Cheers!
Best Little Beer Bar In the Shire
The only way I could get my guy to the Country Curtains sale at the rink this past weekend was to tell him we were going to try Moe's for the first time. He was in.
We went on a rainy afternoon, and found plenty of seats open. Sat at bar. Bartender was very attentive, ordered some nice brews on tap and had wings and chili dogs they were very good- our sweet potato fries were great but undercooked.... Overall, it is a great little spot, my only request would be to either have a small list of the beers on tap (instead of the window or in addition to...) just to explain their tastes and where they are from, alcohol content etc...They seemed to have about a dozen or so taps???? and it would have been great to see something written about them all. Nice selection of bottles as well, although we loved the taps. Overall, a great spot, seemed as though everyone at the bar knew eachother too, which was a nice sign.
I would say this is a hidden gem in the berks, for sure.
Berkshire Harvest
Boy, I hate to say "avoid this place" but I just have to, so here goes..... Went last Friday night, same management, same interior, same level of "dingy dirty" that Bennigan's had. I see no renovations that change it from the Bennigan's feel. First the good: I noticed a chalkboard above our table which listed the local ingredients they have on hand (nice touch) and they did have about 8 taps all of local-ish beers.They also did offer some local wines, but they could have sourced better, like say instead of Robert Mondavi from Napa CA, have Millbrook NY wine instead..... Now for the rest of the story; ordered small green "local" salad, which was frozen and the greens were decaying and brown, the cucumber slices were translucent. I decided to do an experiment and not eat it, push it to the side and leave the salad as is on the table and see if the server noticed. NOPE, she just grabbed it away without a word when our dinners arrived. My dinner was the appetizer portion of local bay scallops $12 bucks,which were completely inedible and rubbery, and to call it a small portion for that amount of money is an understatement. My husband had the "local grass fed" burger which he ordered medium and it arrived char broiled way well over done. He also ordered it with fried onions on top but got fried onions and sauteed onions, which we thought was way too much. Didn't order dessert so can't comment on that. Our tab came to $75 which was a shame. I hate to say "don't do it" because I LOVE the idea of a great "local" restaurant, but these guys have it all wrong.
What's good in the Berkshires
I agree with all, but want to add that the Stagecoach Tavern in Sheffield is my personal favorite "hidden gem". Love the old tavern feeling inside, the chef is amazing and incorporates lots of local food and flair on her menu, and they do have tables outside if it ever stops raining. Try the whim of the chef on Sundays, it is incredible...and reasonable. The tomato pate (when available) is to die for.
HELP!! Knife sharpening in the Berkshires
FYI,
Holley Manufacturing in Lakeville CT does the best knife sharpening hands down. Top of the line work. (860) 435-0808, you can even arrange for the knives to be shipped to them and they will mail them back. On the cheaper side (like free) the Big Y (Great Barrington, I am not sure about the others) will sharpen your knives (no cerrated) for FREE while you shop Bring them to the Meat Department. We took a couple of knives here to "test them out" and they were pretty good. Good enough to bring back the block and feel comfortable with the results. Cheers!
Woodstock Inn
Hubby and I just stayed there last week for 3 nights. We were so disappointed with the food and service and atmosphere of the new restaurant. First off the decor doesn't "fit" the Woodstock Inn, and the whole Vermont atmosphere. They are trying to make a hip looking sleek restaurant in a cozy inn and it just doesn't work. Upon walking in the bar is situated on the left. The bar is sleek and modern with tons of glass in front. When you enter the dining area, all you notice is the sqare shaped fountain in the middle of the restaurant. Very odd and very distracting. The floors and walls are cold and the booths were OK. The food was overpriced (WAYYYY overpriced) but lukily for us we had it included with our stay. I started with a charcuterie plate (very small and dry) and hubby had salad (pretty good). For dinner I had the scallops, and they were cold and too salty. Plus there was no green on the plate. It was 4 scallops with some butternut squash underneath. My husband during dinner leaned over and said " You know, those scallops are over $7.00 a piece!!" I couldn't believe it. My husband had whole trout, which he liked but again, too salty. We couldn't decide if we wanted dessert, so the mostly absent server told us to have it delivered to our room and handed us our bill. If I were paying for this meal I would have been very disappointed. I will return to the Woodstock Inn, but not to the Red Rooster.They missed the mark on this one. Too bad. Also, the last poster was right, no food in the tap room, just drinks and dessert, which is too bad. The atmosphere here is wonderful.
lunch suggestions off 1-91 between Noho, MA & Woodstock, VT?
Hey all,
We will be travelling to Woodstock VT and was trying to find a good place to lunch on the way up and way back off of 1-91.... (willing to travel 15-20 minutes if need to). Any suggestions or comments welcome. We love Sushi, Thai, and anything asian,also LOVE a great brewpub. We are really up for any and all suggestions. Not at all familiar with this area so your help would be appreciated. Thanks to all!
South Egremont, Massachusetts
You can find some great local specialties to make in your kitchen at Guidos Marketplace in Great Barrington, a short drive from Egremont. If you need staples, the Big Y is right next door so it's an easy one stop shop. Baba Louies is GREAT pizza in Great Barrington as well and several other choices there. I suggest taking a day to walk around Great Barrington and explore the town and decide on lunch as you are walking. Such a great town. My new favorite restaurant is the Old Stagecoach tavern in Sheffield , just minutes from South Egremont ( take route 41 south) it has such a warm atmosphere and the food is fabulous! Second Mom's in Egremont for breakfast, nice to overlook the river. Have fun and enjoy the Berkshires!!!
Western MA-Berkshires/NH/VT Must Eateries
I just picked up this year a book called "Getaways for Gourmets in the Northeast". "A guide to the best dining in 24 areas appealing to the gourmet in all of us" I highly suggest it. We have been using it quite a bit as it helps with great "foodie" restaurants and nice places to stay. Perhaps your local library can get it for you? It has great white linen tablecloth restaurants as well as local watering holes. Pretty accurate, but as most books do, it may be a hair dated (as some of the restaurants have closed).
Korean food near Lebanon?
Are you near Lebanon NY?
If so, the ONLY place I have found so far is Jae's Spice in Pittsfield. Which serves basic Korean dishes. They are quite new and I have only been one time (my report was earlier this week if you want to check it out). However I have not come across ANY other Korean restaurants and am also curious if there are more out there. As far as Asian markets, you might try Guidos in Pittsfield or Great Barrington for some things, or the Berkshire Co-Op in GB as well, but your best bet (and what I do) is order online. Unless anyone else has any info????????
Jae's Spice Pittsfield report...great potential!!
I know..... I know........... it is too early to report on a restaurant that just merely opened a few weeks ago. BUT I wanted to say that it has GREAT potential!!! This restaurant is EXACTLY what the Berkshires needs!!! Where else can you get sushi, Thai, Korean, and a plethora of americal staples in one restaurant? You can take the entire (picky) family and everyone can find something to eat....I LOVE the idea. I also LOVE the idea that the Berkshires finally has Bipmbap!!!
Went last night. Atmosphere really nice. According to the manager, they are making the tables around the couch seating area higher so it would be a bit more comfy to eat instead of eating off coffee table height. Sushi bar was nice, but the very large flat screen tv was obtrusive.
First off our meals were fantastic. Great presentation and very tasty. Hubby had seaweed salad which was served in a martini glass which I thought was a little "old school" but everything else was presented nicely. I had a sushi roll app. Sushi fresh and delish and rice cooked to perfection and still a little warm (perfect!). Hubby had several sushi rolls for dinner and I had bipmbap ( a Korean staple) which was served in a steaming crock and perfectly prepared. We were confused as to who or if we had a designated server since there were so many different people giving us our dishes at different times.
The restaurant had wayyyyyy too many employees hanging around the dining area. We sat in the room next to the sushi bar (with all the couches) and never at any time were there less than 6-8 employees (managers, servers, and bussers) hanging around chit chatting. I almost felt as if we were eating in a fish bowl it was pretty uncomfortable....funny enough, even though they were hanging around, my water glass remained empty for over 15 minutes, but the second we got up, the kids were cleaning off the table even as we put our jackets on..........so definately a bit more "training" to do. My suggestion to management is to keep the employees less busy in an area where people aren't trying to have a nice meal and feel stared at the entire time.....
Overall we will be back time and time again I am SURE of it. Even if it means we have to come 50 minutes to eat. It is worth it....Good job Jae's Spice!
Alta's in Lenox, MA
Just went to Alta for lunch last weekend and I am sorry to say that my experience was not as good as others have posted. Our "greeter" was in the middle of text messaging someone as we waited for her attention, ok no big deal. We were seated inside. The bar area was nicely decorated, but other than that I felt that the atmosphere was just ho hum. No music....we inquired, but they never did end up putting any on. Plus the acoustics were awful. We could hear our neighbors conversation as if they were dining with us and vice versa. Perhaps the music would have helped this?? Our service was just downright rude. No specials were offered, just a "do you know what you want to eat and drink?"
The saving grace was the food. I had the Chicken BLT panini and it was quite good (not as warm as I would like it and not as smooshed together either) but very tasty nonetheless. Hubby ordered the Mountaineer Panini but got the Mediterranean. When he inquired the server replied coldly " I heard you say Mediterranean"....no worries, he ate it and enjoyed it. Friend ordered the cobb salad which was tasty and well put together. For drinks we had one beer (not cold) and some iced tea. A cold offer for coffee and dessert was presented with our bill as to say " Don't make me go back and get you something else". We politely declined coffee/dessert.
All in all I was dissapointed. Service is as much to a restaurant as is good food and we left feeling sour. In this day and age when 3 for lunch goes for $65, I felt as if we would have gotten more for our money somewhere else. I don't want to seem to harsh, but that was my impression. Perhaps we will try again on a different day...... just my 2 pennies.....
Jae's Spice in Pittsfield...has anyone been?
Just saw the "grand opening" article in the Eagle the other day and was hoping to get some feedback from other chowfolks.......
Anyone been yet?
Berkshires between Otis and Stockbridge?
Once upon a table is so great for a lunch stop in Stockbridge (make a right down the alley at Yankee Candle). It is a little small inside, but the food is great and service with a smile.
Kid Friendly in Great Barrington
Barrington Brewery (oddly enough) is very kid friendly decent menu.
Four Brothers Pizza is great for the kids, especially the one right over the border in Hillsdale NY, which has go carts and put-put....but the food is just average at best.
Restaurants in Salisbury/Sharon/Sheffield, Ct.
We really like Woodlands in Lakeville and Pastorale in Lakeville too. Always liked Boathouse in Lakeville in past, but were just there Thursday, and the food was mediocre at best, and service was downright awful!!! Go a bit further north of Sheffield and try Aegean Breeze (GREAT Greek restaurant) who brings in their shellfish/fish every day fresh. AMAZING place. We also like John Andrews in Egremont.
great barrington restaurants
Thanks Laurieso for the review! I live near GB and have never been yet. Looking forward to going now!
Anyone tried Koi in Great Barrington?
Thanks GB25 I am going to try it next week!
DId you have any of the sushi?
Anyone tried Koi in Great Barrington?
Thinking about hitting this place, but wanted to get some feedback. Anyone tried it? I hear they also have sushi?
GreatBarringtonthisweek
Ditto Castle Street, and if I may, suggest John Andrews in Egremont (short drive) from GB. Great innovative food, reasonable prices.
Our Portland trip and reviews...
Hey all,
Just back from our 7 day foodie excursion to Portland Maine. We had a blast. Portland and it's surrounding areas are amazingly beautiful. Just wanted to give a huge shout out of THANK YOU to everyone who suggested eats for our trip and let you know how it went.
Bar Lola- amazing dinner and great prices...also just steps from the condo we rented so it was ideal! Had a great meal.
555- It was nice. A bit expensive for the portions. I had the sample menu, husband had a few dishes. We didn't leave hungry mind you, but just thought overall the portions were a tad small for what we paid. Service was very attentive and not snotty at all.
Miyake- Sushi great here, but the atmosphere was a bit cramped. But we liked a lot.
Yosaku- Pretty good. Sat outside, great patio to sit outside. Sushi rolls we ordered were a bit too large, but fish was fresh and I had the most "interesting" salad of sticky beans and tuna, and quail egg...a must try...interesting texture. Uni was very fresh here and delish!
Fuji- Husband had sushi which was great and I had Bibmbap...both were very tasty. Loved that my egg on top was runny, most places ( around us) won't make the egg up anymore. Only complaint was that it was SUPER warm inside (and out) and the table they gave us was directly outside the kitchen door. Peeking in every 2 seconds wasn't fun, and noticing that it wasn't the cleanest kitchen was also a little unsettling.... but it just could be an off night for them.....I am sure that there are a LOT of kitchens we don't see, and we probably wouldn't want to know after we ate...LOL
Mims- We ate here our first night out. We got lost walking around ( we were under the impression that Sunday night we could just walk down Congress and find 10 restaurants)..in any event, we ate outside here and it was quite good. I had very tasty house smoked salmon and a great mussel dish. Husband had pate plate (which was awesome) and the Idhao Brown Trout which was good but way too much butter.
Lobster Shack in Cape Elizabeth- Who cares about the food, the view,,,,the view...the view...but yes the lobster roll was tasty...
We also ate at the Lobster House in Portland which was great for a quick bite and to eat outside.
Street & Co- AMAZING. Great fresh fish and I LOVE that you can order it just broiled....not covered in sauce or anything else...service amazing too. Loved the open kitchen idea.
Duckfat- just went for the fries....the most amazing fries I have EVER had....I SWEAR!!
Standard Baking Co- OH MY, the Ham & Cheese croissant....amazing, we also bought a couple of loaves of bread here, with some oil and caviar at Brown Trading and a bottle of wine and sat outside at the park in Cape Elizabeth....the name of the park escapes me now (something head light???), but its the park where you can walk up to the lighthouse and has the beach parking below. With AMAZING views. Also bought some pate and spread to enjoy at the Portland Market.
Never got to Fore Street, too packed when we tried and we were starving, so we unfortunately missed that we also missed Carolas, Evangelines, Pons and Thai Taste, Sillys, and Thanh Thanh2, oh we missed Local 188 too...I thought for sure we could hit them all...but alas, another trip to Portland is in order in the fall. Hopefully this time we will rent a house on the ocean instead of in town to enjoy the water...
THANKS TO ALL who gave me their advice I appreciate it soo soo much and we had a terrific time in Portland
oh and ps. we loved the brewery too, great beer at Shipyard.....
Anastasia
