Still River Café Runs Deep
One of Connecticut’s most
intriguing, and cutting-edge, restaurants is Still River Café,
located improbably in the town of Eastford. Frankly, I sometimes
wonder how this restaurant survives its isolated location. From
any significant city, it’s a substantial trip (it’s just 15
minutes from Storrs). But the fact that Still River Café not
only survives but thrives is a tribute to the extraordinary
dining experience it provides. Although I live more than an hour
away from the restaurant, I have made the trek three times, and
undoubtedly will do so again.
Still River Café’s far-flung location is also part of its charm.
If you’re coming from the Hartford direction, as probably the
majority of its patrons does, your GPS device will lead you past
pretty Bigelow Hollow State Park with its rock ledges,
evergreens and natural ponds. If you’re early, you may want to
stop by, as I sometimes have, and absorb the scenery and
serenity.
You’ll find scenery and serenity at Still River Café as well.
The restaurant is located in a refitted 150-year-old barn
surrounded by 27 acres of farmland, with rambling stone walls
and rolling pastures providing a scenic backdrop to the dining
experience. Its greenhouses and gardens generate much of the
produce used by the restaurant, the menu emphasizing seasonality
and organic ingredients. During our late April visit, freshly
risen daffodils and a bright orange tractor added splashes of
color to the landscape.
When you think of some of Connecticut’s most beloved restaurant
couples—Jean-Louis & Linda Gerin, Rebecca Kirhoffer & Reza
Khorshidi, Arturo and Suzette Franco-Camacho, Roy Ip and Winnie
Lui—you have to add Kara and Robert Brooks. The Brooks were both
practicing corporate lawyers, but don’t hold that against them.
Like yours truly, they left the legal profession and are
indulging their passion for fine food. Kara, who is self-taught
except for an apprenticeship at vaunted Blue Hill at Stone Barns
in Westchester County, handles the kitchen duties and is my vote
for Connecticut’s top female chef, while Robert handles some
front of the house duties and the garden.
The gardening operation is as intriguing as the kitchen. The
greenhouses are solar-powered. No pesticides or commercial
fertilizers are used in cultivation. The Brooks are passionate
about specialty vegetables grown from heirloom seeds, so you’re
likely to enjoy produce that you can’t find elsewhere. On their
website,
StillRiverCafe.com, you can peruse the list of
vegetables they cultivate, which is so esoteric it may drive
some browsers to a food dictionary (e.g. burdock, kohlrabi,
crosnes, Blue Hubbard squash, cardoons, salsify, delicata
squash, and so on). All part of the fun.
Inside the restaurant, you’ll find a setting that is, in equal
measure, historic and modern. The restored barn has “great
bones,” its rough hewn crossbeams and support pillars reminding
one that, before the Industrial Revolution, everything was done
by hand. Of course, at Still River Café, everything pretty much
still is done by hand—from the gardening to the food preparation
in a kitchen which eschews processed products. White walls,
chairs, tablecloths, napkins, lamp globes and even the enclosed
bases of support columns contrast beautifully with all of the
natural wood, lending an air of modernity and refinement to the
dining room. Lights are adjusted perfectly so that you can read
your menu but still find the lighting flattering. And as we all
know, flattery will get you everywhere.
We arrived at a quarter till five, 15 minutes before Still River
Café even opened, only to find eight eager beavers ahead of us
in line. As a staff member used a remote to key up the music,
one of the other waiting guests asked if he could make the
selections. “Sorry,” answered the staffer, but the guest could
have trusted in the owners’ inherently good taste. Throughout
the evening, we were treated to music that ranged from 1940s
Edith Piaf to 1950s blues to 1960s jazz to more contemporary
pieces like Madeleine Peyroux’s sublime cover of Leonard Cohen’s
“Dance Me To The End Of Love.”
If the ambiance could hardly be improved upon, so too the food
and service. In my three visits, I noticed only a couple of
minor service glitches—for instance, a waitress forgetting who
had selected the wine. More telling, the staff are intelligent,
friendly, well-schooled in the menu and unafraid to venture an
opinion, if asked. I can’t abide answers like “everything’s
good” or “it depends if you like lobster.” At Still River Café,
you receive meaningful guidance.
And the food! The food! Everything is beautifully plated.
Flavors are instinctively contrasted or combined, textures
juxtaposed. There are small flourishes, but the food’s not
overly precious. The cooking’s inventive, but each dish is
sufficiently tethered to the familiar so that the diner doesn’t
feel adrift in a sea of uncertainty. It’s creative—but not
confusing. Sometimes you’ll find yourself wondering: now why
hasn’t anyone else thought of that? And because everything that
Still River Café offers sounds fantastic, you may experience
menu paralysis. We certainly did.
As for libations, oenophiles will appreciate a wine list
(bottles $30-$150; glasses $8-$9) that draws from around the
world and includes some affordable vintages. For those looking
to spend in the $30s, I might recommend a 2006 Vionta Albariño,
Rias Baixas, Spain ($34) or a 2006 Grayson Cellars Cabernet
Sauvignon, Paso Robles, California ($36). For those looking to
spend in the $40s, I might suggest a 2006 Huber Grüner Veltliner,
Alte Setzen, Austria ($45) or a 2006 Felsina Berardenga Chianti
Classico, Italy ($45). For those looking to spend in the $50s, I
might commend the 2006 Hess Su’skol Vineyard Chardonnay, Napa,
California ($50), the 2004 Muga Rioja, Reserva, Spain ($58) or
the 2005 Pesquera, Ribera del Duero, Spain ($58). And for those
for whom money is no object, I’d still stand by the Muga and the
Pesquera. They’re that good.
For most of us, money is an object, and lately, dining at Still
River Café has become one of the best deals in the state. Never
mind that, in my opinion, Still River Café is one of the ten,
possibly five, best restaurants in Connecticut. For the time
being, Friday’s three-course prix-fixe is just $39, which not
only includes an appetizer, entrée and dessert, but also an
amuse course at the beginning and a petit four or two at the
end. Just keep in mind that, as of this writing, Still River
Café is open only Friday and Saturday for dinner, and Sunday for
brunch.
The amuse proffered during our visit included three treats: a
mussel ceviche served on the half shell, a tiny shrimp spring
roll served over lemongrass aïoli, and a shot glass of asparagus
soup capped with miso foam. The spring roll won my admiration
not only due to its flavor but due to firsthand knowledge of the
difficulty of rolling such a tight, tiny and symmetrical one.
The citrusy ceviche sported a nice texture and hinted of
lemongrass, cilantro, chili and raw ginger. The soup was served
sans spoon, its shot glass presentation communicating how it
should be consumed.
The starters offered by Still River Café are delightful and
diverse. It was difficult to pass up the North Ashford farm
salad—simply because I don’t know where one can get a better
one. It was served in a large white bowl that tilts slightly
toward the diner to exhibit its treasures. Pretty cross-sections
of watermelon radish, as radiant as tourmalines, made up the
base, while a crispy ramp leaf garnished the top of the salad.
In between, there was mâche, frisée, romaine lettuce, baby
arugula, shaved fennel, orange and yellow bell pepper, toasted
pumpkin seeds and Lynnhaven Farm goat Feta, all lightly coated
in a Dijon-white balsamic vinaigrette. Every ingredient was
stunningly fresh. If the salad erred, it erred on the side of
being underdressed (which, as with my elegant wife, is no error
at all).
Ramps also made an appearance in a ramp vichyssoise, the wild
onions substituting for leeks in the classic chilled potato and
leek soup, rendering it greener and less creamy but delicious
nonetheless. The unexpected verdancy contrasted beautifully with
an island of Parmesan flan set in the center of the wide shallow
soup bowl, a Parmesan crisp jutting from it like ruined Loch an
Eileen castle.
Rope-farmed Blue Hill Bay mussels were carefully stacked, not
thrown into an interlocking jumble of gull-winged shells. There
were no broken shells, grains of sand nor bits of beard—each
mussel a study in perfection. Beneath them lay an exquisite,
startlingly yellow, Sauvignon-blanc-and-saffron-Dijon sauce. The
only possible quibble I could have had was needing to offload a
few mussels to reach the broth beneath them, a small price to
pay for creating a perfect union. So good was the mussel broth
that, although miniature housemade baguettes were served with
chive-and-parsley butter, it was with the broth that I consumed
the most bread.
Housemade flatbread, lotus chips and candied kumquats
accompanied a duck-and-chicken-liver mousse rich enough so it
might have been better shared. Also garnished with lotus chips,
house-smoked Kobe beef carpaccio was fashioned into “dumplings”
filled with Parmesan custard, their richness more effectively
offset by a small salad of arugula and shaved Parmesan in a miso-ginger
vinaigrette. And finally, balancing upon slices of golden and
Chioggia (candy cane) roasted beet was a ruby beet rollup
containing avocado purée, microgreens, and Bush Meadow Farm goat
cheese enhanced with shallots, white wine and fresh herbs.
Toasted pistachios and a delectable goat cheese parfait served
in an egg shell rounded out this highly original offering.
Don’t look for simplicity in Still River Café’s main dishes
either, because most are actually done three ways, tripling the
featured meat, fowl or fish. This is really a bonanza for
diners, allowing them either to treat a main course as a
three-item tasting (if a serial eater) or consume all three in
combination (if a melting-pot type) because of their thematic
compatibility.
From dishes I didn’t try, let me provide some examples. If
Georges Bank scallops ($4 prix fixe supplement) were your
chosen
protein, you’d wind up with 1) pan-seared scallops with sautéed
ramps and scallop jus, 2) scallop ceviche, and 3)
hazelnut-encrusted sea scallops. If lamb ($4 supplement) were
your protein du jour, you’d wind up with 1) pan-roasted loin
chop with a parsnip purée and broccoli rabe, 2) lamb shank
gratin, and 3) braised leg of lamb. And if rabbit were your
selection (eh, what’s up, Doc?), you’d wind up with 1) poached
saddle of rabbit medallions with baby carrots and a leek-filled
crêpe, 2) roasted stuffed leg of rabbit, and 3) chilled rillette
of rabbit.
For the meat-averse, a mushroom election would yield 1) a
beet-and-saffron risotto topped with sautéed mushrooms and a
soft-poached egg, 2) a hen-of-the-woods mushroom tart, and 3) a
porcini mushroom mousse. For committed vegans (and they should
be), the kitchen will drop the egg (so to speak). Yes, when you
consider starters like the North Ashford Farm Salad, the
slow-roasted beets and the ramp vichyssoise plus a main course
like the tasting of mushrooms, Still River Café looks like a
pretty fabulous destination for vegetarians.
But believe it or not, there were featured trios that we coveted
even more than the examples I have provided. Hence, my earlier
allusion to menu paralysis. My friend, Irene, ordered the
Georges Bank cod. The centerpiece was a lovely piece of fish
sitting in a pool of mushroom consommé with sautéed Swiss chard
and mushrooms. It was flanked on one side by a panko-encrusted
cod cake with chili aïoli, and by a sinfully rich cod-and-clam
chowder on the other.
I ordered the Maine lobster ($6 supplement) and was not
disappointed, either. The
centerpiece of this dish, lightly
smoked and poached lobster tail over a potato purée with
caramelized leeks and Parisienne beets, while pleasurable was so
soft and mild that it didn’t provide major fireworks. However,
this was a dish that demanded melting pot, rather than serial,
eating. By mixing in bites of my lobster-and-shrimp croquette
over a lemongrass aïoli, I gained contrasting texture. By mixing
in slurps of an absolutely killer lobster bisque garnished with
a lobster ceviche, I gained a wealth of flavor. I felt like the
title character in Alice in Wonderland, eating from one side of
the mushroom to grow larger, and then the other side to grow
smaller.
Howard ordered the New England pasture-raised beef ($4
supplement), and became a double winner. (He married Irene.) The
centerpiece was grilled hanger steak in a
red-wine-and-veal-stock reduction over fingerling potatoes.
Equally substantial were slow-roasted short ribs in their own
reduced braising liquid served over assorted root vegetables
(kohlrabi, turnip, carrot and parsnip). And in a clever turn, a
spiced Kobe beef kofta ball was served over a mint purée and
yogurt seasoned with shallots.
Kara sets an awfully high bar (legal pun alert) with her
starters and entrées, but manages to maintain that standard
through the desserts. Her ingenious carrot dessert is a reminder
that, like Noel Jones of ON20, she dabbles occasionally in
molecular gastronomy. Fortunately, they no longer burn women at
the stake for that. Hence, her miniature spiced carrot cake with
a crumbled walnut coating was paired with a “carrotsicle” filled
with ginger ice cream that looked just like a carrot. I’ll spare
you the involved process by which she conjures up the “carrot.”
Garnished with an edible purple dendrobium orchid and a
triangular tuile, a crème brûlée duo featured unexpected but
pleasing flavors. One “burnt cream” was tinged with cinnamon and
spice, the other with rosemary. But best of all was a chocolate
tasting featuring three miniature dark chocolate cakes, two
truffles (one dark chocolate, the other
white-chocolate-and-coconut), and housemade crème fraîche ice
cream perched atop chocolate foam. Sea salt crystals tucked
under the truffles evoked the contrast between salty and sweet,
an old Asian dessert trick that has recently become in vogue in
elite American restaurants.
Think we were finished? A meal like this doesn’t just end—any
more than the fat lady sings just a couple of notes and keels
over, any more than a honeymoon couple just wants to hurry and
get it over with. No, we still had to linger over cups of good
coffee, fondly recalling the pleasures of the evening while
nibbling on petit fours (on this occasion, little
rosewater-flavored and lime-flavored meringue cookies). We would
head back home with an inner glow that couldn’t entirely be
explained by the fine wine we had imbibed.
Precious few Connecticut restaurants can match the dining
experience that Still River Café affords. The Brooks have made
an extraordinary commitment to quality, to affordability, to
integrity, to healthy living, to sustainable local farming, and
most of all, to their fortunate customers. I guess it’s true
what they say—this Still River does run deep.
STILL RIVER CAFÉ
134 Union Road / Rte 171, Eastford Connecticut 06242 U.S.A.
Telephone +1 860 974 9988
Fax +1 860 974 7050
Email:
information@stillrivercafe.com
www.stillrivercafe.com
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Extraordinary
