Relish, Initial Review
Relish
35 South St (at Listening, just off the common)
Barre, MA
978-355-3455
Cherie and I went to Relish last night. It's in the old Ari's - Blue Dog - South Street Cafe location, but it could not be more different. First, they added a room, so there is about twice as much inside seating. But more than that, they've done a lot to make it feel like a nice restaurant, instead of a dilapidated Berkeley café. Nice linens on the tables, more space between tables, putting dishes in the built-in china cabinet on the wall instead of dog-eared copies of The Politics of Ecstasy, that sort of thing. The bar is gone in the kitchen, although there is still one table in there (and no risk of being thrown out for bathing recently, like in the Blue Dog days).
We sat at the "private balcony" table, which overlooks the yoga center. It's a nice idea, but I'd recommend against it: the mosquitos drove us in by dessert despite the bevy of citronella candles. A screen perhaps? Anyway, the main reason we wanted to eat out there was we figured it would be shoulder-to-shoulder in the main dining room, which is no longer the case. They still have seating on the outside porch, which was completely full when we arrived. They had a radio on in the main dining room which was probably why nobody was in there ("Blister in the Sun" is a lovely song, but not exactly what I'd consider a romantic mood-setter). The climate was pleasant, both inside and out.
There is no alcohol available yet, which to me is unconscionable ("a meal without wine is like a day without sunshine"), but we made do with some fun non-alcoholic concoctions. At a minimum, they need to get a BYOB license.
The menu is short, just seven entrees, plus several appetizers and desserts, but it covers all the bases (even vegetarian). As you would expect, vegetarian chili is on there (must be a condition of the lease). I started with a cup of that, which was very big for a cup, and it was very good. Summer squash was an unexpected touch, although I miss Ari's cashews. The beans were small black beans, not kidneys, so it was more of a rich, thick black bean soup than a chili, but I liked it very much. Cherie started with Chicken Dumplings in Mushroom Sauce. Awesome! The sauce was extremely rich -- best to split this one, I think.
The entrees are what I think people call "fusion." The main ingredient being something you'd find in traditional european fare, but with sauces and sides that bring in surprising complementary flavors. For my part, I had Fresh Tuna, Ginger crumbs, green onion corn bread, and spicy lime tartar. It was simply amazing. The "ginger crumbs" are a light bread stuffing thoroughly infused with ginger flavor. The "spicy" in the lime tarter is, of course, wasabe, which is really the only thing to consider with fresh tuna. I asked for the tuna "extremely rare" and the chef came through, serving basically raw fish, cooked just enough to seal in the herb crust. This is the kind of food you only get when a restaurant is new: carefully selected ingredients, focus on presentation, exact preparation. Think Struck Café circa 1987, rather than Struck circa 2005. (The chef and proprietor of Relish has worked for the Struck folks, both restaurant and catering.)
Cherie had the Roast Pork Loin with mango mojo and yams. She's been spoiling us with pork tenderloin at home for the past few years, so the extra chewiness of ordinary pork loin was a bit of a disappointment, but other than that her meal was excellent. The yams reminded me a little of Tatnuck's sweet potato fries, with that barbecue-ish flavor. By the time I got to try her dish, the mango sauce had left the pork and found it's way into everything else, but she assures me it was a very nice complement to the meat.
In a refreshing change for gourmet food, the portions are huge; every party left with at least one "to go" container. Knowing you'll get two meals helps take the sting off the prices just a little. To be fair, the prices are still low compared with what you'd pay in Boston or Providence for a meal of this quality. But at $90 for the two of us (appetizers, dinner, dessert, tip; no wine), this is easily the most you'll pay for a meal west of 495 and east of Northampton.
As we lingered over dessert (Chocolate Bread Pudding for me, and Banana Crepe Suzette for Cherie; both excellent, and both much too large), we pondered the special occasions we could use as excuses to come back again and explore the rest of the menu.
I strongly recommend you give Relish a try. Perhaps by the time you get there, they'll have wine, too.
Service: Good
Food: Excellent
Ambiance: OK
35 South St (at Listening, just off the common)
Barre, MA
978-355-3455
Cherie and I went to Relish last night. It's in the old Ari's - Blue Dog - South Street Cafe location, but it could not be more different. First, they added a room, so there is about twice as much inside seating. But more than that, they've done a lot to make it feel like a nice restaurant, instead of a dilapidated Berkeley café. Nice linens on the tables, more space between tables, putting dishes in the built-in china cabinet on the wall instead of dog-eared copies of The Politics of Ecstasy, that sort of thing. The bar is gone in the kitchen, although there is still one table in there (and no risk of being thrown out for bathing recently, like in the Blue Dog days).
We sat at the "private balcony" table, which overlooks the yoga center. It's a nice idea, but I'd recommend against it: the mosquitos drove us in by dessert despite the bevy of citronella candles. A screen perhaps? Anyway, the main reason we wanted to eat out there was we figured it would be shoulder-to-shoulder in the main dining room, which is no longer the case. They still have seating on the outside porch, which was completely full when we arrived. They had a radio on in the main dining room which was probably why nobody was in there ("Blister in the Sun" is a lovely song, but not exactly what I'd consider a romantic mood-setter). The climate was pleasant, both inside and out.
There is no alcohol available yet, which to me is unconscionable ("a meal without wine is like a day without sunshine"), but we made do with some fun non-alcoholic concoctions. At a minimum, they need to get a BYOB license.
The menu is short, just seven entrees, plus several appetizers and desserts, but it covers all the bases (even vegetarian). As you would expect, vegetarian chili is on there (must be a condition of the lease). I started with a cup of that, which was very big for a cup, and it was very good. Summer squash was an unexpected touch, although I miss Ari's cashews. The beans were small black beans, not kidneys, so it was more of a rich, thick black bean soup than a chili, but I liked it very much. Cherie started with Chicken Dumplings in Mushroom Sauce. Awesome! The sauce was extremely rich -- best to split this one, I think.
The entrees are what I think people call "fusion." The main ingredient being something you'd find in traditional european fare, but with sauces and sides that bring in surprising complementary flavors. For my part, I had Fresh Tuna, Ginger crumbs, green onion corn bread, and spicy lime tartar. It was simply amazing. The "ginger crumbs" are a light bread stuffing thoroughly infused with ginger flavor. The "spicy" in the lime tarter is, of course, wasabe, which is really the only thing to consider with fresh tuna. I asked for the tuna "extremely rare" and the chef came through, serving basically raw fish, cooked just enough to seal in the herb crust. This is the kind of food you only get when a restaurant is new: carefully selected ingredients, focus on presentation, exact preparation. Think Struck Café circa 1987, rather than Struck circa 2005. (The chef and proprietor of Relish has worked for the Struck folks, both restaurant and catering.)
Cherie had the Roast Pork Loin with mango mojo and yams. She's been spoiling us with pork tenderloin at home for the past few years, so the extra chewiness of ordinary pork loin was a bit of a disappointment, but other than that her meal was excellent. The yams reminded me a little of Tatnuck's sweet potato fries, with that barbecue-ish flavor. By the time I got to try her dish, the mango sauce had left the pork and found it's way into everything else, but she assures me it was a very nice complement to the meat.
In a refreshing change for gourmet food, the portions are huge; every party left with at least one "to go" container. Knowing you'll get two meals helps take the sting off the prices just a little. To be fair, the prices are still low compared with what you'd pay in Boston or Providence for a meal of this quality. But at $90 for the two of us (appetizers, dinner, dessert, tip; no wine), this is easily the most you'll pay for a meal west of 495 and east of Northampton.
As we lingered over dessert (Chocolate Bread Pudding for me, and Banana Crepe Suzette for Cherie; both excellent, and both much too large), we pondered the special occasions we could use as excuses to come back again and explore the rest of the menu.
I strongly recommend you give Relish a try. Perhaps by the time you get there, they'll have wine, too.
Service: Good
Food: Excellent
Ambiance: OK
posted by Joshua Smith | 7:51 AM
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