Bringing France to Lenox by Sally Patterson, Special to The Eagle Berkshire Eagle Wednesday November 1, 2006 Most cuisines seem to have at least one signature dish that serves as a menu- stretching carb vehicle for whatever fillings or leftovers are on hand. Whether based on the tortilla, the rice wrapper, the pita, the pizza crust, the sandwich loaf or the bun, it is usually economical, fairly fast to assemble and open to all kinds of variation and experiment. In France — and now in Lenox — it is the crêpe. Baroods, a restaurant and crêperie opened by chef Sylvain Noel and his wife and business partner, Melissa, is serving this continental comfort food in the Berkshires. The eatery occupies a corner lot off of Franklin Street (behind the laundry and The Bagel Shop), which has the advantage of providing a relatively secluded, shady courtyard for dining outdoors in season. Whereas American pancakes are traditionally stacked and fluffy and served with butter and syrup as a breakfast item, their Gallic counterparts are very thin, folded or rolled with all manner of sauces and stuffings and eaten throughout the day — as entrée or as dessert. Noel uses special equipment from Brittany — home turf of the crêpe — to make his come out paper-thin. Buckwheat flour adds heft to the savory types, while white flour makes the sweet ones more delicate. He offers a versatile sampling of possibilities: jam-filled breakfast crêpes; main dish ones with vegetables, potatoes, meats and cheese; dessert kinds with typically French chestnut puree or Grand Marnier; and even unabashedly American cross- breeds such as S'mores and peanut butter and jelly versions. Priced between $4 and $13, they can make a substantial meal without breaking the budget. Although crêpes form the core of the menu, the restaurant aims to be a more versatile neighborhood dining spot. It provides a good complement of additional choices: eggs, omelettes and croissants in the morning; soups, salads and specialty sandwiches at other times. And, recently, the chef has added a small selection of dinner entrées such as filet of beef, duck breast, scallops, game hen and fish. A bit pricier than the rest of the menu (from $17 to $25), these are flavorful renditions of authentic, but unfussy French fare. The wine list is short but well- selected, and it proffers most types by the glass for around $6. Over the past months, we have visited several times, eating both outdoors and in. The décor is understated with copper wainscoting and a pale green paint treatment brushed with color. Simple posies on the tables and larger vases of mostly wild flowers add a touch of natural color. The scarred wooden tables get dressed up in linen and softened by candles in the evening. The bar/service area is partly open to the kitchen areas, which adds informality and a certain amount of noise. In the front end, an ungainly commercial ice-cream display case and milk dispenser — left from the previous tenant, The Scoop Shop — detract from the ambience, but in general, the atmosphere is modestly attractive. We have enjoyed such openers as carrot apple soup with a buzz of ginger ($4) and French onion soup, which was a not-too-salty beef broth, thick with onions and melted cheese and served in a bread bowl ($6). A field greens salad with goat cheese and sun-dried tomato crostini featured tender baby lettuces and two crisps of toasted baguette with a thick, savory tomato topping ($6). The homemade vegetarian ravioli provided four little pillows, plumped with minced tomato and artichoke and sauced in a nippy pepper puree ($9). From the crêpes, we have sampled the basic house version— a large folded rectangle full of ham and Swiss cheese, lots of it ($6); a Sicilian one filled with a sunny mixture of roasted tomato, basil, egg and mozzarella — one of the lighter offerings ($8); and an Alpine specialty, which was replete with potato, raclette cheese, bacon and onion and served with tart cornichons on top ($12). This last was definitely on the heavier side, a good bet for après-ski or when the appetite is revved by other vigorous, guilt-dispelling activity. At one dinner, I broke from the crêpe tradition to ask for the Cornish game hen stewed with root vegetables. Unfortunately, that had just run out, so I tried the Long Island duck breast ($18). It was billed to come with Pont-Neuf potatoes and melted spinach. I inquired about the pro-venance of the spinach, mainly to find out whether it was local produce; it was not. The waitress kindly offered to substitute asparagus tips, and I gladly accepted. The duck meat was dark and moist, cooked medium rare and served with its own juices flavored with sparky green peppercorns. "Pont-Neuf potatoes" proved a fancy name for French fries, but then true French fries have a special something that our lard-drenched frozen ones can't come close to. These thick unevenly cut half-moons were meltingly hot inside, crisp on the out and worth every golden carb. The asparagus was heaven, too, just 3 or 4 inches of tender tip, perfectly textured and sleek with good butter. As for finales — it might be prudent to plan on making this a dedicated dessert destination some evening rather than hoping to find room for a sweet after dinner. The goodly selection of liqueurs and after-dinner drinks — relatively inexpensive and generously poured — and the promise of a decent cup of espresso could add a lot to that temptation. Dessert crêpes run from the sublimely simple — drizzled honey and fresh lemon ($5) to "The Works" with blueberry, banana, strawberry, pineapple, Nutella (a chocolate hazelnut spread) and marshmallow ($10). We hope that at least some of its toppings are actually fruit and not sauces — but we don't know for sure, because we did not venture to try this extravagant confection. We did try the Tarte Tatin ($5), though — a huge wedge of delectable apple pie. It is baked with the apples on the bottom so that they caramelize while the crust stays crisp and flaky. When turned over for serving, the apples glisten richly and the juices begin to seep into the pastry. A scoop of vanilla ice cream — only a dollar more — is definitely worth the investment. Earlier this summer, I had ordered the misspelled chocolate "mouse," pouncing on this unfortunate typo like a cat. The waitress sighed long-sufferingly; clearly she'd been beleaguered by plenty of wannabe copy-editors before me. But the chef showed a fine sense of humor. He fashioned the dessert in the guise of two little mice — molded of delectable mousse with orange peel tails, half blueberries for the noses and small slices of strawberry perked up as ears. A little laughter does wonders for a kitchen's reputation. And, I am pleased to note, when the menu changed this fall, the error was corrected. Good humor runs to the service in general. While it can be uneven — at different times I was given someone else's order, had to listen to a staff altercation over spilled coffee and had something I'd ordered forgotten — the servers are generally gracious and accommodating, and are happy to bring extra utensils and plates for sharing. The restaurant's name, Baroods, derives from a nickname the chef was given back in France — from a word meaning "wanderer." |
July 12, 2006
Copyright © 2006 Baroods Inc. All rights reserved.
| BAROODS 18 Franklin St. Lenox, MA 01240 Phone 413-637-8266 . Fax 413-637-8992 |
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November 1, 2006
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April 12, 2007