Still River Café reopens the 22nd
- Thread starter JEK
- Start date
KevinS
Senior Insider
Kate and I visited Still River Café last night, for the restaurant's reopening after a two-week break. It was a great night, with an outstanding meal, and a few minutes of good conversation with Kara and Bob.
Still River Café (SRC) is about 75 minutes from our house on a good day, which makes it just close enough that we should get there more often, and just far enough away that we don’t think of it often enough. Kara’s recent e-mails and posts on Facebook (one on Burrata, and one on the January 22 Reopening) have had me thinking, and a PT thread started by MikeR put me over the edge. I called and was able to get a reservation for last night (fully booked for tonight!).
Dinner, as promised in the Reopening post, started with a complimentary glass of Champagne. (Thanks Bob and Kara!) I’ve never been one to turn down Champagne, and it was nice to sip on while reviewing the menu.
For starters, I went with the House Made Burrata made with Bradway Farm Jersey Cow Milk, North Asford Farm San Marzano Tomato Conserva, Arugala Pudding, and Duck Prosciutto. Kate chose the House Smoked Kobe Beef Carpaccio “Dumplings” filled with Parmesan Custard and Baby Arugula.
I’ve never had Burrata before, so it was a new experience for me. I had previously looked it up in Wikipedia (Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. The name "burrata" means "buttered" in Italian.) so I knew what to expect. It was very nice, and the Tomato Conserva and Arugala Pudding added nice flavors.
The Kobe Beef Carpaccio was a winner with Kate. She often orders Beef Carpaccio at Le Repaire, and describes it as the best that she has ever had. No more – Le Repaire may serve the best Beef Carpaccio on St Barth, but SRC serves the best that she has ever had. I tried one, and they were delicious, tender, and flavourful. I liked the garnish too, deep fried capers, something that I hadn’t seen before. The beef “dumplings” are shaped little beef Shumai, but they also reminded me of Aumônières, something that we saw at SRC during the St Barth Dinners.
For mains we went with the Georges Bank Cod and the Berkshire Pork. Kara’s main courses often include three separate items with the same main ingredient, and these were no different.
Kate’s Georges Bank Cod consisted of Roasted Cod with a Mushroom Consommé, Panko Encrusted Fish Cake with Chili Aioli and Cod and Clam Chowder. I was able to sample the Fish Cake, which was better than any that Mom ever made, and the Cod and Clam Chowder. Both were excellent.
My Berkshire Pork was a trio of 20-hour Pork Cassoulet, Confit of Cured Pork Belly, and Pork Tenderloin Terrine with Pistachio and Currant Crumble. The Cassoulet was very nice, full of flavor and topped with slices of Pork Sausage. The Terrine was the best thing that I’ve eaten in months – tender, nicely textured, and topped with an amazing Crumble. And then there was the Pork Belly, tender, perfectly cooked, with the tiniest hint of mustard for extra flavour.
I neglected to mention the Amuse Bouche that Kara sent out. The first was a Lobster Trio, a rich Lobster Consomme with Miso Foam, a really interesting Lobster Salad Crisp with Asian flavourings, and a Lobster Pâté with American Paddlefish Caviar. Hopefully Kara and her staff had as much fun making them as we did eating them – all were delicious!
We finished the night with a taste of a very interesting and tasty infused beverage that Kara has been working on, and SRC’s signature French Press Coffee, flavoured with Cardamom, Cinnamon and Orange Peel.
And of course we had a bottle of wine with dinner. We both like White Burgundies, and enjoyed a nice mellow Les Chevalières Meursault.
All in all, it was a very special dinner, with excellent service, and which both of us enjoyed very much. If the Kobe Beef Carpaccio and Berkshire Pork are still on the menu on our next visit then I already know half of what we’ll be ordering. Kara’s cooking only gets better with time, and this visit to SRC was the best yet. Thinking back, this dinner was better than any meal that we had in St Barth on our recent visit. The only meal that I’ve enjoyed more in the last year was a visit to L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas.
It was great to see Kara and Bob, both of whom look great, and who are thinking about a visit to St Barth in the spring. The restaurant is as lovely as always, a very special place to visit. You can follow Still River Café on Facebook or Twitter (use the links on the bottom of the www.stillrivercafe.com web page, or use the Twitter or Facebook Search features), or sign up for the SRC e-mail list.
I can’t say enough good things about our experience last night. The positive reviews and writeups that Kara and Bob are getting are well deserved. If you live anywhere in the Northeast and haven’t been to SRC yet you should plan a visit. If you have been to SRC before then you know what I’m talking about, and you should plan a return visit.
Still River Café (SRC) is about 75 minutes from our house on a good day, which makes it just close enough that we should get there more often, and just far enough away that we don’t think of it often enough. Kara’s recent e-mails and posts on Facebook (one on Burrata, and one on the January 22 Reopening) have had me thinking, and a PT thread started by MikeR put me over the edge. I called and was able to get a reservation for last night (fully booked for tonight!).
Dinner, as promised in the Reopening post, started with a complimentary glass of Champagne. (Thanks Bob and Kara!) I’ve never been one to turn down Champagne, and it was nice to sip on while reviewing the menu.
For starters, I went with the House Made Burrata made with Bradway Farm Jersey Cow Milk, North Asford Farm San Marzano Tomato Conserva, Arugala Pudding, and Duck Prosciutto. Kate chose the House Smoked Kobe Beef Carpaccio “Dumplings” filled with Parmesan Custard and Baby Arugula.
I’ve never had Burrata before, so it was a new experience for me. I had previously looked it up in Wikipedia (Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese, made from mozzarella and cream. The outer shell is solid mozzarella while the inside contains both mozzarella and cream, giving it an unusual, soft texture. It is usually served fresh, at room temperature. The name "burrata" means "buttered" in Italian.) so I knew what to expect. It was very nice, and the Tomato Conserva and Arugala Pudding added nice flavors.
The Kobe Beef Carpaccio was a winner with Kate. She often orders Beef Carpaccio at Le Repaire, and describes it as the best that she has ever had. No more – Le Repaire may serve the best Beef Carpaccio on St Barth, but SRC serves the best that she has ever had. I tried one, and they were delicious, tender, and flavourful. I liked the garnish too, deep fried capers, something that I hadn’t seen before. The beef “dumplings” are shaped little beef Shumai, but they also reminded me of Aumônières, something that we saw at SRC during the St Barth Dinners.
For mains we went with the Georges Bank Cod and the Berkshire Pork. Kara’s main courses often include three separate items with the same main ingredient, and these were no different.
Kate’s Georges Bank Cod consisted of Roasted Cod with a Mushroom Consommé, Panko Encrusted Fish Cake with Chili Aioli and Cod and Clam Chowder. I was able to sample the Fish Cake, which was better than any that Mom ever made, and the Cod and Clam Chowder. Both were excellent.
My Berkshire Pork was a trio of 20-hour Pork Cassoulet, Confit of Cured Pork Belly, and Pork Tenderloin Terrine with Pistachio and Currant Crumble. The Cassoulet was very nice, full of flavor and topped with slices of Pork Sausage. The Terrine was the best thing that I’ve eaten in months – tender, nicely textured, and topped with an amazing Crumble. And then there was the Pork Belly, tender, perfectly cooked, with the tiniest hint of mustard for extra flavour.
I neglected to mention the Amuse Bouche that Kara sent out. The first was a Lobster Trio, a rich Lobster Consomme with Miso Foam, a really interesting Lobster Salad Crisp with Asian flavourings, and a Lobster Pâté with American Paddlefish Caviar. Hopefully Kara and her staff had as much fun making them as we did eating them – all were delicious!
We finished the night with a taste of a very interesting and tasty infused beverage that Kara has been working on, and SRC’s signature French Press Coffee, flavoured with Cardamom, Cinnamon and Orange Peel.
And of course we had a bottle of wine with dinner. We both like White Burgundies, and enjoyed a nice mellow Les Chevalières Meursault.
All in all, it was a very special dinner, with excellent service, and which both of us enjoyed very much. If the Kobe Beef Carpaccio and Berkshire Pork are still on the menu on our next visit then I already know half of what we’ll be ordering. Kara’s cooking only gets better with time, and this visit to SRC was the best yet. Thinking back, this dinner was better than any meal that we had in St Barth on our recent visit. The only meal that I’ve enjoyed more in the last year was a visit to L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in Las Vegas.
It was great to see Kara and Bob, both of whom look great, and who are thinking about a visit to St Barth in the spring. The restaurant is as lovely as always, a very special place to visit. You can follow Still River Café on Facebook or Twitter (use the links on the bottom of the www.stillrivercafe.com web page, or use the Twitter or Facebook Search features), or sign up for the SRC e-mail list.
I can’t say enough good things about our experience last night. The positive reviews and writeups that Kara and Bob are getting are well deserved. If you live anywhere in the Northeast and haven’t been to SRC yet you should plan a visit. If you have been to SRC before then you know what I’m talking about, and you should plan a return visit.
MIke R
Senior Insider
oh baby....I love it..and I have not one, but two for sure dates there in the next few months....woohooo!
can't wait..glad I was able to inspire you.....and I just love the fact that Kara ONLY uses fresh local seafood and meats and veggies....the girl has her priorities right
can't wait..glad I was able to inspire you.....and I just love the fact that Kara ONLY uses fresh local seafood and meats and veggies....the girl has her priorities right
KaraBrooks
Senior Insider
Kevin - It was wonderful seeing you and Kate again Friday night. Thanks so much for the lovely review.
We so look forward to seeing many of you sometime this year!
Kara and Bob
We so look forward to seeing many of you sometime this year!
Kara and Bob
