Destination: Pocantico Hills, NY
It may seem funny that the wine director and co-owner of La Morra’s “all-time-favorite meal” included a hot dog. But it was just one dish in a multi-hour chef’s tasting at Blue Hill at Stone Barns that offered more than dinner. “During the meal, they got us out of our seats to head to the grill for a beer pairing.… The chef was there answering all our questions. I loved how it gave us a reprieve from our seats and also a view of their amazing property,” Ziskin says. That includes farmland where much of her dinner was grown, a nature preserve open for strolls, animals, a cafe and a store. “It’s a village within itself, and you can easily spend an entire day there.” She and husband Josh, chef and co-owner of La Morra, hope to take a similar approach with Heritage of Sherborn, the inn, restaurant, wine shop and provisions store featuring homemade pasta, bread and jams they’re opening later this year. “Throughout the meal, I kept turning to Josh and saying, ‘Can we do this at Heritage?’ It was that inspiring!”
Much More Than a Drive Through
Boston chefs share getaway-worthy restaurants
By C. Dimiti May 1, 2015
Whether it’s clams on a bench by the pier or an artfully roasted chicken with pan jus, New England is home to many dishes mouthwatering enough to make Boston chefs hang up their aprons and jump in the car. Here, some of the city’s best toques share their favorite restaurants on the road—and what you should order on your next weekend getaway.
Keenan Langlois of The Sinclair
Destination: Martha’s Vineyard
A trip to the Vineyard is a homecoming for Keenan Langlois, who grew up on the island. He and his friends kick off the summer there with a trip to Coop de Ville for hot wings, stuffed quahogs and cold beer. “It’s our ritual. The quahogs are ridiculous,” he says. “I tried to reproduce them… but I think it has something to do with the setting—the beers, the sunset, sitting out on the harbor in sunglasses. It just only comes together if you’re there.” The 30-year-old restaurant is perched on the dock in Oak Bluffs, which has all the makings of a classic New England resort town—“cool restaurants and shops, beaches and a movie theater within walking distance”—and also boasts a site special to Langlois’ boyhood: the Flying Horses Carousel, a national landmark that was constructed in 1876 and moved from Coney Island to Oak Bluffs in 1884. The oldest operating platform carousel in America is his can’t-miss highlight while in town.
By C. Dimiti | Photo Credit: Cru: Wayne E. Chinnock
Robert Sisca of Bistro du Midi
Destination: Nantucket
Robert Sisca will be attending his sixth Nantucket Wine Festival this month, but his sold-out May 15 wine dinner isn’t the only thing on the itinerary—he’s also looking forward to his annual meetup with a college roommate who lives on the island. Where they’ll gather: Cru. “Going there and seeing their menu and what they’re working with for the upcoming season is always inspirational,” says Sisca, who praises the restaurant’s raw bar. He returns to the island after the fest too, visiting twice a summer with his wife. And when he’s not hitting the beach or the golf course, he’s enjoying a sunny afternoon at the beer garden at Cisco Brewery or raising a toast at Lola 41. “That place serves great cocktails. If you’re walking by, you just have to walk in—the spot is perfect.”
By C. Dimiti | Photo Credit: Stacy Cogswell: Ben Gebo
Stacy Cogswell of Liquid Art House
Destination: Cape Cod
While a day at Lighthouse Beach in Chatham is a good excuse for Stacy Cogswell to kick back with old friends, those hours in the sun are spent anticipating her next stop: Kream ’n Kone in West Dennis. “I’ve been doing the same thing since I was a kid: You drive down early, and you get to the beach,” she says. “But basically the day at the beach is the wait for the fried seafood!” Cogswell says she probably eats “at least a pound” of their clam strips, followed by strawberry soft serve in a waffle cone. But a different Cape staple inspired a dish on Liquid Art House’s bar menu and in her forthcoming tome, The New New England Cookbook. “One of the things they do on the Cape that’s hard to find anywhere else is clam cakes,” she says. “They’re heavy and cakey and thick. Over the past couple of years I’ve tried to recreate those as clam ‘puffs.’ ” The choux batter with Old Bay Seasoning does less damage to the beach body, too.
By C. Dimiti
Michael Schlow of Tico and Alta Strada
Destination: Rhode Island
The quintessential family road trip for Michael Schlow includes both the city and the seaside in a manageable distance—within the country’s smallest state. While Newport and Jamestown may be the ultimate destinations for their beaches and golf courses, and possibly a trip to the jazz festival, the drives there and back both feature restaurants in Providence. For the perfect summer dish, his pick is the artfully crafted lobster roll at Hemenway’s. And on the way back, he and his wife Adrienne always stop at Al Forno, because their kids love the grilled pizza. But no matter where he eats or imbibes, the setting often feels just as important as the food. “It’s really about celebrating the summer and being outside,” Schlow says. “We have a lot of friends there, and it’s a rite to visit them every year. There’s something so nostalgic about being together and enjoying good food in a coastal town.”
By C. Dimiti | Photo Credit: Blue Hill: Jen Munkvold
Jennifer Ziskin of La Morra
Destination: Pocantico Hills, NY
It may seem funny that the wine director and co-owner of La Morra’s “all-time-favorite meal” included a hot dog. But it was just one dish in a multi-hour chef’s tasting at Blue Hill at Stone Barns that offered more than dinner. “During the meal, they got us out of our seats to head to the grill for a beer pairing.… The chef was there answering all our questions. I loved how it gave us a reprieve from our seats and also a view of their amazing property,” Ziskin says. That includes farmland where much of her dinner was grown, a nature preserve open for strolls, animals, a cafe and a store. “It’s a village within itself, and you can easily spend an entire day there.” She and husband Josh, chef and co-owner of La Morra, hope to take a similar approach with Heritage of Sherborn, the inn, restaurant, wine shop and provisions store featuring homemade pasta, bread and jams they’re opening later this year. “Throughout the meal, I kept turning to Josh and saying, ‘Can we do this at Heritage?’ It was that inspiring!”
By C. Dimiti | Photo Credit: 5 Corners: Shannon Yates Photography
Joshua Smith of Moody’s Delicatessen and The Backroom
Destination: Marblehead
Joshua Smith may deal primarily in pork products as a charcutier, but he’s just as passionate about the poultry at 5 Corners Kitchen. “The chicken is perfect. Hands down it’s one of the best I’ve ever had. It’s served with pan jus and greens,” he says. “It’s just simple and wonderful. The place is a real gem.” Smith also praised a recent dinner featuring striped bass, a wine list that prices most bottles close to retail and a rotating menu that “sources the best products and treats them with the utmost respect.” He struck up a friendship with 5 Corners chef Barry Edelman after meeting through a mutual friend during his very first trip to Marblehead, and he’s quickly grown to love the town, working up an appetite for dinner at its beaches by day.
By C. Dimiti
Will Gilson of Puritan & Company
Destination: Gloucester
One of Will Gilson’s favorite summer activities is heading to Gloucester with his fiancee to hit the deck at The Market Restaurant—but ironically he’s never ordered anything from the Atlantic at the waterfront eatery. “You’re under the impression you’re going to get seafood when you come, and it’s funny, I never have,” he says. The closest he came was last summer’s lobster hush puppies atop a grass-fed rib-eye. “The whole thing was just killer.” Luckily, Gilson’s jaunt northward on Route 128 often includes a stop at Woodman’s in Essex, where he knocks seafood off his to-eat list (“I don’t think anyone can hold a candle to their fried clams”). He also gives a nod to the North Shore roast beef shops along Route 1, such as Kelly’s, Mike’s and Anthony’s. “It’s a great part of our New England heritage.” But no matter what the day’s meals, a little bit of refreshment at Gloucester’s Crow’s Nest always pairs well. “It’s the bar from The Perfect Storm. It’s a little piece of our maritime New England life right there. You’ve got a Budweiser heavy and Keno. You really can’t recreate places like that.”
By C. Dimiti | Photo Credit: Joanne Chang: Colin Clark; Brine: White Loft Studio
Joanne Chang of Myers+Chang and Flour
Destination: Newburyport
It’s no surprise dessert is on the menu when Boston’s reigning pastry queen hits the road. Joanne Chang’s trips to Newburyport are incomplete without a stop in an unassuming strip mall in nearby Salisbury, where Annarosa’s Bakery beckons with its pies, scones and cookies. Even more irresistible are the artisanal breads. “They sell these huge focaccia pizzas that are as big as a pillow,” she raves. “The crust is super-chewy and crispy, and they pile on the cheese!” If they haven’t had their fill of cheese, she and husband Christopher Myers hit the Salisbury boardwalk for a beach-pizza pit stop, before heading to Newburyport to enjoy crudo at Brine. “They do a remarkable job with super-fresh fish and really simple, flavorful accompaniments,” she says. One of their favorite activities is people-watching during a late lunch or early dinner; inevitably they see someone they know, since Myers grew up there. “It’s a lovely walking town with vintage shops, ice cream parlors, unique window shopping and clothing stores and lots of restaurants.… We never go more than three blocks without Christopher running into an old high school friend he hasn’t seen in 30 years. It never fails!”
By C. Dimiti | Eventide: Zack Bowen / Knack Factory
Tiffani Faison of Sweet Cheeks
Destination: Portland, ME
“I think that travel is so much a part of what makes a chef a chef,” says Tiffani Faison. “Even in our own backyard.” And Portland provides her with inspiration, especially at Eventide Oyster Co. “It blew me away.… Everything there was ethereal and light and clean. They’re incredibly talented at highlighting the seafood that they’re presenting and cooking without getting in the way,” she says. For instance, their flavored ices (featuring Tabasco and ginger) don’t mask the flavor of the bivalves like traditional cocktail sauce. As for the actual cocktails, those are “incredible,” as is Eventide’s wine list. Portland Hunt & Alpine Club is also fun for spirits (try their housemade Americano aperitif). And for dessert, Ten Ten Pié and Two Fat Cats Bakery are winners, especially if it’s Maine’s fruit season. “That’s one of the thing I love about road trips.… All rules are off. Kill yourself with dessert, especially in the summer, especially in that area. I’m looking for anything that has blueberries in it.” Even Faison’s souvenirs are edible, and she and her wife, Kelly Walsh, always pick up fish at Browne Trading Company on the way home.
By C. Dimiti | Photo Credit: Jody Adams: Ken Rivard
Jody Adams of Rialto and Trade
Destination: Rockland, ME
Jody Adams says Primo is so good that she and her husband, Ken, couldn’t help but dine there both nights they were in Rockland last summer. It’s a good thing, too, because the menu changes daily depending on what meats, eggs and vegetables come from the restaurant’s four-acre farm. “I just let Melissa [Kelly] choose for me,” Adams says of her fellow Golden Whisk winner. “The property is spectacular,” she adds. “Melissa [and her staff] have created a small farm with beautiful gardens. Each dish … is always delicious. I love her Italian approach.” A visit to Maine would be remiss without at least recognizing lobster, however, and Adams suggests a July visit for some unique local culture, like Rockland’s Maine Lobster Festival (July 29-Aug. 2) or the Lobster Ride & Roll for cyclists (July 19). And a stop in Portland is “a must,” not to mention the perfect halfway point for lunch at Duckfat, home of killer Belgian-style fries cooked in exactly what you’d expect.
By C. Dimiti
Chris Coombs of Boston Chops, dbar and Deuxave
Destination: Waterbury, VT
The Vermont spots where Chris Coombs forages for chanterelle mushrooms may be a secret he keeps close to the apron—but his admiration of the original Waterbury location of Hen of the Wood is not. “There are so many Boston restaurants, and we’re all trying to work with the few local farms. And that area of Vermont—especially in season —has such an abundance of products,” Coombs says. “There’s a great representation of terroir and a real focus on local producers and products, from mushrooms to cheeses.” And the landscape is an integral part of the experience, Coombs adds. “It’s on a river. I think that’s pretty cool. Hen of the Wood is a restaurant that’s part of a place and time. It’s in the middle of the country. It’s beautiful, it’s elegant, but not pretentious.” Also unpretentious: grabbing dessert at theBen & Jerry’s headquarters with his wife, Viktoriya Coombs Bulavinova. And the cherry on top is a stay at Stowe’s Topnotch Resort—especially a trip to the spa.
By C. Dimiti
Matt Jennings of Townsman
Destination: Burlington, VT
Coombs isn’t the only fan of Hen of the Wood—Matt Jennings is so fond of it that he took his two co-chefs, Brian Young and Matt Leddy, on a road trip to the restaurant’s new location last summer as a tutorial of sorts. Whether he’s with them or on a weekend trip with his wife, pastry chef Kate Jennings, there’s always something to do in Burlington. “The arts are huge, and we like trying to catch a show or live music, or go out for cocktails,” Jennings says. And as a former Stowe resident, he knows all the best “watering holes”—some of them quite literal. “The area’s especially fun in the summertime. It’s fun to go for a hike with the dog and jump in some of the gorges,” says Jennings, who likes to round out each trip up north by raising a glass with his friend Shaun Hill of Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro.
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