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The Berkshires What many consider to be the best dining experience in the Berkshires is offered at this restored 1760 stagecoach inn that blends a patina of antiquity with inspired contemporary cuisine. The inn quickly achieved star status as a destination for gourmands with the arrival of top Berkshires chef Peter Platt, who took over after sixteen years heading the kitchen at Wheatleigh in Lenox. He and his wife, Meredith Kennard, purchased the inn from its founders in 2005 and extended their hospitality beyond their dining rooms to their lodgings. Although it offers à-la-carte menus during the week in the fireside tavern or on the canopied outdoor terrace in summer, the Old Inn’s culinary claim to fame continues to be its Saturday night prix-fixe dinners, served totally by candlelight in as historic a setting as can be conceived. About 50 people are seated in the tavern room, a formal parlor or at the harvest table in the dining room. In each, the original wainscoting, stenciling, antiques and windows draped in velvet are shown to advantage. The unique handmade wreaths of branches and bark are fascinating, the large mural of cows grazing on the New Marlborough green is wonderful to see, and it's easy to imagine yourself transported back a couple of centuries for the evening. Chèvre and almond puff-pastry sticks might accompany drinks, served in delicate stemmed glasses. From a mushroom and herb soup that is the essence of mushroom to the final cappuccino with shredded chocolate on top, things go from great to greater. A recent autumn meal began with a choice of mussels with julienned vegetables in orange-saffron sauce, Maine peekytoe crab salad with diced mango and sliced avocado, and a warm salad of pan-roasted Hudson Valley squab with a foie gras flan and smoky corn salsa. The main-course options were seared fillet of line-caught striped bass sauced with olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar, roast breast of normandy duck with caramelized shallot sauce and roast rack of Colorado lamb with rosemary-infused balsamic jus. tempura of soft-shell crabs, roasted poussin with morels or filet of beef tenderloin with red wine sauce. Dessert was bittersweet chocolate sorbet in toasted almond cups with coffee sauce, blueberry and nectarine croustade with crème fraîche, or a sampling of New England and European cheeses. A short and with-it à la carte menu is offered other nights in the tavern beside the hearth or outside on the canopied, candlelit terrace overlooking a Colonial flower and herb garden. Entrées typically range from pan-roasted fillet of Maine cod with sweet corn chowder sauce to roast tenderloin of veal with porcini mushroom sauce. Although best known for its dining, this inn also attracts overnight guests with a variety of charming accommodations. That is due as much to the warmth of the owners/innkeepers as to its quiet location out in the boondocks of the southern Berkshires. Upstairs in the inn are a newly renovated suite and four queensize bedrooms, authentically furnished with antiques and country furniture. The suite comes with a fireplace, TV/VCR, whirlpool tub and a separate shower. The second-floor veranda across the front of the inn is a serene spot from which to view the passing scene – what little there is of it – across the village green. The grandest lodgings are next door in the restored 1821 Thayer House, which had been owned for 40 years by the late sister of editor Ben Bradlee. Also facing the village green, it’s a luxurious refuge of six bedrooms, three of them kingsize, with a common parlor, a fireplaced den, a library and a courtyard terrace with a swimming pool. A mural of the village green as it appeared in the 19th century graces the foyer. All but one Thayer House rooms include fireplaces, whirlpool tubs and TV/VCRs. Overnight guests enjoy a substantial continental breakfast at the main inn. “We bake our own pastries, croissants and brioche and make our own granola,” says Peter, who does the cooking while Meredith serves. Eggs or pancakes are available for an extra charge. (413) 229-7924. For more information: www.oldinn.com. Ten rooms and one suite with private baths.
Doubles, $205 to $325 in inn, $325 to $365 in Thayer House. Dinner by reservation, prix-fixe $65,
Saturday 5:30 to 9:30. À la carte, $26 to $38, Sunday-Monday and
Wednesday-Friday 5:30 to 9:30. Closed Monday as well as Tuesday
November-June.
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