Every once in a while, I fall in love with a restaurant. That’s what happened when I visited The Perch a couple of weeks ago.
The Perch is a dining room, bar and lounge, located within Hinata Retreat, a resort hotel that opened recently at the top of Warfield Road in Charlemont. The property has undergone a variety of transformations over the years. It was most recently operated by Berkshire East Mountain Resort.
Last year, Berkshire East sold Warfield House and its 570 acres to Jen and Jeff Nielsen, realtors from Agawam. The pair wanted to create an adults-only haven where couples could relax and spend time with nature.
To date, they have built 12 cabins and more are on the way. “Cabins” might be too plebeian a word for these little houses. They feature hot tubs, grills, kitchenettes and Wi-Fi. Each cabin has a private deck that looks out on the rising sun. “Hinata” apparently means “facing toward the sun” in Japanese.
The pair completely revamped the old Warfield House dining area and bar with spare, modern colors and photographs that were taken on the property. They brought in Howard Wein as their culinary partner in the enterprise.
I first met Wein when he helmed the Alvah Stone in Montague. He has managed restaurants and planned menus throughout the country and abroad. He was looking for something close to home at this point in his life, he told me when I visited the restaurant. He lives in Leverett so Charlemont wasn’t far.
It wasn’t just the mileage to Hinata that appealed to Wein, he explained. He has an affinity for locations that are special. Hinata certainly fits the bill. It has a spectacular mountain view.
With the help of a young chef with whom he worked at the Alvah Stone, Corey Weber and Wein set out to create an appropriately special menu.
CONTRIBUTED
The restaurant opened officially on Dec. 10, although it had been serving interested members of the community and of course guests at the retreat for a while. It is open every Tuesday through Saturday beginning at 4 p.m.
My friend Ruth and I arrived at 4 o’clock when we visited so we could see the view from the restaurant — and also so we could find our way to The Perch, despite the darkening December sky.
We asked Weber to cook us a variety of small dishes so that we could try The Perch’s fare, which Wein described as “modern American.” Weber didn’t have an exact name for the cuisine; he said he enjoys playing with different techniques and with seasonal foods.
We enjoyed a lot of appetizers, including — my personal favorite — the slightly spicy Shrimp Tempura and — Weber’s favorite — the Autumn Chopped Salad. We also tried one of The Perch’s signature cocktails, or rather, Ruth tried it since I don’t drink, the Espresso Martini.
I took a sip of her drink and almost became a drinker on the spot. It didn’t taste like alcohol. Instead, to my mouth it felt like the most delicious coffee milkshake ever — and I love coffee milkshakes.
We went on to try a couple of main dishes, Miso-Glazed Salmon and Seared Scallops. Both were pleasing to the palate. The restaurant also serves beef and chicken and features a vegetarian gnocchi dish.
Of course, we sampled the dish for which The Perch provided the recipe, Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Like all the dishes we tasted, the sprouts offered a combination of flavors that worked well together.
Weber and Wein appear very good at knowing just how many different elements to add to a recipe without going over the edge into chaos. Wein noted that cooking this way takes a certain level of maturity.
The Perch is expensive for our area, but it seemed to me to be worth the price. When I told our charming waitress that she probably wouldn’t be seeing a lot of me in the future because I don’t make a lot of money, she smiled and said she would be happy to see me just come to the bar for a soft drink.
Her welcome and good will seemed genuine. Indeed, one of the strongest features of Hinata is the friendliness and enthusiasm of its staff, from the hosts to the cooks.
Wein told me that he is working hard to build camaraderie in the group. He noted that a service charge for each order takes the place of tipping. The people who work at The Perch are all paid flat wages and are not dependent on the whims of patrons.
“We’re building a team. We’re building a family,” Wein explained. “It’s all about connections.” Ruth and I felt as though we were dining among friends.
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Here is the sprout recipe, along with the directions provided to me by The Perch. I would probably change the order up; it seems to me that the pork could be cooked while the sprouts roast.
Ingredients:
for the sprouts:
about 3 cups of raw Brussels sprouts, halved and cleaned
6 slices of bacon or 1 baton of guanciale
a small block of your favorite feta cheese
1 orange, divided into 6 to 8 segments (see instructions)
a splash of olive oil
kosher salt to taste
for the Maple White Balsamic Vinaigrette:
2 cups white balsamic vinegar
2/3 cup Dijon mustard
3/4 cup diced shallots
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup avocado or canola oil
1/2 cup fresh thyme, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon kosher salt
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse the Brussels sprouts under cold water and lay them on a sheet tray lined with a clean kitchen towel to dry. Cut off the root ends of the sprouts and cut them in half from the root to the top. Discard any loose leaves. Set the cut sprouts aside to dry while you work on the next steps
Dice the bacon or guanciale into bite-size pieces, and place them in a sauté pan or small pot. Add about 1/2 cup water to the pot and place it over medium high heat.
As the water comes to a simmer the fat will be rendered from the meat, and the water will evaporate. Once all the water has evaporated the fat will start to caramelize the meat and make it crispy.
When it is crisp, remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly. It should still be warm when you add it to the Brussels mixture.
Crumble the feta into bite-size pieces, and reserve it.
Segment the orange: start by cutting off the top and bottom of the peel to make a flat surface and still reveal the fruit under the thick white pith.
Place one of the cut sides down on your cutting board. With a sharp kitchen knife, starting at the top of the orange, run your knife down the side of the orange, following the curve of the fruit.
Rotate the orange and repeat until all the peel and white pith are removed. Once the orange is “naked,” you’ll be able to see the thin white membranes that divide the segments of the orange.
Run your knife along the sides of each membrane, cutting inward toward the center of the orange, and stop just before you reach the center.
Once both sides of the membrane are cut, you should be able to drop each segment of orange out. Repeat until all the segments are out. Reserve the segments.
Prepare a rimmed cookie sheet by putting the cut Brussels sprouts, the olive oil, and the kosher salt on it. Mix with your hands to ensure all the sprouts are coated. Place the sheet in the preheated oven and bake until crisp, about 20 to 30 minutes.
To serve, place the salad ingredients in a bowl, including some of the rendered fat from the pork. In a jar combine the vinaigrette ingredients, and shake well. Add a splash of vinaigrette. Mix gently; then taste and add more dressing and salt as needed.
Leftover vinaigrette should be stored in the refrigerator and then brought to room temperature and shaken well again before using.
Serves 2 to 4.
Tinky Weisblat is an award-winning cookbook author and singer known as the Diva of Deliciousness. Visit her website, TinkyCooks.com.