Notable Noshes Nearby: The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges
Go big or go home.
That’s the thinking that was needed by anyone looking to revive the Inn at Pound Ridge. A notable attempt to reinvent itself as Emily Shaw’s in 2007 with Chef Greg Gilbert (formerly of Crabtree’s Kittle House) suffered from a dated piano bar theme and steep prices that included a $63 porterhouse steak.
Enter Jean-Georges Vongerichten, who commands three and four star restaurants from Shanghai to Las Vegas (including his 3-Michelin star jewel Jean Georges at Central Park’s Trump Tower) to save the day. In the restaurant business the names don’t come bigger than Jean-Georges.
The New York Times named Jean-Georges first NYC restaurant, JoJo, the Best New Restaurant of the Year in 1991. But it was at his second venture, Vong, with its Thai-inspired French fusion cuisine, where he earned his world-renowned reputation as a innovator of light and aromatic, contemporary French cuisine. Twenty-three years (and as many restaurants) later, Jean-Georges brings his chef’s hat to Bedford-Pound Ridge where he keeps a weekend retreat.
Napa Valley meets Pound Ridge
For The Inn at Pound Ridge, Jean-Georges turned to Thomas Juul- Hansen to design the restaurant’s interior and the first big thing he did was rip out the low ceilings in the main dining room exposing a cathedral ceiling (that he refinished with light gray barn-wood beams and planks) and a two-story white brick fireplace.
The tables are also made of recycled barn-wood and are smartly paired with mid-century modern chairs and banquettes with bisque leather seating. There are zinc and marble stone accents throughout … and look at those hanging lamps. The net effect is very Napa Valley meets Pound Ridge perfect. Locally it reminds us of Blue Hill at Stone Barns.
There is also a downstairs dining room (shown above) that offers a distinctly different environment with stonewalls, two fireplaces and windowed garden views that preserves much of the feel of the old Inn, and a candle-lit wine cellar for private dining.
You wanna go where everybody knows your name …
Unlike the formality of Stone Barns, however, Jean-Georges works hard to create a casual experience starting with the waiters who were dressed in plaid shirts and made us feel like we had walked into an episode of Cheers. Okay, so it’s more formal than the place “where everybody knows your name” and we didn’t actually rub elbows with Norm and Cliff but we became very chummy with the diners on either side of us and compared notes on the dishes we all had ordered.
The subdued music also offered an informal touch (we always review the music) with a playlist that ranged from Aretha Franklin to Diana Krall to The Band. So the French fusion food was paired with a musical mélange of Motown-Blue Note-Ulster County rock and jazz. Well paired we thought.
Passing the Bread and the $48 Bottle of Champagne Test
The seasonal, farm to table menu (that is described as “down to earth” and includes a burger and pizza) is equally casual, making The Inn at Pound Ridge a special occasion restaurant that you can go to for a mid-week meal on a mid-week budget.
For starters, we couldn’t resist the $48 bottle of Champagne on the menu (does the name matter?) and thought it would be a great test. Is it really possible that a restaurant like this could serve up a $48 bottle of champagne (a bottle – not two glasses) that was even remotely potable? It was great.
As was the bread that they dared to serve with burn marks that was as good as the crust on a Frank Pepe pizza. Did we really hold Jean Georges to the standards of Frank Pepe? We did and he passed.
What we (and the people at the next table) liked
We also liked the baby beets with yogurt, balsamic and herbs and the Hamachi sashimi with sherry vinaigrette and pecan seasoning. The real estate agent and her friend the interior designer seated to our right raved about their starters that included the kale salad with Parmesan dressing, Serrano chile and mint and the black truffle fontina pizza.
The slowly cooked Scottish salmon with mashed, Brussels sprouts and truffle vinaigrette was impressive as was the popular roasted Hake with grated ginger dressing, chervil and mint – though the kitchen added capers that were not identified on the menu and were to this diner unnecessary.
The couple to our right loved the angel hair pasta with caramelized Brussels sprouts and basil-pistachio pesto but thought the prosciutto-wrapped Berkshire pork chop with mushrooms, sage and white wine sauce was a bit salty.
Everyone loved the apple pie with cinnamon ice cream. Everyone. We did not try the salted caramel sundae with candied popcorn, peanuts and fudge sauce or the grilled beef tenderloin with house made hot butter sauce but they both came highly recommended.
Our official rating: A no-brainer
The new Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges is a no-brainer for its casual elegance in style, service and cuisine and a great addition to our area’s growing list of fine dining options that include La Cremaillere, Bedford Post, Restaurant North, Crabtree’s Kittle House and the Moderne Barn.
(The Inn at Pound Ridge by Jean-Georges, 258 Westchester Ave., Pound Ridge, 914.764.1400; www.theinnatpoundridge.com
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