Breakfast is served from 7:30am in the Conservatory or you can enjoy it in the privacy of your room from 7am.The Conservatory is a beautiful room in the rear of the mansion with delightful views of the sweeping lawns. When the weather is nice, breakfast is also served on the terrace where you’ll be surrounded by colorful flowers and lush greenery.
We opted for breakfast in our room and had the weather been a little warmer could have enjoyed it on our terrace overlooking the grounds. It arrived promptly in baskets tied with fresh roses and trays with hot croissants and muffins, creamy butter, fresh squeezed OJ and delicious coffee. In an attempt to eat healthy I had whole wheat pancakes with lemon poppy butter, fresh berry compote, English sausages and maple syrup. Jen had scrambled eggs (somehow they just tasted better than most) English sausages, Applewood bacon and turkey hash. What a start to our day!
Lunch is available in the dining room or on the terrace or they will make you a magnificent picnic feast to enjoy on the grounds or elsewhere. Priced at $45-$67pp it is well worth the tab.
We had a drink in the Music Room before dinner and enjoyed some delicious canapés; fish & chips which was actually battered lobster with shoe string potatoes and a chicken ballotine with mushroom salad and an olive tapanade and red pepper foam. We could only marvel at what dinner was going to be like.
The Dining Room is reminiscent of the marvelous old Oak Room at the Plaza Hotel in New York. The small room (about 36 seats) is anchored at one end with a large stone fireplace and a carved wood mantelpiece. Dark paneled walls are offset with pink tablecloths and massive flower displays of hydrangeas and peonies. The walls are adorned with beautifully lit oils in gold ornate frames and the floors with rose carpets and hardwood floors covered with Oriental throws. Candles everywhere create an intimate and warm setting.
The tables are set with mix and match of high quality china, silverware and stemware. Different colors, different shapes may seem at first glance to be somewhat contrary to the formal room but actually reflect the charming whimsical nature of the owner.
Dinner, served by white jacketed waiters and tuxedoed captains was a synchronized masterpiece. It began with a wonderful Hamachi with orange and avocado amuse bouche and just went uphill from there.
Appetizers were a savory wild watercress soup with a stuffed morel mushroom and a sautéed Scottish langoustine with preserved Meyer lemon risotto. For entrees I enjoyed an olive oil poached Halibut with spring vegetables, green grapes and verjus. Jen chose a rack of lamb with ricotta tortellini, Swiss chard, Picholine olives and romesco.
Dessert, offered with an excellent array of ports and sweet wines, was a St. Andre cheese tart with blueberry jam and lemon verbena sorbet and a delicious classic crème brulee. Next time I will sample what looked to be an incredible selection of imported and domestic cheeses.
The wine list is quite remarkable and an obvious hobby of the owner. The cellar has some 18,000 bottles and 2500 choices. True wine lovers will really enjoy the depth and breadth of this list. Virtually every major wine region is represented and while there are certainly expensive wines here, there is also plenty under $60. 14 wines by the glass and an amazing 100+ ½ bottles.
3 courses $125.00, 4 courses $145.00
WHAT OTHERS SAY…
With a romantic, intimate setting that conjures Gilded Age luxury and staffers who give patrons the royal treatment, this outstanding prix fixeonly French New American dining room in a Lenox inn earns The Berkshires No. 1 scores for Decor and Service; the fare makes you swoon as much as the megabucks needed to pay for it, yet it’s worth every penny for an experience that’s special in every sense; P.S. it’s formal, so jacket and tie required at dinner, and no children under 12. ZAGAT