Reviewed by a Galpal
Worth the Drive, Reviewed by a Galpal
Saturday, September 06, 2008
The Bedford Post Inn is on its way to becoming a destination for diners from all over Fairfield County. A short drive from New Canaan, about 20 minutes, the location and experience feel worlds away. For now, only the more casual part of the Inn is open, called the Barn. Breakfast and Lunch are served Monday-Friday, with Brunch on the weekend and Dinner served Thursday - Saturday. In the barn you will find the bakery counter, bare wooden tables, stone fireplace, timbered ceiling, and a casual, country vibe. The emphasis is definitely on high quality food, carefully prepared. Guests are mostly locals dressed in tennis or riding clothes meeting up for breakfast, lunch or brunch. It's a great place to catch up with a girlfriend and feel far away from it all, as the Inn is set in a mostly residential part of Bedford surrounded by horse farms and estates. And how many of your girlfriends wouldn't enjoy a view that included Richard Gere, the Inn's famous owner, seated at a table in the corner? That was the view I enjoyed when I took my son to lunch for a last outing before the start of school.
The menu at the Barn reflects current trends toward local and seasonal food, and the chef is clearly ambitious in what he hopes to achieve. Richard Gere is a proponent of the Slow Food movement, and the menu reflects this along with the Italian roots of the movement. Billing itself as a "Farm to Table" restaurant, local produce is prominently featured. My sophisticated dining partner and I first enjoyed a sweet corn vichyssoise accented with summer truffles. Of the entrees we tried, the hanger steak with mustard bernaise was tops, and the crispy french fries with homemade aioli were addictive. All around us people were devouring the Natural Beef Cheeseburger, which looked and smelled delicious. We tried the heirloom BLT, which turned out to be not as special as it sounded. There are also a number of lighter options on the menu, including several seafood options such as grilled Branzino. Numerous vegetarian options included a broccoli rabe frittata and spaghetti with local tomatoes, basil and garlic. For dessert we loved a personal size chocolate cake finished with bruleed passion fruit curd on top; for good measure we added a scoop of toasted almond gelato, one of 8 flavors of homemade gelato served.
Brunch at the Barn would be a great option for the family or a group of friends. The diverse menu offers both traditional breakfast offerings with a twist, and more complex lunch options such as olive oil poached halibut and day boat scallops. Another plus, there is a kid's menu on both the brunch and breakfast menu offering a number of good choices for $6 each. Beverages are what you would expect: fair trade coffee, a lovely selection of teas, fresh squeezed lemonade with fresh mint(delicious). The pastries we tried were truly excellent, particularly the pain au chocolat and the almond croissant.
Eventually dinner will be served in the more formal dining room that will be located in the main part of the Inn. For now, Dinner in the barn is $75 prix fixe for four courses plus an amuse bouche. There are 2 seatings for dinner, 6:30 and 8:30, and some persistence seems to be necessary in procuring a reservation! Though I haven't been for dinner yet, I'm sure it's worth the effort.
Bedford Post Inn
954 Old Post Road 9 (Rt 121)
Bedford Village, NY
914-234-7800
The menu at the Barn reflects current trends toward local and seasonal food, and the chef is clearly ambitious in what he hopes to achieve. Richard Gere is a proponent of the Slow Food movement, and the menu reflects this along with the Italian roots of the movement. Billing itself as a "Farm to Table" restaurant, local produce is prominently featured. My sophisticated dining partner and I first enjoyed a sweet corn vichyssoise accented with summer truffles. Of the entrees we tried, the hanger steak with mustard bernaise was tops, and the crispy french fries with homemade aioli were addictive. All around us people were devouring the Natural Beef Cheeseburger, which looked and smelled delicious. We tried the heirloom BLT, which turned out to be not as special as it sounded. There are also a number of lighter options on the menu, including several seafood options such as grilled Branzino. Numerous vegetarian options included a broccoli rabe frittata and spaghetti with local tomatoes, basil and garlic. For dessert we loved a personal size chocolate cake finished with bruleed passion fruit curd on top; for good measure we added a scoop of toasted almond gelato, one of 8 flavors of homemade gelato served.
Brunch at the Barn would be a great option for the family or a group of friends. The diverse menu offers both traditional breakfast offerings with a twist, and more complex lunch options such as olive oil poached halibut and day boat scallops. Another plus, there is a kid's menu on both the brunch and breakfast menu offering a number of good choices for $6 each. Beverages are what you would expect: fair trade coffee, a lovely selection of teas, fresh squeezed lemonade with fresh mint(delicious). The pastries we tried were truly excellent, particularly the pain au chocolat and the almond croissant.
Eventually dinner will be served in the more formal dining room that will be located in the main part of the Inn. For now, Dinner in the barn is $75 prix fixe for four courses plus an amuse bouche. There are 2 seatings for dinner, 6:30 and 8:30, and some persistence seems to be necessary in procuring a reservation! Though I haven't been for dinner yet, I'm sure it's worth the effort.
Bedford Post Inn
954 Old Post Road 9 (Rt 121)
Bedford Village, NY
914-234-7800
