October 18, 2007

With the change in weather comes another shift throughout the Berkshires; a change in the menus of restaurants that focus on seasonality. And no restaurant in the Berkshires has seen more seasons than the Red Lion Inn, which recently introduced its new fall menu. Of course there’s the Inn’s famous clam chowder, but autumn especially calls out for Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque. What these two soups have in common, aside from warming up a diner on a crisp fall day, is their local accents; both make use of dairy products from a nearby farm; the bisque uses local maple syrup; and the bacon adding flavor to the chowder comes from local pigs.

A core member of Berkshire Grown, Chef Brian Alberg highlights local ingredients throughout his Red Lion Inn menus, such as field greens in one salad; eggs and blue cheese in the frisée salad; the seasonal vinaigrette featuring Ioka Valley Farm maple syrup; and shiitake and oyster mushrooms in the crepes. And since the warm weather has extended the Berkshire harvest season, you can be sure that vegetables and meats from numerous nearby farms play a part in many more main dishes, such as Carrot Risotto and the Inn’s renowned Chicken and Vegetable Pot Pie, as well as the Native Turkey Dinner with Farmhouse Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy.

But Chef Alberg takes it even further, offering a “Sustainable Foods Menu” of specials for each course during Sunday and Monday dinners, as well as special “Sustainable Breakfast” items every day. On a recent fall evening, the Sustainable Foods Menu offered Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Wild Game Andouille Sausage and Sweet Corn Puree as a starter; Roulade of Duck Breast and Braised Greens, Sweet Corn Custard, Bacon-Roasted Sweet Potato and Caramelized Onion Gastrique as the main course; and Cider Donut with Coffee Ice Cream, Caramel Sauce and Whipped Cream for dessert. The “Sustainable Breakfast” menu offered locally produced organic granola, yogurt from two nearby farms, hash with eggs from Hancock Shaker Village’s 4H program, and a Broken Yolk Sandwich with organic eggs and house-smoked bacon on toasted sesame whole wheat bread. Says Alberg, “The use of fresh, local products helps secure the economic viability of our region by supporting area farmers and producers who believe in making economic decisions based on ecological soundness and social responsibility, meeting the needs of today while securing a healthy and productive landscape for future generations.” To be able to offer these sustainable choices throughout the year, Alberg is hard at work during the harvest season, roasting tomatoes and preserving other local farm produce, so that we lucky diners can enjoy the full taste of the fruits of our land even in the middle of winter.

Alberg’s efforts to support and promote local agriculture are not surprising when you learn that he, himself, is locally grown. He was raised in neighboring New York State, and counts many farmers among his friends. Alberg trained at the Culinary Institute of America, and spent many years gaining professional experience in vaunted restaurants before returning to his native terroir to helm the kitchen at the Red Lion Inn.  He views community service as part of supporting sustainability within the Berkshires, and has been able to use his professional talents to this end, teaching culinary skills to high school students in several youth programs. He’s a big supporter of 4H programs, and even bought the first-prize-winning steer at this year’s “Big E” agricultural fair. He goes so far as to raise his own heritage-breed pigs, which may just be the best-fed livestock around – they dine on kitchen scraps from the Red Lion Inn! Word on the street: he’s so enamored with agriculture that he spends a good deal of his time visiting farms, and now this avid motorcyclist takes interested guests with him on “Roaring Rambles,” guiding farm tours during the growing season – on his days off!

Alberg is responsible for three – and sometimes five – places to dine at the Red Lion Inn. The elegant Dining Room is open for three meals every day. The most popular lunch dish is the Sauteed Calves Liver with caramelized onions, smoked bacon and apple demiglace, but dinner guests may want to sample Chef Alberg’s Braised Berkshire Pork Shank with rice, beans, pancetta and roasted garlic crumbs. At the more cozy and casual Widow Bingham’s Tavern, I’m told the Nosh Plate – featuring local cheeses, cured meats, plus grilled and marinated vegetables – is the clear favorite, but the hearty Peasant Grilled Cheese sandwich, with portabella mushrooms, Swiss cheese and red onions is not far behind. Fans of live music head to the Lion’s Den, with laid-back pub fare such as beef chili, chicken wings, crab quesadillas, burgers, wraps, and sandwiches, a daily special, plus desserts served up until midnight. The Den is open after 4pm on weekdays, and also serves lunch on weekends and in summer. June through September, the Inn serves lunch and dinner in the shaded Courtyard – one of the best outdoor dining options in the Berkshires. And then there’s Jacks Grill, in Housatonic, serving casual dinner and weekend brunch from Mother’s Day through Halloween, with good old-fashioned comfort food featuring the same high-quality, locally grown ingredients that form the basis for Alberg’s other menus. And now, visitors can take a taste of the Red Lion Inn home with them, including private-label Red Lion Inn wines, two varieties of dressing and six different jams, all made to Alberg’s specifications. Coming this March: Red Lion Inn Bloody Mary mix, perfect for toasting the return of the growing season.