Berkshire Bound

I decided the other day that my mother and I were due for a girl’s outing. We (or rather I) decided we should go out for lunch. We went to the Shaker Mill Tavern in West Stockbridge, Massachusetts. They’ve got a traditional tavern feel – open floor plan, wood floors, inviting bar.

The Shaker Mill Tavern is open for lunch on Fridays and Saturdays from noon until 4pm. Dinner is served Monday through Thursday 4pm until 9pm, Friday and Saturday nights from 4pm until 10pm and on Sundays from noon until 9pm. Mom and I arrived a few minutes after noon and were seated right away. We had a sweet little table right in the front window. It was early in the day so it was just a diet soda for myself and coffee for Mom while we perused the menu. For an appetizer Mom got the soup of the day, Potato Leek, and I had the Clam Chowder. My Chowder was jam-packed with clam pieces. For our meals, Mom had the Grilled Sage Polenta from the Appetizers. It was the perfect size for lunch and came with sauteed mushrooms, leeks, capers, parmesan cheese and tomato sauce. Beginner blogger blues – I forgot to snap a picture of it before Mom got to it. By the time I remember to get my camera out, there were only a few crumbs of polenta nestled in the remaining sauce and you didn’t really want to see a picture of that, did you? For my meal, I had the Shaker Mill Tavern Salad. It was arugula, roasted mushrooms, shaved parmesan, and sunflower seeds with a lemon vinaigrette on the side.  The salad was a nice balance of the peppery arugula, salty sunflower seeds, savory mushrooms and the salty, creamy parm. It was quite large and only ended up eating about a third of it. I took the leftovers home and had it for dinner that night too! Yummy!

As I mentioned, I was late in snapping pictures. I had already mixed my salad up and eaten some of it – I swear it arrived looking very pretty though! I’ve really got to work on resisting the urge to dig right in to meals and remember to take the pictures first! All in all, Mom and I had a very nice meal and some great conversation.

Here’s a link if you’d like to find out more about the Shaker Mill Tavern

Shaker Mill Tavern Website

Hubs had to go out to listen to a live musical performance the other night and so we decided to stop by Firefly in Lenox, Massachusetts for a bite to eat. They are a New American Bistro that features both comforting classics and creative combinations. It was a Thursday night and Firefly was pretty busy. I would definitely recommend calling ahead for a reservation if you don’t want to take your chances. Hubs and I are pretty flexible and don’t mind waiting as I’ve mentioned before but tonight we were in luck. We were able to sit in a booth in the bar area.I really like the upscale but casual feel Firefly offers. The color palette they have for the restaurant is warm and cozy – reds, oranges, and golds primarily. I of course started with a Grey Goose Dirty Martini. (I had the day off from work on Friday so why not relax a little.) Hubs had a Bombay Sapphire and Tonic.

Right now Firefly has specialty nights and we happen to go on $5 Mac and Cheese night – score for me!! We started with the Habanero Salsa and Multi Colored Chips to nibble on with our drinks. The Salsa wasn’t overly spicy and had a very nice flavor.

For our meals I had (surprise, surprise) the Mac & Cheese. That’s all you get so I opted to get the Braised Greens as a side for an additional charge. Mom would be so proud, I’m getting my veggies! The greens were awesome! The liquid they were cooked in was so savory and the greens were perfect, a bright green not a dull mushy consistency. The Mac and Cheese was cheesy heaven! A delicious crispy topping and a sharp, stringy cheese sauce.

Hubs had the Braised Beef Brisket with Horseradish Potato Cake and Roasted Carrots. I managed to snap a shot before he inhaled it. In between his bites, I was able to sneak a little taste. The meat was so tender it melted in my mouth. The Horseradish Cake (which was the whole reason Hubs got the dish – he loves horseradish) was crispy on the outside and soft inside with just the right amount of heat from the Horseradish. The roasted carrots were like little sweet jewels. Home run on all fronts in my book!

Firefly is located at 71 Church Street in Lenox, Massachusetts.

Here are the links if you’d like to find out more:

Firefly website

Firefly Facebook Page