Spicing Up Pittsfield
Two views of new upscale restaurant
By: Charles Giuliano and Astrid Hiemer - Aug 18, 2006
Spice
297 North Main Street, Pittsfield, Mass. 01201
413 443 1234 http://www.spice-restaurant.com
Chef: Douglas Luf, General Manager: Thierry Beard Appetizers: $8 to $12, Salads: $6 to $9, Entrées: $16 to $29, Sides: $6 to $7
Just steps from the newly renovated Barrington Stage Company at 297 Main Street in Pittsfield, Mass., taking up most of a city block, is the enormous, upscale new Spice restaurant. It is the culinary flagship and signifier that the formerly downtrodden Berkshire city, the largest in the region and crossroads of traffic between rich Southern and working class Northern Berkshire counties, is once again movin on up. With the Colonial Theatre on one end of town and BSC on the other, and its proximity to Lenox, Tanglewood and other cultural attractions, Spice is booked pretty much six nights a week (closed Sunday). That will probably slow down after Labor Day although tourism, reported generally to be off pace this summer, is strong through the Holidays.
Recently we were fortunate enough to secure a 5:30 reservation for three, the only time available on a week night, prior to an evening of theatre at BSC. During this first visit to Spice we were able to test the range of the menu from appetizers and salad through entrees and dessert. On every level, from ambiance to food and service the experience was outstanding.
There was, however, a not uncommon twist. What happens at a restaurant named Spice when one of the diners because of digestion issues orders "non spicy?" In this instance Astrid will follow with her responses to special requests.
Friends have said of me that I will eat anything that does not eat me first. In this case, however, I was done in by the gazpacho. It was great going down but didn't set well overnight and induced a case of heartburn. Our companion reported that the goat cheese and beet salad was delicious.
Settling into our booth we surveyed the vast interior of the restaurant that has tasteful, contemporary but unobtrusive design. The setting is elegant but avoids that typical New York, in your face, high concept feeling. There are several distinct areas from the large main dining room, to a spacious bar where we saw a number of patrons dining, and a generous lounge area. Spice features a café style bar menu and friends report that this provides a quicker and less expensive option particularly on crowded weekends when it is tough to get a reservation.
Overall Spice proves to be elegant but not intimidating. This extended to the service with was informative, friendly, attentive and accommodating. Particularly this was tested when our companion was late as we felt no pressure or impatience from the wait staff. Also when Astrid had special questions for the chef. The information and possibilities were conveyed promptly and cheerfully.
There was the sense that the staff was doing everything possible to assure a superb dining experience. This included the little things like a napkin wrapped basket of crisp, hot bread. Water glasses were kept full and plates were served and cleared fluidly. Spice makes a fetish of serving by wheeling out the entrees dramatically on a trolley with silver covers to keep the food fresh and warm. The last time I remember that service was when the trolley was trotted out while dining at our club in London.
Ordering entrees was a bit of a conundrum as so many dishes sounded tempting. There were the usual prime steaks. The macaroni and Maine lobster ($19) sounded interesting but it is the kind of dish you want to see before ordering. I did observe it being served at another table and probably made a good choice going in another direction. The spiced tomato, saffron fish stew ($22) also sounded tempting. I asked the waitperson for some detail about portion size and ingredients. She was wonderfully frank and deftly steered me to the spice rubbed center cut pork chop ($19) which proved to be an excellent choice. It was a nice big chop, prepared perfectly, with hints of a killer spicy rub. It was served over a barely visible and not particularly distinguished bed of spinach. My second choice would have been the grilled mustard and herb marinated chicken ($18) but our companion ordered it and reported that it was delicious. Perhaps next time. With entrees in the $20 range it would be nice to have a bit more on the plate as adding an appetizer or salad and vegetable side dish costs another $12 to $17 dollars.
While Astrid passed we ordered two desserts, carrot cake, an individual little round concoction beautifully presented rather than the conventional slice, and a blueberry cobbler in its own ceramic dish. Both desserts were exceptional. And our companion insisted that I mention that the coffee was superb, With tax and tip it felt more like a mortgage payment than a check. But we will surely return for a special occasion.
Astrid's Obesrvations
The restaurant opened in June and we were eager to try the menu and ambiance with friends since we first discovered it on North Main Street during a tour of Open Studios. What drew us was its formindable scale commanding an entire street block and the sophisticated look of large framed windows and the inviting planters out front along a well worn commercial street with its many vintage store fronts.
By the time we settled into the large comfortable booth, for the past three days, I had eaten only boiled rice flavored with a dash of maple syrup or soy milk, a bit of butter and sliced bananas. Our visit marked the third day of semi-fasting and by then I felt regular enough to try some other food. But just what could I order on the menu in a restaurant called Spice?
In my mind I settled on the founder, without spices, and hopefully I could switch from the tangy arugula salad to a more simple spinach version. Thank heavens, the waitress was wonderfully helpful and after a bit of communication with the kitchen the chef agreed to prepare a plain broiled flounder on a unaltered bed of steamed spinach.
While the entrees were beautifully prepared and presented it was disappointing that there was no finishing flourish to my plate. The only touch was the cross hatching on the fish itself resulting from being grilled. Oh dear, what to say, as I was grateful to the chef and our waitperson, Doreen, to prepare this meal especially for me. It was just 6 pm but the restaurant was hopping. There were other possibilities among the side dishes and a somewhat limited option for myself with concerns about eating out or individuals on special diets and vegetarians. The side dishes included: creamed wild mushrooms, buttered mashed potatoes, and sauteed or garlic creamed spinach. I did not venture to try the appetisers or desserts. Perhaps another time. But they looked delicious.
Taking in the ambiance of Spice left lingering impressions. We were seated in a large, well appointed room with muted earthy tones, accents of white and natural light. Our table was festively set with place matts, tall stemmed wine and water glasses, accordian folded napkins, and very contemporary cutlery. Water and fresh baguette were served efficiently. The bottom of the bread had a crusty, cripy, oily-spicy-salty flavor. As I was not joining in the carafe of white wine I asked for water to be served in the wine glass. So I joined in a festive toast.
As we dined a soft vintage jazz track played in the background. We did not have to compete with the music which aptly enhanced the mood of our meal. We experienced a great meal presented by a helpful and professional wait staff. It was a romantic beginning to a magnificent evening of theatre as we titubated across the street to enjoy the opening night of the Barrington Stage Company. Smiles of a summer night.