RICHARD FRISBIE - The Inn at Nichols Village

Scranton PA - A Foodies Paradise

Scranton PA - Part Second

Scranton Culinary Tour - Part Third - The Inn at Nichols Village

A few miles north of Scranton in Clark’s Summit is the boutique hotel called The Inn at Nichols Village. There, the FireGrill Restaurant was the highlight of my dining experience in the area.

    Continued . . .

    I almost stayed at The Inn at Nichols Village instead of the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, and on some levels I’m sorry I didn’t. For my needs, I couldn’t give up the downtown location of the Radisson, but for stylish, understated elegance and warm friendly service, Nichols Village can’t be beat. I especially liked the landscaping, and the specimen evergreens not normally planted in a corporate chain hotel. That’s how I knew it was one of those rare independently owned inns, and not a cookie-cutter, you-could-be-in-any-city tourist trap. Add a talented masseuse, a large indoor pool and a very good restaurant, and you’ve got my vote every time!

    The FireGrill Restaurant was intimate and inviting, and the staff greeted me warmly. I was ready to forego appetizers, but they all looked so good I couldn’t resist. Good thing, because they tasted as good as they looked. I ordered a sampling of a Carpaccio of sirloin, Crabmeat spring rolls, Calamari, and a Crabcake. OK, OK - I was out of control, but they were so tasty. The sirloin was bloody raw with a garlicky parmesan sauce on the side. In other words - PERFECT! The calamari was breaded and fried. It was delicious and tender with a light putanesca sauce, but the memory of the seafood of Galicia made me pine for an unadorned and quickly sautéed version. Sometimes the simplest and purest preparation is the best.

    Every time I taste crab I wonder if I like it. It’s . . .well . . . not my favorite food, but I’m always looking for a reason to change my mind. I found one here. Those spring rolls were more about good vegetables, wrapped and fried, and served with a spicy chili sauce, than they were about crab. I could have eaten more of those! If you really like crab, order the pan seared cakes with a cool but hot Creole sauce. Me? I’ll just eat the sauce, thank you. I washed all this down with a peppery-on-the-tongue Pinot Grigio Principato (2005) that was icy cold and big in my mouth. It was dry and fruity, with a nutty aftertaste that was wonderful with the seafood, and so big it almost worked with the beef. I’ll order that again!

    After a zesty, cold mixed mesclun salad with their dreamy, I mean creamy dill house dressing, I went a little crazy with the entrees. I ordered short ribs, Chilean Sea Bass and Wiener Snitzel! I’m famous for not ordering the right thing on my own, so this was a good compromise suggested by the most patient FireGrill manager. His idea was to display the range and depth of food and talent in his kitchen with these dishes. He certainly knew what he was doing (and so did the chef!) I switched to a Washington Hills Riesling (2005), lightly sweet and fruity for the rest of the meal, but only after I chastised the sommelier for not having any of the New York Rieslings the nearby Finger Lakes Region is famous for.  But, that is another story.

    The veal is, and has been for many years, the most popular beef dish on FireGrill’s menu. I liked the flavor, it was good veal, but I ‘d prefer a steak. I like my meat grown up. It did come with an interesting creamy citrus sauce, but, for me, the highlight was the spatzle, the browned-in-the-pan red cabbage (which almost tasted like fried sauerkraut, a preparation I love) and a combination of roasted root crops that accompanied it. They could have been a meal in their own right. I can see why the Wiener Snitzel is so popular, but maybe this could be better appreciated on a raw winter’s night, not a hot summer evening. Either way, I’d certainly order it again.

    Ditto the beef short ribs. They were braised and tender, with a glaze of a broth and wine reduction I could have used more of. What thrilled me were the potato pancakes that came with them. It was a great combination of texture, crunchy potatoes with fork-tender beef, good looking on the plate and good flavor in my mouth.

    I saved the best for last. The sea bass was served in big rounds on my plate. Rather, it looked like that, but turned out to be a large piece of fish stacked on top of mashed potatoes. I was disappointed that the perfectly, almost-not-cooked, moist and tender fish ended until I found where the potatoes began, in all their creamy buttery perfection. The wilted spinach complimented the simple purity of this dish. Chilean Sea Bass tastes so good it is nearly on the endangered list. I hope chefs like the one at the Fire Grill never are! What a perfect meal!

    I couldn’t have eaten dessert if they brought it to the table. Well, they did and I did. So much for what little will power I had left. The best of the desserts was preceded by its rich baked pastry aroma.  Vanilla ice cream with caramel sauce melted on the fragrant apple crisp, as warm and cold, smooth and crunchy-good combined in my mouth. The other best dessert (yes - there were two ‘best’) was the sweet and creamy, perfect taste of July - a thick frothy Raspberry “Saybayon” they called a Brulee, with a crusty sugar top. That was a first for me. One I could happily correct to excess.

Appetizers $8-$10, Entrees $19-$24, Dessert $6-$7, Wine $6-$7 glass

    After leaving the Inn at Nichols Village, I actually missed the turn for the Banshee, an Irish Pub, where yet another ethnic food and drink experience awaited. It was an unconscious, but probably on purpose error. I was too full of the good food from the Fire Grill, and too tired to want another late night. Besides, the next day was the beginning of a whole new experience. I was meeting friends in the Brandywine Valley for more food and wine experiences. This time I added horticulture to the mix, so a visit to Longwood Gardens was also scheduled. You won’t believe how much fun (and trouble) I got into there!
    To be continued . . . .

FireGrill at the Inn at Nichols Village http://www.nicholsvillage.com
“For more information on Pennsylvania, please visit http://www.visitpa.com”

Richard Frisbie, FOOD Correspondent:

RICHARD FRISBIE is published twice a month to Gather Essentials: Food 
It is a food junkie's take on growing, raising, preparing and - above all else - eating food. Together we’ll explore the trends, addictions, equipment and regional specialties that make up the sometimes mundane and sometimes sublime cooking and dining experience. You can keep up with my other postings and Gather activity by joining my Gather network -- just click the orange “Connect” button on the upper left-hand side of this page --- I look forward to hearing from you.

BIO - Richard has been writing culinary travel articles for more than five years as a columnist for his local newspapers, and as a regular contributor to the many Hudson Valley, Catskill Mountain and other regional New York publications. His most recent addition to that list is a wine column called “Fruit of the Vine” for Life in the Finger Lakes magazine. Online, he writes frequent articles for EDGE publications and Travel Lady, as well as Gather.

You can read all of Richard's articles  http://rfrisbie.gather.com/
or find him with the other Food Correspondents, plus celebrity chef content and plenty of other Foodies at  http://foodtalk.gather.com