The recently opened Charter Oak Tavern in Westbrook, serves up innovative food with attention to detail and plenty of scope for imagination.
Chef and Owner Scott Quinn is a Connecticut native returning to his home state after several decades of in the west, most recently as executive chef at several restaurants in San Francisco. CT Examiner spoke with Quinn at Charter Oak in late April, just as the trees across the street were greening out and sunset filtered through its genteel dining room.
“I was going for a neighborhood tavern feel — but with more emphasis on the food, rather than the drink,” Quinn said.
The colonial-style interior, with wooden wainscoting and floral wallpaper, is infused with a bit of the fantastical: chandeliers and Alice-in-Wonderland-like paintings sprout along the walls. It lends a slightly otherworldly feel to the place.
There’s a balanced ethos to the place, comfort and whimsy that carries over into the cooking. The menu already has a broad appeal but Quinn creates converts with how he realizes his dishes, with attention to fresh, local ingredients, herbs, and sauces. The menu varies, says Quinn, as seasonal ingredients become available.
Dates and Bacon arrive with microgreens tossed over like a windfall of early spring blossoms. The sweet-salty bacon-wrapped dates in bordelaise are paired with blue cheese, pickled red onions, and slivered almonds.
The Buttermilk Fried Green Tomatoes read comfort food, but with an emphasis on freshness. The thin-sliced tomatoes in a buttermilk breading have a tangy crunch; they are topped with nubs of shrimp in a lemony, capered, garlicy piccata. Squid Ink Tonnarelli is a generous plate of pasta with square-cut black noodles soaking up a tomato butter sauce and herb gremolata folded with tender shrimp and fennel.
The Roasted Filet of Halibut is a multi-layered meal in itself. The large portion of roasted halibut sits in a broth of white wine and saffron, floating with cannellini beans, andouille sausage, and broccolini. The robust flavor of the sausage complements the creamy halibut. Crispy-fried quarters of artichoke perch on top of it all.
The desserts are super — Carrot Cake with Earl Grey mousse, a Vanilla Bean Créme Brûlée with a Bosc pear compote, a Flourless Chocolate Torte topped with an intense orange creme fraiche and hazelnuts.
Charter Oak Tavern, which opened in February, is catching on by word of mouth and like a true neighborhood tavern, it’s a good spot to return to, again and again.