Seasons restaurant at the lucrative Ocean House resort in Watch Hill assumes a novel perspective of what defines Rhode Island, and the Atlantic Coast Region. This contemporary approach is not only seen in its modern take on the classic cuisine, but also on the remarkable environment of its elegant, abyssal dining room.
This past week I had the privilege of dining at Seasons before the scheduled opening May 17th. The restaurant space is beautiful. The bar and lounge are of rich, dark wood, whereas the dining room, which stretches out into an enclosed, ocean-viewing terrace, is softer, full of white, beige and blue tones. Bullet-shaped, blue chandeliers hang throughout the whole restaurant. A chef's counter lines the new, open kitchen, which is framed in by a biveted, copper hood, allowing guests to view the live action.
The menu is designed to highlight certain products, all sourced by the resort's food forager from local growers, farmers, and fishmongers- true farm-to-table. Each primary ingredient is followed by one or two methods of preparations. Portion sizes are purposely lager than a starter and smaller than an entree to encourage guest to taste and experience different dishes thus exposing them to the scope of the Chef's skill and ingenuity and also to the vastness of fresh, seasonal ingredients that showcase the New England bounty.
Knowing that dinners at Seasons would be few and far between, I decided to order three courses, a cheese course, and dessert. First, I chose the Hudson Valley Foie Gras, pickled ginger, rhubarb, pistachio nougatine, watercress, served with house made brioche. Although I am not an offal connoisseur, I am open to trying foods that do not necessarily fall under my comfort zone. Nonetheless, the foie gras, which was prepared as a terrine, was delicious. It did not have that strong liver taste, it was subtle in flavor, which is evidence that it was properly cured, and of superior quality. The rhubarb was made into a puree and brought acidity and sweetness which counterbalanced the fattiness of the foie. The crunchy pistachio nougatine (a confection made of caramel mixed with nuts) gave the one dimensional dish proportionate texture.
The lobster, caught from the resort's backyard (or back-ocean I should say) is served as a salad or poached in butter. These lobsters, the Chef explained, are of a harder shell and more flavorful due to their diet. I tried the salad with Tokyo turnips, pickled red onions, celery branch, mustard seed vinaigrette, since this would be my mid, savory course. The lobster portion (the claw for the salad) was impressive in size. They were sweet and distinct to other lobsters I have had, which have been more “fishy” in flavor. The cooked turnips add a bitter, earthy, stringent element to the dish that is balanced by the gentle acidity of the onion, the watery, freshness of the celery, and creamy, sharp mustard seed vinaigrette.
The North Atlantic halibut poached in olive oil is served over a bed of cassoulet of Vermont heirloom beans, english peas, and is coated in lobster butter. The fish was soft and tender, it effortlessly flaked with the prick of my fork. The heirlooms beans were cooked to the point were they had a general bite to them, without the risk of being raw. This coarse starch provided a nice contrast to the lightness of the halibut, and opulence of the lobster butter.
For dessert, we had strawberry and rhubarb gratin with pistachio sable and asparagus ice cream. The star- the asparagus ice cream. I have had vegetable ice cream before and it never really liked up to the flavor profile of said vegetable. This one did. And the distinct taste unique to asparagus and sweetness complemented that of the gratin without either overpowering the other.
All in all, Seasons at the Ocean House creates a true dining experience for its guest through the Chef's exceptional use and execution of what the state of Rhode Island and neighboring New England states have to offer.
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