Perhaps one of the most delightful things about the Blue Heron is that on one night each month it hosts a Friday Night Supper Club. On this night, the restaurant offers a special all-inclusive menu for $35, with the option of selecting from the regular menu. Not only is the prix fixe menu attractive, but there is music and dancing from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Note to underclassmen: If your parents happen to visit during one of these special nights, join them for dinner at the restaurant and then leave them at the restaurant to enjoy themselves while you return to campus to resume your "academic" pursuits that Friday night. To be honest, if I weren't graduating in a few weeks, I would make a point of returning to the restaurant for an evening of food, music and dancing even if I'd be the only person under 35.
Unfortunately we visited on a regular night, but still got to dine on the spacious second floor where the dining and dancing takes place. Prior to ascending the staircase, we passed through the intimate first-floor dining room and bar with views of the kitchen and all the magic that takes place inside. The large dining room is filled with several wooden tables in the center and chic booths surrounding the perimeter. The high ceilings avoid any hint of claustrophobia, and the elegant curtained windows are a pleasure. The candlelit tables are supplied with tulips and very chic silverware and salt and pepper shakers. All the decorations give the restaurant a regal ambience, down to the ornate ceilings.
While we perused the menu, our amicable waitress brought us a warm basket of hearty, white bread with butter that disintegrated into the bread before we could get it in our mouths. We were also given a tapas-like variety of olives. Brooke ordered the Goat Ricotta and Mint Ravioli small plate ($8.50). The couple of ravioli pieces were wrapped in a thin, almost transparent pasta with snow peas, fava beans, grilled asparagus and scallion relish in a parmesan broth. The dish was light, yet filling. It went down smoothly and was pleasant, but I was not impressed. I love goat cheese, but barely got a sense of it in this dish.
Rhea ordered the Mezze ($8.50) which was composed of whipped feta, fava bean hummus and a grilled pepper and onion salad with toasted flatbread. To be honest, I was pretty disappointed in this dish, although Rhea enjoyed it. The flatbread was five tiny bread wedges that were hard to bite through and flavorless. Not only flavorless but I felt they even detracted from the flavor of the the dish's dipping offerings. The grilled pepper and onion salad was delicious, but the hummus tasted like it was just a purée of fava beans and nothing more. The whipped feta was more exciting in theory than in practice.
We had to wait a long time between the small plates and the next round. At last, I was served my Rainbow Trout Stuffed with Crab and Artichoke ($22.75) with green beans in a caper lemon sauce. The fish was dressed on top with a parsley and preserved lemon salad that I found myself scraping off since it blended terribly with the flavors from the trout and crab. I could taste the crab, but could only retrieve the undertones of artichoke. The fish was served with its head, so those who may not be comfortable with that beware. It was also served warm and not hot; I would've expected better from such a popular restaurant. It was a tasty dish and I enjoyed the trout with the lemon caper sauce, but the fact that the leftover fish is still sitting in my fridge three days later is a testament to my lack of enthusiasm for it.
However, I was enthusiastic for April's Chef's Salad of the Day ($13). The chef's salad that day was a pita topped with lamb, feta, green and red peppers, onions and greens. It was basically a Mediterranean food lover's paradise. And it tasted even better than it sounds. It was substantial enough to satiate, but also to have a little left over. Brooke also ordered the crab served two ways. The dish consisted of a Japanese crab and cucumber salad which was surprisingly spicy. It was good, but I found it difficult to have more than three forkfuls of it. The dish also had a crab spring roll that was refreshing and crisp, sharing that same mildly spicy flavor from the salad. There was also a small serving of seaweed salad that I fell in love with.
Rhea ordered the Grilled Gruyère sandwich ($12). The sandwich was pretty simple and straightforward. The gruyère comes melted between two basic halves of white bread and is served with french fries, truffled mayonnaise and homemade ketchup. I was fascinated by the ketchup. It tasted like autumn, with a little spice. The sandwich would have been exponentially better on a French baguette or sourdough bread.
For dessert we shared the Chocolate Truffle Cake ($8). I have never had a dessert with a more fitting title. This was no simple chocolate cake. Each forkful was its own separate chocolate truffle. For that reason, the cake does not hold together well, but all the better to mix with the cherries, drizzled chocolate and scoop of vanilla ice cream. I especially enjoyed the truffle's espresso undertones. It was decadent, rich, sinful … everything a chocolate cake ought to be. We also shared the chef's signature Pomegranate Custard ($7) per the waitress' recommendation. The custard combines a tart pomegranate-infused top layer with a smooth, sugary custard beneath. What a fun combination. My mouth still salivates at the thought of it.
Aside from April's dish and the chocolate cake, the food did not impress me as I had anticipated it would. Perhaps my expectations were too high. In terms of ambiance, the restaurant was lovely. When it comes to the food, I'd choose The Night Kitchen instead. Maybe the Blue Heron was just having an off-night. I sure hope so.
Send your final eatery-related questions and suggestions to Leigh at lfrivlin@amherst. edu. As we bid farewell to Leigh, be sure also to congratulate the soon-to-be graduate!