January 2007

As of the time of this writing, winter has yet to make its presence known. Daffodils are poking their heads above the ground, the buds on fruit trees and flowering bushes are starting to swell, and various species of birds which have traditionally high-tailed it to warmer climes are hanging around as dazed and confused as the rest of us. We have bales of marsh grass sitting by our perennial beds waiting for the good hard freeze which is a prerequisite to mulching. What this very strange winter portends for the upcoming gardening calendar is anyone’s guess, but it has given us the opportunity to finish cleaning up gardens which we were harvesting right up until our final dinner on New Year’s Eve and to plant cover crops like winter rye which improve both the structure and fertility of our soil.

We are enjoying our first period of “down time” since we first conceived the idea of opening a restaurant two years ago. Our weeks no longer have the inevitability and urgency of getting ready for the weekend service, the number of deliveries have slowed to a trickle, and, for the time being, we have our house and barn back to ourselves again. We have been feasting on leftovers (only 12 more helpings of duck confit to go!) and have enjoyed a number of leisurely meals at our favorite tables in the restaurant. The pleasure of a two-hour lunch with a bottle of wine, alone in our restaurant in the middle of the week for no particular purpose whatsoever, cannot be overstated, and it reminds us why we chucked the material comfort and security of our former lives and opened Still River Café. In this time of resolutions, we are resolved even in the busiest and most trying of times (and they are many) not to lose sight of how lucky we are to be pursuing our passions and to be doing it with one another.

We are busy completing many of the “punch list” construction items which were ignored in the push to open the restaurant last August. For those of you who have visited the restaurant and wonder what we are talking about, the less said the better. For those with a more discerning or critical eye, rest assured that we are doing our best to put the finishing touches on every nook and cranny in Still River Café. We are also building outdoor furniture and seating for our deck so that our guests can better enjoy our grounds as weather permits. The Quiet Corner of Connecticut, where we are fortunate to live, is described by pilots who fly over the northeastern part of our country at night as an ink spot amidst a sea of light pollution. As such, we are treated to the kinds of celestial displays rarely seen except during camping trips deep into the North Woods or on sailboats well out to sea. The bands of stars in the Milky Way galaxy are so distinct that one feels as though it would be possible to reach up with a spoon and scoop up a few million or so. Add pastures full of fireflies blinking on and off, and you can forget your television forever.

We have planted over fifteen varieties of cold weather greens for the upcoming season. Unfortunately, the arrangement to use the greenhouses owned by a local farm fell through, but we are managing with a combination of our own greenhouses and cold frames as well as the unseasonably mild weather. Until our gardens are fully up and flourishing, we will also continue to make weekly visits to the Greenmarket at Union Square in New York City. On our last trip to New York prior to New Year’s Eve, we were entertained to see produce in bags marked “Still River Café” side-by-side with bags destined for Boulud, Nobu, Craft, WD-50, Blue Hill and the like. Here’s hoping you are known by the company you keep!

On the news front, we were flattered to be selected by the T.V. Diner Show on Boston’s New England Cable News Network as the restaurant most worth a drive in all of New England to go along with the Platinum Plate they awarded us earlier in the fall. In addition, Kara was invited to be one of two demonstrating chefs at the Connecticut Culinary Olympics which are held each January at The University of Connecticut.

We are reopening on Valentine’s Day, and we will resume our normal weekend hours thereafter. We are delighted that our entire staff will return for our second season. We will be adding a chef’s tasting menu this year, and we will be expanding our wine list as well. We will continue to offer a wine tasting menu which was very popular last year. We are also developing a number of interesting sake- and champagne-based cocktails.

To accommodate guests who prefer eating earlier or are traveling from afar, we are planning to begin our dinner service at 5:00 p.m. Another word about reservations: because we are small and have what must be the worst table turnover ratio in the history of restaurants (at least in this country) with our guests lingering over dinner for an average of two hours, we recommend that you call ahead although we will make every effort to accommodate last-minute requests. (We are spur-of-the-moment types ourselves). Usually a call on Friday for dinner that evening or the next will suffice.

Our other big news is that, in response to a lot of interest and inquiries we have received, we will be expanding our operation to host more special events as well as weddings. In taking this step, we are very fortunate to have members of our staff with extensive event and wedding catering experience both here as well as abroad.

As always, we thank you for your interest and patronage. We have made so many new friends since we opened Still River Café and look forward to continuing to do so.

Kara and Bob Brooks