It is indeed a rare and pleasant circumstance to relish a belch. When one has dined well, a little burp is a pleasant (and sometimes tasty) reminder of a meal worth remembering. It may be an hour or so later, but the burst of flavor comes floating up from the depths and meanders its way to the nearest exit, leaving that lucky individual a treat of intense flavor. And if that meal was marvelous, it is like a second helping of dessert. Often we come across a diamond in the rough and that reminder is all the more treasured. If you can consider Stonington, Connecticut the rough, then Noah’s on Water Street is a diamond!

Noah’s has all the characteristics, including the neighborhood’s charm, to be a quaint, quiet and prized experience in gastronomic adventure. It is modest in its décor, tabletop dress, pricing (!) and attitude. There is a noticeable lack of ostentation; there is no showiness to frighten the unfamiliar diner. The food does all the speaking. Rather, it shouts “Hey! We’re a group that knows good food and how to get it to your table. So sit down, belly up to the table and start ordering!” It is a rarity to find a bill of fare that has Chicken Liver Pâté next to a burger or pork, liver and cherry terrine next to a turkey sandwich. It is even more extraordinary to find a restaurant that can actually pull it of well. And lastly, it is impossible to find such a place that pulls it off in exceptional style.

The feast began with that Pâté, a basket of unparalleled chunks of homemade bread and a velvety bowl of real New England clam chowda’. Milk/cream, potatoes, clams, clam juice and some onion, end of story. And as far as this cook could tell, they were fresh clams and not those rubber-digest-all-day-imposters. We reluctantly passed by the Goat Cheese in toasted almonds and the daily Mussels feature. Did we mention that in addition to a daily Mussels offering, there is also a daily terrine, salmon preparation, soup and Wurst? The homemade fettuccine was far too tempting to ignore. One of our selections was tossed with just made pesto. The little jar of grated Parmesan cheese was freshly grated; no sawdust-style cheese here! The menu touts the local procurement of ingredients; it is with near certainty that we can claim that the basil that was in this pesto must have been from a vendor located just outside the kitchen door. Another noodle selection was the Oriental noodles. These ramen-style, kinky noodles were tossed with carrots (crisp), nappa cabbage (in the raw), scallions (likewise), some sliced, grilled chicken, shaved almonds and dressed with the most delicate rice-wine and sesame oil ‘splash’. The Greek Salad loaded with creamy feta and gorgeous tomatoes defines Greek Salad.

We rounded out this epicurean adventure with cookies. Now mind you, these identify perfect chocolate chip cookies. We saw the wonderful, silver-haired baker working her magic in the kitchen. After all, it had to be magic to create cookies like these. The Kentucky Butter Cake, a traditional favorite of this spot, was of divine inspiration. A moist, heavy, yellow cake laden with sweet butter, the second best part of this celestial dessert was its straightforward treatment; no mile-high swooshes of chocolate, sauce-painted plate or annoying sprig of mint. The food speaks (volumes) for itself rather than relying on distracting voices.

The hard lemonade and cream soda were wonderful ‘garnishes’ to the meal. Those, too, were homemade.

It is obvious that the crew in the tiny kitchen responsible for Noah’s is doing it (at least in part) for the pure love of sharing great food with others. You, too, can visit the tiny kitchen as they made sure you become ‘one of the cooks’ as you pass through on the way to the bathroom.

Visit Stonington, Connecticut’s treasure that is Noah’s. Hopefully, you will get to The Bronx on your drive back before you are rewarded with your after dinner burp.

Recommending Chef:
Jim Berman, Sodexho-Marriott/Brandywine River Museum