So often there’s a good story behind the naming of a restaurant. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Partners John Papp and Stan Schwartz held a contest \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t in 1979 to name the restaurant they have purchased, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t which sat at the intersection of Water and Church Streets \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t in quaint Stonington Village. Noah’s seemed like a natural, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t where water intersects faith, and it embodied the idea \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t of a fresh start.<\/p>\n
Fresh is certainly what you get at Noah’s, where everything \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t is made on the premises. Breads are displayed in the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t window, and there’s a pastry case toward the rear. Noah’s \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t makes its own breads, desserts, even ice creams, salad \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t dressings and cream soda.<\/p>\n
Simple cooking is harder to do well, Papp avers. You can hide \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t a lot under a barrage of ingredients.<\/p>\n
Claire Criscula, of Claire’s Corner Copia in New Haven, would \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t agree. On this Saturday night, Claire, husband Frank \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t and I occupied a charming window table at Noah’s. I \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t was fortunate to have Claire and Frank along because \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Claire, just out with a paperback release of her second \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t of three books.( Claire’s Classic American Vegetarian \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Cooking), was leaving the following morning on a whirlwind \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t tour of television appearances in Texas, where they \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t could use more vegetarians, and Portland, Oregon, where \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t they could use fewer. My opinions, not hers.<\/p>\n
On our table, a bud vase held daisies and spearmint leaves. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t We started with a terrific assortment of fresh breads. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Schwartz is a fourth-generation baker. ( Doesn’t that \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t only happen in Europe?) His family owns the well know \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Alter’s Bakery in Tarrytown, New York, where a coal \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t fired oven extends under the street.<\/p>\n
We \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t were feeling celebratory, and a bottle of strong Spanish \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t red wine($16) suited our mood. I felt vaguely guilty \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t as Frank and I shared appetizers of saut\u00e9ed Maryland \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t soft-shell crab ($8), bacon and Vermont Cheddar quiche \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t ($2.95) and chicken liver pate’ with sherry and pistachios \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t ($4.75) while vegetarian Claire was confined to the \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t fresh bread and a Bulgarian cucumber yogurt soup ($2.85). \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t My guilt dissipated when I tasted Claire’s chilled soup \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t flavored with garlic and perhaps dill. She wasn’t suffering \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t on the sideline.<\/p>\n
In \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t the meantime, Frank and I blissed out over the rich \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t pate’, the eggy quiche and the soft shell crab drizzled \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t with a bitting butter-lemon sauce. Noah’s soft-shell \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t crab provides more pleasure than should be allowed by \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t law. Claire sneaked a taste of the quiche ‘s crust, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t which was almost as light and flaky as puff pastry. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t “Good things are in store when it comes to dessert,” \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t she predicted.<\/p>\n
Salads \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t that come with dinner may be endangered, but they’re \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t not extinct. Claire pronounced ” beautifully balanced” \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t a wild assortment of greens delicately coated with balsamic \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t vinaigrette.<\/p>\n
There \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t were two vegetarian dinner options: a pesto fettuccine \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t (which another vegetarian friend later raved about) \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t and a fettuccine Claire tried with native tomatoes, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t homegrown basil, garlic and olive oil ($11.50). claire \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t enjoyed her pasta but felt it could have used a little \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t more cooking, olive oil and a bigger plate so the pasta \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t didn’t cling together.<\/p>\n
Frank \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t had a seafood stew of lobster, shrimp, clams, scallpos \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t and fish($17.95). Squid made an unbilled cameo, along \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t with saffron-yellow potato and rice. A separate plate \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t was brought for the shells. When our waiter asked Frank, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t ” How was it?” , he tilted up his clean bowl \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t in answer.<\/p>\n
I, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t too, cleaned my plate. Who could resist spice-rubbed \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t monkfish with a fresh mango lime relish ($15.95)?<\/p>\n
Claire’s \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t prediction regarding the desserts ($4.25) proved to \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t be an understatement. ” What’s a daffodil cake?” \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t ( really more of a sponge cake) came with a delightful \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t peach sabayon sauce.<\/p>\n
Tough \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t to top? Maybe. Frank had a pear, apricot and pistachio \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t bread pudding, I had a peach shortcake (presented like \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t a cake) with raw peach and slivered almonds.<\/p>\n
slow-spinning \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t fans hanging from the pressed tin ceiling, great food \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t and great company made time seem to stand still. We \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t left regretfully. We drove past historic row houses \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t to the tip of Stonington Point, surrounded on three \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t sides by Stonington Harbor, Fisher Island Sound and \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Little Narragansett Bay. We identified the not so distant \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t lights of Rhode Island, a green point light and blinking \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t red channel markers.<\/p>\n
“Red-right-returning,” \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t I recited. Knowing I would.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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