Some flounder poached in wine and lemon, a crusty baguette and a crisp white wine accompanied this:

Tomatoes, beans, purple peppers, new potatoes, corn, red peppers and celery were just part of this week’s pick-up!

We ate until our nose hairs were singed from the garlic and still barely made a dent in the platter! I suspect I will be making vegetable soup with the leftovers.

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A bird’s eye view of the Arrowhead Family Farm along the
Merrimack River in Newburyport, Mass.

Take that big chain markets and national (and international) food distribution conglomerates who spend stupid money on resources, pollute the Earth and provide sub-quality food! (I mean c’mon, how pathetic is it that Stop & Shop and Shaws markets provide apples from Washington State in the fall when they are literally falling off the trees here in New England!)

(Green tirade over, Randye reminded me of a wonderful quote from Nigella Lawson in her book “How to Eat” where she states, “Don’t believe everything you’re told about the greater good of eating foods only when they are in season. The purists may be right, but being right isn’t everything. If you live in the Tuscan Hills, you may find different lovely things to eat every month of the year, but for us it would mean having to subsist half the time on a diet of tubers and cabbage, so why shouldn’t we be grateful that we live in the age of jet-transport and extensive culinary imports? (Nigella lives in England and the same applies to New England.)) (Check out her books on her website. And buy them!)

It was early in the season for New England, so the bounty was a bit light, but we picked up one pound of rhubarb, a pint of strawberries, a head of red lettuce, a head of dark green lettuce, and a generous bunch of sweet pea shoots. We could have gotten chives, but our personal garden runneth over with them. The added bonus of our pickup was that my 8+ month-old son was able to meet and pet a friendly Hereford cow named Delilah who is a resident at Arrowhead Farm. (Young boys + animals = smiles. Usually.)

This week’s bounty.

So, tonight’s meal was a light and delightful, Vietnamese inspired shrimp and rice noodle salad with the CSA lettuces and pea shoots, some leftover parsley from a previous market purchase, plus fresh mint and chives from our own herb garden, rice noodles, frozen shrimp and a chili lime dressing that Randye adapted from a spring roll dipping sauce recipe. To wash down the meal, we imbibed in a sweet, buttery Gewurztraminer wine from Gundlach Bundschu (2003 vintage).

Not bad for coming home at 5:15 p.m. and sitting down to eat at 6:00.

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Let me briefly run down our dining experience. Reservations are recommended, so we booked two weeks in advance. The waitress at the time promised us a good table because we were the first diners on the list. A good omen for us.

We started with an appetizer of pan-roasted oysters, creamed organic spinach and fried leeks in a small bowl. Soup-like in texture, there was a surprising and goodly amount of oysters. On the side were pieces of garlic toast to soak up the leftover broth.

For entrees, Randye savored what she said was the best and most tender filet mignon she ever had. Bar none. A lofty statement and I turned the screws a bit to see if she wasn’t exaggerating and after recounting many of our past dining experiences, I had to agree with her. And of course, one bite of her filet sealed the deal for me as well. The mouth-watering four peppercorn seared filet was accompanied with truffle pomme puree (mashed potatoes), haricots vert (green beans), roasted shallot, and a rich cabernet reduction drizzled on the plate for “dippin’.”

I had what is being billed as the best duck in town. My meal consisted of a five-spice, roasted, Long Island duck breast that was tender and very flavorful. Dare I say, succulent? On the side was duck crackling (delicious skin removed from the duck and fried in the sauce), parsnip puree (a root, like a carrot, but much sweeter and darn tasty), sugar snap peas, tangy slices of kumquat that perfectly accompanied the bites of duck, all with a tarragon mimosa drizzle.

We complemented the meal with generous glasses of 2003 Pinot Noir from the A to Z Winery in Oregon. With subtle fruity flavors, it had enough complexity and spice to stand up perfectly to the richness of the duck and steak.

Now for the dessert. Oh, dear god, the dessert. We ordered two and switched off midway. The bittersweet chocolate truffle cake with port wine cherries, homemade vanilla bean ice cream and cherry granite was divine. It was bitter, it was sweet, it was delectable. The lavender creme brulee with gingersnap cookies was just as good. Now we’ve had some creme brulees in our time, and they were good, but this one was “crafted.” The texture was smooth and creamy. For me, the best part was that I could actually taste the subtle lavender flavor settling on my tongue. Mixed with the creamy sweetness, this particular brulee raised the bar.

We must also mention the great mix of jazz music that played softly in the background from strategically placed Bose speakers.
Unlike other area restaurants, the prices at this little gem were more affordable and the quality of the food surpassed all the restaurants in Newburyport that we’ve dined at, especially since the Kiwi Grill closed. We give it two thumbs up, and two big toes!

As we walked to the car, fat and happy, I asked Randye, “So, shall we make this a monthly tradition?”

“Done!” she replied without hesitation.

©2010 Blog de Puree. All Rights Reserved.

The restaurant is in an old rehabbed church and is the site of the former Kiwi Grill, a dining establishment that was absolutely fabulous. The Kiwi Grill had great appetizers, entrees and the desserts were phenomenal. The wine list was very good as well–not vast, but the wines were all very good vineyards, quality and taste. Diners were guaranteed a delightful culinary experience from beginning to end.

The Mission Oak Grill, however, has been open about six weeks and seems to be working out the kinks, as any new dining establishment has to do. The appetizer we had, crab cakes for $12, was very tasty, with a delightful presentation. Randye had the lamb for $28 and I had a prime rib for $26. The lamb was a treat–delicious and cooked perfectly, but the sides of brussel sprouts and sweet potato cubes were luke-warm to cool in temperature. We found the prime rib was tough and a bit on the fatty side. It was slightly easier to cut once I requested a steak knife from one of the wait staff. But for grain-fed beef (All the steak on the menu is naturally raised), I did not find it to be worth $26.

We did not receive a wine list, so chose from the “By the glass” choices on the main menu. The wine we had with the meal was a pinot noir from Chile, and I was excited to enjoy a glass because Chile has a unique micro-climate along the Andes mountains that is perfect for growing that grape. But the wine was a bit of a let down as well. The bottle must have been from young grapes because while it was very floral and fruity and was not very complex. It also seemed that it was going slightly bad because the wine had a hint of champagne bubbliness. And furthering my disappointment, there were flashes of Manischewitz Passover wine as I sipped it.

However, the staff at the Mission Oak Grill was very pleasant, accommodating and attentive. And the food came out quickly, which might explain the cold veggies with the lamb dish. I don’t think there is another steak house in the immediate area, so we hope that they get things sorted out and eventually improve the quality of their entrees, as well as select a new pinot noir.

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