Kindred Fare: A Spirited Cookery
We had a family wedding in North Carolina this year and missed our annual trip to Nantucket. While we had a fabulous time touring Asheville and visiting with our family, it was one of those jam-packed long weekends where you are too busy to sit back and decompress for a little bit. One of my favorite parts of our trips away is that moment when you are sitting at a new restaurant and everything is different. There aren't any familiar faces and you can look at the environment with fresh eyes and feel like you are truly getting away from it all. When we can't get away for an extended period of time, trying to venture outside of our typical ten-mile radius gives me that same feeling.
Chris and I were invited to dine at Kindred Fare in Geneva last weekend and we welcomed the opportunity to take a date night road trip. From the moment we walked into the restaurant and saw the woodwork, open kitchen, and beautiful bar located in the center of the dining room, we knew that we were in for a fantastic culinary evening. With a focus on locally sourced produce and meats and sustainably sourced fish and seafood, everything from the craft cocktails to the breads and sausages made in house is thoughtfully prepared. Honestly, I was hooked when I saw local rosé and kombucha on tap! We took seats at the bar and enjoyed delicious seasonal cocktails. With a Springtime for Lafayette for me and an Indecisive Ish for Chris, we were able to relax at the bar and check out the crowd before sitting at our table.
Chris and I often talk about how important it is to have great service at a restaurant, and we truly appreciate when excellent service is a priority. Food can be tricky and there will always be off days or produce that isn't quite at its peak and that is to be expected. Attentive servers and a focus on having a pleasurable experience will always have us giving a restaurant another shot. We hit the jackpot with our server Jude! He was knowledgeable, engaging and ensured that we had a wonderful meal.
We started with the "Ploughman" section of the menu and ordered The Feast that included local cheeses, duck liver pate with honey and pistachios, duck confit rillettes with a cumin and apricot glaze, and green garlic pork sausage served with bread and crackers. The crackers were amazing, and the duck liver pate and rillettes managed to be both luxuriously rich and light at the same time. Chris knew he was ordering the Crispy Buttermilk Fried Chicken with house pickles and honey hot sauce the moment he looked at the menu, but I had a harder time choosing. Thankfully, Jude suggested the Pan Seared Nantucket Scallops with heirloom tomatoes, summer squash, and poppyseed cauliflower puree paired with a crisp white wine. I finally got my little bit of Nantucket for the summer! The scallops were seared perfectly, and the vegetables gave a savory edge to the sweetness of the scallops. The fried chicken was hot and crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and the honey hot sauce tied it all together and had us scraping the plate for more.
Our meal ended with a chocolate ginger cream Creme Brulee with a chocolate ginger cookie and a vanilla custard Brazilian Pave with blackberries. The desserts were decadent and delectable. The Brazilian Pave was our favorite of the two and I think that Chris and I fought with our spoons for who was going to get to enjoy most of the rich and creamy dessert.
If you find yourself in need of a local getaway, we highly recommend heading to Kindred Fare in Geneva. While we had a fantastic date night, there were plenty of families in the dining room and a kid’s menu that will please even the pickiest of eaters. We are always looking for fun adventures with the kids and now we have the perfect place for dinner afterwards. Thank you to Max, the Executive Chef, for his culinary creations, Brian, for mixing up crafty cocktails, Jude, for taking great care of us during our visit, and all of the Kindred Fare team for a wonderful evening.
