Berkshire Bound

I’ve been traveling a lot lately – back to back trips – first to Las Vegas, Nevada to attend a conference and then to Galveston, Texas to help run a conference. This resulted in being out of town, away from my husband, our two dogs and my very comfy bed for two weeks. Hub (AKA the Husband) picked me up at the airport and we stopped at home long enough for me to shower and then we headed out to grab some dinner. Leaving Hub home alone for over a week meant there was very little to choose from in the fridge.

We decided to try out Nudel because it was close to home and a friend had been singing their praises to us for a while now. Nudel is located at 37 Church Street in Lenox, Massachusetts. It’s the off season so they only serve dinner Tuesday through Sunday 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm, closed on Mondays. They operate on a first come, first serve basis and don’t take reservations. It’s small but cozy. When we arrived we were told by the hostess that there was a bit of a wait while they turned over some tables. She said 20 minutes so we moved down to the bar area but the wait was more like 10 or 15 minutes at the most.  Nudel has an open kitchen so we watched the two chefs work while we waited, which was fun. Hub mentioned that he would have liked to have eaten at the bar so we could watch the chefs but unfortunately there was only one seat available so we agreed it would have to wait until our next visit.

We were seated in a little nook and got down to business – the menu. They don’t have a full bar, only wine and some micro brews. I ordered the Tre Terre Chardonnay and Hub had a Southern Tier 2x Milk Stout. We decided to start with an appetizer, the Jalapeno “Popper” Tacos. When it arrived we were surprised to see that they had been nice enough to split the tacos on to two plates. We didn’t ask for that, so it was a plus in my book that they took the time to do that for us. It’s the little things, the attention to details that count. The tacos had Almond Romesco sauce, refried beans, cheddar cheese, cilantro and slaw. We each had one taco and agreed they were quite tasty! Next up were our entrees. I had the Orecchiette with Pork Sausage, Red Pepper flakes, Green Olives, White Beans and Broccoli. I’ve had similar dishes to this but never with the addition of the green olives. It was a nice added touch. The meal was light and flavorful, which was perfect after my long day of traveling and enjoying nothing but salted peanuts and Kettle Style Chex mix. Hub had the Bacon Poached Montauk Spanish Mackerel with Split Pea Risotto, Ham and an Apple Slaw. I think he was sold at the word Bacon! Anyhow, he also said his meal was good. I sampled a bit of everything on his plate so I could describe it in more detail than “good.”  The Mackerel was nice, I had never had it before so wasn’t sure what to expect but I liked it! The Risotto was AMAZING! I could have just eaten a big bowl of that – yum! It was creamy and had just the right amount of pea flavor. I think the Apple Slaw had curry in it, which I love but Hub isn’t a big curry fan so he didn’t rave about it like I did but he did say the combo of a scoop of the risotto with a scoop of slaw was the way to go.

By the end, we were quite full and happy and I was ready to crash! We’ll definitely be going back to Nudel. They change up the menu quite frequently, I think every day, and they post links to their updated menus on Twitter and Facebook. I added them to keep up to date because I found their food to be very intriguing and creative. The restaurant is small so I think arriving early or going during the week is your best bet if you don’t like to wait. We don’t mind waiting and will usually have a cocktail if it’s going to be a while. This gives us a chance to relax and take in the atmosphere. Everyone at Nudel was very friendly and cheerful. As far as pricing, small plates or appetizers are $10, pasta dishes are $20 and entrees are $25. Wines by the glass ranged from $5 to $9 and the beers were $5.

If you’re interested in learning more about Nudel here are their links:

http://nudelrestaurant.com/

@NudelRestaurant

Nudel on Facebook