Perryville Inn

A lovely setting and exciting food expertly prepared and beautifully presented combine to place this historic inn among the growing roster of fine New Jersey restaurants.

By: Pat Tanner

   New Jersey is beginning to distinguish itself culinarily. A growing number of beautiful country inns serve refined, imaginative fare featuring the best American ingredients prepared by youngish Jersey-born chefs trained in classic French technique.
   The combination of country charm, American goodness and sophisticated execution has proven irresistible at places like the Tewksbury Inn, Restaurant Serenade in Chatham and, of course, the groundbreaking Ryland Inn in Whitehouse. Add to that list the Perryville Inn, located three miles west of Clinton near Route 78.
   Proprietors Lorraine and Paul Ingenito took over in 1998 and have transformed it from a quaint, sleepy place with ho-hum food to a destination restaurant. She runs the front of the house, despite having had two babies in the last two years, and he, a native of Basking Ridge, runs the kitchen.
   His credentials are impeccable: after graduating from the Culinary Institute of America, he worked with top chefs in New York City’s most illustrious restaurants, including Larry Forgione’s An American Place, the Russian Tea Room and Maxim’s.
   The setting of the Perryville Inn is totally appealing. The historic Federal-style brick inn dates to 1813 and has four working fireplaces. The larger of two dining rooms on the main floor is decorated simply with plain white walls that sport paintings, but the view of rolling lawn and greenery out of two large window walls upstages the paintings, as do the fireplaces in the cozy other rooms. Windsor chairs and oversize Williamsburg brass chandeliers maintain the historic feel.
   Although Mr. Ingenito calls his cuisine "country, with American roots," I respectfully disagree. While the menu features ingredients that could be considered American — buffalo, imported venison, lobster, American caviar, whipped potatoes, corn pancakes — the treatment is decidedly not rustic, and that is all to the good. We loved, for example, the appetizer of lobster medallions sandwiched between two discs of soft, intense, oven-dried tomato accompanied by a tangle of herbed angel hair pasta ($11), and another consisting of beautiful orange-pink rosettes of best-quality smoked salmon on diminutive corn pancakes, topped with the caviar and accompanied by a buttery avocado salad ($9.75).
   The wine list is equally sophisticated, and full of excellent choices at prices that are more than fair. We settled on two outstanding wines at bargain prices: a crisp and fruity Sauvignon Blanc from Sanford in California ($20) and a distinctive Merlot from Hogue Cellars of Washington state ($28). That our server, Todd, was highly articulate about these wines, which he had clearly tasted and relished, as well as the evening’s specials, only added to our enjoyment.
   Specials, by the way, are initially recited without prices, but then appear in written form with prices on the table. An entrée containing grilled onion rings and roasted garlic aioli might sound country, but not when those ingredients play second fiddle to soft-shell crab on toasted brioche with crisp pancetta and baby greens ($26.50). The sautéed crab provided that wonderful contrast of crispy outside and meltingly delicate inside, with the pancetta adding a salty-crisp accent.
   One dinner companion said the pepper-seared filet mignon ($26) was the tastiest rendition of that cut she has had in many years, and its winning accompaniments of crimini mushrooms, green beans and two kinds of potatoes — whipped and crispy waffle-cut — didn’t hurt none. While I was singing paeans to the crab, yet another tablemate swooned over the swordfish steak with its Mediterranean-style accents of bright green basil mashed potatoes and a warm vinaigrette of artichokes, roasted peppers and Calamata olives ($24.50).
   I applaud Chef Ingenito for specifying on the menu that the swordfish originated in California, since swordfish is severely over-fished in the Atlantic. Equally enjoyable was a pairing of a venison chop with buffalo filet mignon ($35), a special that included a crisp potato pancake, roasted root vegetables and black currant sauce. A second buffalo special featured a duo of seared boneless ribeye and buffalo "shepherd’s pie" ($36).
   There were a few missteps, however. An appetizer of pan-seared foie gras ($15) was memorable for its accompanying fresh mango salsa, but the tiny pillow of liver was too loose and liquid. Another of Texan farm-raised escargot ($11.50) was so overpowered by garlic butter that the snails and their wonderful-sounding accompaniment of angel hair pasta tossed with Michigan ramps were indistinguishable.
   No such glitches marred our dessert selection. We ordered the pastry chef’s Ring Ding ($8) as a joke — and then wound up wolfing down this authentic rendition of devil’s food, sweet cream and chocolate — a Ring Ding gone to heaven. Not as novel but just as good were a Granny Smith apple crumble ($6.50) and a daunting dish of ice cream cookies ($7). As if the three sandwiches of oatmeal, chocolate chip and gingerbread cookies with French vanilla ice cream weren’t enough, they were mounded into a blizzard of piped whipped cream which was then studded with walnuts. I challenge kids of any age to resist.
   A lovely setting in an historic inn, exciting food expertly prepared and beautifully presented, a smart and pocketbook-friendly wine list, and servers who are knowledgeable and enthusiastic combine to place the Perryville Inn among the growing roster of fine restaurants dotting our beautiful New Jersey countryside.
For directions to the Perryville Inn, click here.