The Alchemist & Barrister

Creativity and talent is alive in the kitchen of this Princeton restaurant-row fixture. With an eclectic pub menu (available throughout the restaurant), attractive casual garden patio and upscale fine-dining rooms, many options are offered.

By: Faith Bahadurian

   PRINCETON’S Witherspoon Street has become quite a restaurant row in recent years. The Alchemist & Barrister has been a downtown fixture for a good 25 years, long appreciated as one of Princeton’s most popular bars — the "Cheers" of Princeton, I’ve heard some say.
   Founded by, you guessed it, a chemist and a lawyer, the A&B, as it is affectionately known, now includes four partners, including chef Arthur Kukoda, a partner for the last seven of his 13 years at the restaurant. After stints at Johnson & Wales, the highly respected culinary school, and the renowned Rainbow Room in New York City, Chef Kukoda seems quite happily settled in his Princeton digs.
   With an eclectic pub menu (available throughout the restaurant), attractive casual garden patio and upscale dining rooms, there are many options. The night of our visit, we ordered from the more upscale fine dining menu, but the pub menu will bring me back to try one of the daily Mexican specialties.
   The two dressier dining rooms have just been renovated and offer a pleasingly spare colonial style, with carpeting, brass lighting fixtures, tasteful framed art and mirrors, and soothing white walls above dark wainscoting. Soft music might have added a sense of privacy for conversation, but overall we were pleased to be in a room that wasn’t too noisy. As we exited through the adjacent room after dinner, we realized that room contained a boisterous party, and we’d happily heard none of it.

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

The dining rooms offer a spare colonial style, with carpeting, brass lighting fixtures, tasteful framed art and mirrors, and soothing white walls above dark wainscoting.

   Shortly after seating, a basket of good bread arrived at our table. I’m not always in the mood to gnaw my way through hard crusts and chewy interiors; sometimes tender bread with a gentler crust is more pleasing, as was the case here. We had some questions about the menu, and our server proved to be pleasant and well informed.
   From appetizer options (all $10) that included Indonesian satay and portabella au poivre, we chose a hot seafood dip and special fried oysters. The very good dip contained Maryland lump crab, lots of perky gulf shrimp, Gouda cheese and creamed spinach, all in a round of focaccia surrounded by toasted pita chips. The fried oysters with corn and tomato relish and horseradish cream were disappointingly overcooked. The seasonings in the coating had turned harsh, overpowering the somewhat dry oysters within. An accompanying fresh tasting relish was good, however, and its juiciness perked up the oysters.
   For my entrée, I ordered the shrimp and scallops ($25) and eagerly polished off every bite. The dish consisted of several perfectly cooked large scallops and shrimp, and a thin but also perfectly cooked slab of tuna, propped up against delicious lobster mashed potatoes. This was accented by roasted tomato, all on a pool of light lemony sauce with capers and olives — just delicious and very pretty on the plate.
   Pan-roasted filet mignon ($32), set on a lump-crab red-potato hash with red-wine sauce, was hit and miss. Meat was ordered medium-well; it arrived more medium-rare, but that turned out to be fine for my companion (sometimes the chef knows best). The filet had good flavor and tenderness, however the potatoes were extremely salty and the sauce, though attractive with diced carrots and green beans, tasted more like beef bouillon than wine.
   On another visit, I’d like to try the wasabi-panko crusted filet of salmon, the medallions of veal tenderloin, or the roasted vegetable and black bean Wellington.

Staff photo by Frank Wojciechowski

   From a small but not humdrum wine list, I chose a glass of Clos du Bois Sauvignon Blanc ($6.75) to accompany my entrée. It was crisp, but with enough body to hold up to the richness of the seafood. All the typical bar choices are available, including a large selection of beers the A&B particularly prides itself on.
   Desserts ($8) beckoned. We tried the lemon torte, a geometrically shaped serving of fluffy lemon mousse, and the opera cake. Both were good, the lemon nicely tart, but I especially liked the mixed textures in the dark chocolate mocha ganache and hazelnut layers of the opera cake.
   We also enjoyed espresso ($2.75) and cappuccino ($3.50), although I passed on the desiccated sliver of lemon peel set next to my espresso cup.
   At present, the kitchen at the A&B is turning out some very good and some more average dishes for the restaurant’s upscale dining menu. Our dinner for two came to $112 without tip, and for that it needs a bit more consistency to keep up with other restaurant options on the street. There’s some real talent and creativity in the kitchen, though, and with a little fine-tuning, the Alchemist & Barrister should continue to hold its time-honored place on Princeton’s restaurant row.
For directions to The Alchemist & Barrister, click here.