In a vintage building with rustic charm, unfussy but innovative seasonal cuisine delights the palate while reasonably priced wines infuse the soul.
By: Tom and Kate O’Neill
Sergeantsville is a picturesque, 18th century crossroads village in Hunterdon County. At the center of town stands the Sergeantsville Inn, created from two vintage buildings. One houses the Covered Bridge Lounge, the inn’s roomy tavern. Spread out through the other building, long since attached to its neighbor, are the fine dining rooms, the intimate Library Room, the Wine Cellar and, upstairs, the Wyeth Room, its dark stone walls lightened by Andrew Wyeth prints. This building once was the town ice house and dates to the early 1700s. Original stone fireplaces are in use in several of the rooms, and the lighting throughout is a romantic chiaroscuro.
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Sergeantsville Inn |
The rustic tavern is inviting in its own, less formal way and offers the fine dining menu as well as simpler fare. We have visited the inn regularly over the past 20 years and always found it polished and pleasant. Since 1999, the inn has been owned by Joe and Sandy Clyde, and it continues the tradition of fine cuisine and excellent service, but with a friendlier ambience and more genuine welcome. This is a wonderful place to spend a leisurely evening, and the prices are reasonable enough that no one who enjoys good food need save it for a special occasion.
The unfussy but innovative seasonal cuisine complements the country-inn setting. In late spring, the menu listed 16 entrées, including two game selections: pan-seared pheasant ($26) and venison ($24). Mid-June brought a lighter, summer menu, offering an escolar-like Hawaiian whitefish, beer-marinated sirloin and new varieties of caviar. Vegetarians will be pleased with imaginative selections such as crispy marinated tofu stir-fry ($17), dal fry ($16) a yellow lentil stew with grilled vegetables and butternut squash tortelloni with sage butter cream sauce ($17). Dinner prices include either tomato bisque or the soup du jour and a simple green salad. The menu asserts that none of the items contain hormones or antibiotics. Additional specials are thoughtfully listed on a card at the table.
Portions are generous, both for appetizers and entrées. Carpaccio of filet mignon drizzled with porcini mushroom oil ($11) was transparently thin and meltingly tender. It was served with a chopped salad including arugula, capers, red onions and shaved locatelli cheese, with a fine, vinegary dressing that was an astringent yin to the buttery yang of the thin-sliced beef. In the blackened crab cake ($10) the full flavor of top-quality crabmeat stood up well to the spicy crust, all accented by the accompanying purée of roasted red pepper. Caesar salad ($5) was less successful, with mild-mannered sun-dried tomatoes falling short of success in the role assertively played by anchovies in the familiar Caesar recipe. The splurge of the evening worth every penny was applewood-smoked steelhead trout caviar ($36). The clear, orange eggs looked much like salmon roe and had a pronounced, enticingly sweet smokiness. It was served, as is customary, in its small (50-gram) tin, surrounded by toast points and condiments, including capers, crème fraiche, chopped onion and minced hardboiled egg. (Those really wanting to splurge can opt for American caviar with blinis and all the trimmings for $70. This is the malossol, or less salty type.)
Dayboat Chatham cod ($26) was fresh, flaky and moist, served with a light orange lobster sauce. It was accompanied by a pretty risotto cake enfolding chunks of lobster and firm, fresh peas. The dish was brightened with brilliant green, chipotle-accented olive oil. Salmon ($26) pan seared in a coating of blue cornmeal was served over jambalaya enlivened by red andouille sausage and crawfish. The jambalaya rice was firm and lightly flavored with cumin. A swordfish special ($30) was mild and light, though the accompanying creamy, herbed risotto was bland. One of the evening’s specials, rack of lamb ($28), was simply extraordinary. Encrusted with mustard and fresh herbs, the rack included eight meaty, seared chops, cooked rare-to-medium rare, precisely as ordered.
The dessert quality was as high as most of the entrées. Molten chocolate cake ($8.95) was the size of a cupcake, served with ice cream, raspberry coulis and whipped cream. A raspberry-infused custard filled the raspberry tart ($8.95), which was topped with a generous handful of the sweet, fresh berries.
We enjoyed the Saintsbury Pinot Noir from California’s Carneros region ($32) with the meal. It paired well with both the cod and the lamb. California wines dominate the list, but it ranges widely, offering vintages from every continent except Asia and Antarctica. Prices are reasonable, with 37 of the 55 whites costing less than $30, and even a Puligny-Montrachet for $59 (just $3 more than the price when we last reviewed the inn in 2003). The selection of 70 reds, with California well represented again, includes at least 30 bottles under $30. At the other end of the spectrum, a "reserve list" of about 20 pricier vintages is available, topping out with an Opus One at $175. In addition, a nice choice of 20 half-bottles is available, so a couple can easily enjoy different wines with appetizer and entrée. The quality of the wine list has been recognized by an award from the Wine Spectator for the past seven years.

