Cuttalossa Inn

The view from this Lumberville restaurant, listed on the National Register of Historic places, is alone worth the price of a meal.

By: Amy Brummer

   Anticipating a crowd at the famously beautiful Cuttalossa Inn on a Friday evening, or a party in one of its several dining rooms, I called ahead to make a reservation. The 18th-century mill property, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is a fusion of Bucks County stonework and fairy tale enchantment.
   A heavy, soaking rain had been hanging around the day we visited, so we weren’t able to enjoy the lovely terrace. We were seated in the small dining area overlooking the waterfall — a cozy, casual room with windows running through it.
   We looked over the wine list — a mix of local, domestic and imported red, white and sparkling ranging from $30 to $220 — and chose a glass of house Chianti ($7) and a Grey Goose martini ($8). There were no specials save for a garlic crab bisque, so we took a moment to peruse the regular menu.
   The classic continental cuisine is fairly straightforward, but we noticed immediately that the prices were high, with starters other than soup ($4.50-$5.50) and house salad ($8.95) running $12.95 to $16.95, and entrées between $22.95 and $42.95. Entrées come with a salad, vegetable and rolls, and we particularly liked the cranberry nut bread that was tucked in with the caraway seed rolls.
   As we enjoyed our drinks, I kept getting lost in the lushness of the view and the rhythm of the waterfall cascading past the rock retaining walls. The rain outside only made the scene richer and more succulent; the juicy green leaves, a golden yew and a red maple all popping out against the gray sky and stone.
   Even when our appetizers arrived, it was hard to pull away from its tranquility. The one appetizer my partner was most interested in, a tuna wrap with plum and wasabi sauce ($15.95), was not available that evening, so a special request — an appetizer-sized shrimp scampi ($12.95) — was our substitute. I had been interested in the scallop and shrimp scampi ($26.95) as my entrée, but decided against it as I went with scallops wrapped in bacon from the rather short appetizer menu.
   Both starters were good with minor comments — the silken garlic sauce on the shrimp minimized the fact that they were a bit overcooked; and the scallops, which were delightfully sweet, savory, smoky and juicy, had a strange dollop of honey mustard sauce that added nothing to a dish with several pure, well-rounded flavors. Our salads were light and tasty, a mix of crispy romaine and field greens topped with an herb vinaigrette and a few mandarin oranges.
   For our entrées, we knew the specialty of the inn to be the Crab Imperial ($25.95), a rich, creamy dish spiked with sherry. The menu also includes several dishes (veal, salmon, filet) prepared "Oscar" style, which is topped with the Crab Imperial. We chose the filet Oscar ($42.95) because we wanted to sample both the beef preparation and the best dish. We also chose the breast of duck ($27.95) from a short list that includes rack of lamb ($32.95), chicken caprice ($22.95), swordfish pizzaiola ($27.95) and portabella mushrooms ($24.95).
   There was a little lag between the salads and the entrées, but overall our service was professional and efficient and I got the sense that the server had worked there for years. The inn has been under the same ownership for more than 20 years, and it has a well-worn charm, though we felt the menu could use some updating.
   It’s not that traditional classics don’t have their place in contemporary cuisine, but to maintain their appeal they must be executed very well. We found that while the Crab Imperial that topped the filet was deliciously complex, the filet was flavorless and oddly tough, though it was cooked to medium rare as requested. The duck, presented on a piece of brown bread, was tough from overcooking, and the cherry sauce it came with was completely sucked up by the bread. The green beans that accompanied both dishes were barely more than blanched, and leaned more toward raw than al dente. They were tossed in a delightful pesto that would have been wonderful with the right dish.
   A slice of walnut pie ($9), accompanied by a cup of mint tea ($2) and an exceptionally creamy espresso ($4), was a passable dessert, more sweet than flavorful, though the accompanying scoop of ice cream offset some of the sugariness.
   Throughout the meal, we were continually charmed by our surroundings and the view alone is worth the price of the meal. We would gladly return, probably for brunch because it would be the perfect place to have brie and asparagus omelet ($8.50) or quiche du jour ($11.95) on the terrace at this verdant hideaway.