Fieldstone Grill Review [Workshop Draft]

When the cup of chicken soup arrives, it rests atop a lace doily. Unfortunately, the journey from the kitchen to the table was not a gentle one, and whatever this presentation was intended to communicate has been lost to the sea of soup that now sits in the saucer, drowning both the doily and the handle of the soup spoon.

The Fieldstone Grill seems to have a habit of hiding its attempts at a fine-dining aesthetic. The red and white exterior looks more like a barn than a restaurant, while the patio could be confused for an outdoor food court / picnic area, not unlike one you might find at a museum or zoo. The interior, however, while somewhat cavernous in the center (the peak of the “barn”), is a warmly lit, quiet space, sparely and tastefully decorated. The large fireplace, built from the titular fieldstones, manages to be impressive without making the place feel like a ski lodge. The large windows along the back wall provide a pleasant view of the adjacent wetlands. Back outside, the patio chairs turn out to be more comfortable than they look, and the view, again, makes for a surprisingly pleasant seating area.

The food, however, suggests that the view from the parking lot is, in fact, the more truthful representation. Chef Jason McClellan is described as an “old soul,” which apparently means that he cooks with the deteriorating taste buds of the elderly in mind. Whatever flavors might be in the chicken soup are overpowered by the uncharacteristic spiciness. The ravioli with vodka cream sauce is certainly ravioli, and the sauce certainly contains cream, but any further deductions as to the ingredients of the dish are difficult, if not impossible. The salmon and the perch are distinguishable only in that one is dry, lightly seasoned, and the other is slathered in butter, as are the soft, easy to chew green beans that accompany it. One wonders if the cold, flavorless mashed potatoes were added to the plate simply for texture.

The desserts can be comprehensively described simply as “various forms of sugar.” The triple-berry cobbler tastes like spongy bread pudding whose sweetness is probably from some sort of berry. The tiramisu is both sweeter than tiramisu usually is, and disgracefully bland. What is the point of serving tiramisu that's almost indistinguishable from the spongy, grey cobbler? The flourless chocolate cake is certainly chocolate, but dispel from your mind images of traditional Italian flourless cakes, baked with almonds and perhaps dusted with powdered sugar. This is simply melted chocolate, with a consistency somewhere between pudding and fudge. Admittedly, the vanilla ice cream served with each of the desserts is not disappointing, but, with the exception of the cake, it would have been better on its own.

It should be noted that these foods are from Fieldstone Grill's special Mother's Day menu. Lacking from said menu are many of the appetizers, salads, and entrees from the regular menu, as well as all of the burgers, sandwiches, and pizza. Meanwhile, the four-cheese ravioli with sausage vodka cream sauce has been downgraded to three cheeses, sans sausage. The salmon, previously hailing from the Mediterranean, is now decidedly American, chargrilled and served with (surprisingly tasty) dumplings. The Mother's Day menu seems less special, more rip-off, especially at $25 per meal plus appetizers and drinks a la carte.

The Fieldstone Grill is a series of conflicts: a jaunty menu with less-than-jaunty prices; fancy food with basic flavor; a barn housing a restaurant; a soup-soaked doily. It is up to them to resolve these conflicts. Much easier to resolve is the conflict of whether or not eat there.