My spouse and I dined at
Curious Goods at the Bake Oven Inn for dinner on a Saturday evening in early
October 2019. Curious Goods is open for dinner on Tuesdays through Sundays as
well as for brunch on Sundays (closed Mondays). We telephoned the day prior to
our visit to make a reservation, which was necessary because the restaurant was
fully committed.
Curious Goods is located in the
late-1800s two-story farmhouse building that was the former Bake Oven Inn. It
is operated by a husband-and-wife team, with the man serving as chef and the
woman managing the front-of-house. Patrons can choose to dine at the tiny
10-seat bar (which offers a more casual pub menu in addition to the regular fine
dining menu), or in the main L-shaped dining room that seats about 60 patrons.
On the night that we visited, one end of L held a big table for a large party
of 10+ diners, affording them a bit more privacy than if they had been seated
in the main space. In this 125-year old farmhouse, diners are seated in what
was originally the living and dining spaces. Décor is minimal, with terracotta-colored
walls holding light sconces and accented with white trim and molding. Framed
photographs hanging on the walls are available for purchase. Because of the
historic nature of the property, it may be difficult for mobility-challenged
folks to dine (two steps are required to enter the bar room (although there may
be a more accessible entrance) and restrooms are tiny.
Curious Goods serves
farm-to-table international cuisine, sourcing many of its ingredients from
nearby farms. As we perused the menu, our server delivered fresh bread (baked
in a flowerpot for a novel presentation) along with whipped butter and garlic
oil. Our server also delivered an amuse bouche from the chef, which was a
salmon rillette on the night that we dined (salmon spread on a thin round
crostini). We shared one of the night’s starter specials, a crab and lobster
gallette, light and airy and eggy, perched on some arugula and accented with
whole grain mustard. As our main dishes, we ordered the scallops (deliciously
accompanied by crab risotto and yellow-and-green beans) and one of the nightly
specials, sauerbrauten (served with red cabbage and spaetzle). For dessert, we ordered the tres leches
(interestingly plated with whipped cream, pretzels, nuts, and chocolate
drizzle) and the night’s special dessert, Polish apple szarlotka (somewhat similar
to an apple pie, this dessert was filled with thinly sliced layered apples,
topped with a thin cake-y layer, and served with cinnamon whipped cream); having
recently traveled to Poland, we could not resist trying this dish. Service was
excellent, both from our competent waitress as well as from the helpful young
lady who constantly refilled our water glasses and cleared our table.
We enjoyed our dinner at
Curious Goods at the Bake Oven Inn, and we will certainly return.
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