12 Mile Meal Features Three Area Restaurants

From time to time 12 Mile Meal will feature some area farms, restaurants and food shops that are trying to promote the local economy by using locally grown ingredients and products. In this post we will feature three area restaurants that are using locally grown produce in their cuisine: Bistro Les Gras, Jake’s and Johnny’s Tavern.

Bistro Les Gras at 25 West Street in Northampton is one of the best examples of how to use locally and regionally produced ingredients. Chef Daniel Martinez and his wife Elizabeth have made a wonderful dining destination for all lovers of French cuisine and anyone interested in dining out while supporting local farmers and local cheese makers. One would be hard pressed to find a restaurant anywhere that can match the use of local ingredients prepared to such a level of fine French food.

On a recent Tuesday evening I stopped in to try out their Tusday Night Flight which features three taste glasses of wine every week for $5.00. The wines on this particular Tuesday were French wines: a light, bright and sparkly Lucien Albrecht Cremant d’Asace Blanc de Blanes Brut; a devine, fresh and rich Maison Roche de Bellene Bourgogne VV 2009 and a deep, dark and delicious Chateau St Eulalie Minervois 2009.

In addition to their regular menu of sustainable French cuisine that changes with the seasons and features nightly special additions, Bistro Les Gras has a lovely bar menu. I ordered two dishes from the bar menu, the poutine and the champignon persilles. Both were delightful hand made disihes from scratch that accompanied the wine flight quite well. I look forward to my next visit and encourage you to make Bristro Les Gras your next dining destination.

Jake’s at 17 King Street in downtown Northampton is an old favorite with a whole new staff and menu. Some old regulars might still be grumbling about the changes but most would agree that Jake’s revamped space and menu are welcomed and frankly overdue.

New owners and chefs Chris Ware and Alex Washut are not only bringing in more and more locally and regionally produced ingredients to their somewhat southern influenced cuisine, but they too are locally produced as they grew up together in Florence and have been best friends since kindergarten up at Ryan Road School.

These two creative young men have worked in a variety of establishments both in and out of the Pioneer Valley but have teamed up at their “new” Jake’s to create delightfully simple yet, flavorful dishes that are bright, yummy and brought to you by a young and charming crew of happy staffers. They feature daily breakfast specials including a daily hash and for lunch a daily soup and sandwich special. They have even brought back the wonderful Jake’s late night on the weekend that everyone who loves to dance missed and is thrilled has returned.

Johnny’s Tavern at 30 Boltwood Walk in Amherst is a wonderfully appointed restaurant that has just opened. Walk in and immedialtey you will feel at home in this smartly designed space that is decorated tastefully and is matched beautifully with the fresh and exciting cuisine created by chef Bryan Graham.

At Johnny’s Tavern or JT’s you will find a fresh selection of draft beer, festive cocktails and fine wines. Both the lunch and dinner menus offer a wide selection of expertly designed appetizers, salads, flatbreads and entrees and nicely priced between $5.00 and $18.00 with most plates at around $9.00.

The menu is featuring as much local ingredients as it can at this time of year but the chef and ownership are committed to expanding the use of local foods as the seasons change. The menu indicates a flexible intension so as to make room for specials and variance by having a daily risotto as well as chef’s choice soup. My wife and I have been to this brand new restaurant twice already in its first two weeks of opporation and I strongly recommend that you make a trip there soon, before it’s too crowded to get in as I know this place will catch on quickly with a very smart Pionner Valley public.

Please take some time in the coming weeks to check out these three very different but equally delightful restaurants that are making the commitment to local food, farms and economy. And get busy making your next 12 Mile Meal. It’s for you to do!