hazelnut kitchen featured in the Ithaca Journal

May 14th, 2007

New T-burg restaurant Hazelnut Kitchen creates unique dishes with local fare

Originally published Monday, May 14, 2007, in The Ithaca Journal. By Henry Stark.

The proprietors of the Simply Red restaurant on East Main Street in Trumansburg have moved their restaurant north about 15 miles to Sheldrake Point. The building owners have taken advantage of the vacant space to bring in some new kitchen equipment, rearrange the dining room, paint the ceiling, and hire a new staff. They are also now able to live their passion: owning and operating their own restaurant. On April 5, Jonah and Christina McKeough opened the doors to the Hazelnut Kitchen, a wonderful bistro-type establishment serving creative variations of American food. As Jonah says, "American cuisine is, by definition, multi-ethnic and it gives me lots of latitude."

The enthusiastic thirty-somethings met as students at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. Christina was from Buffalo, Jonah from Philadelphia. After they married, they lived in Philadelphia, working in restaurants, while trying to find the right circumstances to open a restaurant of their own. But, as Christina relates, "Philadelphia is expensive, it's hard to get a liquor license, and we were raising a family." (Speaking of family, their two-year old daughter, Evelyn, has been somewhat responsible for the name, Hazelnut. It turns out that one of the Olde English meanings of Evelyn is Hazelnut - who knew?) The owners were familiar with the Ithaca-Trumansburg region and had spent time camping at Taughannock Falls State Park. Last September they bought the building at 53 East Main Street and inherited Simply Red as a tenant. When that lease ended, they saw an opportunity to follow their own concept of what a restaurant should be. Christina describes it; "Our idea is to use the freshest possible ingredients grown by local farmers, to use them seasonally, and to revise the menu monthly."

This enables me to give my vegetarian correspondents some good news. Hazelnut Kitchen is not one of those restaurants that goes through the motions of appearing to cater to vegetarians by offering a vegetable soup and a variety of salads. Each monthly menu features a true vegetarian entrée and there is always a daily vegetarian special. On our last visit the entrée was a vegetable tartine with oil-cured olive puree, royal trumpet mushrooms, leeks, sautéed greens, and feta cheese for $12. I tried it. It was "meaty" and beautifully seasoned. The daily special was a layered vegetable gratin with a scallion puree, Quinoa, (a grain) and baby squash. We also sampled a white bean and asparagus soup with truffle oil that was thick and hearty and loaded with beans and asparagus. In addition there were five meatless salads on the menu priced around $6.

OK, let's move on to omnivore fare. A calamari appetizer served with spinach leaves, radicchio, red onion and a white bean salad dressed with sherry vinegar was succulent. The squid was more tender than a squid had any right to be and the vinegar was not bitter as some vinegar dressings often are. The hazelnut name is incorporated on a smattering of offerings. I sampled some hazelnut encrusted sea scallops which were cooked to a point of tenderness that I associate with their smaller bay scallop cousins. Accompanying the scallops was tasty basil pasta and a generous portion of seasonal grilled asparagus. My wife ordered, and thoroughly enjoyed, a "Crispy confit of duck served with a warm bacon vinaigrette and polenta fries." I didn't find the duck to be crispy but it was fork-tender like a confit should be and the bacon bits and polenta provided a perfect complement.

The cute little breadbasket comes with Ithaca Bakery treats, and the butter is mixed with fresh chives. The silverware doesn't match nor do the chairs or the tables - all features that appeal to me. There were a half dozen original desserts. Wine and beer offerings are also off the beaten path and excellent.

What else can I say? Oh, to maintain my credibility as an impartial reviewer, if I find something that I don't appreciate, I don't hesitate to mention it. So, here goes: From time to time, as I lifted my fork, my right forearm brushed against the edge of the paper tablecloth cover!!! Undaunted, I pressed onward and went on to enjoy one of the most satisfying meals I've had in a long time. I was well aware that the freshness of the ingredients, quality of the cooking, cheerfulness of the serving staff, and the very reasonable prices prompted me to favorably compare Hazlenut Kitchen with many of its Ithaca competitors. It is definitely worth the short drive!

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