A classic building produces space for a classic establishment.
The old Victorian train station in Laconia once served as the hub of the area’s commercial action and, in the 1990s, was the site of the Black Cat cigar bar, the city’s first up-scale café.
Now it’s the right location for a unique new Lakes Region restaurant named Local Eatery. Chef-owner Kevin Halligan has an exceptional vision: to use, as much as possible, only locally produced foods. Fruits and vegetables from places like Beans and Greens Farm in Gilford, dairy products from the Meredith Center Dairy, meats from PT Farm in North Haverhill, seafood from the Portsmouth Lobster Co... All are grown, harvested and/or processed in farms and other establishments that are as close as possible and many are organically raised. So the flavors are sharp and fresh. And Halligan’s dishes are smart and creative, taking full advantage of the "local" flavor.
We began with a basket of fresh bread baked at the nearby Village Bakery, served with a small dish of olive oil sprinkled with Parmesan cheese for dipping. A strong beginning. Our appetizers were fresh fried pumpkin ravioli served with butternut squash, and pan seared diver scallops wrapped in salty bacon with coconut curry. Both were delightful, imaginative and delicious.
The comfortable, serene atmosphere was perfect for enjoying a petite blue wine from Hermit Woods Winery in Sanbornton: sweet but surprisingly mature. The salad was a wonderful mix of local greens, cherry tomatoes, onions, sliced apples and spiced pecans.
Local Eatery is the latest star at the old
Victorian train station in Laconia.
My entrée was a sizable and rich New York sirloin strip, cooked perfect - slightly rare - with a complimentary garlic taste, and served with particularly sweet candied carrots and wonderful roasted potatoes.
Super Spouse enjoyed a plate of fried haddock served with a smooth tartar sauce and capers. The fish coating was crisp and flavorful while the homegrown french fried potatoes virtually screamed “home-grown."
Both dishes were hearty, much larger than what's passes for a meal at most fine restaurants these days.
For dessert, a pumpkin creme brulee: the hot sugary coating, the dreamy, cool, smooth custard… Perhaps the best dessert we’ve ever had in the Lakes Region. (And that's saying something, knowing the local affection for sweets.)
We ended with a cup of hot coffee form the Woodshed Roasting Co. of Gilford and a cranberry biscotti from the Village Bakery. Halligan has done little advertising but on an early weeknight in the fall, his little restaurant was filling up quickly. “We’re getting a good reputation,” he said.
“‘Best food I’ve had in years, best food I’ve ever had,’ people say that.. They’re dying for something like this.”
Not only “dying,” but also living. The New Hampshire Farm to Restaurant Connection recently certified Local Eatery with its highest score ever recorded, he said.
