Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
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TASTE The oysters Rockefeller features bivalves raised exclusively for the hotel. THE PEARL OF THE MENU Visitors come for Ocean House's amazing selection of fresh seafood. LEFT: The peach tarte is made from locally harvested fruit. continued from page 64 and Albana has flavors of peach, almond, and soft lemon." Seasons's chef de cuisine Paul Pearson works closely with Janice McEachen, Ocean House's resident food forager, who sources ingredients from neighboring farms and farmers markets as well as the hotel's own farm. Pearson's menu, which changes often, takes full advantage of the summer harvest: tomatoes, corn, asparagus, and squash, plus the seasonal catch from Rhode Island waters—ahi tuna, swordfish, and striped bass along with Point Judith scallops and calamari. Pearson garnishes the hotel's oysters with cucumber and Champagne granita; his version of peach Melba is a terrine of foie gras and local peaches on vanilla cake with pickled raspberries and a vanilla reduction. And French breakfast radish is presented on a flat rock from nearby Misquamicut Beach. The emphasis on seasonality extends to the bar and dessert menus. Fresh herbs, picked daily from a garden next to the croquet court, make their way into cocktails, like the Four Islands Lemonade made with South Kingstown–distilled Loyal 9 vodka, rosemaryand-lemon-infused simple syrup, and lemon juice, topped with a sprig of rosemary. And throughout the summer, Executive Pastry Chef Adam Young uses Hugh Jackman locally harvested fruit in his confections. and Taylor Swift have It's farm to table, table to bed, happily. stayed at the Ocean House, 1 Bluff Ave., Watch Hill, RI, top-rated Ocean House. 401-584-7000; oceanhouseri.com BC 66 Ocean House now boasts its very own oyster. The Ocean House Select oyster is this summer's newest addition to the menu. A joint project of Salt Water Farms in North Kingstown and the hotel, the oysters are raised in the East Passage of Narragansett Bay, near Aquidneck Island, an area known for its strong, plankton-rich tides. The Ocean House Select, grown exclusively for the resort, has a two- to two-and-a-half-inch round shell, a plump, sweet body, and briny liquor. It's excellent with spicy cocktail sauce, Champagne mignonette, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, or slurped right out of the shell, just as it is. FORAGING AHEAD Janice McEachen is on a mission to source the freshest ingredients for Ocean House's kitchens. "I have the most amazing job," says Ocean House food forager Janice McEachen. Each morning, she visits neighboring farms and farmers markets looking for ingredients to be cooked in the hotel's kitchens. She brings back the freshest vegetables, fruits, poultry, fish, and meats as well as eggs, cheeses, jams, and candies from more than two-dozen local farmers and growers. Avondale Farm, Ocean House's privately owned farm, recently installed two hives and planted a small orchard, so McEachen hopes to harvest honey and apples this fall. She also hosts afternoon cooking classes, tastings, and seminars—like the one on how to taste and shuck oysters—for food-loving resort visitors. PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF OCEAN HOUSE (DISHES, MCEACHEN); LARRY BUSACCA/WIRE IMAGE (SWIFT); JON KOPALOFF/FILMMAGIC (JACKMAN) ABOVE: BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 064-066_BC_SC_SMD_SUM13.indd 66 6/10/13 1:45 PM