I’ve been hearing about the Community Table in Washington, CT for months (and months) from various friends and acquaintances. They figured a locavore like me would have been there, but, you know, a 40 minute drive, busy with work, mumble, mumble…but I ran out of excuses when Maria Miranda was singing its praises and asked me what I thought of it. So, we (Sophie and Cecelia) made a bee-line to Community Table for brunch on our way to pursuing our 2011 Passport quest in the area.
Well, if I had known it was going to be this good, I would have cleared my calendar sooner. Chef Joel Viehland is everything a locavore wants from a chef. Imagine eating at a restaurant where the menu features the source of the ingredients. Their food supplier listing has a lot in common with mine!
So, you probably want to know about the food. It was an outstanding meal. The dishes were as tasty as they were beautiful.
I had the Poached Eggs with Grilled Asparagus Bearnaise with roasted tomatoes and cured ham. Delicious.
Cecelia had the Scandanavian Breakfast Board with a soft boiled egg, toast, cheese, cured meat, preserves, and butter. The preserves are homemade.
We also had a cherry scone, cardamom roll, and French pressed coffee.
As you can see, the presentation is exquisite and the freshness jumps off the plate. The prices are well in-line with the quality of food.
The place has an IKEA-like decor (in the best sense of neat, clean, and orderly), no doubt influenced by Chef Joel’s time in Scandinavia. The building also has a number of environmentally friendly features.
Even the tables are local! The large community table is made by Alfred Brown of Warren, CT from a Black Walnut tree from Kent, CT. The smaller tables were made from the Black Walnut trees from the restaurant’s property.
According to their menu:
The mission of the Community Table is to prepare the highest quality locally grown and procured ingredients to serve our community in a casual atmosphere.
I would say: Mission Accomplished!
On the way back to the car, we see Chef Joel weeding in the gardens, where he’s growing berries among other things. It just keeps getting better.