The Nat. Porter Inn
125 Water Street
Warren
by Bob Mariani
Built in 1795 by Warren whaling Captain Samuel Martin, what was once the charming colonial landmark Nathanial Porter Inn, is now the new "Nat. Porter Restaurant," re-named and spruced up by new owners Nigel and Jennifer Vincent.
The early 18th century feel of an old colonial tavern has been beautifully maintained with original nautical murals, open fireplaces and wide-plank wood floors. The menu, which had always been good (if a bit predictable), is now shaping up into a list of exciting seasonal delights based on local flavors and resources.
Chef/owner Nigel Vincent was formerly Head Chef at the Vanilla Bean Café in Pomfret, CT. and trained under renowned chef, author and restaurateur, Chris Schlesinger of Westport’s Back Eddy Restaurant. Vincent describes the food at Nat. Porter as "…New England style because we draw from cuisines of the diverse local cultures." All the products used are hand-picked and absolutely fresh.
We began with some soups. Mine was the simple, straight-forward Clam Chowder. It was made with cream but extremely light and flavored aromatically with applewood-smoked bits of bacon. This was a far cry from the gloppy, creamed-up version often served in these parts. My wife had the soup of the evening special and it was indeed special— a rich light green broth made from a blending of curried potato and leeks. Added to this already intriguing mix were golden raisins, which brought a welcome and unexpected sweet note to the strong curry flavor.
From a list of entrées that included things like Whole Roasted Young Chicken with ciipolllini onion and "creeping thyme;" Porter Fish & Chips with house-made slaw; Roasted Beets with goat cheese and vegetable orzo in truffle oil; Monkfish Osso Buco with French lentils, green beans and braised leeks; Cast Iron Seared Ribeye steak with Baley Hazen bleu cheese butter; and Pan Seared Tofu and Portobello Napoleon, I chose the Sliced Lamb Sirloin.
I ordered it medium rare but it was cooked about as close to bloody rare as is allowed these days. The lamb was braised in a strong, sweet-peppery port wine glaze that seemed to derive a lot of its flavor from the accompanying Muscat grapes. Also evident in the sauce were the tastes of caramelized onions and thyme. For complementary texture, there were small slabs of polenta that had been cooked crispy on the outside and left soft and creamy inside - a very interesting pairing, indeed.
Jan ordered what I knew would be a real show-stopper the moment I got a whiff of it: the Bacon-Wrapped New Bedford Scallops. The smoky bacon flavor married to the delicate scallop flavor is a classic, of course. But the new twist here, I thought, was the addition of small dollops of sweet potato and fennel hash punctuated with sweet, buttery apple chutney - many levels of strong fresh flavors. In general, I’d say that Chef Vincent’s cooking is all about bold, rich flavors artfully mixed.
The service is brisk and the atmosphere is decidedly casual at the Nat. Porter. (Entrée prices are in the $15 to $23 range.) They also offer a Light Fare menu with House-Smoked Salmon and Pea Tendril Nicoise; or Red Pesto Pizza with artichokes and olives; or a Chopped Steak and Cheese Sandwich on Olga’s bread.
For dessert Jan had the house-made Chocolate Bourbon Cake, a light, fluffy version made with crunchy nuts blended smoothly into the dough and without the all too familiar and over-done chocolate sauce. My dessert was the Crème Brulée, a classic perfectly executed with a crispy caramel crust and a soft, mild cream, beautifully accented with a few fresh blueberries and a couple of delicate Granny Smith apple slices.
The restaurant is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday from 5pm to 10pm and the bar stays open later. As soon as weather permits, there will be more casual patio dinning, and on Friday nights from 9:30 to midnight, there’s live jazz with the Tim Reese Trio with no cover charge. For information and reservations call 289-0373 or go to
www.natporter.com.Bob Mariani is a Southeastern New England freelance author. Besides his "Your Table is Ready" restaurant reviews found here, he also writes jazz articles on allaboutjazz.com.
