Johnny's Tavern

Next month we will be having our second beer dinner of the year!  This time with Tröegs Brewing Co. from Pennsylvania.  The date June 18th and falls right after Fathers Day.  This one would make the perfect gift for all the dads out there.  Or the beer lovers..

Tuesday, June 18 2013 @ 6:00pm

$45.00 per person includes tax/server gratuity

1^st

Sunshine Pills

sautéed mussels, tomato, garlic, chili, cilantro broth

2^nd

Hop Back

Tuscan kale salad, braised pork belly, tomato confit, gorgonzola vinaigrette, crispy onions

3^rd

Perputual IPA

grilled flat iron steak, sweet balsamic onion jam, hot Italian sausage spinach potato hash

Or

grilled airline chicken breast, house made bbq, nana’s potato salad, grilled corn

4^th

Java Head

butterscotch budino, sea salt, caramel, whipped cream

Call us at 413-230-3818 for more info and reservations!

Great news!  Iggy’s World of Bread is now supplying as far west as us.  Located out of Cambridge it took a little while for the company to expand to us in the valley but here they are! Iggy’s prides itself on artesian, organic bread.  We will be using their francese as our table bread.  As their website explains “Handmade from start to finish, francese is a naturally leavened bread that is hand cut on a marble table. The high content of water and long fermentation times, combined with the lack of handling of the dough produce an airy, moist, chewy bread with a strong crust and a mild sour flavor”.  Sounds great, tastes even better! Along with the francese we will also be carrying their brioche for our burger buns and their focaccia for our eggs benedict and gorgonzola bread.

Click the icon to direct to their website.

We recently switched our salmon over to Wester Ross Fisheries.  This proactive company is producing salmon in a more responsible and sustainable fashion.  On top of that, their salmon has brighter color and deeper flavors than what we have experienced with other companies.  Hand rearing, low FIFO ratings, under crowded pens, and attention to local habitats have made this company an all-star in our eyes.  For the fall we will be serving it with a honey soy glaze, zucchini noodles, and mushroom vegetable broth.

For more information about the company click on the banner.

A few months ago, a young farmer named Mike Byrne came into our kitchen with his recent harvest of kale.  Ever since then we have been happily building a relationship with him and his company.  Mike, along with fellow farmer Adam Dole are owners and operators of Solid Ground Farm.  Located at the New England Small Farms Institute in Belchertown MA, Solid Ground Farm has been providing us with amazing produce all summer. This quote off their site will tell you a little about the mindset these two young men have.

“In a world where industrial agriculture has degraded and washed away soil with excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers, where genetically modified seed is produced to withstand new and more potent insecticides, where food is shipped from thousands of miles away to its final destination, and where bar codes are scanned at automatic checkout lanes, it is fair to say the food system has spun out of control and needs to get back on solid ground. – Solid Ground Farm LLC”

Keep up the great work guys!

For the month of July we are beginning our very first prix fixe menu!  For those of you who are unfamiliar with a prix fixe, it is simply a multi course meal with a fixed price.  For our “prefix”, we will be serving four courses of your selection for the price of $23.

First

Tomato Basil Caprese salad- balsamic reduction, virgin olive oil, basil, fresh mozzarella

Braised Pork Crostini- focaccia bread, arugula, sweet onion jam, gorgonzola cheese

Shrimp Cake- local sweet corn puree

BBQ Chicken Egg Roll- grilled chicken, lemon scallion sour cream

Second

Chef Choice Soup- ask server for daily selection

Spinach Salad- blue cheese vinaigrette, crispy onion strings, fresh tomatoes

Classic Caesar Salad- croutons, parmesan pecorino Romano cheese blend, house made Caesar dressing

Simple Greens- cucumber, carrots, mixed greens, lemon vinaigrette

Third

Slow cook house ground beef Bolognese- touch of cream, fettuccine pasta, parmesan cheese

Braised Pork Roulade- braised pork wrapped in prosciutto, red wine sauce, cold vegetable cous cous salad

Roasted Half Jerk Chicken- house made jerk rub, vegetable slaw

Chef Choice Fish- pan roasted, lemon basil cucumber salsa, roasted potatoes

Grilled Flank Steak- Tavern mariano sauce, house made herb French fries

Classic Margareta flat bread- fresh mozzarella cheese, basil, finished with virgin oil

Tavern White Flat Bread- olives, garlic chili oil, spinach

Caramelized Vegetable Pasta- white wine cream, lemon, fresh herbs, spaghetti

Fourth

House Made Tiramisu- rum and coffee soaked lady fingers, sweet mascarpone cream

Strawberry Short Cake- whipped cream, honey soaked strawberries

Hope you come in and enjoy! Menu goes live on Monday, July 9th and will be available on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Our salt and pepper calamari is a contemporary version of a classic Sichuan dish.  Minced Jalapenos, garlic, and scallions melt perfectly with the lightly battered calamari.    The last step is to season this dish with a pinch of Chinese five spice.  Oh and don’t forget the cilantro lime aioli.

Our friends over at 12 Mile Meal featured us in one of their latest entries.

“Johnny’s Tavern at 30 Boltwood Walk in Amherst is a wonderfully appointed restaurant that has just opened. Walk in and immediately you will feel at home in this smartly designed space that is decorated tastefully and is matched beautifully with the fresh and exciting cuisine created by chef Bryan Graham.”

Many thanks to Rick and his crew for a great review!

Our friends over at Niemitz Design Group did a great job with the design and layout of the Tavern.

Our short ribs are braised for 10 hours in red wine, beef stock, fresh herbs, and garlic. This leaves us with a flavorful rib that has no need for a knife. It’s served with a grain mustard demi, herb roasted potatoes, and the vegetable of the day.

The beef we are using is from our friends over at TR Natural.  An American company, they pride themselves on hard work and honesty.  Their beef is antibiotic free and their cattle are raised without the use of growth hormone.  For more information about the company, click on the icon below to link to their website.

Staff training today was wine tasting! We all got to sample our new wine list.  I suppose this is the hardest part of the job … just kidding!