James Neunzig and Michael Moriarty, the folks behind J.P. Gifford Market & Catering Company in Kent, decided to open a New American restaurant called Gifford’s,
prompting us to take a bite of the old apple.
Once inside, we loved the cute little bar.
There was a nice fire “burning” in the fireplace.
We were seated in this attractive room
with these good people for neighbors.
We got a kick out of the floating candle on our table.
Slices of good bread
were accompanied by a triangle of butter served in a pool of olive oil.
We ordered a glass of Chardonnay
for the lady and a bottle of Spanish red wine
for the gentlemen.
Soon we were dining in earnest. For starters, we relished crisp, flash-fried oysters with ginger-and-Thai-basil aïoli,
spicy, pan-roasted shrimp with saffron aïoli,
and French onion soup.
For our second course, we paired a prosciutto, dried white fig and Gorgonzola pizza
with a Caesar salad.
For our main course, we enjoyed chicken Madeira,
grilled prime New York strip steak,
and one of my favorite fish—skate.
And finally for dessert, we sipped cappuccinos
and savored ice cream pie,
cheesecake,
and bread pudding.
I finish with a look at the wine list
and menu
while assuring readers: this place is not for the birds.
Gifford’s, 9 Maple Street, Kent, 860-592-0262, www.jpgifford.com