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Brooks Tavern at the Radcliffe Mill Changes the Chestertown Landscape
As we walked up to the newly opened Brooks Tavern in the setting
summer sun, we saw a couple locals lounging on the benches outside. Both of them were taking deep drags on smokes with an
air of satisfaction that you used to see in “the morning after” scenes in movies.
“Well?” we ask. “How was it?” “Oh, it was sooooogoooood,” said one. “Have the duck,” said the other. “Get the Caesar salad gratin,” said the first. “Oh, yeah, get that too.” “Get everything.” “And share.” Perhaps one of the most anticipated openings in Chestertown, Brooks Tavern actually lives up to the wild expectations. The blogged saga of its opening in the Radcliffe Mill, warts and all, chronicles the ups and downs of starting a restaurant. And while it’s a great backstory, the finished product is ultimately all that matters.
Brooks Tavern is more than an extremely welcome addition in Chestertown,
it’s going to up the ante tremendously. It’s what you want a restaurant to be. It’s what you want restaurant
owners to be. The dinner menu is updated constantly, depending on what’s in or in season, with some about-to-be-signature dishes: the Romaine Salad au gratin with caesar dressing, the piccolo frito-calamari, and the “Zen Lamb” lamb of the day. There are small plates if you feel like sharing (or don’t). Large plates such as the five-spice duck on rice noodles with stir-fried vegetables, and buttermilk-fried poussin with potatoes and cole slaw. Even the prices are welcome. The small plates including mussels steamed with lemongrass, crab ravioli, or fettucini with clams, bacon, basil and cream, run from $9 to $12. The entrées are from $17 to $26. Nice when you can drop $20-some for pretty standard fare at other spots in town. And then there’s lunch, Lunch service just began June 18th, with soups, salads and sandwiches for a decent $5 to $13. Word has already gotten around about the house-ground burger ($9/10). Décor: The woods and timbers of the barn. Natural with an Asian-style cleanliness. Hip accessories. Love the bar, too. We’ve needed a nice hangout bar in this town, a place to talk and have a good drink, and maybe get a bowl of mussels. Colleen Perry does a fine job at the bar.
But perhaps my favorite part of Brooks Tavern are the people. Barbara Silcox and Kevin McKinney, after
a gotta-do-it pilgrimage across the country, have created the next “place they’ve always wanted.” Not only
a restaurant, but a gathering spot — for local food, seasonal food, tasty food, slow food, food-with-a-conscience, for
average joes like us, for foodies, industry types, and a place for their own team: sous-chef Holly Childs, Dan, Walter, Matt,
Tray, Thomas and so many others. It works. The place opened at the end of May. The night we showed up for photos, the kitchen, horrifyingly, ran out of cooking gas. A living example of the minute-to-minute nature of the restaurant biz and the courage required. But their loss was our gain. We got to talk for a long time to everyone. And the next night, the 60+seat place was packed. As Kevin says, “It’s hospitality. It’s the excitement, the dance, the orchestration. It’s exciting bringing it all to the plate.” So go there. You won’t be disappointed, unless they run out of gas. And welcome to Brooks Tavern. At long last.
Brooks Tavern at a Glance: 410.810.0012
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