LCT Article July 2009A New Pub in Marbledale
By: Maggie Behringer 06/25/2009
Last November, Washington resident John Harris stopped for a burger at the Marble Dale Pub. On the way back to his car after the meal, he happened upon a breathtaking scene-the Aspetu |
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Danbury News Times 8/09The White Horse: 'The Hard Rock Cafe meets the British Museum'
By Susan Tuz
STAFF WRITER_Updated: 08/27/2009 10:34:38 AM |
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| Waterbury RepublicanA builder by trade, John Harris knew he'd found a diamond in the rough when he stopped at the Marbledale Pub last year f |
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The EntertainerA New Tale To Tell
By Janine Graffeo
If Pegasus could speak, he would say that like himself, The White Horse, A Count |
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| Connecticut PostThe White Horse Country Pub a treat
Backcountry gentility, plus great burgers
By Jonnie Bassaro
CORRESPONDENT
Updated: 11/11/2009 08:28:41 AM EST
Wendy Burcket worked for the Marbledale Pub for 26 years.
"It was like a home away from home," she says of the tavern and family restaurant. She stayed on when it was sold and turned into The White Horse Country Pub.
"The transformation has been incredible," she says. "It was completely gutted and rebuilt from the ground up."
John Harris, a native of England who has owned and designed restaurants in London, New York City and Westport, is responsible. He bought the pub in December 2008, closed it for six months and re-opened it in June to drop-jaw reactions.
The former neighborhood tavern now has backcountry gentility -- cathedral ceilings with beams transplanted from a Vermont barn, museum-quality artifacts on walls, a huge inviting fireplace in the bar, and most importantly, two decks overlooking the East Aspetuck River.
"He installed large windows so you can now see the river," Burcket says. "I don't think anybody even knew the river was there before."
A friend and I had the pleasure of viewing the bubbling Aspetuck as we sat beside one of the new windows for a recent lunch.
We should mention the Marbledale had a reputation for good food, and that reputation continues with the new ownership.
Of course, you must expect British touches on the menu. You'll find Shepherd's Pie, along with fish and chips, English trifle, and Bangers & Mash (pork sausages with mashed potatoes and onion gravy).
But chef
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Fabrice Denis, who is French and the son of two Paris chefs, has other surprises up his sleeve, such as crepes filled with chardonnay-sauteed chicken, wild mushrooms and shallots.
I sampled his handmade wild mushroom ravioli, served at both lunch and dinner. Rather than the usual tomato-sauce topping, the pasta had been treated to lots of butter, onions, garlic, black olives and diced fresh tomatoes. |
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