I have been visiting Lake Placid for several decades now and it has never been a place that one…read morewould consider to be a foodie destination. We have tried places in town over the years and most have been fine, but the food has tended to be relatively straightforward and/or uninspired. Before Sentinel & Station, this space was a concept called Liquids and Solids, which was trying to be a bit more upscale and refined but ultimately fell into the uninspired camp. When I heard about Sentinel & Station's recent opening, I knew I wanted to at least try it out. After our meal here, we left impressed, content, sated, and eager to return to try all that we didn't get to on our first visit. The vibe was cozy and friendly, the service was excellent, and the food was creative, of impressive quality, and very well executed.
We came here as a party of eight on a Saturday night at 8:30pm. We were immediately welcomed and tended to with generosity and humor which set the tone for the entire night. The cocktail menu here is pretty dizzying, as its presented such that all of the ingredients of each drink are listened to the point that the anticipated flavor profile can be lost when you're looking it over. I ended up just getting the house martini with gin, which is served with both lemon and olives, but I tried many of the others just to get a sense, including the: Smoked Boulevardier (bourbon, bitter, bonal, carpano antica, yuzu bitters, spritz of lagavulin), Balsamic Fizz (vodka, pineapple, strawberry-balsamic puree, soda), and The Dopest Dope I've Ever Smoked (mezcal, pamplemousse liqueur, pineapple-basil juice, suze, cocchi americano). Of the three, I preferred the Smoked Boulevardier, the Balsamic Fizz was a little bit too watered down but with less ice the flavor profile would have been excellent, and the Dopest Dopest I've Ever Smoked, despite seeming like the most exciting of the bunch, was actually the least interesting. I was happy to have gone the classic route, and I got the Sivi pinot orange wine second, which was excellent (I realized afterwards that my wine person at home has actually picked this wine out for me before so I have apparently liked it for a long time).
Food-wise, the menu is quite diverse and playful, and while it also lists a good many ingredients in each dish, it does not have the same effect as it does on the drink menu reading experience, and in general the food was consistently outperforming the cocktails. We were bummed that they were out of the mussels (which we originally ordered) because they looked fantastic and were highly recommended, but that just means we'll need to return in the future. Many of us split a bunch of dishes so I'll just speak to those I tried. There was not one wrong note all night so grading each dish is pretty pointless, but I might as well do what I can in an attempt to underscore the consistently great food and highlight the favorites. Eats, below:
Heirloom Carrots w/ greek yogurt, pistachio, gochujang honey: A+
So good we got a second order when we realized we might need to beef up our second course. Incredibly flavorful with a subtle kick.
Grilled Maitake w/ smoky blanco crema, spicy macha crisp, trout roe: A
Would have happily gotten a second order of these too because the portion was small, but once again, packed with flavor. Grilled maitake is definitely one of my favorite mushroom preparations and this dish is a great example of why I maintain this. And the trout roe was just divine.
Caesar Salad: A
Also threw this in last minute and it was exactly what you'd hope for. Classic, perfectly executed, and a nice complement to some of the richer entrees.
Tuna Nachos w/ crudo, seaweed salad, tomato, jalapeño, sesame crisps: A+
Potentially my favorite dish of the night. It looks like a lot when served to you but if you're splitting it four ways as we did, it's not much for each person which may be sad if you love it as much as I did.
Rainbow Trout w/ pea puree, tarragon velouté, heirloom carrots, balsamic: A
Warming, delicious, earthy, rich -- all great things. More heirloom carrots here but not complaining, they were a nice complement to the dish. The pea puree was fun and the combo of that plus the velouté was particularly delicious.
Short Rib w/ pickled radish, whipped parsnip, red wine jus, jalapeño-lime jicama slaw: A+
I somehow did not get a picture of this one! I rarely eat red meat, mainly because I don't like it much, but short rib is one of the few exceptions to that. Melt in your mouth, tender goodness.
