Built in 1804, the Wakefield Inn has many features preserved from that time. Although it has been updated with conveniences like plumbing and electricity, this is still an old inn - and that's much of it's charm. The furniture is eclectic to say the least and faithful to the entire history of the inn rather than a snapshot of a particular decade.
The Inn serves breakfast daily and a five course dinner on weekends for $49 per person. This is not haut gourmet cuisine - rather it's like having an aunt or friend who is a really good cook and serves wholesome home made meals all made from scratch, all using local and seasonal ingredients - some of which come directly from the garden behind the inn.
Our five course meal featured spring pea soup - the spring kind with green peas, mint and cream, not the fall kind with yellow peas and ham. It was simple, fresh and true to its ingredients. My wife had the other starter choice which was spinach salad which was excellent. The second course was a caramelized onion tart with blue cheese and walnuts. For me, the topping was a bit sparse and the crust resembled a pita more than what I would usually expect. The main was a choice of lamb, pork tenderloin or sole. I had the pork with a rhubarb compote, which may have been in the warming oven a bit too long as it was overdone for my taste. It was served with creamy mashed potato and fresh grilled asparagus, both of which were good. My wife's lamb was cooked exactly to her liking, served with risotto and asparagus. The fourth course was a rather disappointing cheese course - a bland cheddar, a dry gruyere, a smoked Gouda and a rather bland goat cheese. Even respecting a 100 mile limit for sourcing products, I'm sure there are more choices out there. The finale was a rhubarb apple pie with crumble topping, just like Grandma used to make.
The modest wine list is concentrated in the $25-40 range. The service was very friendly, not too fast and "folksy" - as if you're eating at someone's home. The dining room features a massive window looking out to a delightful garden and featuring a constant parade of birds to the feeders. Apparently one birder chalked up 38 different birds over the course of his stay at the Inn.
Janel, the owner, chef, gardener, welcoming committee, and overseer of all that goes on is a young dynamo with incredible energy somehow magically blended with the calm that comes from living in a centuries old inn in an idyllic landscape. read more