Cedar Street

It's not in the French countryside any more

by Margaret LeRoux

Cedar Street Restaurant 12 Cedar Street, Sturbridge (508) 347-5800 Mon.-Thurs. 5-8:30 p.m., Fri. and Sat. 5-9 p.m. Full bar Major credit cards Handicap accessible

I was sad to learn that Le Bearn, the area's most charming French restaurant, had closed last fall, but couldn't be happier about its replacement, the Cedar Street Restaurant. Chef-owner David Vadenais has created a menu that's both stylish and eclectic. His use of unusual spices and food combinations give new energy to the restaurant's staid, country-inn atmosphere.

Located just off Sturbridge's main street, Cedar Street retains the character of its past life and the best of the old decor -- lots of chintz at the windows, lovely watercolors of country scenes on the walls. The hardwood floors still gleam. But one glance at the extensive menu lets you know you're no longer in the French countryside. Vegetarian appetizers include chickpea soup with lemon, tahini, roasted garlic and cumin ($2.50 cup/$4.50 bowl). Seafood choices include dill cured salmon with marinated cucumbers, potato pancakes, and lemon yogurt ($7.25) and grilled shrimp and scallops in a phyllo nest with roasted vegetables and shellfish sauce with tarragon ($7.95). Appetizers from the meats section include sausage and white-bean soup with plum tomatoes, bitter greens, and Parmesan cheese ($2.95 cup/$4.95 bowl) and apple-wood smoked quail, seared fois gras, and portobello mushroom with Granny Smith apples, cranberries, and truffle oil ($8.95).

One in our group of four opted for the New England littleneck-clam chowder, ($3.50 cup/$5.50 bowl). His serving, brimming with clams and chunks of potatoes and generously sprinkled with fresh parsley, looked as delicious as it tasted. Another selected vegetarian spring rolls ($6.50), crunchy with shredded carrots and cabbage, accented by pickled cabbage and daikon.

Two of us were attracted by the unusual and appealing salads. My choice, roasted beets over field greens with goat-cheese-and-crabmeat fritters and sweet-red-pepper dressing ($5.95), was outstanding and could have been a meal for someone with a smaller appetite. The beets' earthiness was balanced by the delicate lightness of the fritter. My friend was equally taken with the warm spinach salad with sautéed veal sweetbreads, roasted red onions, and potato-bacon vinaigrette ($6.95).

The salads and the spring rolls were artfully arranged on large, white, oversized plates. We were also served a basket of warm, sliced French bread, crunchy olive-studded whole-wheat rolls, and a little plate of olive oil for dipping.

We chose wine by the glass, chardonnay ($5.95) and merlot ($4.50), although there is an interesting list of wines by the bottle.

Choosing an entrée was a challenge. Our vegetarian pondered stir-fried curried tofu, crunchy vegetables, and glass noodles with peanuts, coconut milk, cilantro, fresh lime juice, and chili peppers ($10.95 small/$14.95 large), and a mushroom platter of roasted portobello, porcino, and other grilled mushrooms with corn, squash, sautéed greens, and white beans ($13.75), but then settled on homemade ravioli stuffed with acorn squash and puréed chestnuts in browned butter, topped with fried sage leaves and Romano cheese and accompanied by a stack of grilled mushrooms and sautéed rapini (broccoli rabe) ($12.95). This was a rich, mostly satisfying dish, where the sweetness of the squash-chestnut filling was more than offset by the bitterness of the rapini (although the greens were a little too bitter for us).

I wanted seafood. Though the menu offers pan-seared yellowfin tuna coated with coriander and sesame seeds, miso sauce, wasabi, fried spinach, and scallion rice cake ($17.95) and a shellfish paella ($18.95), I selected the night's special -- grilled sea bass with mango salsa, and black beans ($16.95). Accompanied by slivers of crunchy carrot, cabbage and celery root and slices of roasted red bliss potatoes, the sea bass was moist and tender. The colorful salsa gave the plate a festive look.

Our third entrée choice was another special, grilled breast of duck with slices of the soy-marinated, medium-rare meat arranged atop a mound of peanut-and-lemon-flavored noodles ($18.95).

The most complex, and cleverly arranged entrée was grilled rack of lamb ($19.95), with six small chops ringed around a mound of lentil-and-apricot-studded couscous. The lamb had been rubbed with spices -- we could taste coriander and allspice -- and was accented by a perfectly ripe fig cut into a star pattern.

With such rich, satisfying meals, we were content to share a single dessert, a generous slice of dense Grand Marnier-enhanced chocolate cake floating in a pool of white-chocolate sauce rippled with raspberry purée and orange sauce ($5.25), and coffee ($1.50).

Our bill including tax but not tip totaled $132.41, worth every penny.