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In This Issue
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Black Eyed Susan's
Local Eatery Offers Eclectic Menu
In the center of town, on India Street just round the corner from Centre, is a small restaurant with a reputation that far surpasses its size. Black-Eyed Susan’s is known both for wonderful breakfasts and for superb dinners —both meals presented with the finest ingredients in preparations that are innovative, intriguing, and incredibly good.
Every morning from 7 am, there’s a buzz around 10 India Street. Breakfast has begun! The appealing selection includes traditional favorites from Eggs over Easy to a perfectly prepared Benedict. You can start the day on a sweet note with their Sourdough French Toast with orange Jack Daniels butter and cinnamon pecans or select the hearty and savory Pennsylvania Dutch Cakes with Jarlsberg cheese. Huevos Rancheros, homemade Corned Beef Hash, and a trio of different “Scrambles” (Vegetarian, Portuguese, or Spicy Thai) round out the offerings. Breakfast at Black-Eyed Susan’s is served until 1 pm, ideal for those who like breakfast foods for lunch.
Tiny though it is (just over half-a-dozen tables inside, a small side patio, and counter seating) Black-Eyed Susan’s is comfortable for parties of four or even six. They accept advance reservations only for the first seating at 6 pm, but after the first seating is full they take reservations for later seatings that evening. Tables turn quickly at Black-Eyed Susan’s, so it’s a good idea to come back a little before your appointed time. Singles and couples should consider seats at the counter overlooking the open kitchen, where all the action takes place.
The menu at Black-Eyed Susan’s changes frequently, but not all at once: dishes rotate out so that every week or so there’s something new to try. And, of course, there are nightly appetizer and entree specials. The high level of inventiveness at this eatery means that the dish you adored at your last dinner there may not be exactly same when you return for an encore, but don’t fret, it’s probably even better.
There are a few exceptions—dishes that Executive Chef Jeff Worster cannot remove for fear of a patron uprising. There’s the bread: crusty sourdough served warm in thickly sliced half-loaves. And there’s the pasta selections: classic Linguini, White Sauce, & Clams, Angel Hair Pasta with Tomato, Basil, and EVO, and Pad Thai with rock shrimp and tofu. All three are expertly prepared and simply delicious. Offered in half-portions and in full, they can be either an introduction to your meal or the main chapter.
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The autumn menu at Black-Eyed Susan’s is a delicious mix of late summer harvest and comforting fall dishes. The Asian Pear and Chanterelle Bisque is thick and hearty, the earthy flavor of the mushrooms lightened by the sweet pear. Alongside is a crunchy egg roll filled with carrot and nutty tasting, firm red rice flavored with soy, sesame, scallion, and orange zest with a touch of sriracha to add some heat.
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The Fig Crostini appetizer is disarmingly good. A large slice of their sensational sourdough is toasted and served over a wedge of creamy and aromatic Alpine raclette cheese melted just enough to soften it and make it spreadable. Fresh mission figs are sliced overtop, garnished with fresh greens in a raspberry truffle vinaigrette and a drizzle of balsamic. The pleasingly smoky notes of the soft cheese with the honey-sweet figs and the deep flavors of the truffle and balsamic combine to make this full flavored starter one to remember and to return for.
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Also very tasty was the special of the evening: Squash Ravioli. You can’t get more autumnal than this dish — the creamy sweetness of the squash enveloped in a carrot pasta with a nice chew to it. Drizzles of nutty browned butter flavored with ancho chili and orange add a deep richness, and a garnish of toasted pumpkin seeds and heady fried sage add just the right final touches to this dish of fall color and flavor.
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Just a notch ahead of the Fig Crostini and the Squash Ravioli for our favorite among the fall appetizers is the Crab and Mango Omelette. We’ve never before started dinner with an omelette, but that’s what we all love about Black-Eyed Susan’s: you get to try new and unusual combinations. The thin, light omelette is folded around lots of succulent crab meat. Chunks of juicy chilled mango are overtop with radish sprouts and bright, peppery nasturtium blossoms. Surrounding the omelette is a golden pool of curry with coconut and lemon grass and a just flicker of heat.
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| Beef, chicken, fish, and shellfish...the chefs at Black-Eyed Susan’s cover a lot of ground with just five entrees. Each one presented in a way we’ve never tasted, with innovative combinations or pairings. |
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Featuring roasted chicken and risotto, the Meyer Lemon Chicken is the ultimate in comfort food. The statler chicken breast was tender and moist from brining in meyer lemon, saffron, and a whisper of cinnamon, and had perfectly seasoned crispy skin. It was served on a cushion of creamy risotto flavored with goat cheese and studded with fresh kernels of corn that popped with sweet juices between our teeth. And this paragraph may be the ultimate tease to our readers because this dish that we so enjoyed was slated to be changed the day before we went to press. We hope that it might return soon—perhaps as a nightly special?
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The other meat-lover’s entree is an Escalope of Sirloin. Pounded and sauteed, the New York sirloin has full beefy flavor and is accented by a bold pipérade of onion and green, red, orange, and yellow sweet peppers. Tucked underneath are slices of buttery yukon gold potato topped with Cabrales blue cheese that melts luciously from the heat of the steak. The dish is finished with a madiera jus.
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The Wild Alaskan Salmon is pure Black-Eyed Susan’s: delicious ingredients in uncommon pairings. The firm, thick salmon steak in all its fresh pink glory is simply accented with a half-bulb of bok choy and juicy, delicately sweet lychee. The steamed, tender littlenecks that accompany are partnered with a gentle black bean sauce.
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With just a little longer to wait for bay scallop season, Chef de Cuisine James Vincent presents a sensational entree of Maine Scallops, cooked just through and crusted with beautifully browned fine cracker crumbs and fennel. The scallops are topped with dollops of spicy aioli and set on a chowder of Bartlett corn, diced carrot and potato, ham, and fresh herbs. |
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Black-Eyed Susan’s offers two desserts each night. You can end with a rich, dense, and luxurious Chocolate Pot de Creme in a demitasse cup with a whipped cream served with a assortment of cookies from the Nantucket Bake Shop (coconut macaroon, chocolate chip, and white chocolate macadamia the evening we were there).
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The refreshing Lemon Sorbet with a sauce of fresh strawberries and a cinnamon-sugar tortilla is a perfect finish for a filling meal.
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Come to Black-Eyed Susan’s for a refreshing change from the usual renditions around town, but do it soon, come November you’ll have to wait till next spring to enjoy this culinary excitement on India Street.
Black-Eyed Susan’s
open through the fall at 10 India Street
stop by or call 508-325-0308 for reservations for 6 p.m. seating
Breakfast served from 7 AM to 1 PM
Dinner served Mon.-Sat. from 6 to 10 p.m. with seatings at
approximately 6 p.m., 7:30 p.m., and 9 p.m.
advance reservations accepted only for the 6 p.m. seating; reservations accepted for the later seatings after 6 p.m. the evening you wish to dine
entree prices range from $24 to $29
Cash only, no credit cards
BYOB ($2 service fee per person) • no cell phones
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