An Evening at 51 Park Street
If you are looking for 51 Park Street it is located exactly as its name suggests in the town of Lee, MA. Perched at the intersection of Route 20 and West Park Street, 51 Park Street is conveniently located less than a mile off of the Massachusetts Turnpike. Coming off the Turnpike with a traveler's appetite, (if you can hang in there), just go a little further past McDonald's, Burger King & Friendly's you will be at the doorstep of one of the best restaurants in Lee, MA.

The building has been there since 1778, originally as a residence for one of the town's founders, Nathaniel Bassett. The restaurant has a wrap around porch that during the summer months you can enjoy outdoor dining, while inside the restaurant is pleasant with warm woodwork. French doors separate the bar from the restaurant and the booths in the restaurant are a little larger than the normal booth to give a party of 4 or 5 plenty of elbowroom.

Our waitress Tracy took our drink orders and cheerfully issued us menus with a smile. This is always a good start!

Each booth has its own private miniature TV that can be ignored or enjoyed. In our case we had my 7- year-old daughter with us and it entertained her and allowed me to catch up on the latest news with my dining partners Barbie and Wendy.

Although Barbie and I had eaten lunch here before on several occasions, this was my first time as a dinner guest. Before I launch into the excellent dinner that was served, I'd like to take a minute to rave about some of the items that I had ordered previously, when I myself was a hungry traveler and stopped in for lunch.

First of all, I have to say that the wood-fired pizzas are excellent, no matter the choice of topping. The crust is crisp and the wood-fired oven infuses the crust, sauce and topping with a delicate flavor. Barbie raved about the Chef Salad, the Stromboli and her past experience with the wood-fired pizza as well.

When you open the menu and attempt to make a choice, be prepared for a wonderful variety of; Pastas, Salads, From the Wood Grill, Wood Fired Pizzas, Calzone, Stromboli, and choices of Create Your Own Pizza or Calzone, and as if that is not enough they have a Grinder Board.

This particular evening we decided to be adventurous and see what the dinner specials were like. We started with a sampling of appetizers, ordering the Bruchetta, a variety of the Wood Grilled Chicken Bits, and the Gorgonzola Bread. We ate heartily at this course, at the risk of filling up before the entrees were served.

The Wood Grilled Chicken bits come plain or marinated in vinaigrette, barbecued and they also have a buffalo wing flavor. We were allowed to sample one of each. The chicken came on a wooden skewer and was tender and flavorful.

The Bruchetta and Gorgonzola Bread is prepared with freshly baked bread and was generously seasoned with cheese melted over the top.

After the appetizer, we were served a fresh salad with our choice of dressing and then sat back as our entrees were brought to the table. Above all, when you dine at 51 Park Street, bring your appetite. I seriously doubt it if a customer has ever left there hungry. The plates had generous portions for each of our respective entrees.

Wendy's Steak au Poive was fat and juicy and came with a baked potato. Barbie was enjoying the Salmon "From the Wood Grill" which she described as "tasty with a woody flavor". This was served with Fettucini in a traditional white sauce. I was getting my carbohydrate fix with the Fettucini Carbonara that had a seasoned white sauce with chopped bacon liberally mixed in, topped by parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper to compliment the flavors.

After gorging ourselves we sat back to do some more catching up. The atmosphere was warm and we didn't feel rushed. For dessert we all shared a piece of Chocolate Pudding Cake that was delicious. It was a good thing my daughter was there though as she ate the lion's share with pleasure.

Whether a traveler or a native to the Berkshires, I recommend 51 Park Street for lunch or dinner. Not only were the meals delicious, the service good, and the atmosphere pleasant, but the whole meal was quite affordable. I have no doubt that I will enjoy dining there again.

For those of us lucky enough to live in the area I would also like to point out that they happily accommodate Anniversary Parties, Birthdays, Rehearsal Parties, Reunions and any other function that fits your needs. On the second floor private rooms are available that have the same warm carpeting, large booths and individual TV sets as the downstairs dining room.

The people who you can thank for providing us with a comfortable and affordable place to dine are Bill and Krista Stevens. It is their belief that "…great meals start with the finest ingredients. We use select meats and 100% real cheese. We purchase fresh vegetables from local markets and our dough is made fresh each day." What more could you ask for?

Nicholas Gilmore is the head chef and runs the kitchen and the ovens. He has extensive experience cooking for other well-known establishments such as: Truffles & Such, La Tomate Bistro, the Morgan House Restaurant and more recently Cranwell Resort & Golf Club.

District Executive chef Brian Buckley over sees all kitchen activity for 51 Park Street a division of South Mountain Development, which also owns and operates South Mountain Grille. The South Mountain Grille is a dinner house, opening at 4pm daily with the ability to accommodate functions of all sizes and conveniently located at 1015 South Street, Pittsfield Ma (413 499-2073). Buckley is a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America. He was formerly the executive suix chef for Cranwell Resort, also formerly the executive chef for The Jekyll Inn on Jekyll Island, Georgia. He has now since returned to Berkshire County to take the position of District executive chef for The South Mountain Development.

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