While the ambience is less than meh, the menu wants to be fine.
The menu wants to be 5-star while the decor is totally uninspired and rather awful. The Tinker's Nest was cold with the high ceiling and big, dark floor..we were hoping for a cozy, beautiful change. Go visit Le Central in Bristol, or the Blackinton Inn in Attleboro for an idea of the more comfortable atmosphere which this place screams for. It is a nice touch to have the kitchen open, but, the strong lighting with glaring lights into the diningroom is invasive....I would put a stained-glass valence with some warm colors to cut the glare of the kitchen lights for the patrons. The tables, while having lovely iron claw feet were too small and needed either butcher paper over a cloth or something to cover the cold, sticky, dark, bar-like tables...maybe some flowers & candles? The wall decor is, also, flat and uninspired.... there was no place to look to see anything of beauty in this place. Even the lights in the bar, while they gave off an interesting shadow on the ceiling, glared through the spaces to annoy the eye. The open floor-plan is cold and too big an expanse without something to break it up...maybe a big plant area? An aquarium? A fireplace? A sculpture? Definitely, there needs to be carpeting of some sort. Look at Persimmon in Bristol.
The food:...To begin, the bread was warm and tender, but the butter tasted like salted margarine...awful. Maybe a choice of butter or unsalted butter would have been preferable. The appetizer (gnocchi) was good as the veal was tender, the gnocchi tender & flavorful, and the sauce creamy, but it had a little too much rosemary, in my opinion. The appetizer portion was fine. The fettucine seemed to have dirt in it...maybe the mushrooms were not rinsed properly? The portion of fettucine seemed slight for $17.00. But, I suppose I would not have wanted to eat much more of it, anyway. The dessert, ganache, was interesting and dynamic although the cardamom might have been toned down a wee bit. The rice crisps were a delightful addition to the rich ganache and lovely whipped cream. This was a fun dessert, but, the cardamom was clashing a bit much and, in my opinion, might have been more gently introduced.
The service was fine, although the bartender in a t-shirt and jeans lent a feeling of casualness that, again, clashes with the menu...does this want to be a pub or a fine dining establishment?
Atmosphere is part of the package of a fine dining experience...it is a shame that this restaurant...even the name ("Metacom Kitchen" with a big cock as the logo)...leaves a low-brow welcome....Metacom is the shortened name of the street which was named for the Native-American, Metacomet...the name might be better as "Metacomet's Kitchen" ...maybe a nod to the man with a couple of items on the menu to suggest some kind of appreciation.
Go the whole way....don't stop short of the mark. I will go back in a few months to try other items on the menu, but, for now, I am not drawn into going back. It is a good start, and, please, don't give up! I would love to have a place to frequent! I am sorry to be so harsh, but, perhaps there have been some suggestions which may help...I will write an update after going again. read more