What are five things I should know about Dining Room at Blantyre?
Dining Room at Blantyre isn't your traditional restaurant. It’s simply what the name suggests: a dining room. There is no bar, no separate menu for those looking for a light bite and no customary walk-in service. Dining Room at Blantyre was once the main dining room of the estate, where the Paterson family gathered for dinner and lively galas took place in the early 1900s. Today, the restaurant remains a focal point of the main house. Before you arrive, here are a few things to know.
1. Hotel guests are always welcome. But if you're not staying at Blantyre, you're only invited to lunch and dinner Wednesdays through Sundays, by reservation only. Lunch service begins at 12:30 p.m., and dinner starts at 5:45 p.m.
2. There’s a dress code. Dressing up for dinner is a time-honored tradition at Blantyre, so be prepared to don your best for your meal. Gentlemen are required to wear a jacket and tie. If you're there for lunch, relax in something a little more casual.
3. The menu is seasonal. The menus at the Berkshires restaurant change seasonally and often feature specials from the chef, depending on what's fresh and to his liking. It is prix fixe only, and you'll have your choice of a three-course, five-course or chef's tasting menu, each of which can be paired with wine.
4. The seating times are serious. Dinner service starts promptly at 5:45 p.m. Enjoy champagne and canapés in the main hall before dinner, and when the first course is ready, the host will show you to your seat. There isn't room for delays, so make sure you’re on time.
5. Wine dinners are special. Throughout the year, Blantyre hosts elaborate, but intimate, wine dinners highlighting a specific vineyard. Vino is central to your dining experience here — after all, the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Blantyre is home to more than 17,000 bottles. For the special dinners, the vintners attend as guests of honor, and you are treated to eight to 10 varieties of wine, all paired with a dish from executive chef Arnaud Cotar that is inspired by the pour.
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On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
What water service does Dining Room at Blantyre offer?
It's easy to get parched at Blantyre, what with all the hiking, exploring, playing and simply relaxing happening on the grounds of the Forbes Travel Guide Five Star resort in the Berkshires. During meals at Dining Room at Blantyre you can request sparkling or flat bottled water with your meal. Or if you prefer, you can always request to have chilled and filtered tap water to keep you hydrated. During dinner service, you'll be given your choice of water, which will be refilled throughout the night to keep your palate cleansed and your taste buds focused on the culinary creations from the kitchen. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
Does Dining Room at Blantyre have any special or rare liquors?
Dining Room at Blantyre creates impressive wine pairings with the various French-inspired dishes created by chef Arnaud Cotar and his kitchen staff. Ask your server for the wine list and you’ll find yourself thumbing through a 150-page wine book full of international selections. If that sounds daunting, just ask the sommelier or your server for help pairing wines throughout your dinner service. Serious spirits aficionados might not find a vast, big-city sort of selection at Blantyre. But there is a small bar alcove off the Main House's living room where you'll find typical liquors including a variety of vodkas, gins, whiskeys and cognacs. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
Does Dining Room at Blantyre offer a gluten-free or allergy sensitive menu?
At some restaurants, it might be challenging to turn country cuisine with a French twist into gluten-free fare. But you’re at the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rated Blantyre — the resort where Dining Room at Blantyre is located — so you need not worry. The chef Arnaud Cotar at Dining Room at Blantyre will do anything necessary to ensure your dietary needs are met. There is no special gluten-free or allergy-sensitive menu at Dining Room at Blantyre per se, but just let your waiter know about your allergies and the kitchen will happily create a dish that's suitable for your dietary needs but still ideally delectable by French culinary standards. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
Does the chef visit the table during the dining experience at Dining Room at Blantyre?
Every so often, executive chef Arnaud Cotar makes an appearance at Dining Room at Blantyre, a delightful restaurant within a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star resort in the Berkshires. Much of the time Cotar is busy in the kitchen overseeing the creation of the breakfasts, lunches and dinners served daily at Blantyre. He’s also responsible for the Afternoon Tea served Sundays in the winter season as well as more fanciful events such as the Blantyre Snow Barbecue, which includes fanciful dishes such as oysters served on snowballs and grilled pork barbecue ribs. When he can, however, Cotar enjoys chatting with diners and learning a little more about their tastes and how they enjoyed the meal. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
What is the menu like at Dining Room at Blantyre?
Dining Room at Blantyre serves a prix fixe menu that changes seasonally. Chef Arnaud Cotar occasionally adds in a new dish to keep things fresh. A few of our Forbes Travel Guide editors' favorites include the comforting venison loin that’s cooked with fragrant sage and chestnuts, the foie gras appetizer that comes with toasted gingerbread brioche and apples, and the boneless lamb rack prepared with capers and raisins that is a signature sweet-and-savory dish.
Wine is also central to your dining experience at the Berkshires restaurant — after all, it is home to more than 17,000 bottles. Throughout the year, the Berkshires restaurant also hosts elaborate, but intimate, wine dinners highlighting a specific vineyard. The vintners are brought in as guests of honor, but you are treated to eight to 10 varieties of vino. Cotar uses those pours as inspiration for dishes in the meal. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
What are the five best things to order at Dining Room at Blantyre?
You never know what will be on the menu at Dining Room at Blantyre. The menus change seasonally, but every so often chef Arnaud Cotar will add in a new dish to keep the kitchen on its toes. Here are five of our favorite dishes to order.
1. Egg omelet. The egg omelet with mushroom ragout and Vermont cheddar cheese is a favorite among Blantyre guests. The most important meal of the day also comes with a basket of fresh-made breakfast breads, including the heavenly blueberry scones.
2. Cobb salad. Blantyre's take on the traditional cobb salad makes it one of our favorite simple lunch dishes. The classic chopped salad is full of chicken, bacon, avocado, hard-boiled eggs and blue cheese. Plus, it's large enough to share or wrap up for a snack later in the day.
3. Venison loin. Venison is top game in the Berkshires and one of chef Cotar's specialties at Blantyre. The loin is cooked with sage and chestnuts, making it one of fall's most comforting dishes — for your nose and palate.
4. Foie gras. Chef Cotar's French roots shine through in his signature foie gras dish. Foie gras, raised in New York, is served as an appetizer with toasted gingerbread brioche and apples.
5. Boneless lamb rack. Prepared with capers and raisins — as well as pepper ragout and garbanzo bean croquettes during our Forbes Travel Guide editor's visit — this rack of lamb is a signature sweet-and-savory dish at the Berkshires restaurant. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
Do I need a reservation for Dining Room at Blantyre?
Reservations are required for dinner at Dining Room at Blantyre, a country retreat at the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Blantyre in Lenox, Mass. Dining Room at Blantyre is open to guests of the hotel daily, as well as the public for lunch and dinner, Wednesday through Sunday, only. Since the restaurant is small and tables are sought after, reservations are a must. To make a reservation, just call Blantyre directly. If you're not a guest of the resort, keep in mind that dinner seats are generally given to guests first, so if you know you want to dine there, Forbes Travel Guide editors recommend calling as far in advance as possible to secure your dinner spot. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
How do I get a reservation at Dining Room at Blantyre?
Dining Room at Blantyre is open to guests of the hotel as well as the public. Since the restaurant is small and tables are sought after, reservations are required for dinner. To make a reservation, just call the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel directly. Dinners are formal at Dining Room at Blantyre, so you should plan for a long, but special, evening. If you're in the Berkshires to enjoy Tanglewood — the annual summer music festival in Lenox, Mass., — be sure to let the reservations agent know your plans. You'll likely have to skip dessert to make the show, but when you return to Blantyre you'll find a dessert buffet in the music room, a sweet finish to a lovely evening. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
What is the cancellation policy at Dining Room at Blantyre?
Blantyre requires at least 24 hours' cancellation notice if you can't make it to lunch or dinner in Dining Room at Blantyre. Since the space is small and guests of the inn receive priority, the staff will do everything they can to accommodate reservations or requests. You’ll want to keep a reservation once you’ve booked, as the formal dining room is a prime spot for sampling fresh, seasonal and refined takes on American classics, along with an expansive wine list. For parties more than six, Dining Room at Blantyre requires a credit card to hold the dinner reservation. If the party doesn’t turn up or cancels within 24 hours, $50 per person will be charged to the credit card on file. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
Is there parking at Dining Room at Blantyre?
Thanks to Blantyre's vast grounds, there are plenty of parking options available for guests of the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star resort, whether you’re staying overnight or just joining the dinner service at Dining Room at Blantyre. When you turn onto Blantyre Road from Route 20, you’ll see the grand pillars that mark the entrance to the historic estate. Drive through the iron and wood gates and head up the gravel drive to reach the Main House and Dining Room. You’ll be able to pull directly into a parking area where you can leave your car, or pull through the horseshoe drive to the Main House's front doors and take advantage of Blantyre’s complimentary valet parking. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
How do I get to Dining Room at Blantyre?
Dining Room at Blantyre overlooks the beautiful Berkshire Mountains in Lenox, Mass. If you’re travelling by car, the historic estate that’s now a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star resort is about 2.5 hours’ drive from Boston, three-and-a-half hours’ drive from New York and about an hour drive from Albany. The resort and Dining Room at Blantyre are located just off Route 20 on Blantyre Road. You’ll know you’ve arrived when you see the grand pillars that mark the entrance to the estate. Just continue up the drive and you’ll come to Blantyre's Main House, which is where you'll find the Dining Room. -
On September 25Forbes Travel Guide Inspector answered the question:
Where is Dining Room at Blantyre located?
Dining Room at Blantyre is located in the hotel's main house at 16 Blantyre Road in Lenox, Mass., in the Berkshire Mountains. The Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Boston, three-and-a-half hours from New York and about an hour’s drive from Albany, the state capital.
The Dining Room overlooks stunning landscaped grounds and a small croquet garden in the backyard of the main house. Originally the dining area for the Paterson family, who first owned the historic estate, the Dining Room is now where breakfast, lunch and dinner are served to guests at the resort. The Dining Room is also where special dining events — including Blantyre's famous wine dinners — take place.
