Stockbridge— The Red Lion Inn on Main Street in Stockbridge is one of the most iconic attractions in The Berkshires. Synonymous with class, the historic Inn has a deep and cultured history.
I was thrilled to receive an invitation to the Inn’s 250th anniversary “Roaring into 2024: New Year’s Eve Extravaganza,” which promised to transport party guests into the glamorous Gatsby era to ring in the New Year in opulent style. The dazzling 1920’s themed soiree invited guests to dance the night away to the captivating tunes of the Chris Conte Trio, to play in a fun casino, to pose in a vintage photo booth, and to embark on a tantalizing culinary journey which promised a sophisticated cocktail hour with passed canapés and a Ploughman’s table, followed by a feast featuring a prime rib carving station, a bountiful raw bar, garden-inspired dishes, and sweet treats. The evening culminated in a Prosecco toast and an exclusive afterparty in The Lion’s Den to bid adieu to the old and embrace the new in grandeur.
Dressed for the 1920’s theme, my husband and I arrived at the party during the cocktail hour. We parked on Main Street which provided a lovely pre-party stroll. Entering the party, we were graciously welcomed by staff who checked us in and provided generous details on how to best enjoy the evening complete with a map and schedule.
While the Inn has traditionally presented a sit down dinner style affair for the holiday, this special celebration featured food and drink stations situated throughout the various rooms of the Inn, beginning with a welcome cocktail served in the festively adorned lobby. As New Year’s Eve is the 7th day of Christmas, the Inn was still decked out for the holidays including the lobby’s gorgeous Christmas tree. The delightful gin-based welcome cocktail served with an orange twist was warming in both appearance and taste. And, as promised, as our tongues and bellies warmed and the jazzy music filled the air, we sat on a velvet couch by the picturesque fireplace and were transported to an opulent 1920’s soiree.
Moving onto the living room, we were greeted by a floral peacock centerpiece designed by Township Four Floristry & Home which is located in the Inn. In this space, we enjoyed meeting other guests and the passed canapés which included antipasto skewers, deviled eggs, radishes with whipped butter and smoked salt, trout roe and gribiche cucumber cups, and gougères with a raspberry gastrique. While all of the canapés were tasty, the gougères stole the show. The gougères, a French choux pastry made cheese, were perfectly paired with the tart and sweet raspberry gastrique.
After the cocktail hour, we started our evening in Widow Bingham’s Tavern, the Inn’s authentic Olde English Pub, again stepping into another time and place. Named for old Widow Bingham, one of the Inn’s original owners, the tavern is described as a “rustic and cozy yet somewhat quirky setting adorned with historic signs, old posters, wicker baskets, and a hodgepodge of other memorabilia.”
In this space, we were greeted by the Ploughman’s Table featuring cured meats, local cheeses, grilled and pickled vegetables, candied nuts, assorted pates and terrines, foie gras ganache shooters, baguettes, and flatbread pretzels. We sat at a comfortable corner table in the tavern where we enjoyed some of my favorite bites of the evening. The grilled broccolini was a highlight, but the pates and terrines made me literally shimmy.
The bar served us the signature cocktail, a stunning milk clarified daiquiri fittingly named “The Peacock,” for our stroll down the decked hall to Township Four’s shoppe for “A Trip Through the Garden,” a delightful cup of carrots, celery, cucumbers, herbs, green goddess dressing, and a unique and interesting roasted potato “soil.” This “salad” course was stunningly displayed and it was a welcomed and tasty refresher. The potato “soil” served as an interesting conversation piece and ice breaker with other guests. On a side note, I’ve ordered flowers from this florist on multiple occasions including my daughter’s prom corsages, and it was a joy to visit their gorgeous shoppe in person.
Picking up a glass of Prosecco, we made our way to the main dining room, first visiting the fabulous raw bar serving up shucked-to-order oysters, shrimp cocktail, and Ceviche de Pescado over a Mediterranean flatbread. We may have enjoyed this course the most. The shrimp was as fresh as can be, the ceviche of scallop and haddock served over the Mediterranean flatbread was one of the best bites of the evening, only rivaled by the oysters served with a duo of mignonettes, red onion and chili-lime. The south-Boston oysters were the best I’ve ever had – the taste of the sea paired with the chili-lime mignonette earned the *chef’s kiss* of the night.
Comfortably settling into a window-side table-for-two surrounded by crystal chandeliers and glorious floral arrangements in the historic Main Dining Room, our next courses were served on the Inn’s antique china. First up was a special course called “Good Luck in the New Year, with Love from Pittsburgh,” a roasted kombu-cured pork belly with a potato puree and herbed sauerkraut. Generated in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it has become a tradition to eat “Pork & Kraut” on New Year’s Eve. The idea is that lobsters walk backwards, crabs walk sideways, and chickens have wings that could make your good luck “fly away,” but the pig always walks forward! Paying tribute to Pennsylvania’s Germanic and agricultural backgrounds, eating pork will bring good luck and prosperity into the new year. To eat pork on New Year’s Eve will bring “viel glück,” which means good luck in German. Made of cabbage, which is universally considered a sign of wealth, eating sauerkraut will also bring good luck in the new year.
Next up was the main, a hand-carved prime rib station complete with both a demi-glaze and a horseradish sauce served with chilled grilled vegetables, and popovers displayed in a picnic basket. I found the rib with the horseradish sauce as well as the vegetables to be quite elegant.
My husband and I are not gamblers, but we ventured up to the casino set up in the Inn’s Hitchcock Room. We started off at the Texas hold’em table playing with guests who were clearly experienced poker players, but lovely enough to allow us newbies to sit in for a few hands. Having no luck there, we moved over to the craps table where the dealer was a charming and lively character. We had both good luck and a good time at this table. The casino was not exactly our cup of tea, but a fun and neat experience nonetheless.
Having rested our bellies and trying our luck, we headed back to the main dining room for dessert. The main event was bananas foster “flambéed” to order served with Highlawn Farm vanilla ice cream. There was also a spread of macarons, cookies, brownies, and panna cotta shooters. While the bananas foster was the star, the vanilla panna cotta layered with a tart champagne gelée and a raspberry garnish stole the show for me – a perfect note on which to end this culinary journey.
The Chris Conte Trio played in vintage fashion while the sparkly-dressed guests danced. The fringe twirled and the bubbles flowed for a countdown to midnight. We cheered, we kissed, we skipped the afterparty in the Lion’s Den Speakeasy and were home by half past midnight. We are so blessed in The Berkshires to have access to this iconic 250-year-old landmark. While both glitzy and glamorous, the vibe was unpretentious, accessible, and accommodating, and the staff was attentive and genuine. This event will live in the memories of all who were lucky enough to be in attendance. It was surely the place to be. Roar, 2024, Roar!
