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Friday, October 14, 2005
Check Out Vernier Hotel's
Latest Culinary Incarnation
By Molly Abraham
The saga began in 1886, when the Vernier Hotel was built, and carriages began bringing summer people out to the shores of Anchor Bay.
And it's possible to visualize what that scene might have been like when you drive up to the Vernier, even though the ladies and gentlemen of the day had never heard of the dish called "pizza," now advertised prominently on a sign outside the stately building.
The Vernier has just embarked on the latest of its many reincarnations over the years. The new proprietor is Dan
Stackpoole, the man who makes
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Chef and co-owner Dan Stackpoole presents one of the restaurant's
signature dishes, Pollo Scarpiello. |
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the pizzas -- and much more. He and his wife, Jamie, found an investor, took over the premises and restored the Vernier name in July.
Up came the tattered carpeting in the bar, revealing beautiful terrazzo floors; the original tin ceiling and the long mahogany bar were restored; and the high-ceilinged dining room was freshly painted.
They didn't do anything about one glitch, however. The bullet hole in the marble wall in the bar is still there as a sort of historic marker. It is said to be the result of a shoot-out back in the Purple Gang days, when rum-running from Canada across the river was a major enterprise in the area.
People are happy to have the Vernier back. And Stackpoole has reclaimed the kitchen as well as the front of the house.
At 35, he has impressive years of hands-on experience in the restaurant business, having "bounced around," as he puts it from Cafe Edward in Midland to Andiamo in Warren and Mac & Ray's in Harrison Township, picking up skills along the way.
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You can tell immediately that the Stackpooles want to do more than a routine job, when the first thing that comes to the linen-covered table is house-made foccacia, with fresh chopped tomatoes marinated in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs, along with roasted garlic to dip into.
That's the kind of touch that sets up a good feeling for what's to come, whether the choice is one of his prize deep-dish pizzas (he makes the thin-crusted kind as well) or something much more elaborate.
And there are some surprisingly elaborate dishes on a
menu that ranges from
oysters Rockefeller and shrimp cocktail to rack of lamb crusted with Dijon
mustard
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Deep-dish pizza is a house
specialty at the Vernier. |
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and
fresh rosemary, and grilled salmon topped with caper and herb butter.
One of the standouts is marinated pork tenderloin, little circles of the still-pink meat in a light demiglace with dried cherries, served with simple herb-roasted potatoes and a sprinkling of fresh parsley. Another, sauteed perch with a white wine and butter sauce, also nicely displays Stackpoole's touch.
Service is friendly, and the feeling is completely unpretentious, as befits its country setting. Something endearing about the place is that the menu credits Cardini's Caesar salad dressing as well as Hidden Valley ranch rather than trying to pass them off as house dressings.
Of course, like so many others, the menu goes on and on too long. Excising about half the selections would let the kitchen concentrate on what it does best.
The Vernier offers an early dinner 3-6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday that is a notable value. All of the entrees, from pastas such as wild mushroom ravioli and linguine with clam sauce to chicken or veal Marsala and baby back ribs, are an all-inclusive $9.95 from soup -- including a very good clam chowder -- right down to dessert and coffee.
The couple is working on having the sturdy building designated as a historic site.
You can reach Molly Abraham at (313) 222-1475 or abraham67@ comcast.net.
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Vernier co-owner Dan Stackpoole and his
daughter, Coral, 8,
often team up at the
piano during restaurant hours.
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