I’m not a foodie but nearly everyone in my eclectic circle of local friends had asked if I’d eaten at Kingston’s relatively new Mossback Cafe. “No,” I’d reply but then never made a point of going. This week I met one of the owners while we were both hanging out in the waiting room of our mutual esthetician. We talked about my upcoming trip to India. I decided to try out her restaurant.
Mossback is a small place. Housed in a 100 year old farmhouse, it’s been part of Kingston’s food scene since 2014. The restaurant features locally sourced food made from scratch and a regularly changing menu. Limiting hours and days of operation (its only open Wednesday – Friday from 4-9pm) allows the staff to focus on quality, experimenting with wild edibles and building relationships with local providers.
We showed up on a Wednesday when Happy Hour runs from opening to closing. The restaurant’s cozy bar, Rabbit Hole, is reached by exiting the back door of the restaurant. And because I’m not a foodie I’m going to describe the far more interesting food and drink ordered by my surprisingly food experimental son who joined me for dinner.
He ordered their special cocktail of the night; a drink so newly designed it didn’t yet have an official name. Made of beet juice and balsamic with vodka, the drink was surprisingly refreshing and worthy of a second round.
His main course choice was a savory piroshki; beef, cabbage and radicchio kraut in a pastry with a side of horseradish creme fraiche for dipping. And desert was a rich rosemary cream brulee. My salmon cakes followed a cheese and chutney plate all sourced from local farms.
On Sunday Mossback offers an economic three course dinner for $25.
