Journal photo / Sandor Bodo
ASIAN-STYLE DUMPLINGS, stuffed with swordfish, diced ginger, water chestnuts, scallions, shiitake mushrooms and spinach, are served with a sauce of cilantro, rice vinegar, soy sauce and ginger.

French cuisine is best feature at historic inn

By MERIDITH FORD
Journal Restaurant Critic

• See the menu.

CHARLESTOWN -- New England is full of rambling old inns rife with legend. The General Stanton Inn is one of them.

The original Indian Room dates back to 1667, when it was won in a lottery by Thomas Stanton, moved to his property and used as a schoolhouse for slaves and Indian children.

As with most houses this old, the original property has been added to over the years. It wasn't until the 1800s that it was used as an inn, though.

The property sprawls over seven acres, with an area for a flea market and enough parking for hundreds of cars. Driving south on Route 1 in the dark, I nearly wrecked my car twice before figuring out where the entrance was.

But the rambling inn's outside coat of fresh, creamy yellow paint is warming and welcoming. The rooms inside seem to go on and on, each a little world unto itself.

The Indian Room is one of the most interesting, with very low, beamed ceilings and a fireplace that once served as the stove. There is an interesting mustiness to the air, a blend of centuries-old wood and pleasant aromas from the kitchen.

The largest dining room is most often used for breakfast and is set up like a Pennsylvania Dutch pancake house, replete with white paper place settings and captain's chairs at picnic-like tables.

The main dining room, once a porch, is bathed in green, each table set with white linen and flights of sparklingly new glassware. The curtains mirror the color of the walls. At first this is comforting, but after a while I began to feel as if I were eating on the inside of an asparagus spear.

Mostly, though, the surroundings are agreeable, in keeping with the traditional atmosphere a property of this stature deserves.

Menu makeover

New owners C.J. and Linda Evron have remodeled not only the inn's decor, but the menu, too.

They have brought from California executive chef Jean-Claude Bourlier, who apprenticed in France and worked at tony spots such as Le Dome on Sunset Boulevard before his move to New England. The breakfast menu is designed and executed by Karilee Dahl, Linda's sister. (Dahl also manages the property along with Linda's son, Gregory, since the Evrons spend some time in Los Angeles.)

Dinner was what I came for.

Bourlier's menu, despite many non-traditional dishes such as Oriental lettuce wraps and swordfish dumplings, can't seem to get out of its own way. It's a hodgepodge of edgy Asian-inspired items, such as raw carpaccio-style sushi-grade tuna with avocado and rice noodles, and tired country-club classics like prime rib and lemon chicken breast.

Interspersed among these is what Bourlier does best: classic French.

For instance, a duck liver mousse on the appetizer menu is an exquisite, textbook example of a classic dish. Bourlier serves a buttery textured mousse -- assertively flavored but not overpowering -- inside a light pate a choux (think cream puff) swan, tiny and delicate. Toast points are arranged around the plate as well, with a tossing of mixed greens in a tart dressing. It is at once pretty and delicious -- the goal of all haute French cuisine.

And a confit of duck, served whole and on the bone rather than pulled as is often the case, is tender, rich and juicy, its fat and juices seared into the meat. An airy mousse-like mash of sweet potatoes, served as a side dish, is a meal unto itself.

Plump Asian-style dumplings, as an appetizer, are stuffed with mild-flavored swordfish and laced with diced ginger, water chestnuts and scallions, shiitake mushrooms and spinach. They are another standout, served with a plucky sauce of cilantro, rice vinegar, soy sauce and ginger.

A throwback to church bazaars and New York chop houses, chopped "garbage" salads have made a big comeback in the past year, especially on steak house menus. Bourlier serves an excellent version -- an oversized bowl of finely chopped red and white cabbages, ham and salami in a tangy mustard dressing.

Black olives and chick peas are tossed about for effect, but the real success of this salad comes from the winning combination of the salty, meaty flavors of the ham and salami offset by the rustic nature of the cabbages. Listed on the menu under "signature specialties" is a dish of halibut, served with a Thai peanut sauce. Here, Bourlier gets himself into trouble.

Halibut, usually a fat, flaky, exceptionally tender fish, is here almost tough. Its macadamia-nut crust has been forgotten, leaving the fish with a bland taste. The peanut sauce is globby and thick, with no discernible flavor. A side of mashed potatoes is thick and dry.

Dessert a la France

The service is attentive, but falls prey to the American conundrum of formality versus congeniality. Striving for the proper etiquette that befits a place such as the General Stanton Inn, but lacking the help to pull it off, the inn settles for prompt, friendly service -- about which I can't complain.

Desserts possess Bourlier's French touch. The last time I was offered a slice of gateaux Saint Honore was in culinary school, where this French cake named after the street in Paris is taught as a classic.

Part cake, part tart -- part heaven -- I notice it on the dessert tray, beautifully filled with a chiboust (whipped cream dreamily blended with vanilla custard) and bejeweled with cream puffs dipped in caramelized sugar.

Imagine my dismay when told the last piece had just been gobbled up by the table next to us. I thought for a moment about asking the diners there to trade, but that would have just been too embarrassing.

In the end I was just as happy with a slice of lemon meringue tart, with a mouth-puckering lemon filling and mounds of cloud-like meringue. There also was a fine apple strudel, made with puff pastry and filled with an almond custard beneath a mantle of juicy apples, topped with vanilla ice cream.

General Stanton Inn, 4115 Old Post Rd., Charlestown, (401) 364-8888. Casually upscale. Reservations accepted. Smoking allowed in bar section of tavern only. Ladies rooms are wheelchair accessible. Open Wed-Sun for lunch and dinner from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. V, MC, AM, DIS, DC. Highchairs and booster seats. Ample parking.

The dinner menu's appetizers, soups and salads are $5.25 to $11.95. Pasta dishes are $13.95 to $16.95. Entrees are $14.95 to $24.95. Desserts are $4.50 to $6.50. A modest wine list includes ample selections from California and Italy, with bottles from $21 to $180.

The Night Watch Tavern menu serves lighter fare such as burgers, fajitas, meatloaf and beef stew with dished from $3.25 to $16.95.

Breakfast is served Sat-Sun from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. with items such as date nut pancakes, Belgian waffle sandwiches, crepes and souffle-style omelets from $4.25 to $12.50.