Beardslee Castle in Little Falls is the state’s most haunted place. Ever the intrepid band, the Bailliage bussed us 70 miles to the restaurant. Our dinner’s theme “Forage, Funghi and Fire” was hosted by Chef/Owner Maître Rôtisseur Randall Brown.

Armed with a Computer Science degree, Chef Brown marched off to join the fine dining business 40 years ago. In 1994 he opened Beardslee Castle, a pre-Civil War replica built by Augustus Beardslee, which boasts oak ceilings, arched casement windows and sturdy limestone walls.

And ghosts! A finalist on SyFy Channel’s Ghost Hunters based on lots of paranormal happenings reported by employees and visitors thought to relate to 1750 when a fatal incident happened at French fort on the site.

When the Bailliage rolled in the only otherworldly present was the fare from Chef Brown’s kitchen. His menu, as always, featured foraged items.

MENU

Seared diver sea scallop
Château Carbonnieux Blanc 2017
Pessac-Léognan, Bordeaux
and
Vouvray ‘Clos le Vigneau’ 2019
Alexandre Monmousseau - Loire Valley

Mushroom ‘crab’ cake
Wines as for the first course

Lobster cheesecake
fine-tuned by a dollop of caviar crème fraiche
Mount Eden Chardonnay ‘Domaine Eden’ 2019
Santa Cruz Mountains, California

Lasagna
of neatly layered morels, black oysters and sliced potato
Brunello di Montalcino 2010 - Tenuta di Sesta, Italy

Dandelion sorbet
(courtesy of the castle’s lawn)

Sliced lamb ribeye
smoked with rosemary and pine needles
rhubarb/amaro demi-glace and a touch of sumac
Turley Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel 2016
Paso Robles, California

Red Anjou pear poached in cider
with agave whipped goat’s cheese
Château Giraud 2010
Sauternes Grand Cru Classé, Bordeaux

Shadowy figures were nothing more than mists rising from the Mohawk River. If there were remnants of troubled souls long gone, Beardslee Castle ghosts are daft to skip such a remarkable dinner. Or were the echoes of oohs and aahs their appreciation?

Hmm, anyone know if ghosts eat?

Based on a detailed report received from Ilona Weisman, Vice Chargée de Presse

Photographer : William Harris, Bailli