Chef Ed Gencarelli, a J&W grad, has been with the inn for 15 years, and though he has held on to some customer favorites and regional classics, he likes to liven things up with nouvelle panache, such as lamb shanks with homemade spaetzle, or salmon that’s crusted with coriander and cumin. Acquaintances sitting nearby very much enjoyed that lamb shank as well as a Shelter Harbor staple: braised calf liver with a caramelized onion demi-glaze.
 
We ended up choosing several signature Shelter Harbor dishes, beginning with the lobster bisque ($8). We both remembered liking this soup on previous visits, but I detected a mustiness that prevented me from finishing it. Bill helped out on that score and thought it was just a strong herb.

He was right, though neither of us guessed that it was thyme. When a similar taste appeared in my rice pilaf and was just as unappealing to me, I concluded that the cook may have used powdered thyme, which would come across as very strong and very different from a sprinkle of dried thyme leaves.
 
Our second appetizer was much more successful: Rhode Island oysters, baked in their shells with spinach and leeks ($10). They were sprinkled with grated smoked Gouda and nicely browned. The earthiness of the veggies complemented the briny oysters in a memorable combination.
 
For our entrées, we had been looking forward to two of our best Shelter Harbor memories: finnan haddie ($21) and hazelnut-crusted chicken ($20).  Finnan haddie is smoked, salted haddock, usually prepared in a cream sauce and served with mashed potatoes.
 
In this version, the creamed finnan haddie was placed in a casserole, and the mashed potatoes piped over it, before the whole was baked in the oven. A nice presentation, it was as tasty as we both remembered. 
 
Meanwhile, I wondered why the two chicken fillets were topped with canned mandarin oranges, and I couldn’t detect any orange flavor in the sauce, as described. This is an entrée that’s been on the menu for most of the time we’ve been coming to Shelter Harbor, and the blending of hazelnuts on the crust of the chicken with the orange and Frangelico in the cream sauce has always been very appealing.

Don’t get me wrong; it was fine. It was just that the flavors didn’t pop out at me as fresh orange zest or toasted hazelnuts.  Both of our dishes were accompanied by steamed broccoli, a bit al dente, as we like it, and flavorful winter squash.
 
A half-dozen house-made desserts are on deck at Shelter Harbor, with a fruit crisp varying its star attraction with the season. This one was cranberry-pear, and our waitress told us it is very popular, along with the pumpkin brioche bread pudding. Black Forest mousse cake had none of the requisite cherries, but a raspberry coulis. And then we came to the Indian pudding a la mode ($6), a traditional food that’s becoming scarcer.
 
Indian pudding is so-named because its primary ingredient, cornmeal, was once called Indian meal. In most modern recipes, the molasses sweetener is augmented with sugar and sometimes raisins. It’s then combined with milk and eggs to bake like a custard. Shelter Harbor’s version didn’t have a custard texture, but that may be a factor of the cornmeal itself. It was very good.
 
The ground-floor rooms of this old farmhouse have been converted and augmented to  make a large lounge/bar area, where one can eat, a dining room and breakfast room that look out onto the gardens, and the low-ceilinged main dining room, where we ate.
 
Though the dark wooden beams have been painted white, and the fireplace wasn’t lit during our visit, the feel of a historic inn lingers in the flowered wallpaper and the white cotton curtains at the windows.

Despite Shelter Harbor Inn’s popularity, there’s something intimate and even romantic about it. Keep it in mind for your valentine.

On the Web
Shelter Harbor Inn: shelterharborinn.com

Johnette Rodriguez can be reached at johnette.rodriguez@cox.net .