WHO’S IN CHARGE Emmanuel “Manny’’ Besana was a line cook at Samuel’s at the Andover Inn for three years before becoming the restaurant’s executive chef last spring. In between, he did a stint as a farm chef at Green Meadows Farm in South Hamilton.
His party line is to keep the menu “New Englandy’’ while not being “too stuck in that.’’ Call his style of cooking American regional. Call his cooking deft and his food delicious.
Besana, 43 and of Filipino descent, attended the Culinary Institute of America in New York but was whisked away to work at a nearby Relais & Châteaux property in the 1990s instead of graduating. Is he hoping the Andover Inn will one day earn the prestigious designation? “I’d like to chase after it,’’ Besana admits. “Right now we’re trying to iron out a few wrinkles.’’
THE LOCALE Samuel’s is at the Andover Inn, a 1930 Georgian Colonial building on the Phillips Academy campus in Andover. It is named for Samuel Phillips Jr., who founded the prep school (a.k.a. “Andover’’) in 1778. Six years ago, a renovation transformed the inn and restaurant interior from French provincial into a contemporary, understated setting.
Beyond its now-relaxed veneer, you can catch hints of buttoned-up politics: After all, Andover is where the Bush men (as in two former presidents and one presidential hopeful) came to learn. In the renovation, the bar was made part of the dining room, with its high ceilings and clubby dark wood. Recessed lighting and mod lanterns replaced chandeliers. Men in V-neck sweaters and women with cropped hairdos — except for a long-haired girl, who can be overheard explaining “boys against the girls’’ to her parents — sip wine poured tableside into long-stemmed glasses.
Oil-lit votives and real flowers on the tables add special touches. The two TVs at the bar broadcast a college basketball game and Fox News. The only “blue’’ is a necktie worn by a diner.
ON THE MENU The menu is, as Besana describes, very “New Englandy,’’ yet exciting. With guidance from our server, Lisa, whose measured enthusiasm we come to trust, we opt for the lobster and mushroom crepe ($16). It’s a signature dish with generous chunks of fresh lobster with cremini and oyster mushrooms tucked inside tender crepes in a sherry-shallot cream sauce. The soft-crusted grilled flatbread ($9) with tasty-enough fried chicken, garlic tomato sauce, and cheddar and Parmesan cheese topping, falls a bit flat. But we are smitten by the short rib entrée ($24) and what Lisa calls the “pull-apart goodness’’ of the beef. The dish is balanced by parsnip-potato puree, root vegetables, a sweet braised reduction, horseradish cream, and cranberry compote — the New England touch.
The peanut butter croissant bread pudding — Lisa gave us a double-OK sign with our order — of caramel-soaked croissant bits, vanilla ice cream, and overkill Reese’s chunks ($7) is enough to steal our vote, despite the glow of Bill O’Reilly from the bar.
Samuel’s is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, daily, and Sunday brunch. See the website for hours.
Samuel’s, 4 Chapel Ave., Andover, 978-775-4910; http://samuelsandover.com/.
Naomi Kooker can be reached at naomikooker@gmail.com.
