The Old Inn On the Green

Eight years ago, my partner and I scoured the internet for a cosy, romantic destination. We wanted something close enough to New York City to not spend half a day driving and far enough to provide a clear contrast. We also needed somewhere with world class food. Dining is really important to both of us. We settled on the award-​winning Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough, Massachusetts. Over the phone, Meredith Kennard, one of the proprieters, rented us a room that she said used to be the favorite of actor Paul Newman. We loved it because it had a spacious bathroom with a claw-​foot tub. We stayed five days and had four dinners at the restaurant, which is presided over by chef and proprietor Peter Platt. Peter’s kitchen turns out innovative and exquisite new American cuisine that is second to none.
Since that first visit, we’ve returned to Old Inn at least twice a year. The Inn is situated on a traditional town green that has not changed much since it was settled in the eighteenth century. It’s a quiet place, but close to skiing, Tanglewood and plenty of venues which offer access to the natural beauty of Berkshire County such as the Appalachian Trail, Monument Mountain and miles and miles of conservation wilderness. There are also antique shops and rare and used bookstores in abundance.
The Inn itself, along with another house on the green with accommodations, have been carefully restored, modernized and tastefully decorated with a combination of colonial and later art and furnishings. Many rooms have fireplaces. Every time we return to the Old Inn, we have a wonderful time, punctuated by incredible breakfasts and matchless dinners. Both Peter and Meredith take time out of their busy schedules to ensure we have what we need and then some. Their hospitality and engagement go way beyond what’s expected of five star luxury accommodations. We are so lucky to have discovered the Old Inn!

Dined here with my wife on Saturday the 17^th to celebrate our anniversary and, as usual, our dining experience was exceptional. The staff was attentive and the food was terrific. Standouts on this visit were the foie gras appetizer and the duck entrée. For dessert, one of the seasonal specialties was a pumpkin crème brûlée that did not disappoint.

After two stays, a year apart, The Inn on The Green has become our all time B&B plus superb dinner place to stay!
We were there earlier this week for a brief respite and foliage trip and were astounded by their spontaneous generosity, in first, giving us a very substantial, complimentary room upgrade just because the room was available. When I questioned whether we were led to the correct room the manager said, we try to do what we can. An understatement to be sure; the room and bathroom were exquisite with gorgeous wood everywhere and fabulous furnishings — including a whirlpool tub, always one of my favorites. We also had a door to the outside where there was a pool, a lovely view and chairs to enjoy it all in.
We knew dinner would be extravagantly wonderful and it was, without exception. The wine service was beyond excellent and generous with a wine perfectly matched to every dish and moment of the meal — starting with a champagne apéritif through to a delicious Port ending. The dining rooms are almost exclusively lighted by candles making for a thoroughly romantic experience. The service is welcoming yet unobtrusive and the public rooms all have an understated elegance with wide planked floors everywhere and natural decorations tastefully placed.
Breakfast is a treat to be savored with French press coffee, homemade pastries and croissants, the most perfectly ripe, large selection of fresh fruit, and a delicious original granola accompanied by a delightfully tasty yoghurt.
Clearly, my husband love this hidden treasure in the heart of the Berkshires and will happily return for years to come!

Watch out! When trying to make a reservation online, the inn has a system that takes your reservation and credit card info. But they never send a confirmation email. I experienced this as an entrapment. I had been trying to make reservations in the same area and thought I had failed and cancelled plans to go there. Only to get a phone call at midnight las night (5 months later) inquiring about my whereabouts. Obviously a charge had been placed on my credit card. I complained to the inn and was told that they never send a confirmation. I have made reservations online to many hotels and have always received an email confirmation. I have no idea what the hotel is like, but this reservation policy I feel is misleading and a bad sign.

We just stayed at Old Inn on the Green for a celebratory birthday weekend in August. We drove out from Boston to tour the Berkshires and attend Tanglewood. The Inn is a beautiful, modest set of buildings just a quick drive from Great Barrington. The main building is decorated with the most incredible artistic pieces of nature and the restaurant space transports you back to a prior world. All the dark wood and candlelight instantly put you in the mood for a cocktail and hearty meal. The restaurant food and service are spectacular, and we also truly enjoyed the breakfast service on the patio. The couple that owns the Inn serves breakfast and coffee themselves, and each table receives a basket of warm, delectable breakfast pastries along with the stunning buffet of fresh fruit, yogurt, eggs, and homemade granola. The rooms are beautifully done — with heavy curtains, big wood and leather furniture pieces, and clawfoot bathtub. We loved our stay and cannot wait to make our visit an annual affair!

We were very disappointed in our stay at the Inn last Friday July 30^th. The room was quaint and the furnishings were fine. We asked for ice and cocktail glasses when we first got to the room and they did not appear so we went down stairs after some time had passed and no one seemed to know anything about it. The one man questioned rather curtly as to what I meant by a cocktail glass!!! Did not think that was so difficult but we did get our request met.
At dinner which we ate on the side porch, the staff were quite aloof… no conversation just business. Our cushions on the chairs were damp but no offer of a towel or a dry cushion which seemed odd to me.
Dinner was excellent … no question as to the quality or presentation. We all enjoyed every course. Thought it might have been nice for the owner to stop by the table to see how things were… but that did not happen.
Breakfast the next day was pleasant but again the woman serving was somewhat surely and not very engaging. When we were ready to check out
we had questions about our final bill and again were met with indifference and an edgy attitude. Not a word of «thanks for coming. or how was your stay!»
I would not recommend this Inn to anyone … food was very good but there is much more to a pleasant evening and stay than just the food. It was not inexpensive and I felt like they could care less about our visit. I have stayed in many Inns and B&B’s but this was not favorite.

Came here with a group of girlfriends for a very nice and delicious dinner. It was a special treat to a dear friend, who is also a chef. The Old Inn on the Green did not disappoint.
The ambiance was spectacular. The rooms are lit by candlelight. (A little distracting at first but you get used to it). The waitstaff was excellent — so knowledgeable and accommodating. They answered our many questions on food, pairings and prep. And the food was spectacular.
Had it been appropriate I would have taken pictures of every dish! The food was non-​stop. Yes, it is pricey so be prepared but the food was plentiful. This is definitely the place to take someone special, to celebrate an achievement or just to impress. Everything was delicious.

This restaurant combines very good 4 star food with 5 star ambiance, service and a fabulous bargain price on their mid week «welcome menu» offered Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.. Their $ 35 three course meals offer great choices, all well prepare, d served in a candlelit old New England atmosphere. It is hard to beat.
On our last visit we had the creamy roasted beet soup and salad with a light buttermilk blue cheese dressing. Both were excellent. For main courses we had salmon and chicken, both of which were very good. The potato gnocchi accompanying the salmon were flat out great. Dessert was a berry compote with vanilla ice cream that was good but nothing special.
Overall the Old Inn always makes for a nice relaxing evening out of good eating in a great atmosphere. It is a bit of a drive from our place, but always worth it.

My husband and I purchased a Travelzoo deal for a two-​night stay at the Old Inn on the Green. We didn’t know anything about the inn – or the Berkshires for that matter – prior to our stay, but all aspects exceeded our expectations!
THE INN: We stayed in room 204 in the Thayer house. It was a corner room on the second floor – tons of light, big windows, claw foot tub, comfy bed, and best of all: a gorgeous fireplace! The room was a little chilly so we kept the fire going ²⁴⁄₇ (while we were in the room, at least). The sheets were clean and the room was spotless. The Thayer house is pretty quiet overall. This is an old place so the floors creak quite a bit, but the room felt very private. There are two cozy common rooms at your disposal, too. Take advantage of those (I discovered a wealth of current magazines and movies). Our voucher included two breakfasts; there was a buffet of fresh fruit and yogurt in the inn, and fresh pastries from their sister café, the Southfield Store. These were honestly the best pastries I’ve ever had. They were warm and heavenly on a cold fall morning. The innkeeper, Peter, even wrapped a few for us to go. There’s a bonus: Peter’s adorable dog, Chapman, meanders around the inn during breakfast. He made it feel like home!
THE RESTAURANT: we spent our first night dining at the inn. Everything is soooooo authentic and old, I can’t even give it adequate credit. The floors look original, there’s candelabras, period furniture, and candles at every table. It’s ultra romantic. The staff was attentive and friendly. There were three prixe fix menus to choose from. We chose the first (which was included in our voucher). The meal started with a gratis amuse bouche, which was some super fancy confection that I won’t even try to remember. The duck salad was delish, and my chicken and my husband’s short rib were both perfection. We ended the meal with a piping hot apple crisp. The ambiance was just as romantic and authentic as we were hoping for. Perfect backdrop to a satisfying, delicious meal.
All-​in-​all, this was the escape from the city we were looking for. Use the Old Inn as your hub to explore local vineyards, distilleries, and museums. Be inspired by the inn’s authenticity and the genuine warmth of the staff. Worth every penny!

Correction to my earlier review — we visited the Inn this past April (2014). If you have the opportunity to go to the Bershires, The Old Inn on the Green is a MUST!

Hearty and traditional food with some creative twists. The food is very good, but not life changing. What makes the experience extraordinary is the quaint and romantic décor.

We stayed «off season» at the Old Inn with a TravelZoo deal, and it was totally worth the trip!
The room we stayed in was small, but cute. It had a fireplace and balcony, which we did not use because it was freezing, but the fireplace we went through enough logs to build a second inn. There are no TV’s in the rooms, so just be aware.
With our travelzoo deal, we got breakfast both mornings, a four-​course dinner at the Inn, and lunch one day at the Southfield Store.
The dinner at the Inn was AMAZING. We had the option to either get the four courses or to go a la carte. My boyfriend went with the four courses and ordered the salad, the angus beef short rib, and a sampling of sorbets. The beef short rib was delicious. Fall-​of-​the-​bone NOM delicious. It came with roasted baby carrots and it was just, yum. The trio of sorbets was very flavorful. I think they were strawberry, banana and something from the orange family.
I ordered a la carte and started with a trio of cheeses, all fresh and local, I had a bleu cheese, a cheddar and a camembert. All of them were fantastic and served with a fig chutney and honey. YUM! Then I had a beautiful mushroom risotto. I am normally a huge fan of risotto because I love rice and delicious sauce, but the star of this dish was the mushrooms. Half the time I pick mushrooms out of risotto because there are too many of them, or they have no flavor, but these mushrooms were simply amazing. They were so meaty and tender, by far and away the best mushrooms I’ve ever had. Then I finished my a la carte experience with a lobster claw and a scallop. Both were fantastic.
The kitchen also brought out two amuses: a pureed radish on a crustini paired with a crustini with salmon tartare. The second was a ceviche of lobster cl

After coming across a Travelzoo voucher for the Inn on The Green we stayed for a Fri and Sat night. The voucher came with dinner one night, lunch one day and breakfast each morning. The room was beautiful and had all the 1760s charm it claimed online. The dinner was just fantastic! Meredith was very accommodating each morning with the breakfast and giving us some tips on places to visit. All and all, a really great stay!

Came here for Christmas dinner and had their prix fixe dinner menu.
Amuse bouche was not very good (1 star)
Appetizers (3)
Main courses were much better
scallop and poached lobster (4)
beef tenderloin (4+)
Dessert (3)
Wine pairings were excellent (5)
Overall somewhat forgettable but OK place considering it’s in the Berkshires.

I’ve been using this website for years and years, and have never written a review, but people should really know about my experience at the Old Inn.
The short story:
Peter, the owner and chef at the Old Inn, and (most of) his staff, don’t like hosting and accommodating wedding parties. I’m confused as to why he took a booking with our party, only to end up treating us in an extraordinarily rude manner.
The whole story:
We got married at the Gedney this past September. We originally booked the Mepal Manor for the rehearsal dinner, the spa, and about 6 rooms, but were informed about 3 months later that the Manor and the Spa were sold and would no longer be available for our use. Michael, Gedney’s general manager, suggested we move our dinner, hair and makeup preparations, and stay to the Old Inn On the Green. This is what most of the other stumped wedding parties were doing.
My husband had numerous conversations with Peter on the phone during the reservation process. He was always very nice and accommodating, and in the end, we booked 4 out of the 6 rooms in the Thayer house (the biggest ones), and a private room at the restaurant for a party of 35 people for our rehearsal dinner.
The rehearsal dinner was a mess. We made the big mistake of not preparing sitting arrangements, and by the time my husband, his parents (who were paying), my parents, my maid of honor, her husband, and I arrived we had no where to sit. The staff were very flustered and frustrated when they had to add more chairs to the tables because we didn’t inform them of the right number of guests (we failed to count the small children, and were 5 people off). In the mean time we were all standing in the middle of the room, and family members were starting to volunteer to give up their seats and leave.
After the dinner, we tried to make reservations for breakfast the next morning, and they refused to serve our guests who «weren’t staying at the Old Inn». We were under the impression that it was a restaurant which is open to the public, but I guess our money was no good there.
The next day, we had arranged to get the bridal party’s hair and makeup done at the Thayer house. We set up in the common area because the makeup artist didn’t have enough light to work in the rooms. We were occupying most of the rooms in the house, (and all of the rooms on the bottom floor where we were), and at this point the other rooms were empty so we had the house to completely to ourselves. About half way through, Peter showed up and lashed out (!!!) at my mom for not asking permission to use the common area. I can’t even begin to explain how inappropriate it was for him to talk to my mom the way he did. It was only a few short hours before her daughter walks down the aisle, and she was beyond upset. Why distress the mother of the bride for no reason? Literally anybody else would have been a more appropriate person to talk to, especially when the only purpose of his comments seemed to be just to reprimand someone. Our coordinator from the Gendney was there when it happened. She mentioned that they’ve been getting a lot of complaints from other guests about the attitude they’ve been getting from the Old Inn.
In the end we ended up spending almost $ 10,000 at the Old Inn, and I couldn’t recommend it less. They even over charged our card, by about $ 400, and when we called to ask for an invoice, it took an email, 8 phone calls, two voicemails, and 2 phone conversations to talk to Peter. They finally noticed that it was in fact their mistake and we got some of the money back. Seriously, if you are getting married in the area, DO NOT spend your money here. They do not like big groups, and they are not hospitable to out of towners. They are also overpriced, patronizing, and just «not nice» in general.

This place is great! Excellent menu with locally produced items. The ambiance is warm and inviting but not intimidating. The service is top notch with an attentive and friendly staff. I think it’s a bargain for the quality of food you get. I give this place my highest recommendation.

An unbelievable setting, a top-​of-​the-​line tasting menu, and one of the best restaurant experiences I’ve ever had.
The building is dream-​like, and the food was perfect.
Notes:
— Saturday night is either $ 75 prix fixe, or $ 95 tasting menu. Amex accepted.
— No cellphone service anywhere near this town! Paper map it!

I purchased a $ 350 Travel Zoo voucher for a 2 night stay in the creepy town and to eat day old food. I thought it was a great buy, unfortunately, you DO get what you pay for.
BEWARE: New Malsborough DOES NOT HAVE WIFI, so in case you need to come to this ‘quaint little adorable town’ remember to print out your maps and be ready to drive 20 mins to the next town, Great Barrington, to access civilization and some cell phone towers.
The inn’s selling point was a «historical» take on the inn, so I walked into my room in the Old Inn, I was greeted with a creeky bed and a bathroom without a vent. I was thankful there was electricity, but don’t expect any kind of TV (unless you upgrade to the Thayer house). The front door doesn’t look really secure with it’s «historical/​colonial» style iron clad key, the closet was dusty and the door creeked and in general, we couldn’t sleep comfortably throughout the weekend.
The 1^st morning breafkast consisted of hard boiled eggs, granola, fruit and milk or tea, and a warm assortment of pastries including delicious lemon muffins. The voucher also included a lunch at the Southfield Café which also sells these the lemon muffins. For dinner, we dined at the Old inn over a 3 course menu and for dessert, «Chef’s choice: raspberry preserves and cream over THE SAME LEMON MUFFIN» I don’t want to see another lemon muffin again.
The silver lining on this trip was a warm breakfast in the outdoor patio.

Well, this is a sad update to write about a place that has seldom let me down. The 2-​star review is based upon our dining experience this Saturday night when taking my Mother out for a birthday dinner. While the service and ambiance were intact, one very surprising thing stood out as worthy of two stars: The menu offered diners two (and only two) options: a $ 95/​person tasting menu and a $ 75/​person prix fixe. There were no a la carte options available. So, my wallet took the hit and I expected a worthy experience in return. However, sending my tenderloin back for arriving overcooked was not… as they say… on the menu.
I’ve dined around the world and have never seen such a menu choice in a restaurant. It was as if we were given the ‘For Tourists Only’ menu. Given that we live down the street, we felt slapped and actually disrespected. If we had known this was the structure of the menu these days, we could have chosen to go or not. However, the surprise stung.

Most amazing (less than) 24 hours of my life — yes, we were the youngest people enjoying everything this property had to offer and one might think that we’re not experienced enough to have exquisite taste. On the contrary, I assure you we are.
I am a lucky girl to have been given this gift of a getaway for Christmas — a day of skiing at Butternut and then we were off to the Inn.
Upon check-​in — which was a bit confusing at first, we were smitten by the charming main house and led to our amazing room on the second floor of the other building.
I asked for an ice bucket for our bubbly and promptly received one and some flutes — perfect for enjoying the oversized claw foot tub (which we did for an hour!) and drying off in front of the lovely in-​room wood burning fireplace. The room itself was just romantic and rustic and all sorts of wonderful.
Then came time for dinner — first off, the fact that everything is lit by candlelight seemed daunting at first but once we saw and experienced it — I don’t know how we dine otherwise!
First off — we are huge bread and butter people and made the tremendous mistake of partaking in way too much of that home-​made crusty goodness and delectable Vermont butter.
The amuse bouche of homemade sausage and salmon tartare were fantastic as was the extra soup starter and then began the meal that almost killed my boyfriend (in terms of portions and alcohol) …
He has never had a wine pairing with a meal before and I have to say for a 6 – 8 course meal the portion sizes were quite larger than I expected and am used to.
Not that this is a bad thing but that huge hunk of foie gras that he insisted on finishing almost throttled his gall bladder later on!
Regardless — the roasted beet tart tatin was incredible, paired so well with that herbed chevre that added a great saltiness to the sweet beet and a delicate crust — mmmm. Set the tone for the rest of the meal.
Next was lobster, saffron & sweet pea risotto — hearty, perfect texture, and that infamous foie gras w/​mushroom ragout — decadence.
Crispy veal sweetbreads with foie & garlic flan and carrot sauce — not too chewy and butter-​poached lobster with pan-​roasted Maine scallop — the most perfectly cooked scallop I have ever encountered.
Roasted squab w/​leek tartlet and wild mushroom sauce — huge portion of deliciousness but as for my poached salmon, the albumin presence was off-​putting and the flavors just didn’t hit the right notes.
Same situation for the next course: the lamb and crispy polenta were superb, the gamey-​ness of the meat was virtually nonexistent but the pan-​roasted fluke was overcooked and there was too much acid on the plate.
They graciously swapped out the stinky bleu cheese in my cheese course for a creamy camembert served with home-​made preserves and more of that delicious bread.
Seriously at this point my pants were undone on top and I was thanking God for the candle-​light that obscured any clear view of my discomfort.
Now the dessert amuse of house made concord grape gelato and jam topping — I really do not care for grape anything but this was amazing stuff.
Followed by a frozen blood orange parfait that wasn’t sweet but rather refreshing with the accompanying compote.
I’m surprised the other B&B patrons didn’t complain about all the overindulgence groans coming from our room that night …
The next morning we had a set ‘breakfast time’ and basically had the whole dining room to ourselves: a little candlelit table in the corner, a basket of fresh, warm pastries, house-​made granola, apricot preserves, yogurt and fresh-​squeezed orange and grapefruit juices plus some one-​on-​one time with the chef and proprietor, Peter, made for a an excellent sendoff.
We even stopped by the grocery to grab some bread, butter and granola to take home.
Thank you Peter & Meredith for an overall incredible visit to your establishment!
(i still look at the photos at least once a week to relive the experience)