Phantom Gourmet: The Townshend In Quincy

QUINCY - The Turkey Club to end all turkey clubs. An absolutely stunning bowl of Bolognese. How about a gourmet brownie sundae? The Townshend in Quincy Center is an historically delicious new restaurant right across the street from the Red Line.

"More of a modern American tavern. The idea behind it is groups of friends can come around and have a drink or have some small bites, and just relax and unwind after a long work day," said General Manager Josh Suprenant. "We wanted that old kind of taverny feel, where the Sons of Liberty would go in and talk about how they're going to try to make this country better."

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To put The Townshend in proper perspective, you have go all the way back to 1767. That's when a set of taxes known as the Townshend Acts were imposed on items being imported from the old world. So instead of revolting, the colonists simply learned how to farm and manufacture things themselves. Jump to the present day, and that's pretty much the philosophy in the kitchen. All the sauces, pastas, and doughs, and dressings are crafted in the kitchen by Chef Bobby Sisson.

"Sort of a rustic elegance is how he cooks," explained co-owner Devin Adams. "His food is just delicious because his plates are always at a max of about four ingredients, and each ingredient has the respect put into it that makes the dish really come together and really sing."

The flavors are always pitch perfect. There's confit pork belly with grilled radicchio and a cherry gastrique; beautiful boards of artisan meats and cheeses; a traditional baked haddock with potatoes au gratin; prosciutto and fig flatbreads; a hearty bowl of sautéed shrimp and local clams with bite sized fregola pasta.

Devin and Josh helped design and build The Townshend from the ground up. Just like the food, the rustic tables, chairs, and bar were all built in house. So the surroundings are comfortable, and the food is comforting - like the always popular and addictive arancini.

"Easily sharable, nice fontina cheese, fresh herbs, and Dan does a beautiful marinara sauce in house," Devin described. "They're just fried to that nice golden brown, delicious, perfection. Everyone loves an arancini."

With a big selection of craft beers and cocktails, the bar gets busy after work. The dining room is pretty packed at lunchtime, too, as the crowds come in for the incredible, and incredibly large, turkey club.

"We bring in whole turkey breast. We roast it ourselves. And it's thick-sliced turkey, thick sliced bacon, locally baked marble rye," Josh listed.

"Typically I can eat that at lunch, and I don't have dinner. I can work through the whole shift and I feel satisfied," Devin added. "It's a standout. It's a standout. It's our number one seller."

The Burger is pretty popular as well. It's nothing crazy, just a top notch blend of beef, with aged cheddar cheese and a side of handcut fries more than reasonably priced for less than ten dollars. The big ticket item on the menu though is the massively satisfying Pork Shank.

"That's the head turner right there," Josh said. "Ten and a half ounce bone-in braised pork shank sitting on a bed of black beluga lentils and locally raised oyster mushrooms."

"It's massive. And it's fall off the bone," Devin described. "It's silly. It's big. It's delicious. It's gorgeous."

The Pasta Bolognese is another beauty, boasting handmade tagliatelle and a slow-simmered mix of beef, pork, veal, chicken liver, and cream. But the wild boar ragu, with creamy polenta and parmesan, might be even better.

"It's downhome comfort food with a little new age twist," said Josh. "It is just addicting. You take a spoonful. And you essentially almost prison guard it. You house it."

"I've probably put on about 10 pounds from eating the boar because it's very simple, and it sticks to your bones," said Devin. "You feel really satisfied when you're done."

If the rest of your bones need some sticking, check out the warm, rich, and intensely delicious chocolate brownie sundae.

"Brownie baked in house, really thick, beautiful, beautiful brownie. A little crème Anglaise, candied walnuts, and then we use locally made Giovanna salted caramel gelato over the top," described Josh. "It's the perfect way to end the meal."

With all the food, and all the history, it's no wonder the Townshend has already built a big fan base. The truth is, the staff seems to be having as much fun as the customers.

You can find The Townshend at 1250 Hancock Street in Quincy, and online at thetownshend.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.