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Phantom Gourmet: The Waterfield Kitchen In Winchester

WINCHESTER - Craft cocktails shaken to perfection; comfort food and fresh sushi under one roof; and an egg shaped dessert you'll definitely want to crack into. It's all at The Waterfield Kitchen. Located in Winchester Center, The Waterfield Kitchen or TWK, brings downtown dining to the suburbs in a casual, yet sophisticated space, according to General Manager Chuck Karoub.

"We still serve from the left. We still clear from the right, but at the same time we have people coming in in baseball hats, families, suits, the whole nine," he said. "So we want to have a very neighborhood feel, but at the same time we want you to feel like you're going out to a destination restaurant."

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The two-tiered space has dining options for any kind of occasion.

"The dining room is more formal. It's more polished casual, to where we are still using some finer points of fine dining, but at the same time we don't want to be stuffy," Chuck explained. "From there you can walk through our dining room into our lounge, if you want to watch the game or just grab a drink. And then we have our upstairs where we have live music a couple times a month, another full bar, numerous high tops for dining full service, full menu and plenty of room for private parties and events."

Just as diverse as the atmosphere is the menu, with everything from big boats of sushi, to spit roasted meats, to out-of-the-box appetizers like crispy barbecue chicken legs.

The Waterfield Kitchen, Phantom Gourmet
Chicken Leg appetizer at The Waterfield Kitchen (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

"This is definitely not your traditional kind of Buffalo wing that you're going to see at the Super Bowl party," Chuck said. "It's a thigh and a leg. It's two pieces. It's crispy fried and tossed in our homemade barbecue sauce and topped up with pickled vegetables to give the contrast of the barbecue sauce and the tartness of the pickle."

You can also order some cubes of Grafton cheddar cheese that are tempura fried and served over chili honey; Parisian Gnocchi artfully served in an acorn squash; and Mussels swimming in an addictive white wine garlic broth customers can't seem to get enough of.

The Waterfield Kitchen, Phantom Gourmet
Mussels at The Waterfield Kitchen (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

"The broth is so good that people actually ask for extra, and I've actually seen people eating it like soup. So it's phenomenal," Chuck promised. "If you like mussels, we do it the right way."

While they don't have a burger on the menu, they do have a trio of Brandt Beef Sliders. Topped with pickled vegetables and tomato jam, these miniature burgers prove that good things do come in small packages.

For entrees, TWK offers several options that come straight off the spit.

"Our rotisserie is very, very hot. Almost you can get a tan in front of it, but what it does is it cooks it slowly," Chuck explained. " It crisps the inside at the same time it holds the juices in, and it just makes for a more flavorful dish upon service.

The Waterfield Kitchen, Phantom Gourmet
Rotisserie Chicken at The Waterfield Kitchen (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

There's tender roasted sirloin, served in a beef demi with creamy mashed potatoes, and a half chicken that customers can't stop clucking about.

"I've had numerous compliments on it because people really like the crispy skin on the outside, and yet when they get into it, it's still nice and juicy, dark and white meat. People love it."

The Waterfield Kitchen, Phantom Gourmet
Apple Braised Pork Shank at The Waterfield Kitchen (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

When it comes to presentation, you can't help but love the Apple Braised Pork Shank.

"It looks like a tower of meat. It's fantastic," Chuck said. "The bone sticks straight up. People literally stop my staff going to tables to ask them what that is."

If you ask Chuck, the number one gotta-order-dish is TWK's ultra-tender Short Rib.

"By far my favorite dish on the menu. You don't even need a knife to eat this. It's literally fork only deliciousness."

The Waterfield Kitchen, Phantom Gourmet
Short Rib at The Waterfield Kitchen (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

While you wouldn't expect to find Japanese cuisine in a place like this, TWK has some of the best sushi around, with trained sushi chefs. There's the sweet and savory Mango Shrimp Tempura Roll, or the over the top Kobe Maki.

"The Kobe Maki roll is my favorite roll that we have," said Chuck. "It entails sushi rice wrapped in seaweed, filled with crispy tempura fried shrimp that is rolled and topped with Kobe sashimi. And then what they do is they flash torch it. It's like a surf and turf. But not as heavy."

The Waterfield Kitchen, Phantom Gourmet
Kobe Maki at The Waterfield Kitchen (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

The sushi is sort of on the lighter side, so hopefully you'll have some room for the signature Chocolate Egg for dessert.

"It's fantastic. It's got the density of almost like a fudge, and we make it look like an egg," Chuck described. "We shave peanut butter over it that we make in house. It's outrageous. It's very decadent. Definitely will send you out with a smile on your face."

The Waterfield Kitchen, Phantom Gourmet
Chocolate Egg at The Waterfield Kitchen (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

If all of that creative fare doesn't leave you smiling, the check certainly should.

"This is going to sound very cliché, but we want them to have a 'Wow' experience. It's very affordable for everything you're getting. You're getting a bang for your buck. You're getting great food. You're getting great drinks, and at the same time you're getting great service."

You can find The Waterfield Kitchen at 14 Thompson Street in Winchester, or online at twk-winchester.com.

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

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