When I first heard about the restaurant in late August, I immediately thought of ceramic bowls of broth-soaked soba noodles, steaming piles of vegetables and carafes of warm sake.
Not the case with Nudel.
Instead, when I stopped in for lunch on a recent Monday, I found a bistro-style restaurant with the conviviality of a down-home diner.
Nudel is located in the space of the now defunct Dish restaurant. I had never been to Dish, but from what I'm told, 37 Church St. has undergone a complete makeover.
The man behind the restaurant's redesign and new dishes is Housatonic resident Bjorn Somlo, 29.
"We redid everything," he said in a phone interview on a Monday evening, following my anonymous lunch there.
From the Church Street entrance, customers will walk into a long, somewhat narrow room with an open floor plan. On the afternoon of my particular visit, the space was filled with natural sunlight and a clean, airy ambiance.
Somlo told me he had a limited budget to open the restaurant with, but he managed to do so with creative frugality, and a few cans of wood stain.
The dark tables, bar and bench seating were fashioned from recovered church pews found in a salvage yard of Hudson Valley's Saugerties, N.Y.
The chairs, which were
The burgundy cloth napkins used in the table settings added subtle warmth to the otherwise bare decor.
For lunch, I sat myself at the bar, where I had a head on view of the kitchen and a peripheral view of passersby through a large picture window.
The bar service, by the way, currently operates on a town-approved BYOB policy until a formal application for a wine and beer license is reviewed by the town and state.
Eventually, Somlo wants to offer a short but varied selection of New England craft beers and domestic wines.
Meanwhile, in terms of libations, patrons get an offering of French press coffee from Barrington Coffee Roasting Co. ($3), G.U.S. sodas and additional root beers ($2.50), Divinitea teas ($2), and ice water delivered by the carafe.
Conveniently, the Nejaime's Wine Cellar store is less than a block away, and Nudel doesn't charge a corking fee.
Since I came in the afternoon, I was happy sipping the water my server, Natalie, poured for me, while pouring over the menu.
Instead of just Asian noodles or Italian pastas, I found a list of hearty grains: polenta, spaghetti, dumplings, spätzle, garganelli, cracked wheat.
I also found that these great grains are dressed to be unique and uncommon, which for less adventurous diners may be off-putting.
"People have come into Nudel, read the menu and left. They don't give us a chance," said Somlo. "But in some ways, it's better for the both of us. I really just want a savvy crowd of people who are genuinely excited about eating."
I found my server helpful in explaining what sunchoke, skate and evoo are: Jerusalem artichoke, an ocean fish and extra virgin olive oil, respectively.
Somlo said the main menu changes seasonally, and specials change daily. Summer can bring a watermelon plate with crisp prosciutto, while the cold weather may bring pheasant and rabbit.
Another draw to this restaurant is its vendors (listed on its Web site), which include locals like Farm Girl Farm, Overmeade Gardens and Berkshire Mountain Bakery, among several others. Local 111 restaurant chef David Wurth serves as a consultant to Nudel's menu.
"Our goal is to take good quality ingredients from local farms to plate and present them in a hopefully humble way," Somlo said.
I chose to start with a special du jour, cracked wheat with pocole (also known as hominy corn), diced red onion and garlic, tossed with a vinaigrette infused with Asian spices and a touch of sea salt ($8).
Made before my eyes by Somlo and his young apprentice named James, the dish took less than 10 minutes to prepare and came plated on a shallow white porcelain pasta bowl, garnished with fresh tomato slices.
It was tangy and substantial. The oil was well-proportioned and brought flavor without being greasy.
Though I could've left full after that, I thought it would be prudent to try another dish. I went with one on the main menu: parmesan spätzle with roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and kalamata olives ($11).
Again, the food came hot and quickly, sprinkled with a touch of fresh cheese. The German-style egg and milk pasta was al dente, a requisite of good spätzle, and took on the flavor of the oil of the sun-dried tomatoes. Though I enjoyed the dish, I lost the taste of the parmesan which was more light and fresh than a stronger aged variety.
In between courses came easy conversation with my server and another gentleman, who I later learned was Somlo's father; he seemed to enjoy a hearty-looking braised Berkshire-bred pork sandwich.
Down the line, Somlo said he's looking forward to growing the dinner menu and developing a brunch at Nudel, as well as a word of mouth reputation as a good place to enjoy local dining.
In the meantime, consider stopping by. Nudel is a new place worth getting excited about.
If you go ...
What: Nudel, a ‘new American' noodle bar and bistro.
Where: 37 Church St., Lenox.
Hours: Lunch, Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dinner, Thursday through Saturday, 5 to 9:30 p.m.
Accessible: Yes. Ramp and wide entrance. Some seating is pull-out seating; some is bench seating.
Info: Call (413) 551-7183, visit nudelrestaurant.com, or look them up on Facebook.com.
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