Restaurant review: Nora's Restaurant and Lounge in Southwick

DINE_21_10687975.JPGNora's Restaurant and Lounge in Southwick

Most of the eateries near the Congamond Lakes are casual, beer-and-burger operations, but Nora's Restaurant and Lounge, which has been open since last summer, has high ambitions. It's an establishment whose culinary efforts rival those of the Pioneer Valley's most upscale dining venues.

The space that Nora's calls home offers vistas of Congamond's Middle Lake; French doors and a small deck offer opportunities to enjoy the view. Black linens and neutral wall treatments lend the diminutive dining areas an air of sophistication, while a small bar provides a spot to socialize before dinner.

The menu at Nora's, which gets reworked periodically to take advantage of what's seasonally available, is best described as Mediterranean-influenced contemporary.

Current entree selections include Half Duck ($27) with apples and fresh herbs, Mango Glazed Salmon ($22), Lobster Ravioli ($22), and a Golden Risotto ($19) that features roasted yellow beets, peas, and sliced mushrooms.

Red meat options range from New Zealand Rack of Lamb ($32) to a Bacon-wrapped Filet Mignon ($28). Veal Osso Buco ($27) and Shrimp Scampi ($22) with artichoke heats and sundried tomatoes are also on this summer's agenda.

Starter choices at Nora's range from Basil Gorgonzola Bread ($8) and an Eggplant Tower ($11) layered with goat cheese, braised spinach, and roasted red peppers to the restaurant's own homemade Pierogies ($9), which are sauteed with caramelized onions, bacon, and brown sugar.

We started our meal by sharing an order of Crab Cakes ($11). Thick, crisp-crusted, and understatedly flavored with green onion, the cakes, two in number, had a unique creamy sweetness, thanks to the inclusion of Cheddar jack cheese.

Though it's not an ingredient we'd typically associate with crab cakes, the cheese was an inspiration that took the cakes to a new level. A chunky, freshly prepared remoulade sauce provided additional flavor grace notes.

Salads aren't a part of the main course package at Nora's (although a warmed mini-loaf and cinnamon butter are).

A selection of greens-and-garnish combinations is available an a la carte basis. These include a Roasted Beet and Leek Salad ($5), Spinach Salad ($5) with bacon and mushrooms, and a classic Caesar Salad ($4).

All salads are available in main course-sized versions as well.

A side-salad portion of Harvest Salad ($5) ended up fitting nicely into our dinner experience. Built from baby field greens tossed with dried cranberries, chopped candied walnuts, and precisely diced green apple, the salad was dressed with subtly sweetened golden balsamic vinaigrette.

Though the flavors involved proved to be more "autumn" than "summer," we enjoyed the composition nonetheless.

A spicy mixture of hot Italian sausage, sundried tomatoes, fresh spinach, and Cheddar cheese was the flavor focal point of the Stuffed Chicken ($21) we dined on.

We liked the stuffing's hearty character and found the chicken itself appealing moist.

Our New York Sirloin Bella Blue ($27) was promoted as "a classic French preparation," and, although we're not sure such a provenance is entirely accurate, we did enjoy the beef and blue cheese crust experience.

Handsomely garnished with tempura-style onion rings, the steak was closely trimmed and grilled just as ordered. We did, however, find the meat's texture to be somewhat coarser than we'd expect from beef sirloin.

Both our meals were accompanied by mashed Yukon Gold potatoes and baby green beans.

We appreciated the plate compositions, which were elegant without being fussy.

Nora's is fully licensed, offering a wine list of about three dozen different labels as well as beer and mixed drinks.

Desserts offered the night we stopped by were limited to three choices. Passing on carrot cake and Oreo cake, we opted to share a portion of Cheesecake ($7). The cake itself was a high-end commercial product, but attention had been lavished on its presentation -- squiggles of strawberry sauce crisscrossed the plate and freshly whipped heavy cream was generously dolloped off to one side.

To supplement the limited on-site parking area, Nora's offers valet parking.

Name: Nora's Restaurant & Lounge
Address: 106 Point Grove Road, Southwick
Phone: (413) 569-9585
Hours: Monday through Thursday 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Entree Prices: $19 - $32
Credit Cards: American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Handicapped Access: Accessible, with rest rooms equipped for wheelchairs
Reservations: Accepted and advised on weekends

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