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What to Eat at Benjamin Knack’s New Bedford Village Inn Restaurant

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The Bedford Village Inn has been a New England mainstay for years. Full disclosure: This Grub editor actually got married there a few years back. (We were too busy downing glasses of champagne to really remember what we ate, however.) A couple of months ago, the restaurant scored a coup when Benjamin Knack, late of Sel de la Terre and Hell’s Kitchen, was recruited to be executive chef. And so we traveled north to Bedford, New Hampshire to see how things were going. The answer: Quite nicely indeed. And the trip only took us 45 minutes from Boston! Ahead, some of our favorite plates. Embarrassing wedding photos not included.

The bucolic, leafy entrance to the BVI, where Benjamin Knack now holds court.
Grub Street nearly tripped over a posing bride and groom while snapping this shot. And we hadn’t even enjoyed our cocktails yet!
Offset by chickpeas. Tasty!
This appetizer alone is worth the drive to New Hampshire. Seriously one of the best things we’ve put in our mouths in a long time. A slab of foie gras on a warm waffle dribbled with malted milk butter and hazelnut powder, plus a tart little side of pickled champagne grapes. Tasted like Cocoa Krisps for grown-ups. Heaven.
Confit duck, dried figs, shaved tarentaise, and arugula. Gnocchi was light and fluffy. Plate was cleaned quickly.
We thought the boar was a tad chewy, but crispy potato hash cooked in duck fat made up for any meaty shortcomings. 
A cavernous bowl of mussels, scallops, shrimp and Maine lobster, coated in a very good, rich, appropriately garlicky roasted tomato sauce. We took this one home for leftovers. Which we ate in the parking lot.
A fine rendition of the dish and a nice palate cleanser. Appearing here with tuna tartare, soy ginger vinaigrette, wasabi creme and pickled Napa cabbage.
A chocolate mousse with a towering curlicue of spun sugar, seasonal berries, and a crisp white chocolate cookie. 
What to Eat at Benjamin Knack’s New Bedford Village Inn Restaurant