Phantom Gourmet: The Quarry In Hingham

HINGHAM - The Quarry in Hingham is not the kind of place you usually find on the South Shore. It's a place where food is crafted carefully in a scratch kitchen, while cocktails are created tableside. It's a place where the owners really care about every dish they serve, and you can have a downtown dining experience without all the fuss of driving into the city.

"The Quarry is a restaurant that was created so that we could bring some of the Boston atmosphere to the South Shore," said owner Julie Leduc. "You're allowed to come in here, have a great dining experience, yet not have to worry about the traffic or parking - anything that you would have to in the city."

Located in an old stone building, this striking space boasts an open, airy dining room with dramatic high ceilings and a comfortable bar where customers cozy up.

On any given night, you can usually find Julie and Ron Leduc working the room to make sure all the customers are content, while Chef Greg Jordan is back in the kitchen making sure every plate that goes out is pristine.

"You're only as good as your last plate, so we try to be perfect every time," the chef said.

With a menu sporting everything from house made charcuterie to creative specials like ricotta stuffed squash blossoms, deciding what to order is tough. So we sent the Phantom out to taste it all, in search of THE PERFECT MEAL.

Appetizers at the Quarry are as artful as they are tasty. There's the house made sausage which changes from week to week and is always served with spicy mustard and greens. There are Cape Cod Mussels drenched in tangy white wine lemon broth, spiked with cherry tomatoes. But the best way to kick off your Quarry experience is with an order or two of the Baked Stuffed Figs.

"The baked stuffed figs are phenomenal. I would suggest them to everyone," boasted Julie. "It's a mission fig wrapped in prosciutto and then stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese and then we bake it so it's nice and crispy on the outside, but it's nice and soft on the inside with the cheese."

"I think it's a fantastic combination. The speck gets a little bit crispy on the outside of the fig. The cheese is warm and gooey in the middle, and it's just a great dish," described Chef Greg.

Since The Quarry is located near the ocean, fresh seafood is always on the menu. There are Dayboat Scallops, perfectly caramelized and served over buttery spaetzle and asparagus, or the Fruitti Di Mare featuring a boatload of shellfish over house made linguini. For the ultimate seafood entree, you've got to try the Lobster Brodetto. Presented in a copper skillet, this eye-popping entree has customers floored by the half lobster, shrimp, calamari, and mussels all soaking in a saffron tomato broth.

"I think they can't believe how much comes in the copper pot and they're blown away by the variety," said Ron.

Meat eaters will also marvel at the offerings at The Quarry. The Grilled Berkshire Pork is a whopping 12 ounces of meat cooked perfectly pink and served with a skillet of cornbread on the side, while the Pasture Raised Filet Mignon is ultra-tender and plated alongside aromatic truffle mashed potato.

If you want a comforting dish that will warm you from the inside, order the Lamb Lasagna. Served right in the casserole dish in which it's baked, this piping hot pasta is layered with baby spinach, béchamel sauce and a hearty lamb ragout.

"It's bubbling up on the edges and it's perfectly browned on the top. As soon as you break into it, steam comes out. It's just a great combination."

At dessert, most customers like to kick it old school with The Quarry's deliciously nostalgic Cookies & Milk.

"They love the fact that it comes out with this tiny, cute little milk bottle with some straws in it. There's two cookies, which are rather large in size," described Julie. "It's really nice to warm cookies and milk."

Baked Stuffed Figs. Lobster Brodetto. Lamb Lasagna. And some Milk & Cookies. That's the PEFECT MEAL at The Quarry Restaurant.

You'll find The Quarry at 415 Whiting Street in Hingham, and online at thequarry.co.

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