The Federal
135 Cooper St., Agawam,
413-253-3811
Reservations recommended.
Hours: Tue.-Sat. from 5:30 p.m.
Entrées to $35.95.
The Federal is known to Springfield residents and West Siders as a former speakeasy with a front-of-the-house man people still remember. He was the one who ushered people into the former mansion in Agawam that served as a gathering place to revel in booze and high-end food. Today, with a twice-weekly free appetizer special in the old-fashioned bar and a propensity for truffles, the scene is still reminiscent of the old days.
The food is adventurous to say the least, rather expensive and surrounded by a decor some might describe as grandmother-gone-wild. High-backed banquettes in the back rooms of the restaurant and wallpapered front rooms with fireplaces, an old-fashioned wooden bar with TV screens and a grand staircase make up the interior.
Once we sat down, the wine was fine and we were served an amuse bouche (free sampling) of the Federal’s signature dish, the “bucket of balls.” Served on spoons, these are rich-tasting deep-fried risotto balls with black truffled butter and chives. For appetizers we ordered the Rhode Island calamari, the “Crisp Matchsticks” of zucchini, and the lobster-stuffed mushroom caps with Thermidor cream.
The calamari was well cooked and crisp, but the zucchini, an innocent enough vegetable, was transformed into a small sculpture. A layer of almonds created kindling for a pile of zucchini sticks that formed a mound covered in large panels of cheese; the dish did not quite come together. But the mushroom caps were delicious and a tribute to the chef’s Martha’s Vineyard roots.
Simplicity is not necessarily a guiding principle here. The seared slab of foie gras “a la mode” was not just a cute take on duck liver but “deconstructed” with an apple pie treatment of cinnamon gelato and caramel walnut brittle. Foie gras with gelato seemed an odd pairing.
The menu extends to soups, salads and the popular “hand-helds”: little burgers, a grilled cheese sandwich, a lobster roll and an open-faced tuna sandwich with tapenade aioli (olive mayo) on a crisp scallion cake rather than a piece of bread. The pasta selection includes spaghettini, truffled mac and cheese, chicken Bolognese, grilled eggplant with spicy sausage, and acorn squash purses.
Unfortunately, the harpoon-caught grilled swordfish with black olive sugo, crab salad, peperonata and shaved Meyer lemons was dead on arrival. It didn’t help that were there too many ingredients in this dish that had nothing to do with the fish. When fish is harpoon-caught, that means no dragnet, less possibility of bacteria and fresher flavor. But what happens when somebody overcooks it? All the toppings and sides couldn’t quite save this dish, even with black truffles thrown in.
On the other hand, my friend, loyal to me and this restaurant, chose unerringly. She had the veal cheeks “Oscar,” which turned out to be awesome, very tender and delicious. The cheeks are actual facial flesh. They were served with roasted asparagus, fried crab cakes and tomato-tarragon vinaigrette. It was by far the best thing we had. Leave it to a fan to know what to order.•
