Greenfield Recorder

An elevated experience: The Perch at Hinata Retreat offers stunning mountain views and gourmet dining

The Perch is a dining room, bar and lounge, located within Hinata Retreat, a resort hotel that opened recently at the top of Warfield Road in Charlemont. The property has undergone a variety of transformations over the years. It was most recently operated by Berkshire East Mountain Resort.

Last year, Berkshire East sold Warfield House and its 570 acres to Jen and Jeff Nielsen, realtors from Agawam. The pair wanted to create an adults-only haven where couples could relax and spend time with nature.

To date, they have built 12 cabins and more are on the way. “Cabins” might be too plebeian a word for these little houses. They feature hot tubs, grills, kitchenettes and Wi-Fi. Each cabin has a private deck that looks out on the rising sun. “Hinata” apparently means “facing toward the sun” in Japanese.

The pair completely revamped the old Warfield House dining area and bar with spare, modern colors and photographs that were taken on the property. They brought in Howard Wein as their culinary partner in the enterprise.

I first met Wein when he helmed the Alvah Stone in Montague. He has managed restaurants and planned menus throughout the country and abroad. He was looking for something close to home at this point in his life, he told me when I visited the restaurant. He lives in Leverett so Charlemont wasn’t far.

It wasn’t just the mileage to Hinata that appealed to Wein, he explained. He has an affinity for locations that are special. Hinata certainly fits the bill. It has a spectacular mountain view.

With the help of a young chef with whom he worked at the Alvah Stone, Corey Weber and Wein set out to create an appropriately special menu.

The restaurant opened officially on Dec. 10, although it had been serving interested members of the community and of course guests at the retreat for a while. It is open every Tuesday through Saturday beginning at 4 p.m.

My friend Ruth and I arrived at 4 o’clock when we visited so we could see the view from the restaurant — and also so we could find our way to The Perch, despite the darkening December sky.

We asked Weber to cook us a variety of small dishes so that we could try The Perch’s fare, which Wein described as “modern American.” Weber didn’t have an exact name for the cuisine; he said he enjoys playing with different techniques and with seasonal foods.

We enjoyed a lot of appetizers, including — my personal favorite — the slightly spicy Shrimp Tempura and — Weber’s favorite — the Autumn Chopped Salad. We also tried one of The Perch’s signature cocktails, or rather, Ruth tried it since I don’t drink, the Espresso Martini.

I took a sip of her drink and almost became a drinker on the spot. It didn’t taste like alcohol. Instead, to my mouth it felt like the most delicious coffee milkshake ever — and I love coffee milkshakes.

We went on to try a couple of main dishes, Miso-Glazed Salmon and Seared Scallops. Both were pleasing to the palate. The restaurant also serves beef and chicken and features a vegetarian gnocchi dish.

Of course, we sampled the dish for which The Perch provided the recipe, Roasted Brussels Sprouts. Like all the dishes we tasted, the sprouts offered a combination of flavors that worked well together.

Weber and Wein appear very good at knowing just how many different elements to add to a recipe without going over the edge into chaos. Wein noted that cooking this way takes a certain level of maturity.

The Perch is expensive for our area, but it seemed to me to be worth the price. When I told our charming waitress that she probably wouldn’t be seeing a lot of me in the future because I don’t make a lot of money, she smiled and said she would be happy to see me just come to the bar for a soft drink.

Her welcome and good will seemed genuine. Indeed, one of the strongest features of Hinata is the friendliness and enthusiasm of its staff, from the hosts to the cooks.

Wein told me that he is working hard to build camaraderie in the group. He noted that a service charge for each order takes the place of tipping. The people who work at The Perch are all paid flat wages and are not dependent on the whims of patrons.

“We’re building a team. We’re building a family,” Wein explained. “It’s all about connections.” Ruth and I felt as though we were dining among friends.

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