Well Fed On the Town

Have you ever eaten at a restaurant where the manager, chef, pastry chef, sommelier, server, busboy, and greeter are all the same person? John Peakes of 120 Nichols manages every facet of his restaurant on San Juan Island, with the help of a single sous chef.

For the past two years, John has been serving dinner seven nights a week in an old, remodeled house on a quiet street in Friday Harbor. The living room has been transformed into a quaint dining room, the walls painted a calming slate blue and the ceiling adorned with art deco glass light fixtures. The decor is simple and elegant—an old photo here, an old clock there. An unusual cooking utensil decorated the wall above our table. It looked like a small skillet with a pattern of holes throughout the bottom and sides. This turned out to be an old chestnut roaster from John’s great uncle. Each piece in the restaurant is a piece of family memorabilia, a tribute to John’s father.

Just behind the dining area is the kitchen, staffed by John and his assistant. The door to the kitchen is always open, and amazingly, it sounds like a relatively relaxed working environment for a professional kitchen, although we were there on a relatively quiet night (four tables for Friday night dinner). But John does not turn tables, so dinner at 120 Nichols is as leisurely as you want it to be. John himself sets the relaxed tone with his friendly banter and gentle concern that you enjoy yourself. We certainly did.

The meal opened with a basket of freshly baked potato bread and creamy butter. I could have easily consumed the entire basket of warm, potatoey bread. I chose an appetizer of grilled romaine lettuce with gorgonzola, prosciutto, and mandolin sliced apples, all seasoned generously with freshly ground black pepper. This salad was a delight—the grill brought out caramel notes in the lettuce, which, along with the crunchy slices of apple, was a counterpoint to the salty, chewy prosciutto and the bite of the creamy gorgonzola. The black pepper added a little heat, and heightened all the flavors. It has never occurred to me to put romaine lettuce on the grill, but I might start now.

A—my fearless dining companion and spouse—ordered the Caesar salad, as he is wont to do. The crisp salad was lightly dressed with lemon juice, olive oil, egg, and tasted ever so slightly of anchovies. Shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano and crunchy cubes of toasted bread adorned the Romaine lettuce leaves. In other words, it was a real Caesar salad. A thoroughly enjoyed his salad, pronouncing it among the better ones he’s eaten.

For my main dish, I had the lamb osso buco, the special of the day. The traditional stew was perfectly cooked in a reduced wine/stock/demi-glace sauce, served with a soft leek puree and new potatoes. I quite enjoyed the meat, bathed in its rich wine gravy, and the earthy, creamy potatoes were a treat. These were cooked simply in butter, I believe, and lightly sprinkled with a parsley and garlic mixture, a sort of simplified gremolata. The potatoes were locally grown in neighboring Skagit County.

A had the potato crusted halibut on a bed of leek puree with asparagus atop a light cream sauce. The potatoes were wonderfully crisp and crunchy, and A devoured his halibut.

For dessert, John served each table poached pears, on the house. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly excited about the pears as I tend to prefer fresh fruit to poached. The plate that arrived, however, assuaged my doubts. The pears were peeled and poached lightly in wine, then sliced quite thin on a mandolin. They still had a bit of crunch to them, in contrast to the soft pool of lightly whipped, sweetened cream on which they were served. Tiny quarter moons of sliced cherries added a local touch of fresh sweetness. I could have used a little less powdered sugar on my plate and probably no sugar at all in my cream, but my sweet tooth is much more salty than most. Still, I imagine that cooking an entire savory menu is difficult enough without offering a full dessert menu as well. The complimentary dessert was a very nice gesture. We closed our dinner with a cup of good locally brewed coffee.

I don’t know how John manages to be host, chef, server, and sommelier, but I hope he continues to do so for a long time. I look forward to sampling John’s creative, seasonal menu next time I’m on the island.

120 Nichols
120 Nichols Street
Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA
360.378.6330