Colonel Blackinton Inn
They don’t make restaurants that look like this anymore.
“There's a lot of cookie cutter industrial looking places. You can't replicate these buildings anymore. And they're a lot of work to maintain. But I just think that character is something that it takes a long time to build. And we're happy to be here.”
And you too will feel more than happy when you're at the Colonel Blackinton Inn.
Set in this historic building in Attleboro, Massachusetts, the Colonel Blackinton Inn is a charming restaurant where owners Kimberly and Tony Cannova take you back in time.
“The Colonel Blackinton Inn is an old building from 1849 and was converted in the mid 80's to a bed and breakfast. My wife Kim and I took over in 2003 and have more of a focus on the restaurant although it is still an inn."
Named for previous owner and prominent financier, Colonel Willard Blackinton, the inn is an adorable building, with lots of rooms for a variety of different dining experiences.
“There are three small dining rooms that are very similar. We have a fourth one that gets more Burgundy's darker colors. And then the bar itself has booths. We want it to be a warm, welcoming feeling. With a little bit of upscale to it, but not pretentious. It's almost like you're dining at someone's home.”
That old world charm starts right as you enter, when you’re personally greeted by Kimberly and her warm, welcoming staff.
“I think that having the owner present definitely makes you feel more comfortable. It makes you feel like you have a vested interest in the place. I take this very personally, I'm very proud of the Colonel Blackinton.”
There are many ways to kick off your meal at Colonel Blackinton, with classics like Clams Casino made with local littlenecks. Or the flavor packed stuffed mushrooms.
“It uses our classic seafood stuffing on large mushroom caps. And it's topped with Bearnaise sauce. The stuffing we make in house. We chop up the shrimp, the scallops, the clams. It's tossed in our bread crumbs, lots of butter. It's a very rich dish, but it's comforting. It's comfort food.”
For a more modern way to kick off your meal, Colonel Blackington offers blackened seared tuna served with seaweed salad. Or this spinach salad, topped with Panko Crusted goat cheese and fresh fruit with a raspberry vinaigrette. And there are toasts that change depending upon the season like this crunchy masterpiece.
“It’s seasoned butternut squash, thinly sliced pear, gorgonzola cheese and candied walnuts on our Iggy's sourdough bread. You get the sweetness of the butternut squash. You get the saltiness of the gorgonzola cheese. You get the crispness of the pear, and then the crunchiness of the toast. So it all works.
Since sourcing seafood is of high importance to Kim and Tony, the Salmon is always fresh, topped with maple glazed walnuts…And the Cioppino comes loaded up with plenty of clams, calamari, shrimp, salmon, and nostalgia.
“So Cioppino is just kind of something that growing up my grandmother would make. It's a very warm. It's makes me think of when I was younger.”
If meat is more of your thing, Colonel Blackinton has you covered with Short Ribs in a red wine reduction with mashed potatoes. Or check out the always satisfying ribeye.
“The ribeye is great because it's a very flavorful cut of steak. It's marbled nicely. It's a classic meat lovers steak.”
And while it’s great on its own, you can kick it up a notch by ordering your steak with a “Maxwell.”
“So Maxwell is just a term we use. That means lobster meat, bearnaise sauce, sherry wine and asparagus. You can have it on any of the steaks.”
And lamb lovers will want to try the Dijon Rack of Lamb.
“Our lamb comes from New Zealand and we season it with rosemary Dijon mustard, and that is then roasted. The Dijon mustard adds almost like a tangy flavor to it. It bakes in when you cook it, so you don't really see it, but it's just kind of this hidden flavor that people kind of, it tastes really good, but they can't really place what it's from.”
And for a house fave, order the Chicken and Shrimp Rossini.
“The Chicken and Shrimp Rossini is a staff favorite. If you were to look into our kitchen late night you'd see everybody eating that. It has chicken and shrimp. It's over served over pasta. It has layered with tomato, ham, cheese and garlic. It's very nice.”
And after you’ve put back all of those tasty morsels, end your meal than with one of the seasonal sundaes.
“We like to do a seasonal sundae. Right now we do the pumpkin with the chocolate chips. It's with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce and whipped cream. It’s served in a large glass goblet. And people order it and then other tables will see ‘em and definitely order it too.”
And you’ll definitely feel like you had a different dining experience at Colonel Blackinton Inn.
“If you're looking for a unique location, great service us excellent food, a comfortable comfortable atmosphere, something different from the norm; that's what we're that's what we excel at.”
