Enduring lesson from 'Oz': Dining gems may be close to home

Nation's Restaurant News, Jan 17, 2000 by Robin Lee Allen

In the rush and fury of this past New Year's celebration, with all its reviews of the decade, century and millennium and their sometimes far-flung prognostications for the future, I found one tidbit that crossed my radar particularly thought-provoking.

The item, a list compiled by a local Boston television station but most certainly repeated in other polls nationwide, ranked people's favorite movies of the last century. Not surprising, high on the list was "The Wizard of Oz," the beloved classic that reinforces the message "There's no place like home."

As you know, the story tells how Dorothy and her supposedly brainless, heartless and cowardly friends go in search of things they already have. Dorothy discovers that everything she needs is right there around the farm in Kansas. Given our accumulation-oriented culture, it was reassuring to hear that people today still value that idea or at least a movie espousing that theme. So I stepped into 2000, still thinking about that movie and how it applies to so many things, including the independently operated foodservice gems right in our backyards.

Given my vocation, I have the opportunity to eat often in many of the country's chic new eateries, tried-and-true notables and well-known chains. But it is always especially pleasing to visit a neighborhood favorite that has stood the test of time, one where the lives of the clientele and the owners are intertwined inextricably, the food is great and the experience never disappoints.

Bullfinch's in Sudbury, Mass., is just one of hundreds of thousands of such restaurants in the United States that go largely without notice. Opened 20 years ago, the restaurant has been the site of numerous weddings, bar mitzvahs, prom dates, marriage proposals and holiday celebrations. It is also where nearly 800 people from around the area visit weekly simply to enjoy a wide variety of dishes in an elegant but relaxing atmosphere.

Scott Richardson, the restaurant's chef and co-owner, was barely a teenager when his parents opened Bullfinch's in 1980. He began washing dishes there at 13 and took over in the kitchen 12 years ago. His mother, Peggy, who kept the restaurant after her divorce, still is involved actively in operations. Through the years Scott Richardson's siblings at various times have contributed to the venture. His wife also works at Bullfinch's part time, and his young son and daughter both have expressed an interest in joining.

Like any successful business, Bullfinch's has adapted to the times. To address changing consumer tastes, the Richardsons years ago made half-portions of entrees available and expanded the appetizer selection to accommodate grazers. But some items, like tournedos au poivre, have been menu staples since the beginning.

Bullfinch's also altered its hours in the early 1990s when, deep in the throes of New England's recession, the restaurant closed for lunch. With the high-flying 1980s over, Scott Richardson explains, "there was no money in lunch, and there were quality-of-life issues. We were spending 18 hours a day here, and it was starting to wear on some of us."

But for all of the adjustments made to the business, one thing has remained the same. Every year during the holiday season, the staff poses for a formal portrait to be hung in the dining room. Today the smiling faces captured in all 20 of the 16- by 20-inch photographs speak volumes to the customer.

The photos "stem from the fact that we really treat this as a family," Richardson states. "My employees are family members."

"When we took the first picture, it wasn't some great corporate strategy; it was just, 'Let's get together and take a picture and put it on the wall,'" he explains. "It's become a wonderful tradition." A few veterans can be seen in every picture, he points out.

Dorothy's lesson from the "Wizard" was apt. While the hip new start-ups, fine-dining legends and familiar chains all have appropriate places in our lives, sometimes there's just no substitute for the caring and commitment found in the less frequently heralded but equally noteworthy restaurants right near our homes.