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CUISINE

The Best of the Best at Bettini
New Name, New Chef, New Menu at the Venerable Harbor View Hotel

By Lisa Belcastro Photography by Charlie Utz

Did you ever eat a meal and think to yourself, “If I win Lotto, I want to have this chef cooking for me for the rest of my life?” That was me both times I was at Bettini, the new restaurant at the Harbor View Hotel.

One word - Wow!

On my first visit, I dined with my friend Betty, and every course, every bite from the salad to soup to lobster to filet to sweet endings, was a taste sensation. My personal favorite was the Tuna Tartare. Even if you don’t think you like sushi, try this dish when it’s on the menu! The tuna, flavored with a hint of chili pepper and lime served over avocado, is outstanding. Honestly, the only reason I wouldn’t eat this every night is that I would never want to take it for granted.

Most Islanders know the Harbor View underwent a major renovation structurally in the last year, but the kitchen and dining room also acquired a fabulous new look – physically and in personnel.

Chef Patrice Martineau, who’s created culinary art from New York to Beverly Hills to London to Tokyo, took over the helm during the hotel’s renovation process and is now working his way into the hearts of every gastronome who visits Bettini Restaurant or Roxana, the hotel’s elegant bar open in the summer season.

Chef Patrice was born and raised in Troyes, in the Champagne region of France, about 95 miles from Paris. He grew up in a home and a neighborhood were food was a way of life.

“My mother was a great cook, mostly classic French comfort food. We had roasted chicken on Sundays, or Leg of Lamb with garlic and rosemary served with beans and peas,” said Chef Patrice. “Everyone in my town grew up as I did, from one house to the next you could smell the food cooking.”

Doesn’t that sound heavenly?

Chef Patrice’s upbringing, the rich aromas and indulgent flavors, instilled in him a passion for cooking. By age 10 he was creating, or trying to create, culinary masterpieces. “As a boy, I wanted to be a pastry chef. One day I chose a recipe: Green Apple Mousse. I followed the recipe. It said to wait twelve hours after placing the mousse in the refrigerator. I kept looking and checking. The recipe failed,” Chef Patrice said with a chuckle.

Not long after, a young man began dreaming of fine dining. “I saw all the fancy cookbooks and wanted to be one of the authors,” said Chef Patrice.

When he was sixteen, Chef Patrice altered his education tract, taking an apprenticeship at a local restaurant. He spent three weeks working in the restaurant and one week in school. He truly found his life’s passion.

Patrice began work as a line cook near his hometown. His first five years in the restaurant world was spent in two restaurants, each with a coveted two- or three-star Michelin rating.

At 23, Patrice decided he wanted to work in New York City. He wrote letters to five restaurants he was interested in. “One day {restaurateur and chef} Daniel Boulud called. He was opening a new restaurant on Madison and 65th Street,” said Chef Patrice, smiling.

Chef Patrice moved to New York City and started as a line cook at the world renown Daniel. After a year he became a sous chef, and two years later he was the Chef de Cuisine.

As good fortune would have it, I discovered that I’d dined at Daniel during my NYC days while Chef Patrice was there. Daniel is still one of my favorite restaurants in New York, though I’m especially glad Chef Patrice is now on Island.
Chef Patrice spent six years at Daniel, one of the best educations and experiences he could have hoped for. When the opportunity arose, Chef Patrice accepted the job of Executive Chef at London’s five-star Savoy Hotel. The move, for a chef, could have been intimidating, especially if one was from France. The Savoy was once home to the famed and celebrated Auguste Escoffier, who created many famous dishes at the Savoy.

“He was an amazing French chef, and there I was following in his footsteps,” said Chef Patrice, who had a team of one hundred and ten cooks to oversee.

After two years, the owners of The Savoy decided to renovate. The Savoy wanted to keep Chef Patrice on during the process, but he wanted to keep his hands and mind active in the kitchen. He packed up his family and moved to Tokyo to become the Chef de Cuisine at the Peninsula Tokyo.

Chef Patrice learned to speak Japanese with a private tutor provided by the hotel. He spent six years at the Peninsula, discovering a passion for Asian cuisine. “I loved my time there,” said Chef Patrice. “It was a defining experience.”

After six years in Japan, Chef Patrice wanted to return to the United States, this time in California. He settled in Beverly Hills at the Montage, a luxury hotel. “I was there for four years. It was the best five-star hotel I ever worked in,” said Chef Patrice.

The world-traveling chef’s next move would be to Martha’s Vineyard. “I was looking for a new challenge,” said Chef Patrice, who had never been to the Vineyard.

In October 2018, Chef Patrice joined the team at the Harbor View Hotel as they were embarking on a fifteen-million-dollar renovation. Chef Patrice spent the winter and spring overseeing the remodeling of the kitchen, dining rooms, and bars, as well as getting acquainted with the Island farms and fisherman.

“I wanted to create menus that reflect the Island. During the summer, Roxana is open all day. It’s all New England cuisine with the freshest ingredients I can find on Island. And always there is a little twist in every dish,” said Chef Patrice, adding his personal touch with international flavor from his travels.

Bettini opened in May, featuring a farm to table menu. “Not one dish on the summer menu had I made before. I created dishes to appeal to hotel guests and a growing number of locals during a summer on Martha’s Vineyard.”

The Fall menu is now available and includes yummy “comfort food with a twist of places I’ve worked through the years.”

Chef Patrice has shared a few of his special fall recipes that are not on the menu but might make appearances as a daily special.

Our menu begins with a Mixed Greens Salad with Bourbon Poached Pear. We can’t go wrong with a great fall salad, especially one that includes cheeses from The Grey Barn. “I was very impressed by the cheese at Grey Barn,” said Chef Patrice.

What I love about this salad is the use of kabocha. I love squash, and kabocha is a lesser-known but rather yummy squash.

“I love kabocha. it’s a very meaty vegetable with lots of fiber and flavors of honey and nut with citrus notes,” said Chef Patrice. “Pear, walnut and blue cheese is a classic combination, adding the kabocha and balsamic dressing make this salad a real success each time.”

For all of us lobster fans, the Maine Lobster Fried Rice with Scallion and XO Sauce is fabulous and easy to prepare. If you’re making it for family or friends, they will be impressed and grateful. Though this dish is fairly simple to make, Chef Patrice offers a few important suggestions, “Don’t overcook the rice, and don’t make the scramble too hard,” said Chef Patrice, adding, “and don’t make this dish in advance as it will dry quickly.”

Fall and duck seem to pair together perfectly, almost as well as turkey and Thanksgiving. Chef Patrice has created a scrumptious duck dinner for us featuring The Good Farm duck and MV Mycological mushrooms. He had me at MVM shiitakes!

“Duck is a lean meat and not gamey. It has wonderful flavors depending on how you prepare it. The duck legs from The Good Farm are very tender and delicious,” said Chef Patrice.

If you’re less familiar with duck than chicken, “don’t be afraid to cook the leg longer if necessary, the meat should almost be falling off the bone.”

Chef Patrice suggested that we “leave the duck in the oven until the skin is golden brown” to get the true crispy skin.

I can tell you this, when the duck came out of the oven, the aroma was so enticing I wanted to start nibbling with my fingers. Between the duck and the mushrooms, my senses were in heaven.

For dessert, Chef Patrice shared with us his mom’s Clafoutis recipe. The Clafoutis is a signature dessert at Bettini and changes to what fruits are in season. For the fall, Chef Patrice has created an Apple Cinnamon Clafoutis with Caramel Ice Cream. It was so yummy Betty and I wanted seconds – not kidding!

I have three apple trees on my property, so I was curious if I could use one of my three varieties in this recipe. Chef Patrice said, “Any apple will work with this dessert so feel free to choose your favorite. I like Pink Lady apples, as they’re great to bake with, and I also recommend Granny Smith.”

Bettini features as much locally grown or harvested ingredients as possible, and this dessert is no exception. “I really enjoy the wide selection of apples available at Morning Glory Farm in Edgartown, they are the best apples I have tasted in a long time,” said Chef Patrice.

If you haven’t had a chance to dine at Bettini, now is the time. Bettini is open year-round, 365 days, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. Recently Chef Patrice invited Chef Daniel Boulud to visit the Vineyard for this years’ Martha’s Vineyard Food and Wine Festival. Chef Boulud and Chef Patrice collaborated on an intimate, five-course French dinner with pairings from Krug Champagne. The menu featured locally-sourced ingredients, paying homage to the Island’s fishermen, farmers and foragers.

Whenever you have the chance to visit Bettini, I hope you’ll enjoy the new ambience.

I love the new color scheme and the art work. It’s New England, it’s elegance, it’s Martha’s Vineyard, it’s inviting and warm and exactly what you need to relax and soak in the environment of a great meal
and wonderful company. Hope to see you there.

Maine Lobster Fried Rice with Scallion and XO Sauce
Serves 4

Ingredients:
(2) 1 ½ lb. lobsters
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 cup sushi rice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 eggs
3 tablespoon XO sauce
3 tablespoon chopped scallions
2 tablespoon Chinese vinegar
½ tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoon diced onion
3 tablespoon diced carrot
3 tablespoon English peas
3 tablespoon soy sauce

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°
2. Scramble the eggs soft and reserve to the side.
3. Blanch the peas, carrot and onion and reserve on the side.
4. Chop the scallion and reserve.
5. Rinse the rice with cold water until the water is clear. Cook the rice in 2 cups of water in a 350° oven for 20 minutes then keep warm.
6. Boil the lobster in vegetable stock (water can be substituted for vegetable stock) for 20 minutes, let cool and remove lobster meat from shell.
7. Cut the lobster meat in 2-inch pieces.
8. Heat the vegetable oil, add the onion, garlic, and carrot. Cook until tender, add the warm rice and stir fry over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add cooked eggs, peas, lobster meat, and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add sesame oil, soy sauce and Chinese vinegar, and stir fry for another 2 minutes.
9. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with the chopped scallion.