Craft beer, Asian specials, burgers now on tap

KENT — The Kingsley Tavern has opened on Main Street (Route 7) in the space most recently occupied by the Millstone Café.Owner Anna Gowan is not a newcomer to the restaurant business or to Kent. She has been a restaurant manager in Key West, Fla., and worked in the field up and down the East Coast, from Maine to Florida. She also worked as an environmental lobbyist in Washington, D.C.But she felt it was time to come back home and open a place of her own. The new eatery very much honors her roots here. “Kingsley is a family name,” she said, explaining how she came up with the tavern’s name. “My grandfather was Donald Kingsley Gowan. My dad was Donald Kingsley Gowan II and my brother,who passed away last year, was Donald Kingsley Gowan III.”Gowan’s father taught at Kent Center School for 38 years; the basketball court there (donated by Seth MacFarlane, see story this page) was named in his honor. Her late brother was the basketball coach at Canterbury School.Her grandfather owned and operated the Village Store in Bridgewater for many years.Gowan said she will primarily serve “tavern food, with as much local sourcing as possible.” Beef and pork come from a farm in Morris owned by Tom Truelove, with whom Gowan attended Kent School.There are a number of gluten-free and vegan items on the menu. Appetizers range in price from $6 to $12. A gluten-free and vegan starter is the Thai noodle salad made with rice vermicelli, cashews and a tamari ginger vinaigrette, $8.Sandwiches cost on average between $9 and $16. The Kingsley Burger and fries, $16, features beef and pork with Chimay cheese, a smoked tomato and a fried egg.Supper entrees are priced from $14 to $26. Aside from more familiar fish, fowl and meat entrees, there are more exotic entrees such as the kabocha curry bowl with Thai red curry, coconut milk and bok choy, $16.Charles Dietrich, formerly chef for the Millstone Café, is Kingsley Tavern’s chef.Janet Wright is the tavern’s baker, producing fresh bread, rolls and desserts daily. Gowan said she is especially proud of the tavern’s craft beer offerings, which she said “will be rotated to bring new tastes to our customers.” There are currently nine beers available on draft, 11 in bottles and four in cans.Gowan said there is also a focused wine list.The brushed stainless steel bar was designed and built by Kent metal artist Peter Kirkiles, who also did much of the work on the interior.Currently the Kingsley Tavern is open for dinner Tuesday through Sunday, 5 to 9 p.m. It is open for lunch from Friday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; the bar remains open late. Gowan said it is likely hours will be expanded for the summer season.The Kingsley Tavern is located at 14 N. Main St./Route 7. For reservations, call 860-592-0261.