Through the Pass: The Glass Onion
Situated along North Main Street in Falmouth for nearly 100 years, the Queen’s Buyway has always been a collection of small shops and eateries, and is considered one of the first “malls” in America when it was constructed in 1926. The crowds, both familiar and new, have continued to gather for the last 12 years to enjoy a unique dining experience at The Glass Onion.
Josh and Tally Christian met while working at the old Regatta restaurant on Falmouth Harbor in 1995, she in the kitchen and he bussing tables. The pair had big plans; marriage and opening their own restaurant chief among them. Saying “I do” in 2004 checked one box, and in another five years they found the perfect spot for the other. “We’ve always loved this space,” Tally says of the venerable location that over the years housed locally well-known establishments such as Food For Thought and longtime night club hot spot The Hunt Club. The couple dove right in with a major renovation to the space, only leaving the stunning front wall of windows untouched. Josh remembers the surprises when demolition began. “We took down a wall and it had seaweed paper insulation inside,” he marvels. “Just two sheets of paper quilted together with dried seaweed in the middle!” Today, the windows that stretch nearly floor to ceiling give guests a view of the world as it passes by. The late afternoon sunlight slowly gives way to a warmth The Glass Onion radiates from within. The dark wood floors and furnishings are offset beautifully by the white-beamed coffered ceilings illuminated by the soft amber light of chandeliers and wine glass sconces. The Christians have relaxed the spacing of the tables and it provides a more intimate feeling. You just know you’ve found someplace special.
With three kids, Kate (12), Alexis (14) and Ben (15), a division of duties is needed. Josh describes the breakdown. “I get to be the face at the front door,” he says. “Greeting and seating everybody. It’s Tally that does all the other things that actually make a restaurant run like cleaning, doing the payroll, paying the bills,” He gushes with pride while recounting her efforts during the pandemic where staffing has been a challenge. “Honestly, during COVID, Tally has done any job under the sun to make it work. Making the salads and the desserts, and training kids in the kitchen. It’s funny because we kind of went back to where we started. I’m running around bussing tables out front and she’s making salads out back,” he laughs. A career working the “front of the house” has also taught Josh countless lessons in human nature such as, “Yesterday keeps you in their minds.” He explains, “If you don’t do something tomorrow, they’re not coming back.”
For the last six years, the task of crafting and executing The Glass Onion’s exceptional menu has been in the talented hands of chef John Tabor. The streamlined listing features familiar, yet intriguing, flavor combinations. “It’s not about crazy ideas,” Josh explains. “We don’t put foam on the plates or anything like that. We’ve always wanted to be down to earth about what we do.” This “down to earth” approach translates into an “out of this world” taste experience, however. Asked how he responds to people’s queries about what to try, Josh will offer simple instructions. “I always say, ‘Start with the Lobster Strudel, finish with the fresh mint chip ice cream, and fill in the blanks in between,’” he grins. Some may be concerned with the lack of direction, but with this menu, there are no wrong turns. No bad choices. It is a menu of the well-known, yet it is studded with twisty elements.
It all starts with the homemade rosemary bread baked fresh daily by Tally’s mom, Sally Talmage. Its texture is almost muffin-like without a hint of heaviness that other breads can have that slow you down for future courses. No excuses for skipping this. The twists begin with the butternut squash bisque – the smooth and familiar flavor is enhanced by Cabernet-braised cranberries. Next, toasted pistachios, zucchini, goat cheese and red onion top off the arugula salad dressed with an apple cider vinaigrette. Port-braised shallots, arugula, almonds and a grain mustard vinaigrette adorn the crispy duck leg confit, a wonderful starter regardless of the direction you take for a main course. It is the highly suggested Lobster Strudel appetizer handmade by Sally and Tally, however, that is not to be missed. This savory dish does have a light sweetness to it thanks to the Mascarpone cheese that is blended with the lobster butter sauce and wrapped in a delicate Phyllo dough. The results are astounding and will leave you guarding it against others’ pleas to try it. When asked if it is something to be shared, The Glass Onion’s longtime server Andrew Luff deadpans,” Yes, it is sharable, and I never share mine.” As if on cue, two plates of Lobster Strudel float by destined for a party of two whose night is clearly off on the right foot. If you want camaraderie, dessert is a much better option.
The six entrees currently featured cover far more than one would expect. The sweet potato gnocchi is the perfect comforter for cold winter evenings. The portobello mushroom, bacon, baby kale, cauliflower, toasted hazelnut squash cream and sage brown butter combine to provide a richness that will help knock the chill from your bones. The filet mignon with a tang of Great Hill blue cheese compound butter and Cabernet demi-glace more than scratches the itch for the carnivore. The Wester Ross salmon sitting atop roasted root vegetables has the perfect sear which balances the smoothness of the mild Anjou pear cream drizzled over it. The balance of sweet and savory continues with the seared Long Island duck breast. The cherry jus brightens the breast while the cheddar polenta provides just the right amount of richness to round out the dish. And there’s no shortage of pairing options from the well-crafted wine list. The Croix Canon Grand Cru SaintEmilion Bordeaux and Jean-Marc Brocard “Vau de Vey” Chablis Premier Cru were inspired choices on this particular evening.
Desserts are made for sharing. You get to taste a wide variety of treats, and none of the hand-churned ice creams and sorbets at The Glass Onion should be missed. The mint chip is the star, for the freshness of the flavor suggests the mint was in the ground mere moments prior to arriving at your table. The mango and apricot sorbets are light and delicately sweet ways to wind down the meal, and for the tooth that is searching for something more decadent there is always the Callebaut chocolate mousse and the pumpkin creme brulee. With this lineup, every decision is the right one.
The menu evolves slowly throughout the year as the seasons change. “It takes a few weeks to roll out new items,” Josh says of the portion of the menu that does, in fact, change. “Half of the items we just can’t take off because they’re so popular,” he says. “If we tried to take the Lobster Strudel off the menu, there’d be a revolt,” he chuckles.
In the cooler months, The Glass Onion offers specials that run over the course of a week. “We’ll do Beef Wellington because nobody does Beef Wellington and people love it,” Josh explains. “Also, I’m a sucker for a pan-fried burger, and not the big thick ones. Thin and on seeded buns, and John will do three different variations. We’ll do that a couple of weeks a year.” The wine dinners at The Glass Onion are done a little differently than the norm as well. The three courses with the three wine pairings can be enjoyed over the span of a week or two. “I was brought up in this business where if you’re going to do a wine dinner, you shut down the restaurant for the night. Everybody gets the salad at the same time. Everybody gets the pairings at the same time. We like to be just a little bit different, and you can enjoy it when you want to on your schedule.”
When it comes to those entrusted with making sure your evening is the most enjoyable it can be, Josh and Tally feel fortunate to have the staff that they do. “We think of everybody as co-workers, and we’ve been lucky that everybody wanted to come back [when restaurants re-opened after COVID shutdowns],” Tally says. Josh points out the key ingredient to what makes the staff of The Glass Onion so great. “You hire nice people,” he simply states. “I can teach them how we want the job done, but you’ve got to have the personality.” The result is a pleasant professionalism that is on display from the moment you’re greeted at the door by Josh or Tally. Their smiles let you know that you’re among friends whether reconnecting weekly or meeting for the first time. “We have a mixture of year-round locals, seasonal mainstays and people down for a weekend. Twelve years in and people are still just finding us,” Josh laughs. It takes experience to be able to read how people want to be treated. “Fine dining always had this invisible wall between you and your guests, who didn’t want to know your name, and we’ve always wanted the kind of place that was a bit friendlier,” he claims. “So, our staff has to find that line between the guest that comes in once a week and wants that friendly interaction and the guest who comes in once a year and just wants the experience and would rather not engage.”
The Glass Onion. An interesting name, and Beatles fans would guess that perhaps it came from the song by the same name from The Beatles’ White Album. And indeed, sitting on the small service bar are the framed lyrics to Glass Onion. Josh tells the story of how the name came about. “We had been going through a bunch of names and nothing was sticking. We always had Beatles tunes playing and we’d dance around the house with our thenthree- year-old son, Ben. I was feeding him one day and asked him what we should call the restaurant, and he said, ‘Glass Onion’.” A look passed between Josh and Tally, and they knew they had found the perfect name for their venture.
For 12 years, Josh and Tally Christian have been at the helm of a special destination in Falmouth. Opening the doors to this endeavor with three kids no older than three years old at the time proves the dovetail joint they’ve made together is as solid as oak. The joinery of creativity and execution they and the staff of The Glass Onion exhibit will leave a smile on your face almost as big as the one that greeted you upon arrival.
The Glass Onion
37 North Main Street, Falmouth
508-540-3730
theglassoniondining.com
