Fine Dining with European and Asian flair at ANYA in Thompson

Guests often travel an hour or more to visit this pristine dining destination in the state’s Quiet Corner, where flower petals adorn the tablecloths on holidays and bubbly lovers enjoy Veuve Clicquot rosé by the glass.

Co-owners Kelly Jones and Ken Loiselle opened ANYA in Thompson in 2018, bringing to life a family vision to open a fine-dining establishment to the quiet, rural northeastern town that borders Massachusetts and Rhode Island. With a New American menu featuring European and Asian flavors and classic French technique, the restaurant became a jewel in a region perhaps better known for its rolling farmland than its dining scene.

“It was a point of need,” said Evan Jones, Kelly’s son, who serves as general manager. “The idea was to bring a fancier dining experience to the Quiet Corner.”

Seven years later, the management team, along with chefs Jason Rollman and Kyle Tobaygo, oversees the 180-seat restaurant that attracts diners for special occasion meals, romantic nights out, and milestone celebrations. But thanks to reasonably priced prix-fixe menu offered three nights a week, locals have become regulars, Jones said, enjoying a more casual and affordable meal in the same luxurious surroundings.

Kelly Jones designed the building and its dining spaces in opulent shades of white, cream, and slate, with the idea that it was built for posterity, Evan Jones said.

Beef Wellington filet mignon with dijon, d'uxelles, pastry, pommes puree, bordelaise

“The idea was to bring a fancier dining experience to the Quiet Corner.” —Evan Jones

Jason Rollman, Chef de Cuisine and Evan Jones, GM

“We plan on sticking around for many years to come,” he added.

ANYA’s “New American” cuisine has French, Japanese, and Italian influences. Starters are seafoodheavy, including raw bar and chilled items like East Coast oysters with orange granita and champagne mignonette, shrimp cocktail, and tuna tartare with Asian-inspired ingredients like wasabi caviar, a soy glaze, and crispy wontons. Oysters Rockefeller is one of the best-selling small plates, Jones said, with bearnaise sauce, spinach, lemon, garlic, and Pernod.

Point Judith calamari is served with caper butter sauce and pomodoro, and nori-wrapped jumbo lump crab cakes are served with pea shoot salad and yuzu vinaigrette. Scallops au gratin are served Coquilles St. Jacques style, with saffron cream, leeks, oyster mushrooms, and Muenster cheese.

Jones said the Anya team has fun playing around with the small plate offerings, changing items on a seasonal basis and experimenting with new flavors. The current menu features a petite tourtiere, a take on a French-Canadian meat pie with beef, pork, veal demiglace, and puff pastry. Sacchettoni, a stuffed pasta known as “beggar’s purse,” are filled with pear and Roquefort cheese. More Asian influence is found in the crispy beef appetizer, with ponzu glaze, peanuts, and scallions.

Entrees rotate seasonally, with lighter flavors spotlighted in the warm months and a focus on heavier proteins and sides in fall and winter. But some are year-round staples, Jones said, like Anya’s beef Wellington and Chateaubriand filet mignon dishes, its signature rigatoni Bolognese, and colossal stuffed shrimp with lump crab stuffing, Newburg sauce, and saffron risotto.

Jones said the menu typically features more classic and traditional proteins, like organic chicken roulade with herbed ricotta, prosciutto, and sauteed spinach; grass-fed rack of lamb with an herb crust and duchess potatoes, veal tenderloin, and ribeye au poivre with cognac cream.

Fish and seafood entrees include a New England bouillabaisse with cod and a mélange of shellfish like shrimp, scallops, clams, and mussels, along with housemade lobster and shrimp ravioli and day boat cod served with miso, yuzu butter, sauteed spinach, and a crispy rice cake. The winter menu will also feature a decadent lobster thermidor.

Though the menu’s a la carte pricing is more in line with special occasions (small plates are $15 to $28; entrees are $32 to $65) Anya offers a prix-fixe menu three days a week, on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. For $38, guests choose three courses from a set menu, picking a soup, salad, or small plate; an entrée, and a dessert. Fall entrée options included autumn lasagna, braised short rib, gnocchi with roast pumpkin and sausage, and Faroe Island salmon.

Faroe Island Salmon with roast tomato risotto, vegetable du jour, and beurre blanc

 An offering of Veuve Clicquot

Jones said the Anya team started the prix-fixe offering during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to boost business beyond destination dining. The weekly menu has become a favorite among locals, he said, and has helped change the perception of the restaurant somewhat.

“That’s a big part of our regular business, and (regulars) sell it for us to their friends,” he said. “We want to be approachable to a lot of different people. I think that was one of our stigmas in the beginning, was that we were a little fancy, and people felt they needed to come in a suit and tie and (dress up.) But over the years, we’ve become a lot more casual. You can come sit at the bar without a reservation on a Wednesday night and have a three-course meal for 40 bucks.”

That elevated-casual experience also extends to Anya’s “young guests” menu, with three courses for $25. Children can choose from entrees like macaroni and cheese souffle, beef tenderloin, salmon, beef ragu, or pan-seared chicken breast, with hors d’oeuvres options like soup, Caesar salad, vegetable crudité, or cheese and crackers. “We don’t want people to shy away from bringing their kids,” Jones said. “I think sometimes people might think we’re a little fancy, but we always accept families, for sure. We take our kids out to dinner, and we love the kids to be part of the dining experience.”

The Jones family took over the town’s historic William Mason House several years ago, restoring the 1840s-era mansion as its own destination. The property now serves as a luxury inn with a spa, and offers special pop-up lunches, dinners, events, and parties. Jones said the team is looking to turn it into a wedding venue, offering a complete package with lodging, spa services, and rehearsal dinner options at ANYA.

“It’s extremely majestic,” Jones said of the venue. “It’s going to be a killer wedding venue, eventually, but we need time to build that.”

ANYA 
49 Thompson Road (CT 193) 
Thompson
860-315-5959
www.anyadining.com