I went to Martha Stewart's new restaurant—here's the one dish she says everyone must try

• Martha Stewart recently opened a new restaurant in Foxwoods Resort Casino, The Bedford by Martha Stewart
• The space is inspired by her 1925 farmhouse in Bedford, New York, complete with cozy nooks, display cases of Stewart’s antique glassware, and an open kitchen with hanging copper pots.
• Menu highlights include the smashed baked potato, served tableside, Big Martha’s Pierogies, and the Meyer Lemon Drop

“It means a lot to me what was here before,” Martha Stewart explains at the opening of her new restaurant in Foxwoods Resort Casino. The resort, owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, is now the home of Stewart’s second location of The Bedford by Martha Stewart. “It’s a nice fit,” she explains of the location—making sure to pay homage to the ancestral land it was built upon.

The restaurant, inspired by her 1925 farmhouse in Bedford, New York, is everything you’d expect from Martha, the consummate host. The space is a behemoth, but thoughtfully designed to feel more intimate with cozy nooks, display cases filled with Stewart’s collection of antique glassware, and, naturally, glamor shots of Martha hung behind tables. The open kitchen is theatrically on view with hanging copper pots and pans creating a tapestry to peek through.

elegant restaurant interior with tables and chairs

Most impressive, however, is the restaurant’s Green Room, created to emulate The Green Room at Martha’s New England home. No detail in the space is overlooked—the faux windows even boast a “live” view of Martha’s backyard, with trees swaying with the wind (eagle-eyed diners might also spot Martha herself riding by on her horse).

interior dining area with elegant decor and tables set for guests

And while the space itself is impressive, it’s the food that people are really coming for. “You have to get the smashed baked potato,” Stewart instructs us. It’s important to smash the potato because it helps break up all the fibers. “We’ve perfected the smashing, and then we fill it with butter and creme fraiche and caviar, and it is really good,” she shares. It’s worth noting that the potato, which is smashed tableside, also comes topped with bacon and chives, and is merely $17—the ounce of caviar is an additional $80.

As Stewart tells us, the restaurant plans to use as many local ingredients as possible, which diners will find in menu items like Alexis’ Chopped Salad, which was created with Stewart’s daughter, and Pasta Limone.

I was wowed by Big Martha’s Pierogies, which are stuffed with potato and served with a brown butter sauce that’s to die for. “That’s my mom’s recipe,” Stewart notes. “I’m of Polish heritage, and my mom made the best pierogies, and these are quite good,” she continues. Like the smashed potato, diners can also add caviar.

dumpling in a bowl with sauce and a wooden fork accompanied by a branded napkin

Whatever you do, don’t overlook the cocktail menu. The Martha-tini packs a punch, but Stewart shares that the Meyer Lemon Drop is one of the most popular drinks at the original Vegas location. She shares her method for preparing the drink, but adds in a tip: The Cointreau in the drink is very nice for sipping after dinner, “if you’re with your boyfriend or husband—but boyfriends preferably. Sip it and let it coat your mouth,” she instructs. “And then kiss somebody. It’s called a Cointreau kiss, I made that up.” OK Martha. I know who I’m taking my dating advice from from now on.