After turning the ripe old age of 38 just a couple of weeks ago, I had my first-ever amuse-bouche.

I’ve watched lots of cooking shows — my favorites being “Chopped” and “Hell’s Kitchen” — and I’ve seen fine dining portrayed time and time again on TV, but I had ever experienced it.

Amuse-bouche, which literally means “mouth amuser,” is a single, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre served complimentary at the start of a meal. The start of that meal was at a banquet table in the center of the lobby of the Emory Melton Inn and Conference Center.

Last Wednesday, Nina Baltzell, the chef at the Inn, sent an invite for Sunday’s four-course dinner with a choice of entrée: Pan-seared trout or stuffed ribeye.

Though I am a Troutman, the ribeye called my name, and I opted into a newly offered, unique dining experience at the park. And, I can honestly say, I was impressed.

I’ve been to the Inn many times. The Opening Day buffet is a staple for me after putting in 4 early hours of work every March 1. We have hosted two Ozark Press Association conventions in the Conference Center, with the restaurant catering. On paper delivery Wednesdays, my wife, Jordan, has been known to pop by the restaurant for lunch, especially during summer when my oldest daughter is along for the ride.

Yet, as much time as we have spent in the building, Sunday’s experience was a whole new one.

I walked through the front doors thinking the meal would be in the Conference Center, similar to the Chamber Banquet. Instead, I saw the Inn like I never had before. 

A banquet table for at least 20 spanned the center of the lobby. It was inviting, well-set, well-lit — and the anticipation among the 13 total attendees was palpable.

With an open bar and good company, the four-course experience began with Baltzell introducing the evening and the amuse-bouche to set the stage — a maple bacon-wrapped, pineapple- and candied pecan-filled bite (I hope I got that right because she purposefully didn’t tell us about that one, simply, “enjoy”).

After an appropriate amount of time, which I now gather is a staple of fine dining, out came the appetizer. That ahi tuna and avocado mousse may have been my favorite. But next, again after a time, arrived the spring salad, all locally sourced from Harvick Farms. The goat cheese on top nearly topped the ahi tuna.

The entree was next, and I was right with the ribeye, notably also locally sourced from Circle M Meats. A thin-sliced roulade style, I don’t even know what it was stuffed with — but it was exquisite. 

I did have to smile to myself, because the horseradish sauce tasted almost exactly like the steak sauce I make myself, so even in that banquet table moment, I tasted a bit of home.

The trout entree came on a bed of mushroom risotto, and though I didn’t have that plate, my mouth watered at it. The fish, Baltzell said, were freshly caught from Roaring River that morning, which garnered a round of applause from the table.

About two hours after the specified arrival time, dessert came in the form of sherbet with blueberries, strawberries, and two mint leaves. The sherbet and the berries were tasty, but those leaves of mint took me back to my Papa’s backyard in Wichita about 30 years ago, and as far as meal experiences go, that couldn’t have ended better.

Baltzell is hoping to set dates for quarterly fine dining experiences like Sunday’s at the Inn. The table, however, balked. 

Monthly, they urged, would be well-attended.

Many of us, nary all of us, have spent either some time or significant time at Roaring River State Park. From generation to generation, there’s an undeniably special feeling about those campgrounds, that Inn, the store and every zone of that river.

What happened Sunday was a new chapter in that more-than-century-old novel. It was a different experience, and a really amazing one. Next time you stop in the Inn, ask about Baltzell’s dinners.

It’s a memory at Roaring River I will never forget.

Kyle Troutman has served as editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014 and owner/publisher since 2023. He is a three-time ISWNE Golden Dozen award winner. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or [email protected].