Farmhouse
Farmhouse
Sonoma, California
An unfoodie friend who had to pick up some wine from one of the fancy vineyards in Napa called us up and asked if we would like to join him, extending the excursion into a day of wine tasting. My sweetie offered to be the designated driver. Always game to try some good wines from places with outstanding reputations, particularly with the offer of chauffeur services, I jumped at the opportunity. But, how to turn this into a culinary adventure, so as to make the most of the trip? Well, fortunately for all parties concerned, my friend had just received a promotion which was the perfect excuse for engaging in some celebratory fine dining. Since many of the vineyards where we were tasting were located in Sonoma, I focused on restaurants in this area – I wanted to try a place we had never been to and so settled on the Farmhouse Inn. I’m going to focus most of this review on our dinner, and will cover our wine tasting adventures in another post.
Fine dining at the Farmhouse Inn sounds a bit contradictory – my research confirmed that it is where wine country casual intersects with fine dining. I learned that taking local sourcing and farm-to-table dining to new heights, the Farmhouse Inn’s Chef Litke and his partners in crime, farmers Joe and Catherine Bartolomei have developed a collaborative relationship that yields a stunning menu that holds its own with any of the hoity-toity restaurants of the big city. The fact that what gets delivered from the farm dictating what is served that evening, changes daily, you get a true impression of how versatile and creative Litke and his staff must really be.
It’s hard to get reservations on a summer weekend with such little notice (about a week) particularly with a large party of five. However, the staff at the restaurant were very helpful, arranging a table when it was most convenient for us, and making sure that a number of our special requests (see below) were honored.
The restaurant is located in a picturesque little corner of Sonoma (is there any part of Sonoma that isn’t?) with definite rural charm. As you drive up, you notice that it is less farmhouse, and more inn, with a series of cottages within a fenced off area. The first and biggest structure is where the restaurant is located, and seems like it was originally the innkeepers home. The interior decor is tasteful, and true to the farmhouse theme.
After we were seated, I snuck off to check on my special requests: the standard menu signed by the kitchen staff and a visit to the kitchen for our entire table. Now, given that we were such a large party, I was convinced that we would be told that the visit to the kitchen was not possible. However, the wait staff went above and beyond by suggesting that it might actually be best for all of us to go visit the kitchen before the meal, so as to be least disruptive to the staff, still allowing us to observe the magic. They mentioned that it might even be better because there was still prep work underway for the meal, and so we could watch the magic happening, instead of later in the evening when we would only see the staff cleaning up. I was really impressed by everyones commitment to ensuring a memorable evening for us.
We were led into the kitchen, a comparatively tiny workspace considering the magic that needs to occur to feed the 50 or 60 patrons that evening.
After the tour, it was time for us to order dinner and this brings me to another point to rave about. In most fine dining establishments, the coordination of plating and serving multiple courses to different tables is quite complex. This often leads to the requirement that everyone in a party order similarly structured meals. You can’t have one person order a three-course meal while someone else at the table has a five course meal – the chef and staff will spontaneously combust. However, at the Farmhouse Inn, they are willing to brave such ordering chaos. Anyone can order any set of dishes and as many courses from any part of the menu – you really can have it your way. Don’t think I wasn’t tempted to order a five-course meal consisting entirely of desserts.
Given the resulting ordering mayhem, I’m not going to discuss the meal in terms of courses but instead describe them in the order I tried them. Given my sweetie’s generosity and willingness to share, I was lucky enough to taste 4 starters, 2 main courses and dessert. Obviously I would have preferred the meal be inverted in balance (4 desserts) but still trying 7 dishes made this experience on par with any other tasting menu.
We started with a modern take on Vietnamese inspired salad – beautiful cube of watermelon housing a halved sun gold tomato doused with fish sauce and garnished with seaweed – a perfect combination of sweet and salty with tomato complementing fish sauce and seaweed. A lovely start to the meal.
Next, I had the tempura of squash blossom which came in a deconstructed style – rather that being stuffed as tradition dictates, the Bellwether Farms ricotta folded into delicious Egyptian dukkah spice (pistachio nuts, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cumin, cardamon, pepper and salt) was plated below a bed of grilled vegetables, a medley of bite sized tomatoes (to add brightness) and cauliflower mushroom – sea sponge like in texture but subtly woodsy in flavor. The star of the dish, tempura squash blossom is placed alongside and gives a wonderful crisp texture.
I also tried the Ahi tuna tartare with tuna seasoned with fermented chili, ginger, garlic, scallion, miso and soy over a edamame paste, garnished with sunflower sprouts and cucumber. This was a bit more traditional, similar to the tartare I’ve had previously, although I will note that the flavor of the tuna, usually masked by all the other components, came through in this particular interpretation.
The corn ravioli is a staff favorite and after one bite, it was clear why. A filling made with Sacramento Valley sweet summer corn, tossed with olive oil and topped with sweet cherry tomatoes, kernels of steamed corn, arugula and pepato cheese studded with whole peppercorns. The sweet corn and the bright tomatoes combined with cheese and pasta to form a comforting and utterly satisfying dish. And every bite brought the same sense.
The last appetizer I had was the wild local king salmon which was grilled very rare served with a wedge of red beet, pink beet and champagne beet with beat sauce and local greens. This salmon was practically sashimi which I love, but some may find a bit too rare. The beats were yummy, but I could have done with a bit more – either larger or more pieces of beet which really did nicely complement the salmon
Others at the table had the scallop and the octopus, both of which we photographed but I didn’t taste – after all I still had two entrees and a dessert to enjoy.
The first main course was Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit which get the name from the fact that there are three different preparations of Rabbit on the plate. This is the signature dish of Chef Litke and has been on the menu since the restaurant opened. There is a confit of rabbit leg which was rich and essentially melted in my mouth. Roasted rack of rabbit- who knew there was enough meat to do that – it was yummy but I honestly had a hard time eating it without picking it up with my fingers – brandishing my unfoodie bonafides. Finally rabbit loin wrapped in applewood smoked bacon – bacon makes everything perfect, and this was no exception.
The other entree was the Snake River Farm Sirloin – Angus beef crossed with wagyu giving a lovely marbleization increasing tenderness and flavor. It was served with crème fraiche mashed potatoes, blue lake and yellow wax beans and bagna càuda butter. This stake was lovely- juicy and tender and cooked to medium perfection.
Finally for dessert, I tried the new entry on the menu – chocolate hazelnut mousse. The silky luxurious mousse was coated in a thick shell of dark chocolate and served with a delicious blackberry sorbet that could have been called a masterpiece all on its own. It also came with cocoa nib tuile, candied puffed rice, dehydrated moose (is that what you do with leftover moose), candied puffed rice and crushed hazelnut. This dessert did make everyone else a bit jealous- they wouldn’t admit it but I could see it in their eyes.
Others had the cheesecake brûlée and the chocolate soufflé and all claimed their desserts were fantastic. Better than the mousse? Naaahh.
We ended the meal with a lovely little treat – chocolate truffles with earl grey.
This was a terrific meal, made all the more memorable by the fantastic waitstaff. I think Chef Steve Litke’s reputation is well deserved and anticipate a second star for the Farmhouse Inn in years to come.