The Farm-to-Table concept has captivated the restaurant industry and if you look back at the the places I’ve reviewed since starting The Kitchen Scout, more than not are bringing locally sourced, farm fresh ingredients to your dining experience. This is a win-win-win for restaurateurs, local farmers and patrons alike.
But I have to ask…how will these restaurants continue to distinguish themselves in such a competitive field if they don’t tweak that concept ever so slightly to clearly distinguish themselves? It’s something that I hope The Farmhouse stays ahead of because its combination of dedicated and personable chef-owners, location, classic interior and fresh, well-seasoned food, prepared and presented from the heart is a winner.
The Farmhouse is located in the center of Needham, Massachusetts at the corner of Great Plain and Dedham Avenues. Owned by married couple, Dora Tavel-Sanchez Luz and her husband, Gabriel Sanchez Luz, The Farmhouse is warm and inviting and combines rustic features – reclaimed wood, restored tables, farm inspired artwork, beadboard and mason jars serving as water glasses with elegant touches – a warm color palette, a sophisticated bar, banquette seating and even twinkle lights hanging from reclaimed window frames.
The restaurant holds 100 and has a flexible seating, plan allowing for small and large groups. The bar accommodates 13 and there is an open kitchen in the back of the house with four seats at the chef’s counter to watch all of the action. A communal high top table can seat up to 18 if necessary.
Nothing goes to waste at The Farmhouse – old faucets under the bar serve as a place to hang your bag!
The Sanchez-Luz’s have a combined three plus decades working in food service. From Maine and Mexico, respectively, Dora and Gabriel met and married while working in New York and subsequently moved to Boston where they continued to hone their craft, save their money and start a family. The idea for the restaurant was inspired by a farmhouse owned by Dora’s family in Maine and came to fruition through a lot of hard work and a Kickstarter campaign that enabled the young couple to fulfill their dream in March of 2013.
The couple works incredibly hard and are putting their all into the restaurant, day and night. Dora works the front of the house while self-trained chef Gabriel, in his signature bandana works his magic in the kitchen. I had the good fortune of enjoying a multi-course meal they prepared at a friend’s home a few years ago and was so happy to finally try out The Farmhouse this past weekend with my husband, his sister, Tracy and her husband, Peter to reconnect!
Here is a shot of the menu. A roasted root vegetable soup was also being offered the evening we visited…
Gabriel’s style of cooking emphasizes clean flavors using locally sourced ingredients, but I think he could call it “clean plate” because you could not find a morsel of food left on almost any of the dishes we were served. Not only were the dishes beautifully plated, but also they were very well proportioned. Not too much or too little, just right.
Thankfully, everyone was very cooperative with their food blogger relative and ordered a different dish “to begin” and “to continue”. Here’s how our meal played out…
Peter ordered the Beet Salad, one of The Farmhouse’s signature salads…
Greens are dressed in a sherry vinaigrette and adorned with roasted beets, goats cheese, pistachios and citrus.
My husband ordered Gaby’s crabcake with avocado, greens and aioli…
Doesn’t that look delicious? Filled with lump crabmeat, the cake was appropriate in size for a starter, moist and filling. The salad provided a nice acidic balance to the richness of the crab.
Tracy ordered the Farmers salad which had greens, avocado, heirloom tomatoes, cukes and radishes…
Not complicated, but clean and light with the right combination of crunch from the cukes and radishes and creaminess from the avocado.
And my choice was the fish tacos, worthy of two pictures…
Halibut was battered and lightly fried. The tacos were served with pico de gallo and a spicy aioli. I loved this dish and it also appears on the lunch menu.
Two types of bread made in house by Gabriel are offered and served from a restored wine box – another fun, farmy touch. I tried the multigrain and it was delicious.
For our “to continue”, Peter started with the Creekstone Farms rib eye which was served with mashed potatoes, green beans and a red wine reduction. It was cooked perfectly, tender and flavorful…
Tracy ordered one of their other signature dishes, the Nantucket Sea Scallops with exotic mushrooms and cauliflower. It was served with a swirl of cauliflower puree and a saffron beurre blanc. She really enjoyed the dish, although I did mention to Dora that I thought this dish could use another scallop…
My husband ordered the Halibut which was pan-seared and finished in the oven. Served with cockles, mashed potatoes, sprouts, peppers and a white wine-lemon sauce, this was a substantial dish, full of great flavors…
And I ordered the “Lobstah” risotto with tomatoes and asparagus. There was an extremely generous portion of lobster in this dish. The texture and the flavors were spot on…
Three desserts were offered that evening and we decided to try all of them. We also sheepishly requested an order of The Farmhouse’s fried pickles which we had forgotten to try earlier in the meal when they might have been a bit more appropriate! We didn’t want to miss out and they were worth it. Served with a buttermilk ranch sauce, the pickles were such a treat that we shared them with the couple sitting next to us (although we had to convince one of them to try a bite). I am not sure he was sold on fried pickles, but we were as was his dining companion! Here’s what they look like…
Tracy’s birthday was coming up and although we didn’t share that with our server, she put candles in our desserts. She evidently had seen the card we had brought Tracy and assumed we were celebrating a birthday! Another personable touch.
The real desserts were a Chocolate Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream and a salted caramel drizzle…
Carrot Cake with walnut-cream cheese frosting…
And an Apple Pear Crisp…
They were very tasty and the crisp was definitely the table’s favorite. Maybe I just wasn’t in my usual mood for dessert as they weren’t the most memorable part of the meal for me.
The Farmhouse is family friendly and a Kid’s Menu inspired by Dora and Gabriel’s children is offered…
The Farmhouse offers a full bar including craft cocktails, beers including many from local breweries and a broad wine list. Dora personally selects the wines and other libations for the restaurant and is drawn to a good story and small, family owned vineyards and distilleries.
Open for lunch Monday through Friday and dinner Monday through Saturday, The Farmhouse is closed on Sundays. Prix Fixe Mondays are held when for $30 you can enjoy a three course meal. Add $18 for wine pairings. The Farmhouse also host wine dinners and its next one is scheduled for November 18 with Michael David Winery.
And as you’ve come to know, my litmus test for whether or not I like a restaurant is how quickly I want to go back. Should I admit I went there for lunch by myself just yesterday? My Kale Caesar Salad notwithstanding, The Farmhouse’s Kale Salad was outstanding, tossed in a lemon vinaigrette with Pecorino cheese and chopped almonds. It’s reason alone to take a drive and visit The Farmhouse.
Thank you to Dora, Gabriel and assistant manager, Karin Tremblay who warmly welcomed me back to take more photographs and who continued to demonstrate that eating at The Farmhouse is a wonderful experience, full of heart, soul and wonderful food. We’ll be back!