Some of my favorite things about summer are the fresh fruits and vegetables right off the farm. Heirloom tomatoes, an array of lettuces, hand-picked strawberries and blueberries, colorful peppers and eggplant, and succulent corn on the cob…you can’t beat it if it’s local. And what’s even more exciting for me, as I love to eat out, is that I’m seeing more and more restaurants offering farm-to-table menus. Even better is that the reason these chefs are choosing these menus is because they want to use local foods and produce. Not only does it taste better than something that’s been trucked for thousands of miles, but it’s also more sustainable and it supports our local farms. So, Natural Nutmeg hit the road this month to check out and interview some of the best farm-to-table restaurants in the state. We couldn’t get to all of them, so some are just listed at the end of this article for your reference.
If you live in the Farmington Valley you’ve got a few amazing choices. From Papacelle Ristorante in Avon to Farm Restaurant in the Avon Old Farms Hotel to the Mill at 2T in Tariffville, you’ll find delicious and unique options on the menu. If you live and/or work in downtown Hartford, stop by The Market at Hartford 21, the first urban grocery store in the city that offers local foods prepared daily. And if you live downstate, try the Good News Café or Zeeburger in Woodbury where Carole Peck has been dishing up farm-to-table cuisine long before it was popular!
Our first stop took us to Papacelle Ristorante owned by Dave, Adam and Mama Pianka and located in Riverdale Farms in Avon. Their philosophy, inspired by Dave’s grandfather who owned a hotel and restaurant in Napoli, is to take what you have and make something with it while being true to the ingredients. All his dishes have only 3-4 ingredients and every item is made in-house. “In Italy, we have different dishes based on what kinds of foods are available depending on the season, so I brought this idea to our restaurant.” Their principle regarding cooking is down-to-earth…keep it fresh, keep it local, keep it simple. They visit local farms scouring for the best ingredients weekly, which allows them to be creative and offer an ever-changing menu. One of the most unique things about Papacelle’s menu is that it’s recently changed to an ala carte style where you can mix and match your entrée by choosing a meat, pasta and vegetable and basically customize your entire meal. And Dave is always looking for ways to take classic dishes and make them healthier. My favorite item on the menu…the grilled romaine, which we featured in the April issue of Natural Nutmeg. A spin-off from the traditional Caesar salad, Dave adds garlic, vinegar and olive oil to the Romaine and lightly tosses it on a wood fired grill. Another dish you won’t want to miss is the cavatelli (which literally melts in your mouth) with braised rabbit, carrots and broccoli. And you can enjoy your amazing meal on their patio with a beautiful view of Avon Mountain. Visit www.papacelle.com for more details.
A short drive down the road brought us to FarmRestaurant in the Avon Old Farms Hotel. Under the direction of Chefs Carl and Ian Rynecki, the mission is to provide the finest refined farm cuisine as possible by utilizing free-range, humanely raised beef and fowl; sustainable seafood, both wild and farmed; and certified organic produce sourced exclusively from Jude Hollow Farm. In fact, Jude Hollow actually lays out their beds specifically to the chefs’ requests so that they can plan their menu in advance based on what produce is being grown. This also allows them to be creative and change the menu every few days so there’s always something new and fresh to choose to tempt your palate. Chef Ian, originally from Simsbury, traveled throughout the country refining his talent at many different restaurants before settling at Farm. He calls the cuisine here “refined rustic food” and his goal is to take one item and pair it with what naturally goes well with it – but, typically it’s not what you would expect! For example, my favorite item on the menu…local day boat scallops with braised short ribs (that will melt in your mouth) and cauliflower puree. It’s not often you see seafood paired with beef (other than filet mignon) on a menu but it definitely works and the combination is absolutely delicious. Instead of mashed potatoes, he chooses a cauliflower puree that gives the illusion of a starch and is quite tasty. His next spin on the traditional for summer…a classic New England lobster roll – but with pickled red onion, mayo and hot smoked paprika – can’t wait to try that!
Another unique thing about the Farm menu, and quite honestly something I think every restaurant should do, is offer half plates. Most of the time I feel like I’m bombarded with food and end up taking half of it home. Farm offers an affordable list of 200+ wines, most of which are biodynamic and certified organic, and produced from small-holder vintners worldwide. And they are concerned about the environment as well; 100% of the used fry oil is made into bio-diesel fuel, and they’ve implemented a broad composting program to supplement the existing recycling plan to support their vision of a cleaner, greener environment.
Heading back to Tariffville through Simsbury and passing two beautiful farms, The Pickin’ Patch and Rosedale Farms, we arrived at The Mill at 2T, owned by Ryan and Kelleanne Jones. If you want exclusivity, this is the place to go, as the restaurant seats just 30 diners and is only open Wednesday through Saturday for dinner. Ryan and Kelleanne’s mission is to have a connection to their diners and to be able to offer dishes with hard to find ingredients that you can only get in small supply. “I look for things that you don’t see at other restaurants,” Chef Ryan says. “Many times I’ll just call up a farm and say ‘what do you have today’, and that’s what I’ll work with.” With this kind of flexibility, the menu is seasonal, mood-driven and often changes daily. Concerned with the environment and sustainability, Ryan will seek out the most unique fresh fish he can find – which may include: sturgeon, red drum, escolar or soft-shell crab. You won’t want to miss this dining experience, but you better plan ahead as they often book out a month in advance for weekend reservations.
And while their restaurant is small and intimate, the Jones’ were definitely thinking big when they opened The Market at Hartford 21, the city’s first downtown food market. Even if you don’t live in Hartford, you have to check this place out. Everywhere you look there is a plethora of culinary delights, all freshly prepared and healthy, ranging from gourmet pizza (probably the best I’ve tasted in CT) to the house-made noodle bar to a fresh salad bar and a unique selection of prepared foods all made from scratch. In fact, the food here is prepared around the clock, almost made on demand. Reasonably priced, you can get a large, made-to-order salad for $7 and the Ramen noodle bar with veggies and chicken, shrimp or beef starts for as little as $5. Some other cool things…a cereal bar in case you forget breakfast, a gelato bar, coffee bar, sushi delivered from Ginza, a butcher shop offering local, grass-fed meats, a fish counter and all kinds of gluten-free products and staples. Rivaling Whole Foods, it’s well worth the trip downtown!
Heading out of Hartford and downstate, our last stop brought us to the Good News Café and recently opened Zeeburger, both owned by Carole Peck and her husband and partner, Bernard Jarrier. One of the oldest farm-to-table restaurants in the state, the Good News Café has been serving up locally sourced cuisine since 1993. And if you’re in the mood for something more casual, Zeeburger is the newest culinary enterprise from renowned
chef Peck. Zeeburger offers a spin on the classic burger joint with affordable, fresh, local, organic ingredients in a fun & casual atmosphere. Here you can indulge in the finest “fast-food”, such as local grass-fed beef, Kobe beef hotdogs and house-made milkshakes with delicious natural flavors. As Carole says, “Come by for a little Sizzle & Shake!” With over 40 years of experience in the food business, Peck knows what excites and delights diners. And she’s committed to supporting local farms. “I’m really happy people are now concerned about using farms, because it was a pity that 10 years ago we were losing farms left and right,” she said. “We’ve lost more farms than we should have. That’s what being local is about, understanding these farmers need to make enough to make a living.” Her philosophy…to cook well, you need good quality ingredients and the best are sourced locally. Something you don’t want to miss on the menu at Good News Café is the beet salad with avocado, peas and cucumbers with a savory horseradish and lime cream on top.
Although we would have loved to have stopped at every farm-to-table restaurant in Connecticut, time did not allow. Some other places you don’t want to miss are listed below. While all are open year-round, don’t let the summer season pass without visiting some of these places for gastronomic delights…not only will you find some of the best dishes in the state, you’ll also be supporting our local farms.
Firebox – Hartford
The Dressing Room – Westport
LeFarm – Westport
Still River Café – Eastford
Napa and Company – Stamford
Farmer’s Table – New Canaan
Husk – Collinsville