Purdy's Farmer & The Fish
www.farmerandthefish.com
Having dinner where George Washington might have stopped, a bit noisy but great food with excellent service
August 19, 2017
www.farmerandthefish.com
Having dinner where George Washington might have stopped, a bit noisy but great food with excellent service
August 19, 2017
Tucked away in a late 18th century homestead in North Salem, NY, is a bustling farm- to- table restaurant, Farmer & the Fish. We had a 5:45 reservation but the restaurant was already busy, with a packed bar and an otherwise full house. The ambiance made you think you had stepped back into revolutionary America, right down to its wooden beamed ceiling and wide plank floors. The noise level was high when we arrived, likely a combination of lower ceilings, somewhat tight seating and attractive marble topped tables. There were ample sound baffles present, but likely that tablecloths would have helped.
While the high noise level did detract somewhat from the evening, this was more than compensated by an outstanding farm-to-table meal. I also expect the food quality might improve are we leave summer and a greater selection of local crops becomes available. The service was very attentive and the restaurant appeared to be well staffed. We did not have to wait long to have our water glasses refilled or our courses cleared, and this was all done in a most professional manner.
The bread served on this day was a homemade carrot bread, which was quite good. As an appetizer I had an excellent shrimp cocktail, my mother had a very fresh garden salad, emphasis on fresh, and my wife had a delightful lobster cocktail. I chose the halibut for my main course; it was moist and flaky, accented by a mushroom and corn risotto, which was very flavorful. My wife had the marlin, which was pan-seared with pearl onions. The marlin was also served with heirloom tomatoes and melted pesto. While marlin is not necessarily a sought-after fish, this preparation was flavorful and moist for this meaty fish.
For dessert I had a creamy and rich homemade blueberry cheesecake. We also tried the warm chocolate bread pudding. These dishes were both flavorful and not over-sized. We also sampled the homemade ice cream, a dirty chocolate, sea salt caramel and vanilla bean. The dirty chocolate was by far the most flavorful. My mother had the warm chocolate cake, which was delicious.
The cork fee is $40.00/btl. and the wine can't be on their wine list, regardless of vintage.
While the high noise level did detract somewhat from the evening, this was more than compensated by an outstanding farm-to-table meal. I also expect the food quality might improve are we leave summer and a greater selection of local crops becomes available. The service was very attentive and the restaurant appeared to be well staffed. We did not have to wait long to have our water glasses refilled or our courses cleared, and this was all done in a most professional manner.
The bread served on this day was a homemade carrot bread, which was quite good. As an appetizer I had an excellent shrimp cocktail, my mother had a very fresh garden salad, emphasis on fresh, and my wife had a delightful lobster cocktail. I chose the halibut for my main course; it was moist and flaky, accented by a mushroom and corn risotto, which was very flavorful. My wife had the marlin, which was pan-seared with pearl onions. The marlin was also served with heirloom tomatoes and melted pesto. While marlin is not necessarily a sought-after fish, this preparation was flavorful and moist for this meaty fish.
For dessert I had a creamy and rich homemade blueberry cheesecake. We also tried the warm chocolate bread pudding. These dishes were both flavorful and not over-sized. We also sampled the homemade ice cream, a dirty chocolate, sea salt caramel and vanilla bean. The dirty chocolate was by far the most flavorful. My mother had the warm chocolate cake, which was delicious.
The cork fee is $40.00/btl. and the wine can't be on their wine list, regardless of vintage.