Now I know I have said in the past that I wouldn't take photos of the food at the restaurants but I draw exception to the new rule with Chef Bill. He said he has no problems with me taking photos of the food and I could take as many as I wanted. While I was tempted to walk through the restaurant and photograph patrons and their meals, I decided not to. For Anita's sake.
So for those who don't know leFarm, the rustic barn interior of the space seats around 30 but feels bigger than that with high ceilings and light tones and mirrors on the walls. The appetizers are quite diverse including a selection of cheeses, Long Island Fluke Crudo (served raw), many salads, and small fish plates and of course my favorite the roasted bone marrow. I usually get the bone marrow but told Chef I wanted something different. I noticed that there were Sardines on the menu. No one locally makes Sardines as I think they have a bad reputation of being the sibling of the Anchovy. I think that they are a sibling and personally I see that as a good thing since I love Anchovies. But not many people do. Sardines are similar in that they are small fish, but they have much different flavor. Chef said they are excellent and decided to get those. And he was right. The small filet's are paired with a unique type of grapefruit that is sweeter than most. it also looked like it had a hint of green color. It also had cucumbers and slivered onions and the entire dish was circled with a harissa sauce which added some nice heat to the dish.
Anita wanted a salad as Chef Bill always makes strong vibrant salads. We always steer towards any of his salads that have beets in them. That is one vegetable that I want to start to use more. I think they too have a bad reputation as been a heavy red colored vegetable that is only associated to Borscht and Greek Salads. A lot of the Beets he gets are so colorful and rich in flavor. Her salad had yellow beets and lentils but what really crunched up the dish were the pecans. They were sweet and crunch and worked great with the thinly sliced and salty La Quercia ham. I have never heard of this kind of ham but I loved it. It was similar in texture and taste to Prosciutto but not as strong a flavor.
Our Server Frank, who we have known for years, had gotten upset with us because we didn't hear what the special was this evening for the appetizer. Frank knows us and knows that we enjoy almost everything and said we would enjoy it so he brought us out a dish. It was octopus that was grilled and also had some harissa mixed into the sauce. The dish was served with scallions (I think) chorizo (I know) and shaved Fennel. Octopus normally has a chewy texture but Bill did something to it that made it soft. The perfect bite was a bit of fennel, chorizo and octopus. If you ever see this on the menu, get it.
leFarm's main dishes have a selection of pastas that can be ordered as an appetizer or a main dish. His bolognese is really great. Other main dishes had something there for everyone. His Chicken dish is always on the menu and everyone always talks about it. personally I have never gotten it because there are so many other amazing ones. Last night they ran out of the Lamb meatballs that is served over polenta. His Pork belly dish is one I usually get but again wanted to go down a different road last night. I asked Bill what he thought and asked if I liked Sweet Breads. I have to admit, I have never had Sweet Breads as I have sort of been turned off to what they were. Which is not really like me. But he said they make them real well and I should give it a try. For those of you who don't know, Sweet Breads are a gland in either a calf or a lamb. Bill said if I didn't like them, that the rest of the dish is a meal in itself. I have to say I'm now a fan of Sweet Breads. Bill made them Asparagus, ramps, smoky bacon in a rich meaty sauce. The Sweet Breads themselves reminded me a little of a really extra firm Tofu but had a meatiness to them. I also had tried ramps for the first time with this dish and they were delicious. Ramps are a short seasoned leek or green onion that have a nice subtle onion flavor. I'm sure a nice dish of these just sautéed in olive oil would be great.
Anita loves the way Bill makes his Halibut and he delivered last night. It was a real big piece of fish that sat on a bed of white coco beans and spinach with chunks of chorizo. Yes lots of chorizo last night. I really hate when that happens. The fish was topped with a romesco sauce that was delicious.
While we sat and enjoyed out drinks, Frank dropped off a dessert menu that listed many sweet treats. I'm not a major dessert fan but I love Bill's cornbread. It is topped with Maple ice cream and candied bacon. Its so good.
Yes I started in without a photo as you can see but I couldn't resist.
If you live in the Fairfield County Ct area I highly suggest you come here. Reservations are highly recommended and they are open from Tuesday through Saturday. If you go, tell Bill I said hi when he is walking around the restaurant. He enjoys mingling.
More information can be found online at www.lefarmwestport.com
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