LeFarm in Westport CT.......I'm finding new favorites and enjoying older ones

I know many of you know I write more about leFarm than I do any other restaurant.  Yes, I'm friends with Bill and Rachel who own the restaurant.  I like to support my friends. But it's such good food!!!!  It's Creative, Fresh, and rather satisfying.  And I'm not alone with my thoughts.  The night I was there was a Tuesday night.  leFarm is closed Sunday and Monday.  Tuesday was jammin!!!!!!

So this Tuesday was the one night that we were able to put together with two other couples.  One were friends of ours who had moved to London last year for what we are hoping is only three years.   The others were the owner's of Marly's in Wilton (which is another great local place).  This one Tuesday night in July, yes I'm running behind in my writing, was the only night that we were able to get together.

The first thing I noticed when I came into the restaurant is that the bar in the back that separates the dining room from the kitchen is covered in Tomatoes.  I mean covered.  All sizes and colors.  Cherry, grape, beefsteak, cherokee you name it, it was there.  It was a fireworks display of color.   yellows, reds, purples, oranges and everything in between.

When we sat down and looked at the menu, I noticed that the appetizer section was a lot larger than what it used to be.  Since the 6 of us all really love to eat, we decided to share 5 different appetizers.

Here is what we got:

The first one was a new dish to Anita and I.  Battered Fish Bait.  We had to ask because we had no idea what it was.  I still don't remember what the name of the fish was, but it was a small thin fish that was battered and cooked whole.  it was so small that you literally ate the whole thing.  Bones and all.  The fish was light and mild and the batter had a lot of the crunchy flavor you like in a fried fish.  It was served pickles and nice roasted peppers.

Artisan Burrata was placed in front of us next.  A large generous portion of creamy firm cheese was served with a pesto and fresh cherry tomatoes and a slice of the olive bread.  we had to ask for more bread to accompany the dish.

The Kale and Beet salad is a dish we can't get away from.  I have become a huge fan of beets and it still remains to be one vegetable that I have never made.   I have heard that they can be boiled or more popularly roasted.  But for some reason I have steered clear of them.  I don't know why.  Besides the Portobella mushroom, the beet has to be the "meatiest" of the vegetables around.  But they are crisp and fresh tasting and oh so earthy.  I really have to get some of these in my kitchen.

As it was tomato season, the plate of tomatoes with onions and Pearl Cous-cous was a nice addition to our selection.  All I can say is that there is nothing better in the summer than fresh picked tomatoes.

The last appetizer is one that has become my personal favorite at the restaurant.  When we first tried the Octopus, we were told it was a special and Frank our server brought us out a dish to try.  Since then, I have always ordered it.  I know I have written about it before, but h the way Bill cooks it, make it so soft and uncommon than most other chewy octopus dishes I have had.  But the key to the dish is the Harissa dressing he makes.  Bill posted a picture recently on facebook showing a kitchen accident while making the dressing.  it was everywhere.  I told him I would have volunteered to clean it up.  I just needed some loaves and bread and it would be gone very quickly.

 
Our main dishes as usual didn't disappoint us.  We had some similar orders but had some nice new dishes to try.

The Bronzoni was a piece of fish that we had gotten in the past.  Bill serves this fish with an assortment of fresh summer beans and his tomato marmalade.  If you can look back on Martha Stewart shows, you'll find he makes this on one of the shows he was on.  Really bright flavors here.

Sweet breads were also ordered and they were as good as the last time I had tried them there.  Made with fresh peas, carrots and onions, the dish sits in a light mushroom broth and dotted with bacon.  Oh, I so love bacon.

We had two pasta dishes a the table.  Both of them were 1/2 orders and it was a good thing because the desserts were plentiful.  The first pasta dish was the Cavatelli.  It was served with squash and a bean pesto, then topped with thinly sliced Prosciutto.

The last dish was the one that Mike and myself had gotten.  It was a good think he ordered first and asked for the 1/2 order.  otherwise I would have made a real pig of myself.  The Buccatini Carbonara was served with onion, peas, bacon (oh joy), and topped with fresh shaved Parmesan.  Fabulous dish.

The table was a group of Dessert fanatics.  Not that many people are not but this group really loves their sweets.  We got two orders of the fresh raspberries with melted chocolate on them.  I'm not a huge fan of chocolate on fruit but this just looked so beautiful.

I can't resist Bills Corn Bread and candied Bacon.  (OK, I can see I have a problem here)

Last and newest dessert was one that had to be preordered because it takes 15 minutes to make.  Fresh fruit compote was on the bottom of a ramekin and topped with a pastry that can only be described as a cake of pancake.  I know they described it differently when I was there a month ago and I have to admit, I just don't remember.  But this dish was served with Basil ice cream.   The combination was terrific and the cake in the first ramekin was soft and moist.  It's worth the wait.

Another great meal and another great entry for me in the blog.  This place is always easy to write about.  Please go and say hello to Bill.  Tell him I sent you.

leFarm can be found in Westport and on the web at www.lefarmwestport.com

leFarm in Westport Ct...........Farm to Table food has never tasted this good

Anita and I had the pleasure of dining at leFarm again last night.  And I mean pleasure.   His inventive farm to table cuisine puts it at the top of our favorite dining locations.

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

leFarm is again leFabulous

Saturday night after Thanksgiving was a special one for me this year.  I usually don't like to make a big deal over my birthday other than I want a good meal.  And a good meal was had by the hands of the teamwork at leFarm.  Rachel Golan, who is the wife of Chef Bill Taibe managed to squeeze us in for Saturday night.  Since the opening 2 months ago, the place has been very busy.

We were greeted by Rachel who told us our table would be ready in a moment, which gave us an opportunity to sneak into the back and give a hello to Chef Bill.  We were seated and offered the choice of still or sparking water both of which are filtered right in house.  We were looking at the dishes that were leaving the kitchen as we sat there trying to decide what to get.  Everything as usual looked amazing.

Anita, my wife, started out with Marinated Beets, Fuji Apples and Womanchego cheese salad.  The beets are selected from Holebrook farm in Bethel CT and were the highlight of the dish.  Both red and white-striped beets were served and they were delicious.

I on the other hand had a hard time deciding what to eat.  Since I have tried many of Chef Bill's dishes I wanted to re-live some of them as well as try something new.  So I decided to re-live the appetizer of the Roasted Bone Marrow.  As before it was a large bone cut lengthwise and roasted to soften up the marrow till its at a spreadable texture.  It was then topped off with parsley and shallots and served with Parsley Mustard. The dish is served with olive bread that you could make a meal of alone with a bit of butter.  But this bread had other plans for this evening.

For the Entree's Anita had gotten another appetizer as it struck her eye.  Soft Polenta and salted Codfish came out in a bowl with sauteed scallions and topped with freshly shaved pecorino cheese.  The dish also had a soft boiled egg mixed in which really smoothed out the texture.

When I asked my server Frank, who has been with Chef Bill from restaurants in the past, what he thought about the lambsteak, he had a good answer for me.  He said, its not something I recommend to everyone since its not a popular cut of Lamb here.  The problem that some people have with this particular cut of lamb is that there are a few large bones located throughout the steak that you have to surgically negotiate through.  Since he knew I was a bit of a foodie, I would personally have no problem with the dish.  And he was right on all accounts.  The bones were located differently than you would find on let's say a bone in Ribeye which runs along one side of the steak.  But what you get in return is more flavor in the steak due to the fact that you have more bone to meat surface.   It just needs a little extra time with the knife but when your out to a meal at Lefarm, your not in a rush.  The Lambsteak is served upon a bed of soft Polenta and speckled with roasted broccoli.  The dish is pulled together with the sofrito which is a sauce traditionally made with small diced onions and tomatoes.  If you like lamb, I highly suggest getting this dish.

Usually I stop there when I go out for a meal but when Frank listed off the desserts, one of them sounded so unique I had to try it.  I have had Chef Bill's cornbread before but not like this.  He served the cornbread with drizzled Honey and a quenelle of maple cayenne pepper ice cream and topped with Crumbled candied bacon.  WOW is what I thought and WOW is what I said after I ate the whole thing.  It was amazing.  The cornbread is great on it's own but with the ice cream and candied bacon it just made it a savory dessert that I would get anytime.  I have heard of candied bacon before but getting to try it was a real treat.  It has the extreme flavor contrasts that you get with a chocolate covered pretzel.  Extreme salt and extreme sweet.  It worked great with this dish since it accented the cornbread rather than taking it over.

Anita had just experimented with pumpkin cheesecake over the Thanksgiving holiday and it came out great.  Since it was her first foray into this type of cheesecake, she was anxious to see what others tasted like and ordered a slice this evening.  The flavor of the cheesecake was very good and it was a lighter fluffier consistency.  It was served with Maple ice cream and a nice smear of nutella.

Again, another fabulous meal at leFarm.  If you haven't tried it yet, you have to get in there.  Make sure you check them out on the web at www.lefarmwestport.com
Also Check them out on facebook where you will see specials of family style dinners.  This is where they put all the tables together and for a nominal fee you get a constant flow of food and wine mixed with people from all over.