The Farm on Adderley is one of my favorite restaurants in New York City. I am seduced by its charm: the big wooden tables, mismatched chairs that look like they are from another era, quirky modern designs on the walls, and in the summer, their quaint, flowery garden. Everything about it is inviting, from its open kitchen to the earthy exposed brick. I walk in and I feel comforted, even condoled.
Then there's the food. It is New American style cuisine, with a constantly rotating menu based on the season. Fresh food, amazing tastes. (Grilled char with roasted beets, green lentils, and pickled garlic. Acorn squash tart with carmelized onions, goat cheese, and frilly mustard greens). Their brunch is no less impressive than dinner, and they have just announced a breakfast menu, which I am excited to try--even if it means waking up at an ungodly hour to make it to Ditmas Park before catching the Q for my journey into Manhattan.
The other night I went for dinner with a group of friends (one of whom had never been and admitted, after the fact, that with a name like "The Farm," she was expecting haystacks and plaid). We settled in with aromatic glasses of swirling red wine and I thought I knew exactly what pleasures awaited me. I was wrong. Our complimentary pre-dinner bread basket arrived as a plate stacked tall with rosemary focaccia bread.
Hot-from-the-oven, made in-house, moist, rosemary focaccia bread. It was so delicious that I was tempted to fill up on it and take my dinner of pork meatballs on a bed of winter vegetables back in a doggy bag. So although I did not go to The Farm for their bread basket...I will go back for it. Not exclusively for the bread, mind you, but the more I eat it the more I crave it.
This bread basket surprise was the impetus for an idea that I pitched to my colleagues at Serious Eats: what is the best bread basket in New York? We posted this question on the site and are asking readers to give their opinion, which we will hopefully further explore and do a round-up. Stay tuned...
