Farm to Table Dining

Terre á Terre Restaurant – Carlstadt, NJ

Driving through Sussex County on my yearly day-getaway to Woodloch Pines in the Poconos, we pass much farmland on Route 15, many of the properties full of corn stalks and grazing cows. Not once, though, had I ever connected with the idea that I lived in a farmland state or that any New Jersey restaurants were receiving their product directly from these farmers. Why would it cross my mind, when living in a suburban area whose fertile ground is sprouting up more malls and retail outlets than sweet corn and cranberries? I was slightly saddened to learn that my hometown, bordering Paramus, was once all apple farms. The truth is, though, that we really are the Garden State with 10,300 farms, according to the Department of Agriculture. New Jersey is also a national Top 10 producer of apples, bell peppers, blueberries, cranberries, cucumbers, peaches, snap beans, spinach, squash, sweet corn and tomatoes. Next time you’re driving through Newark and see our “Garden State” license plates in abundance, you can erase the question mark in your mind with understanding.

So why not support these farmers to sustain them and their 730,000 acres? Some restaurateurs and chefs are beginning to do so. And one example has popped up in Carlstadt. When I saw in print “a farm-to-table restaurant,” the definition was obvious, but an oxymoronic image was conjured up in my mind: manure and soil / the most natural and fresh food on my plate.

I know the golden rule is to not eat at a brand new restaurant the first week it opens. But the location was convenient to where we were heading that night, and I didn’t know it was only two days old. I had read that Terre a Terre is owned by a chef who worked with Marcus Samuelsson. That was an immediate draw for me.

Finding the entrance was a bit puzzling. There are three doors, and the one at the corner is not the way in. But once you set foot inside, you immediately feel like you’re in an old farmhouse. In fact, I want to live in either of the two dining rooms. The decor is comforting, right down to the potato-sack window treatment. The menus are tied with rope onto a slice of tree. I thought “splinter” as the waitress extended it to me, but the boards have a smooth finish.

Each menu item indicates the farm from where the main ingredient came. While that’s reassuring to me that it is a true farm-to-table restaurant, I can not make a distinction between a good farm and a bad farm. But I now feel cool knowing that Shibumi Farm in Princeton specializes in mushrooms. The name stuck with me like a television jingle. I suppose it’s nice to give the farmer credit, but it’s not like I will head down to Princeton for mushrooms, and I doubt they have a roadside stand. To my surprise, they do have a Facebook page for all you fun-ghis.

Two of us started with the Butternut Squash Bisque, and the flavors were rustic and autumnal. A variety of warm rolls was served in a bread basket with farm butter topped with Himalayan pink salt and black lava salt helped me to overlook.

There were a few temperature issues, but I was too busy enjoying my Crispy Skin Bass with macerated sweet potatoes, haricot verts with shellfish vermouth sauce to be concerned with any shortcomings of the others’ dishes. I know – selfish.

The ambiance embraced me like a warm fire, and the flavors and presentation of the dishes were more than promising. It was only fair that two weeks later I returned. This night would determine if I was going to establish a relationship or if it was a one-night dining experience. The answer was revealed the second I stuck my fork in the appetizer: the Viking Village Day Boat Scallops, served with mustard seed, cauliflower purée, cappicolla, dried cranberry and soft herbs.

PHOTO BY MITSU YASUKAWA

Then Todd, the owner, made it a point to come over to see how our entrees looked. This time I went with the Mosefund Farm –near Stokes State Forest – Pork “filet mignon” (tenderloin), which was beautifully crispy on the outside and buttery soft to cut through. It was accompanied by lavender cabbage, acorn squash risotto and heirloom apples. After speaking with us for a few moments, Todd said, “Eat it while it’s hot.”

So be a little forgiving if a restaurant just opened. I didn’t give this one too much leeway to pass the test, by returning so soon, but it passed with flying colors and farm-rich flavors.

There are more and more restaurants embracing the farm-to-table paradigm in NJ. Try one and help support our rich farmland and not-so-rich farmers, so we’re not singing John Mellencamp’s “Rain on the Scarecrow”. Here are a handful to look into: Agricola in Princeton, Café Panache in Ramsey, Ninety Acres in Peapack-Gladstone, The Frog and The Peach in New Brunswick, among others.