Usually the thought of going for lunch or dinner in the Beverly Center can provide heart palpitations. It’s going to take ages to park and then it’s fight through a herd of selfie taking teens without getting lost or side tracked by the array of window displays. However, with so much talk on the restaurant Farmhouse we had to go find out why Thrillist Magazine called it “The Best farm-to-table restaurant” and with 4 hours free Valet parking, what do we have to lose?
The restaurant is split into 3 parts, the Cafe, The Living Room and The Veranda, all with the feel of an elegant countryside home, with soft oak flooring, a roaring fire and friendly staff that make you feel extremely welcome. Whether arriving through the front entrance on the corner of La Cienega and 3rd, or from the valet around back, you enter into a stylish cafe and dressed with communal tables, comfortable couches, an open kitchen lined with canned and preserved items evoking a farmers pantry. Adjacent from the Cafe is the living room and with a bookcase wall filled with logs for a marquee fireplace and craftsman style molding, it is perfect for an intimate dinner or a group celebration. The final room is the Veranda, which has a floor to ceiling windows styled with lush foliage suspended from the ceiling providing a greenhouse feel making you forget you are in the middle of West Hollywood.
Farmhouse’s creator and executive farmer Nathan Peitso works alongside regional farmers and his own family farm to grow, harvest and create seasonal dishes. After a brief tour of the restaurant we sat down and to a dish of sliced tomatoes and basil from Nathan himself, “from my farm, just picked this morning” he told us. I am not one to get overly excited about a plain sliced tomato, but for this, I had to make an exception, with the perfect balance of being sweet and acidic it had me eagerly looking at the menu for what other farm fresh delights were available.
We ordered a selection of items, trying to experience a little bit of everything as already our mouths watering and stomach rumbling. To start we had the Soup of the Day a creamy yet light asparagus with just a hint of ginger giving it a subtle kick followed by Caesar Salad with grilled Romaine, polenta croutons, and the perfect creamy dressing making us question where this salad has been all our lives. Warm Grain Bowl proved a healthy delight with perfectly cooked quinoa and lentils, seasoned roasted cauliflower, zucchini and a complemental sesame dressing. The Burrata du jour, as the menu is ever changing based on incoming fresh produce, included peas and parmesan crisps. The creamy texture of the burrata paired so well with the vibrancy of the fresh peas and the crunch of crisps, and what makes cheese even better – more cheese!
Following the starters was a Grilled Salmon with a sesame kale slaw. The salmon was so perfectly cooked it practically broke away when making eye contact. A Tri-tip steak with salsa verde melted in our mouths and a mushroom pizza with leeks and parmesan captivated even our fellow non-lovers of mushrooms, requesting additional slices, all of us eating every bite of the perfect crispy and chewy crust. To finish we had a trio of citrus sorbets, pure, clean and simple but each explosive with flavor like fireworks exploding in our mouths. A rich chocolate tart served with fluffy whipped cream and candied pecans and orange did not disappoint either, adding a final dose of decadence. Just when we thought our culinary journey had concluded, we were presented with warm cookies including Oatmeal Raisin, Chocolate Chip and Peanut Butter which has been haunting my dreams ever since. Most certainly of the most delish cookies any of us had ever had.
Ever since this delicious lunch, we have been day dreaming together about all the food and are eager to go back for dinner to sample more of this amazing cuisine and to experience the cocktails that we have heard so much about.
In addition to the mind bending farm to table cuisine, the space is ripe for entertaining. Farmhouse can be utilized for private parties, allowing for the entire space to be cleared of almost all of contents if desired. The built in bar is gorgeous and the overall flow would be perfect for up to 520 for a reception in the case of a full restaurant buyout or for smaller parties, the Living Room and/or Veranda can be solely occupied. The existing aesthetic is one that is luxe but with restraint, allowing any host the opportunity to use their gorgeous fleet of existing tables and chairs or to customize and transform the space in endless ways based on the inspiration behind the celebration. And with parking right out back and an entire entrance perfect for a step and repeat next to valet, we may have just solved your venue search.
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