Duck and lamb sausage meatball with red currant sauce |
Summer Greek salad: marinated cucumbers, grilled feta, tomato mousse, and pickled young onions |
Wood-roasted swordfish with early summer ratatouille and salsa verde |
Lemon curd with fresh berries, pistachios, lemon basil, and spiced meringue |
Last Wednesday evening I attended my first farm dinner. The setting was the Smolak Farms Pine Grove at Smolak Farms in North Andover, Mass. The chef was Will Gilson (of the coming-soon bridgestreet in Cambridge). My dining companions were Jeff (my fiancé) and Michelle and her fiancé. The food was delicious, seasonal, and went with the atmosphere -- from a tangy-sweet red currant sauce to perfectly cooked swordfish with tender summer vegetables to tart lemon curd, fresh berries, and a crunchy topping.
Smolak Farms hosts Whim dinners every Wednesday night during the summer through August 29. The dinners are $65 per person and do not include tip or beverages. The proceeds from the dinners go to a charity of each chef's choosing (on this particular night the recipient was Community Servings). You can check out the list of upcoming chefs and buy tickets here.
If you're thinking of going, bring friends and bug spray, and you'll have a great time.
Have you ever been to a farm dinner?