If you have never heard of Farmingdale, find it on MapQuest or Google (it is near Asbury Park), and plan on visiting this small, sleepy town soon. There you will find a gem of a restaurant called Harvest, owned by brothers Daniel and Anthony Vrgoc, which features local and seasonal cuisine. It opened early November, 2014.
Upon entering Harvest, note the framed chalkboards listing ingredients and the town they come from: grass-fed beef from Skillman; milk from Reading, PA; lamb from Vineland; butter from College Point, NY; and honey from Farmingdale. Baskets of fruits and vegetables are attached to the wood wall and filament lights strung across the ceiling. Two pictures of roosters adorably adorn lime-green walls. Wood tables, dishtowel napkins, and stemless wine glasses all add to the farmhouse ambiance. A mason jar held addictive herb-crusted breadsticks waiting to be dipped into the soft herb and/or roasted garlic butter. The space is small, so be sure to make a reservation.
Starters were guanciale, made from pork jowl, served on crispy ciabatta; refreshing and colorful cold spring pea soup with a mango cucumber salsa and haloumi crouton; and zoodles, which are yellow and green zucchini strips dressed in an asparagus pesto. Although visually interesting this last dish was the only disappointment as it was flavorless and we could not find or taste any of the asparagus pesto.
If a pork chop is on the menu, it will find its way onto Lowell’s plate. The succulent 12-ounce Frenched and grilled Harvest pork chop was tender and enhanced with a cranberry and red onion confit topping. All that was left on the plate was the bone.
An attention grabbing, steaming quinoa risotto, created with red quinoa, roasted cauliflower, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms and goat and Parmesan cheese had fragrant aromas wafting from the bowl. You do not have to be a vegetarian to appreciate this dish.
Monkfish had some zing from the pan-seared capers, white wine and butter sauce. Presented with parsnip and potato puree, asparagus and butternut squash cubes, this was a dish with quality ingredients and a lovely combination of sides.
Tender veal roulade stuffed with broccoli rabe, garlic and Parmesan cheese was a creative and vibrant entrée served with green fresh fiddlehead ferns and ethereal red beet gnocchi. We loved it.
Roulade was also featured in a dessert made with carrot cake dotted with pecans and raisins pre-soaked in a little rum that was rolled around a cream cheese icing. Equally worthy of the calories was a chocolate brioche bread pudding with house-made vanilla ice cream.
I hope I have planted a seed and you will gather your friends and visit Harvest. Open 11 AM to 9 PM, Tuesday through Sunday.
Harvest Local Seasonal Cuisine
83 Main St
Farmingdale, NJ 07727
732-919-3276
BYO
Pork Chop with cranberry and red-onion confit.
Photos courtesy of Lowell Saferstein
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