The premise of Farm2Bistro, a new restaurant in Nutley, is intriguing enough: get food as locally as possible and cook it up right away. Owner-chef Michael Madigan Jr., who also runs Snails to Quails, a supplier to New York yacht kitchens, searches the farmers market circuit each morning, then comes back to cook the food at night.
But Farm2Bistro is an experience even before you taste your first bite. You walk into the funky Nutley restaurant, where four leather-upholstered picnic tables and a palm-frond canopy await you, and Madigan immediately greets you, wants to know how you found out about his restaurant and sits down at your table like your new best friend. He asks if you like ice tea after you nod yes, goes to a candy/tea bar to mix you a concoction. I was served black oolong tea with cranberry half-sweet, my son Noah got mango-kiwi-raspberry with Gummi bears, and Mista Barista was served raspberry full sweet. Mind you, we didn't ask for these combinations. Madigan sized us up, brought us our teas, and we were all happy.
All this makes the experience fun, but the real thrill of the restaurant comes with your first bite.
I got the pork loin (special that day), which came with roasted carrots and potatoes and a little mound of something green, which turned out to be sauteed arugula. For some reason, I tried a carrot first, and I can honestly say that was the best carrot I've ever eaten in my life. I could have eaten a whole plate with just those carrots and left the restaurant a happy camper. But then I tried the sauteed arugula, which makes you wonder why anybody bothers with it as a salad in the first place. The pork loin, encrusted in herbs, was fabulously savory.
Noah, a vegetarian, tried the chicken quesadilla -- without the chicken. We were warned that the quesadilla was merely a wrap, but it came toasted (a great idea for wraps, why don't more restaurants try that?) and each bite offered a melange of densely packed vegetables and amazing seasonings. Mista Barista's Sunflower Chicken, a sunflower-seed encrusted and served in a honey-lime sauce, was also a winner.
We all sat there in a state of bliss, marveling that this little unassuming restaurant, where the most expensive item on the menu is $17 and you eat at picnic tables, could have served us one of the best meals we've ever had at a local restaurant. "Do you think this is what it's like to eat on a farm?" Noah asked.
Madigan has stumbled onto a restaurant concept that feeds all kinds of politically-correct notions of supporting local business and environmental sustainability. But as his website says, "There are many reasons to buy local, but the best reason is flavor." It remains to be seen whether he can make it in what he calls "the pizza triangle" (the Weehawken chef ought to have chosen Montclair), and what will happen in November when the farmers markets close. Madigan says when that happens, he'll have to travel southward to Delaware and eventually Georgia. "We seek the farmers and growers closest to New Jersey."
On Tuesday nights, your dining experience is augmented by the keyboard and guitar duo of Mark Walsh and James O'Malley. It's worth it just to see O'Malley's improbable guitar.
And then there's the bathroom. A light goes on when you walk in, and you read a sign explaining that the lights are motion-activated. It warns you that if the lights go off while you're in there, all you have to do is wave your hands. Well they did, and I did. But sitting in the pitch black there for a moment before the lights went back on was just another reminder that I'd finally found a restaurant in Baristaville where the surprises never end.
Or as they say, from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Farm2Bistro, 177 Franklin Ave., Nutley, NJ 973.667.3276.
UPDATE: Image of braised barbecued short rib is from chef Madigan's Facebook album. It replaces our own poorly-lit iPhone photograph.
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Comments (31)
"(the Weehawken chef ought to have chosen Montclair)"
Wow - what snobbery. I sure hope that I, and my fellow Nutley-ites, can handle such a restaurant. (Must remind myself to use eating utensils!)
Excellent! Should I ever have a date again I know where we're going.
Great write up...makes me want to try it. Like right now!
But if he has to travel Georgia for produce, how will he be back in time for dinner? Also, if it's grown in GA, how really local is that? if he wants to be a true locavore, he needs to learn preserving and canning.
That has to be the least appetizing picture at the beginning of this post.
Ouch on the Nutley diss! not cool.
Baristanet has the credibility of the National Enquirer at this point. All you should take from the reviews is Name, Address, Phone number and then form your own opinion. Please get a qualified person to write for you B-Net!!
I've been to Farm2Bistro quite a few times and am glad to see that Barista made it over to our neck of the woods.
We've enjoyed dinners and brunches at Farm2Bistro and enjoyed them all. The daily menu keeps things interesting. Staples like the sunflower chicken, veggie wrap and chop chop salad have been consistently tasty and are fairly priced. The steak and shrimp special I had a few weeks back was particularly good.
I hope the place continues to get good support both from Nutleyites and folks from out of town. And, for the record, we're glad to have them in Nutley.
You're right, Miss P. I apologize.
I'm so glad to hear others have had a good experience here; we stopped by for lunch a couple of weeks ago and were so psyched by the concept... but the place seemed to be staffed by 12-year-olds who were too busy, well, being 12-year-olds to actually take our order or serve us (or anyone else).
We'll chalk it up to opening hiccups and give it another try.
Thanks for the apology and the good review. We really want to try the place after reading it.
Nothing's going to grow in Georgia or even not-as-far SC until late March at the earliest. So Madigan would really have to go to Florida for out-of-season produce.
Or, more likely, the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Or, better yet, Corrado's!
I ate there tonight. Excellent food. I highly recommend it.
Going there tonight. Thanks for the recommendation
Ate at this restaurant over the weekend. The food was great, but the chef/owner talked too much (about himself and his businesses)and spent way too much time at our table. He was also mildly insulting to a few in our group. Turned me off, so I'm not sure if I will go back.
chef/owner talked too much (about himself and his businesses)and spent way too much time at our table
I knew this would be annoying to some people, the same feeling when you walk into a car dealer.
I ate at Farm 2 Bistro a few nights ago and was totally Wowed! The atmosphere blew me away, I felt as if I was in some cozy little beach town local haunt. The food was fabulous and portioned generously. I was really amazed that this great food was so reasonably priced. The chef seemed attentive to everyone in our groups satisfaction. I have driven by the place tons of times and until a few of us tried it the other day. I am so happy that I did something different and checked this place out. I was happy from the moment I walked in until I eat my left over?s for lunch the next day. Kudos to this great concept.
OK, we gave this place another shot for lunch.
Food: OK; nothing special. Asked the waitress about the dressing in the Waldorf salad, and was informed it contains "all of the dressings they use" (which apparently includes chipotle, lemon pesto, AND something else). I almost lost my lunch just thinking about that before I even ordered something else.
Service: Weird overall, and still needs a lot of work.
Long wait despite very few patrons, got our order wrong, strange overall vibe.
The chef seemed to think we were interested in his long unsolicited rant about the surcharges credit card companies charge him, which struck me as unprofessional. Dude, if you don't want to pay the surcharges, be a cash-only joint.
Listen, katebirdrex, i have been to f2b loads of times, and the chef is so much fun and the place is really cool. Perhaps you should let me post a few comments about your business. They do a good job and try hard, perhaps if you are so unhip.... why not talk to the owner and leave it at that, or get a job as a food critic and get paid. Lighten up it's a funky hip place with a good soul.... we think this place is great.... come form your own opinion on a Friday night and make reservations because they are packed......
I have been to Farm 2 Bistro many times and it's always delicious. It's definitely some of the best food I've had. And I love that the menu changes so I can keep trying new things. The chef is full of ideas and always willing to share them with you. And you can tell he's genuinely happy to be talking to you which is refreshing. I always learn something new. No matter what you eat there you can't go wrong. Try the mac and cheese.
this is my first time commenting i just want to say i was in farm 2 bistro a couple nights ago and heard a couple talking about baristanet.com and decided to comment. TZAhe atmosphere is very comfortable, my food was very good and the service was very friendly i will definitely come back this weekend with a reservation
Excellent Excellent Excellent!!!
Michael, the executive chef/owner, serves up the freshest foods that are locally grown and harvested from nearby farms and vendors. The result is a culinary masterpiece that will show you what food is supposed to taste like. Everything from the fresh squeezed lemonade, to the carrots and baby spinach, to the top quality tuna and chicken, to the delicious gelato is out of this world.
It is nearly impossible not to get caught up in Michael's vision as he personally makes his way to each table to introduce himself and let everyone know that all the food is deliciously fresh. He'll answer any of your questions and make you feel right at home.
Try it and you'll be going back time and time again. We bring new people there all the time because we know they'll enjoy it, and you will to.
Ate there three nights ago. The food was well worth any of the idiosyncrasies of the chef and staff (and idiosyncratic they were). Would heartily recommend it to all.
Went recently and were so excited to try it. We were really pleased over all, though I do have some criticism.
The good: The casual decor puts you at ease immediately and is reminiscent of a West Village funky cafe. It doesn't look like a place where you'd get a high-end meal, and you won't. What you'll get are plates full of delicious, down-home meals like your mom would make. If you're expecting Blue Hill, you may be disappointed.
The garlic bisque soup was flavorful without being too salty, and the crispy potato croutons on top gave it an extra edge. My co-eater go tthe vegetarian pea soup, which was some of the best I've ever had.
The meatloaf, baked in the shape of a cupcake had interesting flavors, that comingled nicely with the spicy brown sauce. The cream spinach was the best I've ever had, if a bit salty.
We really enjoyed chatting with the well-informed waitress who we thought must have a stake in the restaurant. We talked at length about local food, ingredients and more. She was very informative, helpful and pleasant--and not in a fake way like when you go to Applebees (not that I ever go there).
It may be a little off-putting that Chef Michael seems to be schmoozing more than cooking, but you have to keep an open mind. This isn't NYC and although Chef Ramsay might call for Michael's head, we liked talking to him. It was refreshing and nice to see his enthusiasm. That said, 7 visits to our table may have been too much, and I was wondering who was cooking our dinner.
The bad: While everything was tasty and fresh, I would say the chef should cut back on the salt a little. Everything on my plate was salty, from the flank steak to the sauce to the garlic mashed potatoes (which were otherwise delicious). I don't believe the salt is added to make up for flavor, in fact the opposite. Chef Michael needs to let the local flavor of his fresh ingredients shine through.
The ugly: Presentation could improve slightly. The soup was nicely done in a square bowl atop a larger plate, but the entree plate all ran together. The flank steak, which was tasty, but very tough, came with both garlic mashed and pureed sweet potatoes. I'm not sure there's a need for 2 carbs on the plate, as the portions are nice. Gravy was a bit in excess, too.
Despite a few bumps, make no mistake--we WILL go back often. We said it several times while dining, and we seemed to be surrounded by regulars. The thought of a different menu every day excites me and I cannot wait to try the brunch. I highly recommend Farm2bistro....for those of you who can handle something a little offbeat in the heart of traditionally Italian Nutley. And that's not a slight to Nutleyites.
As others have pointed, this is a quirky place-- I won't disagree. But what won me over to this friendly neighborhood restaurant was that they served the best darn chicken in town!! Chef Michael told us the birds were fresh killed. The only other chicken I've tasted this good and fresh was served to me at the legendary 1550 Hyde Street in San Francisco.
Our first encounter with Farm 2 Bistro began when a shirtless teenager accosted us on Franklin Avenue and told us we HAD to eat there because it was the best restaurant in town.
That pretty much set the tone... I have walked into everything from an Elvis-tribute band to a Nerf gun fight, but it's always fun and the food is always great. I agree with the others that the offbeat staff just adds to the experience.
We loved everything, soup to dessert. A really cool place. I didn't feel like I was in Montclair, but upstate NY, Portsmouth, NH, or maybe Bisbee, AZ. Great food, great music, and a really relaxing vibe. Highly recommended. Don't go if you are expecting a snooty Manhattan 5 star presentation. But if you like a neighborhood place with a unique pizazz and nice people, definately check it out.
I agree with everyone else about the food. It is really good, I had risotto with shrimp and it was delicious. My girlfriend had the "quesadilla" which wasn't a quesadilla but was a decent chicken wrap.
However... we will probably never go back. The atmosphere was just not what we would ever be looking for. From the really strange decor, to the weird chef who talked to us a little too long about our cheese plate, to the jazz music (I recognize that it was probably "good" music but not really our thing), to the fact that 65 seemed to be the median age on a Saturday night... it just wasn't the kind of place for us. Not to say that it necessarily "bad," but I would venture to say the average mid 20s to early 30s diner would find these things somewhat off-putting.
I'm sure people will jump on me for this negative review, but well that's how I saw it. Maybe I would order takeout, but definitely not eat in the restaurant. Just a very weird vibe. Again, not knocking the food, and for the older set they might find it appealingly "quirky." We just didn't.
I too found the food to be really great - full of flavor and clean tasting. You definitely get a lot of bang for your buck with the generously sized portions.
Although it is always good to hear different viewpoints, Keith W - sorry to say - but I don't agree with your review. I found the atmosphere to be cozy, funky in a good way (a mix of farm decor and beach casual) and the staff caring and attentive. This place is definitely patronized by a lot of discerning locals - a good sign - and an even range of ages when I was there. I found Chef Michael personable and talented. With such good food and welcoming atmosphere I'll definitely be back.
We ate here for Restaurant Week. The food was great, and the Chef Michael was personable, but I'd say we had just about the worst service of any restaurant I've been to locally. Our waitress didn't even know what the restaurant week menu was when we asked for it. She had no idea whether or not there was a children's menu. She asked us four separate times what we wanted to drink before bringing us the water we requested each time. We asked which soups were vegetarian and then she came back and asked us what we wanted to order before answering the question. Then she asked us if we wanted dessert before bringing us our meal.
I really hope Michael works out these issues because the food was tasty and reasonably priced and I would hate to see the restauarant fail because of it.
As a struggling college student, getting more bang for your buck is something I'm looking for. Farm 2 Bistro is definitely a place I would come back to.
The service was very friendly and prompt, the food was superb, and the environment was welcoming. I would definitely recommend this place to my parents and friends.
The stuffed mushrooms were something to come back for!
Also went (because of the review here), and enjoyed it. The decor and service is quirky, but in a charming way. The food was delicious...will return again.