The headliner among these is an intense chocolate pot de crème. Pan-roasted Brussels sprouts are tender and nutty on their own, with crispy slivers of bacon, as well as plump raisins.Ĭhicas is responsible for his own simple desserts. Smashed fingerling potatoes have crunchy skin that’s improved further with truffle salt and garlic-herb butter. Still, I recommend upgrading with a plate or two from the menu of sides. Even the sides of greens and grilled asparagus taste like bolder, better avatars of themselves. The slab of beef is served with a lightly tangy salsa verde on top and a pool of jus beneath. Seasoned to perfection and cooked to my requested temperature, it bursts with sanguine, salty flavor - the goal for any steak. At press time, the steak was a 12-ounce New York strip. Roseda Farm in Monkton, Maryland, provides the all-natural, dry-aged Black Angus flesh. Though I enjoyed the imperfect preparation, next time, I would likely skip the duck in favor of a steak. At first glance, it’s a stunner of a dish, until you start spooning away lentils and find you are left with a bowl full of oil. It’s presented crisp-skinned in a bowl of lentils that’s colorfully punctuated with baby carrots, roasted pearl onions, and sweet garlic confit. ![]() The entrée that enticed me most was duck confit made from a leg of a duck raised at La Belle Farms in Ferndale, New York. There’s nothing wrong with the dish, but I would like a $20 salad to have more personality. The plate is unquestionably eye-appealing with its black polka dots of balsamic reduction and piles of arugula and ham, as well as a chilled ball of burrata. The cured meat is made in Surry by Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, an American take on air-dried Spanish serrano ham. I was not as impressed with the salad of burrata and Surryano ham. They disappear all too quickly.Īnother highlight among the small plates is “eggplant meatballs.” The eggplant is bound with egg, herbs, and cheese, then fried and laden with tomato sauce, resulting in an elevated take on eggplant parmigiana. It’s a pity that there are only four to a $14 order. These are crisp cylinders of breading, topped with Maldon sea salt and oozing to reveal a creamy center that brings to mind an exquisitely upgraded take on chicken potpie. It’s no surprise, given his time with Andrés, that Chicas has a way with tapas. One exception is the small plate of croquetas made from Amish chicken. They’re prepared well, but there’s little about which to get truly excited. ![]() ![]() Dishes lean in the direction of roasted chicken, deviled eggs, and steak. Though Chicas is a specialist in Mediterranean cuisine, his menu suffers from a lack of ambition. What Farm & Fork Kitchen is not is a destination. The result is an excellent neighborhood restaurant, a comfortable space with friendly service, and the aforementioned stellar touch with seasoning. ![]() Farms that provide those ingredients are mostly regional, but Chicas says that he’s slowly making relationships with more local businesses, such as District Farms in Frederick, Maryland, which stocks the restaurant’s salad plates. The landlord, he recalls, was excited by his restaurant concept, which filled a niche by providing guests with quality dishes made with sustainable seafood, ethically raised beef, and free-range chicken. So why did Chicas decamp to Ashburn? “My brother-in-law lives here, and we used to come often to visit him,” the chef says, adding that his brother-in-law encouraged him to “open something unique” in the ’burbs on the edge of Ashburn and Leesburg.
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