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Chester County Press

Dinner on the farm is a delightful experience

10/15/2014 08:01PM ● By Lev

By Avery Lieberman

Correspondent

 

Situated on 360 acres in Honey Brook is a farm that takes “local” and “fresh” seriously.

Wyebrook Farm is a farm turned gourmet eatery that has never once left its sustainable roots.

“All of the meat proteins on our menu are our meats -- our beef, our chicken our pork, our eggs -- and we source all the rest of our products from local farms,” said restaurant manager Audra Matlack.

While sitting in the market or on the patio, you can see the food sources that later end up on your plate. There are ducks floating in the pond and goats grazing in the fields. There's an herb garden that supplies the flavors for your meal. And then there are the cattle, which Wyebrook Farm pays special attention to.

“Commercial beef would be about nine months to finish, maybe a year,” Matlack said. “Ours take a little over two years because they are only fed grass, and that takes longer, and is a different protein and is a lot leaner.”

The menu does not offer a plethora of choices, but almost chooses your meal for you. Steak tartare with a Wyebrook egg, violet mustard, capers, and a toasted baguette; beef arancini with braised beef shoulder, colby jack cheese, risotto, mushroom ragu, and blistered tomato; and pork bolognese with ground pork, broccoli rabe, oven-roasted tomatoes, house-made pasta, and bail whipped ricotta – all made an appearance on the dinner table that night.

Normally, I over-think my meals and plan my dinner before I even get a glass of water. But at Wyebrook, the simple meals don't need a lot of deliberation. Each bite was as fresh and delectable as I had hoped it would be.

After your meal, you are encouraged to walk around the farm. In the market, you can buy local cheeses, meats, gelato and more. The night I visited, I took home honey that had been collected on the farm less than a week earlier.

The combination of chef Eric Yost’s talents, 360-degree views of beautiful farmland, and the freshest ingredients available create a magical, and certainly delicious, evening. The new winter menu started on Sept. 19. Visit www.wyebrookfarm.com for more information, and the live music schedule.