Best New Brunch In Providence: Farmstead

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Sean DeBobes, GoLocalProv Dining Critic

 

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Farmstead's Matt & Kate Jennings have revamped brunch into a fun and quirky affair.

The deservedly celebrated chef couple, Matt & Kate Jennings, of Providence’s East Side Farmstead, Inc. are giving the people of The Creative Capital a reason to get out of bed on Sunday and get to Wayland Square. The West End has long claimed the crown for best brunches in PVD but this new mash-up of Friday night at the club and forward food might just swing the pendulum back.

I was a bit surprised walking through the well-curated retail shop to see DJ Born Casual mixing next to the mongers. Biggie & Brunch as M. Jennings had dubbed it was shaking up Sunday morning with new brunch favorites like H to the Izzo, I’m Sorry Ms. Jackson, Back Dat Azz Up and Goin’ Back To Cali.

Opposites attract

I started my meal off by ordering the one cocktail special available, the Gin & Juice; you just have to embrace the camp on this one. The blend of Beefeater Gin with the juice of carrot, beet, grapefruit, lemon, and tomato was very refreshing. The near creamy mix was bold and flavorful and I was charmed that it worked well throughout my meal and transitioned easily with the dishes from sweet to savory.

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Feeling in good hands I opted to let the kitchen just send out some items. This taste-around was well worth it. Starting off starchy the kitchen sent out fresh strawberry donuts with Ward’s Farm strawberry jam and a basket of lemon buttermilk biscuits with lemon curd and raspberry jam. At $5 and $6 respectively these ‘sides’ are just about a meal in themselves. Served warm enough to melt the house-made jam, these bites really get the appetite going.

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For something more substantive chef sent out the Chicken Fried Steak. Or as I will be calling it, the perfect brunch plate. A delicious, crisp breading around a tender–perfectly cooked piece of steak. The buttermilk and black pepper gravy really make this dish sing. This alone is worth heading to Wayland Square for. I know it will have me wondering why everything at brunch isn’t covered in buttermilk gravy.

Make it a habit

The real standout for me at this meal was the Bologna Pony. What’s in a name? Well, fried mortadella, aged Taleggio, pickled vegetables, maple syrup, and chili mayo between two buttermilk pancakes. This was the best type of flavor assault, an incredible combination of spicy, fatty, pickled and savory notes all mingling together in a dish that just kept developing the more I tasted it. This is a must have.

Farmstead’s new brunch is the first Sunday of each month, reservations are highly recommended.

Also check out another new option on Sundays at Farmstead. Matt & Kate Jennings and the Farmstead team share age-old family recipes in a weekly Sunday Supper series. Diners are welcomed for three-course family-style feasts of homespun classics with a Farmstead twist, served communally with an optional beverage pairing (two hand-selected wines from the restaurant’s cellar, one cocktail or a beer-and-shot combo, depending on the menu). The full bistro menu will also be available during Sunday-night dinner starting June 9. Reservations accepted but not required.

Farmstead, Inc. is located at 186 Wayland Avenue in Providence. 401-274-7177. http://www.farmsteadinc.com/

 

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