Review: Long Meadow Ranch’s Farmstead Restaurant, St. Helena

The Chicken and Dumplings @ Long Meadow Ranch's Farmstead Restaurant

I had debated briefly whether or not to dine at LMR’s Farmstead Restaurant last Friday night: On one hand, the space has been open for less than one month, and Friday nights can often be unpredictable, even for the most established hot spots. I wondered if enough of the kinks had been ironed out already, or if I would’ve been spending my money foolishly at this point (after all, these restaurant reviews aren’t bankrolled). On the other hand, the end of winter is a relatively slow time here in the Napa Valley, and Farmstead seemed to have successfully battled through Valentine’s Day Weekend without any trouble (as far as I knew). I weighed both sides carefully.

As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m typically prone to grant any new restaurant one full month to get things on track. Starting a restaurant from scratch is challenging, to say the least, with everyone having to learn the menu and the wine list for the very first time, plus learning to deal with the quirks of all new co-workers. It can be quite a bit to process, which is why I would never pass any negative judgment on a restaurant during its first month. But since ThirstyReader.com has been getting hammered with so many Farmstead-related searches, I also wanted to follow up with some current first-hand info. I decided to head upvalley for a simple cheeseburger, just to satisfy my curiosity.

I should mention right off the top that the service at Farmstead was fine — I had been hasty to foster any doubts. The kitchen and waitstaff seem to have settled into a comfortable cadence. As for the food, it was also well-executed, with some interesting twists. The cheeseburger, for instance, which comes standard with arugula and shredded (not melted) white cheddar cheese, features another standard element that I have never before seen on a burger: pickled cauliflower relish. It actually took me a couple bites to notice it, but then I spotted a tiny rogue cauliflower floret on my plate. It was probably the last thing I expected to see, and I so inspected the cheeseburger more carefully. Sure enough, there were even more little cauliflower florets between the burger patty and the bottom bun. It was a bit of a mind bender.

I’m typically against cauliflower in general, but when it’s pickled into oblivion, I don’t mind it as much. And I can see where Farmstead chef Sheamus Feeley is going with this approach: Since there are no actual pickles on the burger, the cauliflower provides that same flavor profile. Frankly, even though I still think it’s a little odd, I’m all for it, although I still think a regular pickle is more “fundamentally” correct. I will admit, however, that the cauliflower florets presented a crunchy textural element that no dill pickle chip could ever match. Even so, I’m not ready to rally around cauliflower as the new standard garnish for a cheeseburger. Not now, not ever.

Aside from the burger itself, the accompanying fried new potatoes were also unique, although incredibly well-executed, to the degree that I was pleasantly surprised (that’s asking a lot from a meager potato). I tried to deconstruct their preparation, and I suspect that these little spuds are oven-roasted long before they are deep-fried, which would allow them to become delicately crispy, yet perfectly cooked through (which they were). As an added touch, the potatoes are fried alongside a garnish of leafy herbs for some added depth. Each little potato is crispy and addictive, like a little round french fry (personally, I don’t particularly care for Farmstead’s house-made ketchup, but these potatoes don’t require any condiments).

• • •

I hate running restaurant reviews without photos, but it was way too dark to snap any pictures of the Farmstead cheeseburger (on a side note, the restaurant is beautifully designed, although the large open dining room could prove noisy at peak times). And thus, I decided last week to return in a few days, during daylight hours, to try the chicken and dumplings (pictured above). As I had hoped, this dish was rich and satisfying — great comfort food — especially for a cool winter afternoon. The dumplings themselves were pillow-soft and delicate, while the broth was perfectly seasoned, light, yet flavorful.

For better or worse, the creamy macaroni (barely pictured above, in the upper right corner) was extremely cheddary in its execution. For a cheese sauce, I personally lean more towards the Gruyere end of the spectrum, less sharp and more mild (my ideal blend would probably be two-thirds Gruyere, cut with one-third San Joaquin Gold). I suspect that the same California white cheddar that garnishes the cheeseburger might also be the main ingredient in the cheese sauce. Although I enjoyed this cheddary element on the burger, the side of creamy macaroni is not something I would necessarily revisit. Some people may enjoy it, but I’ll be trying something different next time around.