Butchering class at Kensington Quarters, Fishtown

Before & After

Wyebrook Farm Revisited

Wyebrook Farm is our poster child for locally sourced and sustainable food.  With the exception of a few menu items, all meats, veggies and herbs are sourced from the premises.  The few items not from there are hyperlocal and usually can be found within a few hours drive of the farm. The restaurant is rustic to boot and now it has an indoor expansion from the main barn.  We first experienced and raved about the dinner at Wyebrook 2 years ago when we sat inside the main barn.  We had a Sunday brunch as a second experience last year with friends when the weather was nice enough to allow us to sit outside.  On our return this month, we had the privilege of dining in the new addition and see the evolution of this buzzing place.  

The menu still changes weekly based on what is readily available but the chef opted to design the menu as a 3-course meal.  Small plates, salads and soups initiate your meal followed by a pasta and a meat entree as the final course.  This is only a suggestion, you can design your dinner as you wish which is exactly what we did.  We started out with sharing a cheese plate and lamb terrine.  The terrine was served in fine deli meat slices and paired with mustard, pickled cauliflower and cranberries.  Alone, the terrine had a very herbal flavor with a hint that iron-like flavor that reminds you that you’re eating an elegant bologna.  The herbal hues disappear when paired with the accompaniments.  The pickled cauliflower alone is excellent. 

Blue Cheese Sformato, red beets, celery, charred onion, arugula

Pumpkin & Apple Soup, brown butter apples, pecans

Our second course consisted of apple & pumpkin soup and blue cheese sformato.  The apple & pumpkin soup was a perfect embrace of the autumn, and with the addition of salted pecans, a great balance of salty to a very sweet was created for this dessert-like dish.  The warm thick broth was a great compliment to a chilly and windy November Friday.  The blue cheese sformato had the texture of whipped mashed potatoes and the blue cheese was not overpowering even when eaten alone. When paired with the beets, lettuce, and the sweet onions it is balanced well. 

Rather than opting for meat entrees we decided upon pasta for our third course.  A sweet potato gnocchi was sweet and rich with a creamy texture.  Oyster mushrooms, brown butter and English peas added some earthy and salty flavors, but the gnocchi was the queen. The lamb lasagna was a nice portion that at first seems just right. But once you dig into it and realize how rich it is, then it almost seems like too much. The marjoram is spread peripherally along the plate and the lasagna is simply pasta, lamb, and cheese without sauce. The flavors paired with the marjoram make you forget its not tomato sauce as they work so well together. 

Sweet Potato Gnocchi, oyster mushroom, english peas, brown butter

Milk-Braised Lam Lasagna, ricotta, marjoram, black pepper

As a quick reminder, the place is a BYOB, making it more reasonable for your wallet. The new space is nice, giving a slight feel of outside without actually being in the open elements. Plenty of heating lamps and the option of blankets give it a cozy camp-like feel. There is live music on the weekends as well, which adds to the atmosphere. The one thing that appears to be lacking is the service. Slow and appearing relatively inexperienced, things took longer than needed and not in a “give you your space” kind of way.