Farmhouse Tavern 416.561.9114 http://farmhousetavern.tumblr.com/ closed Mon – Wed
The name really does this restaurant justice; it looks like a rustic farmhouse, a tiny pocket of the country within the Junction. The patio is warm and is sunlit till late in the afternoon. The locally sourced menu changes with availability, and is written on a chalkboard on the patio and inside the eatery. Inside the room is pieced together from furniture gathered from across the city and through time. Servers are friendly and knowledgeable.
A refreshing, Aperol and Hinterland sparkling wine eminates summer, especially with fresh Ontario strawberries.
The blackboard wine list reads all local from the Niagara region. Today I chose the fruity Nyarai, Sauvignon Blanc, having a slightly acidic, sweet tasting finish.
Next we order plump Cascumpec oysters from Prince Edward Island - briny at first then finishing sweet – served with a watermelon mignonette, horseradish and fresh lemon wedges.
The Ploughman’s platter ($23) has a little bit of everything: housemade fragrant wild Elderberry preserve, rich buttery Big Brother and the nutty Lankaaster cheeses, crunchy pork belly atop buttery cabbage, housemade pork confit, grainy Dijon house made mustard, pickled duck egg and an acidic parsley and radish salad. This dish is very tasty, however, it’s only enough for one – the name distracted me.
None the less this eatery is new and exciting and a must for anyone who loves locally sourced, simple but superb Canadian cuisine.
