Chef Nathan Rich curates the tasting menu at Twin Farms with the help of a good team.  They were in the midst of a kitchen expansion when we were there which will add the option of chef’s dinners in the kitchen and a window for guests in the dining room to look into the kitchen action.  On  the menu it states that they will modify the tasting if you chose to have it consecutive nights but with their flexibility in plating it’s easy to create your own tasting of the options that interest you.  The server will caution you that the tasting takes at least 2 hours as it’s about 10 courses.  There were no amuse or extras course not on the menu but it did take over 2 hours however the pacing was quite slow.  Wine pairings are available or there are a limited number of bottles you can order, that are included in your fee or there is a reserve wine list that comes with an additional fee.  The pairing pours are mostly from bottles the sommelier chooses and they are not on the list for you to chose from.  They are usually well matched but mostly inexpensive wines.  When the room grew crowded it was mostly impossible for the sommelier to refill an empty glass in a timely fashion.  Overall the tasting was good but I found it interesting that the only fish was the lobster salad in an appetizer.   Also the bread is its own course and not served to go with the entire meal (an annoying trend I’ve noted in other restaurant tastings).  If you want to see our 2024 tasting menu dinner click here.  I hope you’ll let me know what you think if you go!

Set up

 

Food

Lobster salad was in a small taco topped with Ossetra caviar and herbs.   The thin crisp taco shell was so delicate you had to get in in the mouth fast before it crumbled in your hand.  The caviar added a lovely brininess to the lobster.   Good flavor and texture here.

 

Squash flan was topped with creme fraiche and black truffles.  The flan was mild in flavor but it was made up for with the truffle that had been shredded.  This really released the flavor for a lovely end result.

 

Lamb tartare was mixed with Castelvetrano olives and capers and topped with egg yolk custard, and butternut squash.  Some of the olives were made into a powder mixed with parsley and then sprinkled over all.  Nicely the lamb was knife cut not ground and very tender.  The Butternut squash was turned into chips which added crunch as well as a little sweetness to the dish.  The tartare mixture was wonderful and the combination of ingredients was a winner.

 

Pumpkin soup was poured over candied walnuts, Chanterelle mushrooms, celery root and black truffle. The broth itself was quite thin with mild pumpkin flavor.  Some of the vegetables, mainly the celery root, were quite al dente and fibrous which distracted from the quality.  This one was only okay.

 

Toasted barley pretzel came with Green Acres butter.  Twin Farms gets butters from several creameries but this was one of their premier ones.  It was divine as was the bread that came out warm dotted with course salt on the top. The dense bread was great especially with the butter.

 

Gnocchi was plated with sweet potato and covered with clothbound cheddar foam and black truffles.  Some ginger scallion powder was sprinkled on top.  The tender and light gnocchi were terrific with the creamy cheese sauce.  It didn’t come off heavy but heavenly.  This was a lick-the-plate kind of dish.

 

Wagyu striploin came with grilled celery root, slaw, and jus.  The server said the sauce was a 3-day reduction which really gave it an intense flavor.   Sweet potato and cabbage were mixed to make the slaw which made a tasty accompaniment to the beef.  The celery root slice was coated with the sauce but again too fibrous and tough.

 

Sweet potato crisp held purple sweet potato mousse with yuzu and calamansi (citrus).  The very crisp shell held a tasty mix of sweet and tart fillings.  Good.

 

Corn Crémeux was on blueberry custard, NItty Gritty cornmeal crisps and garden nasturtium. This one also had tons of texture and was a good mix of flavors.

 

Petit Fours included candied grapefuit peel, hazelnut Dragée and Pâte de fruit.  The grapefruit rind was to remind one of the flavor of a Negroni cocktail and was chewy and bitter.   The hazelnut (middle one) had layers of chocolate and crisp around the nut.  It was good.   The Pâte de fruit was blackberry with tons of sugar on the outside.