Eiginsinn Farm, Two Hours North of Toronto - Has Anyone Been?

[Joe H]

Has anyone been to Eigensinn Farm, two hours north of Toronto?  Rated as high as the fourth best restaurant in the world, $300 CD per person (food only) and books six month in advance for the dinner in a farm house by candlelight. Everything is grown onsite or sourced nearby. Twelve people total.

 

[DonRocks]

11 hours ago, Joe H said:

Has anyone been to Eigensinn Farm, two hours north of Toronto?  Rated as high as the fourth best restaurant in the world, $300 CD per person (food only) and books six month in advance for the dinner in a farm house by candlelight. Everything is grown onsite or sourced nearby. Twelve people total.

I've never been (nor even heard of it), but would be very interested to hear from people who have - the more detail, the better; even a scan of the menu would be nice.

And for those into such flights of fancy, there's also Damon Baehrel in Earlton, NY (I suggest taking I-87 down from Albany so you aren't late for dinner, and coming back on the alternate, more-scenic route shown on map, noting the first town that you'll be passing through as you're pondering a second mortgage and/or stealing your mother-in-law's jewelry). A word of caution: Damon Baehrel is currently booked until 2025, and has suspended reservations until they can get caught up. Note also: The largest employer in that first town you'll pass through is the hospital, whose ER admits more sudden-heart-attack patients than any other hospital in the world - their business card is included with the check at Damon Baehrel. Go back and visit the reservations section every few months, and let us know how it is (the restaurant; not the ER) - we'll still be here, no matter when you go.

[Joe H]

On 4/23/2016 at 10:26 PM, Joe H said:

Has anyone been?  Rated as high as the fourth best restaurant in the world, $300 CD per person (food only) and books six month in advance for the dinner in a farm house by candlelight. Everything is grown onsite or sourced nearby. Twelve people total.

http://www.stadtlanderseigensinnfarm.com/

Eigensinn Farm on Trip Advisor

We're going for our twenty year anniversary in July.  We have been extremely fortunate to secure a reservation for it-I've wanted to go for a long time.  It's actually a "bucket list" experience for me of anywhere on earth. Interestingly, it is BYOB. I must also note the photo linked above of the candle lit dining room which has extraordinary character.

I believe it is open two nights a week with a total of 24 covers weekly. 

[DonRocks]

5 hours ago, Joe H said:

Eigensinn Farm on Trip Advisor

We're going for our twenty year anniversary in July.  We have been extremely fortunate to secure a reservation for it-I've wanted to go for a long time.  It's actually a "bucket list" experience for me of anywhere on earth. Interestingly, it is BYOB. I must also note the photo linked above of the candle lit dining room which has extraordinary character.

I believe it is open two nights a week with a total of 24 covers weekly. 

I think it's comical that Trip Advisor ranks it #2 out of 3 restaurants in the town of Singhampton.

[Joe H]

The value of Trip Adviser for this are the photographs.  

There is also a literal mountain of wine bottles somewhere on the property.  Apparently for almost twenty years the chef has assembled thousands of them as a kind of artistic expression.  This leads to my curiosity of what wine do you bring to one of the best restaurants in the world when it is BYOB?  This is not a place for Kirkland brand or Charles Shaw.  

I look forward to taking a few minutes to study "bottle mountain."  It will be interesting to see what wine others have brought over the years.

For myself I'm taking a 2006 Leonetti Reserve and a 2013 Linden Chardonnay (have to include a VA wine in this).

[DonRocks]

My guess is that you bring the same types of wines you order at Minibar - since you don't know what you're going to get, you bring what will go with the most different types of foods, and prepare not to open them all.

I would bring six bottles, and open two or three. You'll know when you see the menu what types you'll want - a rosé, a light-bodied white, a light-bodied red, maybe a full-bodied white and a full-bodied red also. Definitely a bottle or two of decent Champagne.

I suspect the total of the experience will outweigh the parts - the plate of food (on Trip Advisor) with the drumstick does not look like Michelin-starred cuisine in any way.

[Joe H]

That's a different dining experience than the one pictured with a white tablecloth table and candlelight.  The drumstick was literally an outdoor barbeque (labelled Octoberfest) at the farm-not the CD $300 (per person + tip and BYOB) that is the indoor two night a week for twelve experience.  The photographs can be misleading since they represent several different experiences at the farm.

While this is 19 years old and dates to 1997 it is R. W. Apple writing about Michael Stadtländer and Eiginsinn Farm.  I am guessing that because he is now 69 years old he has really scaled back the number of diners and the nights he serves.  This is an excellent description of the experience from one of the best food writers I have ever read. 

11/12/97 - "The Chef Who Got Away" by R.W. Apple, Jr. on nytimes.com

There is a 60 minute documentary entitled "The Singhamton Project," where Michael Stadtlander and a French artist "designed and planted a total of seven edible gardens. Chef Stadtländer then installed a kitchen at each of these gardens and created dishes to match the artistic concept of each garden. From August 10 until August 26, 3:00pm till approximately 7:00pm daily, lucky attendees were treated to a gastronomic feast as they strolled from garden to garden, tasting the bounty of this art over seven courses."  Included in the above link are two trailers and several photographs of the experience they created.

[DonRocks]

1 hour ago, Joe H said:

11/12/97 - "The Chef Who Got Away" by R.W. Apple, Jr. on nytimes.com

The only flaw in the Apple article is the title: It should have been called, "The Chef Who Chose To Remain A Chef."

I really hope you get a chance to go - nobody will enjoy this more than you.

[Joe H]

Thanks, Don.  I paid this morning-we are going!

[Tweaked]

This place looks cool.  Have fun Joe! 

[Genevieve]

This sounds a little like the meal at the end of Kitchens of the Great Midwest (terrific novel).

[dcs]

On 4/23/2016 at 9:42 AM, DonRocks said:

And for those into such flights of fancy, there's also Damon Baehrel in Earlton, NY (I suggest taking I-87 down from Albany so you aren't late for dinner, and coming back on the alternate, more-scenic route shown on map, noting the first town that you'll be passing through as you're pondering a second mortgage and/or stealing your mother-in-law's jewelry). A word of caution: Damon Baehrel is currently booked until 2025, and has suspended reservations until they can get caught up. Note also: The largest employer in that first town you'll pass through is the hospital, whose ER admits more sudden-heart-attack patients than any other hospital in the world - their business card is included with the check at Damon Baehrel. Go back and visit the reservations section every few months, and let us know how it is (the restaurant; not the ER) - we'll still be here, no matter when you go.

The Most Exclusive Restaurant in America, by Nick Paumgarten, in the August 29, 2016, issue of The New Yorker.  Perhaps too exclusive....