Restaurants Supporting Local Farmers

[Anna Blume]

At the beginning of the week the Volunteer Coordinator of FRESHFARM Market asked for suggestions for a good place to share a Happy Hour later in the month, preferably one that builds its menus around local foods.

That got me thinking about how frequently Ris Lacoste used to pull up with her truck to the Sunday market at Dupont Circle when she was still at 1789, sometimes bringing gallons of her own gazpacho for the farmers. Nora drops by almost every weekend. I got advice for preparing zucchini blossoms from another chef as he was leaving, bag full of the flowers in clamshells. Now that there is a weekday market, Jose Andres has gotten involved in addition to all the chefs who participate in demos. I imagine similar appearances occur in the farmers's markets in Mount Pleasant, Maryland and Virginia.

QUESTION(S):

Which restaurants in this area are known for kitchens that depend greatly on their relationships with local farms, dairies, etc.?

Is this a valid question--or do virtually all "good" establishments adher to this kind of practice nowadays?

[Meaghan]

David Lankford's farm

[Anna Blume]

Thanks, Meaghan, for posting link that Crackers also brought to my attention.

I just wanted to update the topic by linking a city-wide promotional campaign that FRESHFARM Markets is publicizing via email. American Originals is the name of the theme geared towards tourists this summer. However, on the web site, you can click on the word "Restaurants" to find a range of establishments that are featuring corn, tomatoes and peaches from local farms on their menus. Some, like Blue Duck Tavern, are explicit in their ties to local farms.

[DaveBVI]

When I worked at Corduroy, Chef Power used as much local produce and meats as he could, dependent, of course, on the season, availability, and price, of course. Late spring/early summer was always my favorate time, so many local fruits & vegetables. mmm...

Dave Batsita

Manager, Cantina Marina