12 Farms Restaurant — Restaurant in Hightstown

It was the Saturday before Easter, a beautiful, sunny spring day, so we decided to take the Corvette to the Tulip Festival in Upper Freehold, NJ. We weren't the only ones with that idea, as an extra 25,000 people seemed to have the same plan! Arriving at the gate, after finding free parking, we were told they had reached capacity. Rats! It looked like a fantastic sight – tulips in every color imaginable stretching as far as you could see, along with food trucks and a charming windmill. I even chatted with two ladies who were close friends with the Dutch owners, flown in to help with the event. Disappointed but undeterred, we hopped back in the Corvette, put the top down, and enjoyed the drive. My wife, Jeanne, discovered a small restaurant in Hightstown, NJ, called 12 Farms Restaurant. It was 20 minutes away and off we went. Public parking was plentiful, and we entered the over 150-year-old building, immediately enveloped by its rich history and the delightful aroma of good food. Our waitress, Quinn (the same name as my granddaughter!), greeted us warmly and described the specials. My wife quickly chose the lobster mac-n-cheese, while I perused the extensive menu. They don't serve alcohol, so we both opted for their delicious peach iced tea. 12 Farms prides itself on sourcing high-quality ingredients, including grass-fed beef, fresh seafood, and local produce from family-run farms like their own farmette, Little Big Acres in Millstone, NJ. Their aim is to offer diverse and creative menus catering to various dietary needs, including vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. The menu was indeed impressive, a great mix of gluten-free, vegetarian, and protein dishes. Options like the Jersey Tomato Panini and the Acho Chili Braised shredded chicken sounded wonderful. After much deliberation and another refreshing peach iced tea, I decided on the OG burger: a Wagyu beef burger with thick bacon, local cheddar, and onion jam. While we waited, enjoying the view of Hightstown's bustling main street, a fresh greens salad arrived – a bright and tasty sweet and sour mix with pine nuts, thinly sliced turnips and cucumber, and a flavorful vinaigrette. The edible orange slice was a lovely touch. Soon after, our entrees arrived. The Lobster Mac-n-Cheese was a generous bowl of large macaroni with plenty of lobster chunks and a creamy three-cheese sauce topped with greens. My wife clearly loved it. My OG burger was substantial, topped with cheese, thick bacon, and their house-onion made jam, accompanied by seven small home fries and more greens. Large burgers can often suffer from a soggy bottom bun, but I decided to eat the flavorful Wagyu beef, onion jam, and pickled jalapenos separately, thoroughly enjoying the delicious combination. Completely full, we skipped dessert. It's worth noting that 12 Farms is a cash-only establishment. Overall, I give 12 Farms a 4 out of 5. We definitely plan to return and explore more of their...

The only negative about 12 Farms is that I'm not able to give it 12 Stars!! It was like a walking into a small family home only to be blown away by an overall culinary experience! I have heard this term used many times before but until tonight I had no idea what that meant! We had no idea what we were going to get or what to expect as none of us had been there before. We just wanted a night of good food with good friends but what we received exceeded even the highest of expectations! Every single dish was explosion of freshness & flavor! We shared an array of appetizers ranging from braised baby back ribs to fresh baked sourdough focaccia with an ever so slight spicy marinara sauce! When I tell you that was just the "gateway drug" I am not lying! We started ordering more dishes and before I knew it I was ordering 2 entrees as well! The option to do full or half portions was brilliant. Next thing you know we were all ordering and sharing! 7 of us and 4 of us meeting for the 1st time & it didn't even matter, forks were flying! The food was so intoxicating we were all sharing as if we were at a culinary version of The Burning man and 12 Farms was our Joshua Tree! We found ourselves pending and shifting in all types of directions hoping to cramming just another bite.

As we rounded out dinner we were asked if we wanted a menagerie of dessert and when I say asked, we were kind of told it was coming! Noone had room but when it arrived, OMG! I don't even like desserts or whipped cream but everything was so fresh and full of flavor not one of us had any self control! The fresh press coffee was the perfect touch to the Fresh Rubarb pie, a Blueberry bread pudding to die for & Macaroons that melted in your mouth while the decadent home made ice cream dissolved on our tongues!

At this point I feel like I am just rambling but our tastes buds were on a runaway train of flavors, endlessly flowing and running away with all of our emotions.

Why there aren't lines wrapped around the corner is beyond me. Everything was meticulously put together, incredibly fresh and mind-blowing the way they paired them together! I would come here and eat "family style" trying and sharing everything!

12 Farms, I have never had anyone hit it out of the park the way your team did tonight. From the person who took our reservations to my good friend Randell who suggested I come for over a year now! You all made us feel as if we were being fed in your personal home and made the food yourselves, oh wait you did!

Don't walk, RUN to 12 Farms! You will not be disappointed. The only shame is that now everywhere I go it will be compared to 12 Farms! The new standard to which all will be measured. To the owners, your team was amazing! They are clearly doing what they love! Thank...

I had high hopes but alas, they were dashed. I'm giving two stars, one for the quality of the food, and one because the chef was so nice and accommodating when I had to send my meal back. All food is locally sourced so the quality is nothing short of spectacular. The decor reminds me of a large farm kitchen, with mismatched, large sturdy wooden tables, and an open kitchen. The staff were friendly and casual but when the cost of entrees run from $30‐$47 I expected a little more formality, and less "diner." To start, our party ordered pickled onion and duck dumplings, deviled eggs, focaccia, and a salad. The dumplings were fried and a little oily. The focaccia was not bad but neither was it memorable. The deviled eggs were again, not memorable. I felt a tinge of horror when the waitress removed my knife from my appetizer plate and placed it back on the table, dirty, for me to use again with my entree. I'm paying $60 for two dishes the least she could have done was give me a clean knife. The true disaster of the evening were the entrees. Our party ordered scallops and halibut over rice, scallops and white truffle risotto with wild mushrooms, and pappardelle bolognese. The fresh scallops were cooked just right; however, the only flavor we could detect was one of overwhelming salinity. My halibut was dry, salty, and overcooked, and my rice crunched between my teeth. I could taste no truffle in the risotto but the mushrooms were tasty if slightly over-salted. The pappardelle was the only dish that was good but even it was nothing I couldn't cook at home. After informing the waitress of the overly salty scallops she immediately offered to have them re-cooked. I couldn't even eat my vegetables as they were too salty as well. The new scallops were better though not outstanding. We had a flourless chocolate cake for dessert which was nice, but par for the course, nothing special. The chef was apologetic and really wanted us to like the food. Unfortunately, nothing will bring me back to this restaurant as our bill came to over $256 without wine. It's BYOB. I know of a number of restaurants in New York, my home, which have farm to table, locally sourced gourmet food in a less casual (diner) atmosphere for less than what...