The Counter & Kitchen Bar @ Chef and the Farmer — Restaurant in Kinston

After my mother introduced us to A Chef's Life a couple of years ago, my wife and I have loved watching the show and drawing inspiration from Vivian's cooking for our own. This past September, my wife and I actually moved to Raleigh for a job opportunity and were beyond excited to come to the restaurant for our anniversary. We planned it for when my mother was in town visiting so she could enjoy it with us.

The 2-hour drive was totally, entirely worth it. Kinston is a lovely little town and has a lot more going on in it than we anticipated. The restaurant is beautiful with a ton of Ben's artwork on the walls. Maybe we are just uncultured, but it was the only restaurant any of us have been to that had cloth towels in the bathroom. Little things like that were just the tip of the iceberg in terms of their impeccable attention to detail.

We started with a couple of drinks at the bar and were delighted by the unique and delicious offerings. We were quickly seated right at our reservation time and were greeted by our informative and downright, excited to be there server, James. I'll get back to James in a bit.

We started with small plates to share. Pumpkin soup, beef carpaccio with homemade pitas, flash fried collards(GET THESE), sausage and grits. We went all out and wanted to try everything. Each was delicious and the attention given to each ingredient and the thought put into their collaboration on each dish was incredible. My mother had a salad (she is a great cook and eats salad every time she goes out) that she said was "the best salad [she] has ever eaten!"

For entrees, it was the pork lasagna, the Brittany Ridge pork shoulder, and I got the filet. If someone had told me a week ago that I would enjoy a steak served with grape gravy, I'd laugh at them. Somehow, it was the best piece of beef I think I have ever eaten. Incredibly tender, perfectly cooked, and the muscadine grape gravy was to die for. Perfectly creamy and paired extremely well with the subtly smoky sweet potatoes. In my opinion, it was the best dish of the night, and that is really saying something.

Now, back to James. His descriptions of all the dishes made our mouths water and led to us ordering so many appetizers! He answered all of our questions enthusiastically and thoroughly. He was always quick to the table to clear plates or bring us something new. Towards the end, when the restaurant was quieting down, he had the opportunity to chat with us. We asked him for some advice about living in North Carolina and if he had any suggestions for things to do or places to eat (other than Chef and the Farmer, of course). James wrote us out a list of places to try and he heartily recommended a place called the Morgan Street Food Hall in Raleigh, saying he drove there every weekend with his girlfriend for brunch.

On Sunday, a few days later, we weren't sure where to go to eat so we pulled out James' list and figured if it was good enough for him to drive 2 hours to, we'd have to check out the Food Hall. His suggestion was on point and we just so happened to run into James and his girlfriend there. He recognized us immediately, jumped up from his meal to give us all a hug and greet us!

The meal at Chef and the Farmer was without a doubt, a noteworthy one and we will definitely be returning there to check out what Vivian and her incredible staff come up with in other seasons. James and his personal touch and wonderful service, however, made the whole experience unforgettable. I can not recommend this place enough and if you go, request to sit in James' section, you...

We traveled from Raleigh to Kinston for dinner at Chef and the Farmer this past weekend and had one of the best dinners!

We were a little worried given the snow, as Kinston got significantly more than the Triangle and the restaurant being closed the day before, but once we saw on social media that Chef and the Farmer was open we headed east. Most of the streets in town were cleared of snow but the town was pretty quiet, including Mother Earth, which we couldn't believe. However, Chef and the Farmer was very warm and lively inside.

We were seated right away, and loved being able to see what was going on inside the kitchen from our table. Our server (I think her name was Heather) was phenomenal. She gave us a great explanation of the menu as it was our first time at the restaurant and had great recommendations for us after asking our tastes/preferences. The service was great - everything came out very promptly and even though we shared several dishes, they were perfectly timed where we we able to finish each dish without being rushed with or waiting for the next one.

Our cocktails were superb (and the pork rind garnish was awesome) but our favorite part was the food! We shared the fried collards, butterbean dip, fresh catch (flounder), and the shrimp and grits. Everything was cooked perfectly and well seasoned. This time of year can be hard when cooking local and seasonal but every bite we had was bursting with flavor. The person I was dinning with had never tried collard greens but loved the flash fried collards (like kale chips but better!) The butterbean dip had this delicious tomato and herb relish on top that still managed to taste like summer, the flounder was served on top of this smooth collard chowder and brightened with this pepper relish that gave it the perfect amount of subtle heat, and the shrimp and grits were the best we've ever had with plenty of pump shrimp and a smokiness in every bite. We were expecting the dishes to be smaller than they were (pleasantly surprised) so our eyes were much bigger than our stomachs. Yet, we still managed to save room for dessert. Luckily the ricotta donuts were as light as air and the freshness from the citrus and pomegranate provided the perfect ending to our fabulous meal.

I was born and raised in NC. I have been a fan of Vivian's for a while (like most it started with her show) and recently was given a signed copy of her cookbook (which I love reading and can't wait to start using). I admire Vivian and other southern chefs like her who honor their roots, elevate the ingredients that we were raised on, and help their communities thrive, and particularly these strong female chefs! So I knew the odds of me loving the dinner at Chef and the Farmer were pretty high but my unbiased dinner partner was blown away with how good everything was. We both promised to be back sooner rather than later!

While we were in town we stayed at Mother Earth Motor Lodge and spent time at Mother Earth, which we love. Before leaving town the next day, we had a great breakfast at Lovick's and stopped by the Boiler Room for some Bloody Mary's before shopping at Barbaros Kitchen Tools, Chef and the Farmer Shop (I love my "Okra is my safe word" shirt and am excited to try to peach glaze at home), Reynold's Seafood, and Parrott's General Store on our way out of town. We had a wonderful 24 hours in Kinston and can't wait to come back (and hopefully get to meet...

This evening's long awaited experience ... We're including photos.

Arriving about 5 pm on a Saturday evening, we waited about 30 minutes for a table, which was about 15 sooner than expected. We had a comfortable table for two upstairs in front of a window. The lighting was perfect. The details, the colors add to the ambiance and comfort. The style is earthy and unpretentious. We love all the wood and warmth here. It's a place one wants to hang out in with your best friends and dearest family.

Let us be clear about one thing, from start to finish Jessica (and company - those helping her) provided truly excellent service! We felt very special. Jessica's recommendations were most appreciated. We hope she serves us again on our next visit. :)

We started with small plates ... a couple of appetizers. The flashed fried collards were seasoned wonderfully with sea salt. How did you get them so thin? Gee. They were almost chip-like. Not sure what oil was used, but it added nice flavor. The only critique is they were a bit oily.

We also tried the fried okra with ranch ice cream. Yeah. Seriously good. We would have liked to have taken a container of the ranch ice cream home with us, as that would seriously go great with so many things! The only thing, the okra was a little slimy. Still, this was delicious. Love the light breading.

Entrees, we went with the tomato pie and the crusted catfish. Both were fantastic ... the tomato pie especially so. The flavors and textures in both dishes had incredible harmony.

The seasoning, the sweetness, balanced with savory of the tomato pie is instantly habit forming! -Haha! We should have asked what the summer vegetables were on that dish, as most of it was more okra. Still, this is highly recommended, and a signature dish!

The salad a top the crusted catfish has some marvelous pickling, and the gazpacho added so much depth and refinement. Definitely ask for a spoon, to drizzle the gazpacho over the fish. Mmm ... so good!

We were full, so we passed on dessert. That may have been a mistake however. -Haha!

Kinston is so fortunate to have Chef & the Farmer! The staff works hard and truly care. It shows. We came from out of state, and are in eastern North Carolina and wanted to have this experience. We see that Kinston is our kind of community ... yet it struggles. Main Street is beautiful with so much potential, but there are too many vacant building and storefronts. It's obvious people are working hard to make this a vibrant community. We wish we knew how to help. Truly.

We wonder why Chef & the Farmer are not open more days during the week, and more hours during the day. Perhaps theirs is the best business model, but we've been through Kinston on different days of the week and earlier in the day, and couldn't stop for a wonderful meal at Chef & the Farmer. Admittedly, we're fans of Vivian and Ben, "A Chef's Life" and "Somewhere South", and the incredible people who work to make this a shining star in the Kinston community (and other communities too).

As we were finishing up, and getting ready to leave tonight, we were asked to "please come back". Of course we will! Wow! How many times have we been made to feel that our business as customers is appreciated? Not often, sad to say. Thanks Jessica and all the team working tonight (Sat July 3, 2021). We're not going to forget our experience! We hope to...