The Farmer’s Daughter — Restaurant in Newton

This is a special place. I come from a rural, out of the way Jersey town similar to Newton, and there's something extra satisfying about seeing a successful small business like this hit it out of the park. This area of Jersey is gorgeous (arguably not in the dead of winter when it looks like a desolate scene from a Bronte novel, but I could be in the minority on that point), but I can tell you from firsthand experience that it is incredibly difficult to find a great restaurant that doesn't involve a 45-minute drive to a different part of the state. Every small town would benefit from a restaurant like this; it's arguably the most effective kind of advertising there is, and I'm honored I got to experience this one firsthand.

I came here this past Sunday morning for a Womb Exit Anniversary Brunch celebrating one of my Noblest Chums. She's a nearly lifelong resident of the area and has been talking this place up for months, both as a brunch and a dinner destination (full disclosure - after this meal, she indicated that their dinner is typically the better option, which is a pretty astounding statement given how good this was). Several members of the staff were clearly familiar with her from prior visits, which may have contributed to what was excellent service overall.

The interior reminded me of a lot of upscale NYC brunch eateries, with a heavy dose of exposed brick goodness and wooden tables/chairs, but significantly less claustrophobic. It looked to have two entrances, one going directly into the dining area and another into a small adjoining boutique store; said store had a lot of local niche items (pillows with the Newton zip code, for instance, as well as an intriguing shirt that said, "Weekends, Wine & Canines" that unfortunately did not have a medium-sized option - we are not taking points off for that though, especially since I lacked the gumption to inquire about additional sizes in the back).

We were a party of six, and ordered several appetizers to share, notably the Biscuits & Jam ($9) and the Cheese & Charcuterie ($22). I didn't sample the Charcuterie, anticipating that my digestive system would need to devote a great deal of its attention to my entree, but the biscuit I sampled was very tasty. They were on the smaller size (which was a positive for our crew) and very easy to cut horizontally for jam application, being softer rather than crumbly.

I went with the Crab Cake Benedict ($15), which was sensational. Given the portion, I would recommend that if you have an elliptical to use beforehand, do it. Every aspect of it was off the charts - the crab cake complemented the hollandaise sauce just as well as an egg, and the star very well may have been the fried potatoes, which were cooked and seasoned perfectly. In my experience the thicker potato wedge-type option is often undercooked once you get into the interior, but this was excellent all the way through. Everything on my plate was devoured happily and quickly. I didn't hear anything negative about any aspect of this meal from my compatriots.

I think we can all agree that opening and maintaining a restaurant is difficult. The successful ones don't complicate the basics - they provide great food, great service in a great environment where people want to return again and again to partake in a meal. Life is hard enough these days; if you can pause everything for an hour or two to have a scrumptious repast with high quality...

My in-laws got me a gift card to the Farmers Daughter. I had never been there before and always wanted to try it. I went for lunch and had a good meal. No complaints there. When I went to pay, I told the waitress to use the gift card. She came back and said the gift card was for the gift shop. There was nothing on the gift card indicating that the gift card was for the gift shop so I asked to speak to a manager. Next thing I know, the owner who is also the chef, came out very aggressively saying that it is separate systems and that we could only use the gift card in the gift shop. He was very rude, unreasonable, and frankly, unprofessional. He kept on saying that the gift shop and the restaurant are two separate entities and that the payment systems are separate. As the customer, that is not my problem. I have a gift card to the Farmers Daughter that does not indicate anywhere on it that it was only for the gift shop. Furthermore, there is one door to the Farmers Daughter. Both the gift shop and restaurant are called the Farmers Daughter. How would a customer know that they are separate entities? When you walk in the gift shop, which is the ONLY way into the restaurant, there is a register that simply says gift cards available. So my in-laws got me a gift card. There is no way anyone would know that a gift card purchased at the gift shop would not be good in the restaurant. Some advice to the Owner/s of the Farmers Daughter: 1- When you have two separate businesses, they should each have their own front door and separate names. As a customer, walking in through one front door with one name, implies that they are the same business. 2- If you cannot do the above, then there should be clear signage as to where to buy a restaurant gift card versus a gift shop gift card. 3- Regardless of the above, the chef, who has zero business or customer service acumen, should stay in the kitchen where he is, in fact, quite talented. A Manager who knows how to deal and conduct themselves around customers should be in the dining area.

In closing, while I did enjoy the meal, I will not be going back due to how the Chef treated me. Good Luck staying in business with such poor...

Ok Everyone....I am going to scream this across the googleverse loud as I can....

YOU MUST COME HERE!!!!

This place is heaven on earth....

They start you out with homemade biscuits that are light, fluffy and utterly outrageous you WILL have more than one....try and control yourself!

Then we moved on to a selection of appetizers....

Charcuterie Board, which included a wonderful selection of local meats and cheese. (Duck too!)

Carpaccio which was melt in your mouth good. Perfect mix of salty sweet...

Sweet Potato Hash was inventive in its presentation and the flavor was delish.

On to the Salads! I chose the Ceaser Salad with grilled shrimp...it included white anchovies (a personal favorite) and it was to die for...I even had it for lunch the next day!

Now for the main course....

I selected the Branzini...which was grilled perfectly and placed atop warm salad of roasted fennel and tomato which was an absolute pleasure to eat.

My companion chose the Duck Breast which was braised in apple jack and served with red cabbage....outstanding

Our guest choose the Boneless Short Ribs which were fork tender and served with blue cheese mash...comfort food at its best...

OMG NOW DESSERT....

First off I am not a desert person but I think this place has changed that...at least tonight it did!

Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream so delightfully presented to me was the cherry on top to a FABULOUS meal....

This has to be one of the best restaurants in Sussex County if not all of New Jersey right now.....

The setting is rustic yet urban, simple yet chic.

Service was impeccable, Tommy was so incredibly informative about the dishes and a joy to have. He was intuitive of our every need.

And be sure to check out their market next door!!!

This is not just a restaurant it is a destination.

I am in love...I...