Chef and the Farmer in Kinston, North Carolina is a restaurant that has been on my wish list for several years.
Sunburst Farms Trout with Root Vegetable Purée, Charred Citrus, Gremolata and Fried Parsnips
Main dining room of Chef and the Farmer
This is the RV used for Chef Howard’s book tour to promote Deep Run Roots.
A couple of years ago I bought a copy of Chef Vivian Howard‘s fabulous cookbook Deep Run Roots and felt like I knew her by the time I finished reading it. This in turn lead me to a new found passion to cook Southern food. And then our wonderful daughter in law Eve turned us on to her Chef Howard’s wonderful TV show which was on PBS for several years but recently ended. Steve and I binge watched it while we were visiting Brian and Eve in Raleigh. And, of course, I bought Eve her very own copy of Deep Run Roots.
So going to Vivian Howard’s restaurant was a must. But the problem was that it was too far from Raleigh to just go for dinner. But then our son had the brilliant idea for us to go to celebrate his birthday and my birthday which are just a few days apart and to make a weekend of it. He made hotel reservations and off we went!
A photo of a photo of Chef Vivian Howard Chef/Owner of Chef and the Farmer
Accolades Galore!
On our way we did make a lunch stop for some excellent Eastern North Carolina BBQ at Sam Jones BBQ which you can read about here. And yes, we were careful to save plenty of room for an amazing dinner at Chef and the Farmer. Even making reservations months in advance the only reservation we could get was at 9:15. Of course this gave us plenty of time for cocktails and a walk around downtown Kinston. The walk took about 10 minutes. It’s a very small town that is at the beginning stages of revitalization largely due to the popularity of Chef and the Farmer and her other restaurant the very casual Boiler Room. And since the Boiler Room is just around the corner from Chef and the Farmer we chose to have some drinks there. If we had another night in Kinston we would go there for dinner because the seafood coming out of the kitchen looked and smelled fabulous.
Carolina Grain Pull Apart Bread with Spicy Tomato Relish and Fresh Cheese Spread
Handmade Pasta with Guanciale Crumble, Bread Crumbs, Caramelized Onion, Farm Onion Soubise and Charred Bok Choy Anointed with Parmesan
Flash Fried Collards with Sea Salt
I have to say that I was quite surprised at how sophisticated Chef and the Farmer is. The interior is quite contemporary and spacious with a very Northern vibe, polar opposite to what I expected in this very rural and rustic town. The hostess graciously seated us but informed us that unfortunately Chef Howard had already gone home for the night to be with her twin kiddos. Her absence certainly did not affect the quality of the food. We began the evening’s culinary adventure with the Carolina Grain Pull Apart Bread that came with a fresh cheese spread similar to pimento cheese that was topped with a spicy tomato relish; along with a Small Plate of Handmade Pasta with guanciale crumble, bread crumbs, caramelized onions, farm onion soubise, charred bok choy and Parmesan. And as a bit of lagniappe we were presented with a Share Plate of Flash Fried Collards delicately rained on with sea salt. I was not expecting the collards to be so addictive. Even Brian, who is not a fan of collards, loved these crispy gems. Now you would expect that after a lunch of delicious BBQ we wouldn’t be all that hungry. You would be wrong. Each dish that came out was so farm fresh and well seasoned that we inhaled each one as if it was our last meal!
NC Shrimp and Grits
Brittany Ridge Pork Chop with Dirty Farro and Sweet and Sour Beets
Painted Hills Beef with Marinated Cabbage, Potato Croquettes and Chimichurri
Sunburst Farms Trout with Root Vegetable Purée, Charred Citrus, Gremolata and Fried Parsnips
Our server meticulously deboning Eve’s trout.
Which brings us to our entrées. We each ordered something different but except for a reluctant forkful or two none of us was willing to share. Steve’s North Carolina Shrimp and Grits had creamy, perfectly seasoned grits, sweet shrimp fresh from the nearby shore and the delectable enhancements of mushroom and spicy tomato ragout, scallions and bacon. Brian order the very tender and succulent Brittany Ridge Pork Chop that was accompanied by dirty farro and sweet and sour beets. Since I rarely cook steak at home I opted for the Painted Hills Beef which was crowned with herbaceous chimichurri and came with marinated cabbage and beautifully crispy on the outside creamy on the inside potato croquettes. It was swoon worthy. But the award for the most beautiful plate went to Eve’s selection the Sunburst Farms Trout. I think serving whole trout is a gutsy move because it can be intimidating for the diner to remove all the bones. And trout is a boney fish. But here is what made this dish such a show stopper. Our server came to the table fully prepared to meticulously debone that beautiful fish. And I almost forgot to mention that the trout came with perfect partners of a root vegetable purée, charred citrus, gremolata and fried parsnips.
A multi-layer plate of chocolate of chocolate decadence!
Inhaled that cake in 2 seconds flat!
And you cannot have a birthday celebration without cake. So stuffed as we were the four of us shared a spectacularly delicious chocolate layer cake filled with chocolate mousse. It was so good that, yes, as you can see we licked the plate clean!
Yep I’m hungry now! 😉 The food looks delicious there!!!
Great Lisa! Then I have done my job. The food is seriously delicious at Chef and the Farmer!!!
I love food and this place looks amazing! I am super picky too. Anyone who serves parsnips is doing great in my opinion. They are like the lost vegetable and they taste better than carrots, IMO. I need to add this place as a must do!
Chef and the Farmer is so fabulous Tricia. I know you will enjoy it if you go. And I agree about parsnips. I think they are carrots sweeter cousin.
You had me at NC Shrimp and Grits!! I’ve never visited Kinston, but now that I live in North Carolina myself, I really want to! Thank you!
My pleasure Shirley. I highly recommend any of Chef Howard’s restaurants. She is truly an amazing chef!
I don’t know what part of NC you are in but if you are in the Raleigh area you should definitely visit one of Ashely Christensen’s restaurants. I wrote a couple of posts about her food. The first was about Poole’s Diner and the other was about Beasley’s Chicken + Honey. Both are awesome. These two chefs were instrumental in spear heading the fabulous food scene in North Carolina.
looks simply delectable!
It was! So glad you liked my photos. I really appreciate the positive feedback.
Now I want some shrimp and grits!! Everything sounds delicious, and the dessert looks amazing!
Thanks for your lovely comments Julie! Everything truly was delicious and the dessert (pardon the pun) was the icing on the cake.
Mmmm that cake looks delicious!
The cake was fabulous! I wish I could have given it a proper title but desserts were not printed on the menu. It was intensely chocolatey but light and airy at the same time. And just sweet enough without being cloying.
Great details and photos, the dessert looked great. Glad you were able to enjoy a special place with your son for your birthdays, what a memory.
Thanks so much Donna. Yes, making memories is what life’s all about!
OMG! This trout looks AMAZING! I haven’t had trout for at least a year! Loved your post, and even though I am stuffed at the moment, my mouth is watering! 🙂
WOW! I really appreciate that. It is always gratifying to get comments like yours, thanks so much!!!
This food looks amazing. Beautiful photos of delicious food. Made me want to visit and enjoy some of these dishes! I’m hungry now!
So sweet of you! Nice to know I am accomplishing my goal of making you want to visit the places I love.
Wow, that food looks amazing!
Thanks! It really tasted even better than it looked.
Most of the food looks great, but that dessert looks amazing!
Thanks so much Janine! It was all amazing.
Thanks for sharing this restaurant. It looks delicious! I’ve never heard of Chef Howard, but it sounds like you’re a super fan.
You are very welcome Heather. The food really was fabulous. And yes, I am a fan. Besides being a create chef she is helping revitalize Kinston and I really admire her for that as well.
The food looks great! I’m glad that the restaurant was worth the wait (and the drive).
The food looks delicious!
This food looks delicious!
Delicious looking, no doubt!
It was an amazing weekend. Great food and wonderful memories. Anytime we can spend with our son and his fabulous wife is cherished!!!
I’ve never heard of this restaurant! We travel through North Carolina often, so I’ll have to find out where this is and see if we can make a stop. Everything looks so good.
Every single bite was seriously delicious! Kinston is a small town in the central coastal plains of the state in Lenoir county. It’s a rural farming area so this amazing restaurant is a breath of fresh air and totally unexpected.
I live in South Carolina, so I might just take a lil trip to NC and check it out!
It is so worth the drive! I love South Carolina by the way. We visit Charleston frequently. Even considered moving there.
You had me at flash fried kale! I’ll have to give this place a try the next time I’m going through NC
It is a worthwhile detour for sure!!!
I lived in North Carolina for 11 years and have heard amazing things about this restaurant. I’ve never made it there myself, so I enjoyed your tour! Thanks for sharing, the food looks beautiful and delicious.
So glad you enjoyed my “tour” of Chef and the Farmer! It is really one of the most wonderful restaurants anywhere. You should try to get there to experience Chef Howard’s farm fresh food first hand.