Farmhouse at Top of the World

[docsconz]

Farmhouse at Top of the World

441 Lockhart Mountain Road

Lake George, NY 12845

(518) 668 3000

Open Wed.-Sunday, lunch and dinner.

The sky was blue. The water was another shade of blue and the vegetation was composed of various shades of green along with the varied colors of the many flowers across the grounds. As the name implies, the restaurant is located on the top of a mountain, that happens to have one of the very best views overlooking the southern end of Lake George in the southeastern Adirondacks. The restaurant is associated with Top of the World Golf Resort and also with a B&B in the same locale. I am not sure of the business arrangement, but the restaurant is run by a young couple, Kim Feeney and Chef Kevin London. Although they do source seafood from Hawaii and Alaska, the restaurant's emphasis is on seasonal local produce and artisanal products. Over 70% of their produce comes from their own farm. The bulk if not all of their meats and cheeses are sourced locally from such farms as Flying Pigs Farm, the Garden of Spices, Nettle Meadow and Dancing Ewe Farm amongst others. Rockhill bakehouse provides their bread.

While getting there from points other than the immediate Lake George area may not be as easy as some places that are located in town or off the highway, the end results are exquisitely worth it.

The Farmhouse. The restaurant itself looks out from the opposite side of the building. Located on this side is a golf pro shop.

The room is spacious and commodious. Displayed on the walls are excellent farm photos. These are some of the finest farm photos I've seen, though I am not sure who the photographer is.

Strawberry Margarita. this house special cocktail consisted of Jose Cuervo tequila, fresh strawberries from their farm and black pepper. It was delicious.

An amuse of Potato-Leek Soup, superbly done.

Dancing Ewe Farm Ricotta, strawberries, honey and spring herbs. I had heard about Dancing Ewe Farm Ricotta recently and based on what I had heard I had been wanting to try it, so when I saw it on the menu I went for it. Dancing Ewe Farm is located in Granville, NY and despite the farm's name, at the moment their product including this ricotta is made from cow's rather than ewe's milk. The milk is derived from a herd of 25 Jersey cows. The cheese is sold by Murray's in NYC and served at a number of NYC restaurants including Per Se, who uses the ricotta in their agnolotti. This particular dish, given the trend of the blurring of lines between savory and sweet courses would have been equally appropriate for dessert, though it worked quite nicely as an appetizer. The cheese was beautifully smooth and delicious. The honey provided a bit of sweetness that was complemented by the strawberries and contrasted by the clean flavors of the spring herbs that included celery leaves, mint and sage amongst others.

Red Ace Beet Soup with hazelnuts, balsamic and McEvoy Ranch Olive Oil Neither my wife nor I have ever tasted a better beet soup, cold like this or otherwise. The soup was all about balance and texture. The rich sweetness of the mildly cream-laced soup was balanced by the acidity of the balsamic and the mild bitterness of the oil and the hazelnuts, which also provided textural contrast and depth.

Braised bacon, spaetzle, chiogga beets and Nettle Meadow fromage blanc Another marvelous dish, I was confused at first when it was brought to the table as no fromage blanc was apparent. The dish was delicious regardless, but I enquired about the seemingly missing ingredient out of curiosity. It turns out that the cheese was incorporated into the spaetzle. The spaetzle itsleef reminded me of a breakfast cereal at it was toasted and crisped. Along with the braised Flying Pigs farm pork belly, I felt like this would be an ideal breakfast treat! Once again, the contrasts and balance of this dish were very well put together. The crispness of the spaetzle was balanced by the soft unctuousness of the rich pork belly, while the inherent sweetness of the beets and the umami of the pork was countered by an aggressive garlic aoili.

Garden of Spices Guinea Hen, spring broccoli, greenhouse scallions, Israeli cous cous. The guinea hen was moist inside, crisp outside and delicious. The broccoli was cooked perfectly with just enough grill char to give it additional flavor and complexity, while the cous cous filled the dish and provided oral comfort.

Flying Pigs farm pork three ways, hand cut whole wheat pasta, baby carrots, salsa verde I have long been a fan of Flying Pigs Farm and their pork. The pork here was delicious as expected with the three ways consisting of pulled braised shoulder, grilled leg, and guanciale. As excellent as the dish was, this was perhaps the one dish that suffered slightly from a mild imbalance as my wife and I both felt that the vinegar component could have been a little less assertive.

The wine list, though small was interesting and fairly priced with some gems to be found. I could not pass up a 2003 Coulee de la Serrant from Nicolas Joly at $95. It was delicious. The Joly was the most expensive white on the list and the second most expensive wine.

The principle menu.

The dessert menu. We had the Yogurt Panna Cotta with the Rhubarb Granita. The granita was refreshing, while the panna cotta was satisfying and delicious.

I haven't been this excited about a restaurant in the lake George area since Chef Matthew Secich left The Inn at Erlowest a couple of years ago. While not the most easily accessible restaurant, it is worth the journey not only from Lake George, but in my opinion from the entire Adirondacks and Capitol Region. The restaurant that this one most closely resembles in my experience is Blue Hill at Stone Barns. While not nearly as refined as that citadel, the approaches are quite similar. Anyone who is a fan of that restaurant or Chez Panisse in California would IMO enjoy this as well.

[docsconz]

The room is spacious and commodious. Displayed on the walls are excellent farm photos. These are some of the finest farm photos I've seen, though I am not sure who the photographer is.

I have come to know that the photos on the wall were taken by Kim Feeley, the Manager of the restaurant and principle farmer at their farm. The photos were taken at their farm as well as another that she previously worked at.

[phaelon56]

Great report! I'm impressed by what they're doing and truly appreciated the photo of the menu. In light of the apparent quality I think the prices are quite reasonable for food and especially for non-alcoholic beverages and desserts (I can't comment on wines as I'm clueless about wine pricing).

Are they planning to remain open during the winter? I'm thinking that it may be a tough row to hoe financially between late October and early May. But I certainly wish them the best of luck and will be sure to visit when I finally get back up to that area.

[docsconz]

Great report!  I'm impressed by what they're doing and truly appreciated the photo of the menu.  In light of the apparent quality I think the prices are quite reasonable for food and especially for non-alcoholic beverages and desserts (I can't comment on wines as I'm clueless about wine pricing).

Are they planning to remain open during the winter?  I'm thinking that it may be a tough row to hoe financially between late October and early May.  But I certainly wish them the best of luck and will be sure to visit when I finally get back up to that area.

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Thanks, Owen. They were closed this past winter after their first season last summer. I expect that they will close again this winter as well though I am not certain.

[docsconz]

Here's a view of the southern end of Lake George from Top of the World where the restaurant is located.

My wife and I attended a wine dinner with 23 other patrons last week that was excellent. Unfortunately my photos did not come out well enough to post. The meal, served family style, consisted of multiple courses paired with Falesco wines from Lazio and Umbria. Dishes included oyster with mignonette and pea; Dancing Ewe Farm ricotta with house-gathered honey and sun-dried tomato bread; lobster tortellini with lobster broth; fried boiled eggs with romesco; Summer vegetable bagna cauda with wild arugula; braised romanesco with chilies, garlic, preserved lemons and capers; pea water; heirloom romaine salad with cherries, fromage blanc and pine nuts; smoked tomato risotto with shaved summer squash; Alaskan king salmon with wild chantarelles, farm greens, polenta and salsa verde; Hudson Valley duck breast with currants, cous cous, English peas and arugula; and lemon goat cheese cake with wild blackberries. Six different wines were served with the meal. Five were from falesco itself while the Moscato di Asti from Coppo served with dessert was a wine consulted on by Ricardo Cotarella, Falesco's winemaker. While all the wines served were good and very well paired my personal favorites were the rose and the 2003 Montiano.

The meal was a steal at 65$ pp plus T&T.

[phaelon56]

I'm curious about "fried boiled egg". Is this a hard cooked egg that is then battered and deep fried? And what is the texture like? (regardless of who it is cooked).

[docsconz]

I'm curious about "fried boiled egg".    Is this a hard cooked egg that is then battered and deep fried?  And what is the texture like? (regardless of who it is cooked).

←

This was very similar to an egg that I had at Blue Hill at Stone Barns this past spring. There the egg was cooked sous vide to reach a consistency at which the white was fully cooked, but the higher-temperature coagulating yolk was still soft and runny. It was then coated with tempura batter and quickly fried to attain and exterior crispness. Though the technique at Farmhouse may or may not have been the same, the result was reminiscent of BH@SB. The final texture is that of a not fully hard boiled egg with a crisp exterior coating. Delicious.

[docsconz]

Farmhouse is scheduled to open for the season tonight.

Chef Kevin London and FOH Manager Kim Feeney, who are together the reason and basis for Farmhouse were married last weekend!

[Meanderer]

Are Ms. Feeney and Mr. London still operating this restaurant? We will be in the area in September so I checked the website, but it does not appear to have been updated since late last year.

[markabauman]

Docsconz could most likely answer more definitively, but I would think so, as SlowFood Saratoga will be having a dinner meeting tomorrow evening, which, unfortunately, I cannot attend.

[docsconz]

Are Ms. Feeney and Mr. London still operating this restaurant?  We will be in the area in September so I checked the website, but it does not appear to have been updated since late last year.

←

They are indeed and should certainly be there in September. I had a lovely dinner there this past Friday.

Unfortunately due to a late school event conflict neither my wife nor I can attend tonight's Slow Food dinner either. I am happy to say that it is sold out, anyway

[Meanderer]

We've been indecisive about what route to take and where to spend a night on the way up to Maine and this has given us good reason to travel via Lake George. Thanks.