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Night 12: La Ferme
I don't think any normal person would even enter La
Ferme unhappy. That is my next night's destination.
I had been only three times to eat at La Ferme, each
one in "mazel tov" mode: two bar mitzvahs
and, just last week, a wedding reception. As I enter
tonight, shaking off rain, I get a reception indeed
— a personal one. Pino, the suave and ponytailed
manager, greets me and says "let me undress you
first," taking my raincoat. Perfect: It is one
I bought in Paris last fall.
The stucco building that houses La Ferme had a 60-year
history before La Ferme owner Alain Roussel bought it
in 1984. Built in 1920 as a girls' private school, in
1980 the building became Brookfarm: The Inn of Magic,
a club that brought a tad too much raucous nightlife
to the calm and verdant precincts of the Martin's Additions
neighborhood. Happily for all concerned, M. Roussel
made that all disappear. The experience of dining at
La Ferme needn't be sweetened by anything magic. This
restaurant manages to combine the eternal allure of
the countryside with the sophistication of urban tastes.
.
There is a reason why people choose to celebrate happy
occasions at La Ferme. The ambience is comfortably rustic,
the menu is exquisite and the piano player does his
best Yves Montand. So why not order the sea bass braised
with savoy cabbage and morels in sauce moutarde. And,
s'il vous plait, the chocolate soufflé.
Madame will eat the bread, yes, as she drinks her wine,
a nice cabernet sauvignon.
Today La Ferme is a favorite of the locals and the only
magic being performed is in the kitchen.
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