Inside the New California Restaurant Opening at La Cañada's Lush Descanso Gardens
Farmhouse, the new restaurant at Descanso Gardens from chef Rich Mead, opens on May 30, serving seasonal California fare for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch service. Occupying a former meeting room at the 150-acre urban oasis located in La Cañada-Flintridge, Farmhouse at Descanso Gardens adds a lush new dining experience for Northeast LA, Glendale, and Pasadena denizens. Mead opened Farmhouse at Roger's Gardens in 2016 with a similar approach to sustainability and seasonality, and he's brought on Adam Cherney (A.O.C., Pace, and Saltie Girl) to helm the kitchen at Descanso Gardens.
Descanso Gardens opened as a botanical garden when its prior owner, Elias Manchester Boddy, sold the property to Los Angeles County. Through the help of neighbors and a trust, the property was established as a public space in 1953 (Walt Disney allegedly had considered it for a site for Disneyland). Today, it draws nearly a million visitors a year with a number of historic buildings and long walkways of lush flora. Though there's a fee to enter or annual membership options, neither is required to enter the Farmhouse restaurant.
As for the food, Mead and Cherney will prepare salads, charcuterie boards, entrees, and desserts using local produce, like a grilled grass-fed culotte steak with Weiser Farms potatoes, asparagus, and cipollini onions. Coriander and cumin-spiced carrots are topped with burrata, pistachio, and mint, while seared salmon comes with ginger, leek, and Thai vinaigrette. Cocktails will employ ingredients from the adjacent gardens.
Artisan William Stranger used fallen trees to build the wraparound bar that offers nice views of the garden, and the whole space incorporates a timeless, indoor-outdoor vibe that should serve as a solid place to eat. Eventually, Farmhouse will host dinners using produce sourced from the gardens.
Farmhouse at Descanso Gardens is located at 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada-Flintridge, California, 91011, and will be open weekdays for lunch and dinner, plus weekend brunch. The last table will be seated at 8:30 p.m.
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