Anniversary "BMF"

Greg and I recently celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary with an amazing meal at Ninety Acres, a beautiful restaurant set in Somerset County, N.J. It is a restaurant that supports local agriculture with a menu that offers fresh, local ingredients. They have over 1,200 different wine selections, many of which are sustainably, organically and biodynamically produced. The restaurant is set in the rolling hills of their farm and is breathtakingly beautiful. Most people would call this "Farm to Table' dining...they like to say "we are a Table at the Farm"....and they are 100% right!

Let me start by saying that Greg and I, independent of one another, made surprise reservations at the exact same restaurant. The only difference was that he decided to try something new (we've been there a bunch) and try their tasting menu, where you are seated by the open kitchen with a linen covered bistro-style table.

It was the perfect summer night for a romantic dinner at Ninety Acres and we were pumped. You pull onto the property and almost feel like you could be in Napa Valley, CA! We decided to arrive an hour before our reservation so that we could have time to enjoy a drink and some apps at their outdoor bar area which is just gorgeous. I had a yummy glass of champagne and we enjoyed a delicious appetizer of fresh ricotta cheese and toast.  Really, what's better than fresh ricotta cheese? :) while enjoying this view?

We were seated for our reservation exactly on time and were looking forward to our "tasting menu" dining experience. The waitress walks over and hands us our menus, takes our drink order, and leaves us to ponder the meal that lay ahead for us. Greg and I took one look at this menu and were totally baffled....the menu was simply a list of ingredients! She must have seen the confusion on our faces because she immediately walked back over and asked if she could help clarify anything for us. We proceeded to explain that we had never done the tasting menu before and we weren't sure how to order. "You've never dined BMF with us?" she replies. BMF? "What is BMF?" was our response.

Basically, BMF stands for "Bring Me Food"-- clever, cute and to the point! As diners, you are privy to the ingredients that are local, seasonal and delicious at the moment, however you know nothing more! It is up to the chef to prepare a seven course meal, pairing these ingredients how he sees best, and surprising you each course with something brilliantly yummy! Let me also mention that there would be wine pairings with each course too! I wasn't so sure I was up for the culinary challenge. I'm not the most adventurous eater and wasn't sure I was going to fully enjoy everything on my big night out. However, with a little push from Greg, I decided to get crazy and go for it....let the eating begin!

Course #1- Cold Strawberry Gazpacho...sweet to savory!

Course #2- Sopressata with chili flakes and herbs

Course #3- Chicken Egg with asparagus and arugula and arugula puree

Course #4- Soft Shelled Crab

Don't you love the blue sequin top? 

Course #5- Pork 2 ways

Course #6- Cheese and Toast with something lemony on it

Course #7- Everything Strawberry Dessert- AMAZING!

And just cause I wasn't a huge fan of the cheese I got this too!

These pics speak for themselves...it was an outrageously delicious, special and romantic meal. Cant' wait for the next special occasion! Oh, and did I mention how much I'm loving my new royal blue sequin top? It's my new "go to" go out top! Gotta love Alice & Olivia :)

Happy Anniversary GST! To many, many, many more....XOXO