Taking the winning formula that’s brought him success at Ridgefield’s Barn Door restaurant, Arber Muriqui recently opened Farmhouse Tavern in Katonah. “Freshness, hospitality and reasonable prices are the draws at both places,” explains the Yorktown Heights resident, who jumped at the chance to take over the space that had been Katonah Woods.
The space retains much of its rustic, farmhouse charm, and Muriqui added antique harnesses and paintings and photos of horses and cattle to the walls.
The menu, however, received an overhaul. “We’ve put more emphasis on local ingredients and brought the prices down,” says Muriqui, citing Somers’ Amato Farm and Holbrook Farm in Bethel, CT, as examples of local purveyors. “I’ve found that customers really respond to the freshest ingredients.”
The chopped Greek salad, brimming with veggies and feta cheese, is a popular summer dish.
“We designed the menu so that everyone can find something they’ll enjoy here,” Muriqui says, who delivers on a variety of different cuisines. We dined on both Asian and Italian themed dishes — and found that the flavors were perfectly executed on both.
An appetizer of tuna tartare, served on a bed of seaweed, was topped with avocado and drizzled with sweet chili and sesame seeds. The sushi-grade tuna was excellent. We also had chicken dumplings that were light and flavorful.
Entrées include delectably creamy fettuccini Bolognese and lemon chicken breast with complementing flavors of Meyer lemon, roasted tomatoes and capers, served with mashed potatoes and sautéed spinach.
The portions are ample, and a number of diners took leftovers home to enjoy the following day. Muriqui says the paella has been popular at dinner, while the shakshouka has been garnering compliments at brunch.
The majority of the entrées are in the mid-$20 range, and the most expensive item on the menu, the filet mignon, comes in at $34. There are an array of $10 cocktails, $7 draft beers, and well-priced wines.
During happy hour, bar snacks, such as chicken wings and truffle fries, are just $5 to go with two-for-one drinks.
“We want customers to come in and find amazing flavors and prices to allow them to come in for everything from a vegetable burger to our steaks,” Muriqui says.
Farmhouse Tavern
128 Bedford Rd
Katonah
914.401.9600
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