The Chef’s Garden at Crystal Springs Resort, 3 Wild Turkey Way, Hamburg, New Jersey, is now open for the season with expanded hours, serving from 12:00 noon – 10:00 p.m. Thursday – Monday. It was previously open only on weekends.
One of New Jersey’s most unique dining experiences, the Chef’s Garden is set in a lush acre of organic gardens that grow herbs, lettuces, vegetables and more for its sister four-star Restaurant Latour. All the restaurant’s cooking is done in wood-fired ovens and grills (no gas is used), while guests enjoy stunning mountain views.
This year, Crystal Springs’ Executive Chef Anthony Bucco has introduced an entirely new menu focused on the seasonal bounty of local farms and nose-to-tail dining. Chef Bucco and Crystal Springs work closely with local purveyors and farmers from the surrounding Skylands and New York’s Black Dirt Region and source from the garden and the resort’s nearby farm.
This summer, appetizers include Field Lettuces with fire-roasted vegetables; English Peas with tendrils and edible flowers; Cucumber Yogurt Soup with radish and mint; and Heirloom Tomatoes with burrata and basil… Entrées showcase local seafood from Barnegat Light and poultry & game farms such as Griggstown and Goffle Road. Griggstown Farm Quail is roasted in the wood-burning oven while both Goffle Road Farm Chicken and Berkshire Pork Ribs are smoked in the Garden’s smoker. Vegetarians can enjoy Ancient Grains with dandelion, foraged mushrooms, and fontina.
The new resort mixologist, Carlos Ruiz, formerly of the Ryland Inn and Agricola, crafts cocktails with a focus on locally sourced spirits from New Jersey and New York. Designed for summer imbibing, Chef’s Gardens cocktails highlight herbs and vegetables from the surrounding garden in cocktails like Drop the Beet! (Brooklyn Gin, Beets, Sage) What’s Up Doc (Hudson Baby Bourbon, Carrots, Dill), and Summer at Crystal Springs (Tuthilltown Indigenous Apple Vodka, Tomatoes, Thyme, Agave).
As noted above… for the first time, this year the Chef’s Garden will be open from Thursday – Monday, 12:00 noon – 10:00 p.m.
Bon Appétit!
TAD
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