It’s not often that I find a restaurant so inspiring that I want to publish a feature article about it. On my most recent trip to visit my 104 year old Aunt Jule in Fairhope, I had the pleasure of exploring The Hope Farm.
It was pure luck that I found this James Beard nominated restaurant who is in the running for best beverage program. I was reading an email from the James Beard Foundation and spotted The Hope Farm in Fairhope. I only spent a few minutes looking at the restaurant’s menu before making a mental note to visit them while in the area.
Little did I realize The Hope Farm was crawling distance from the Key West Hotel where my brother and I were going to stay for two nights. On that first night in town we drove to the restaurant and were impressed by their outdoor facilities. It was too chilly to eat outdoors so we grabbed seats at the bar and settled in for wine tasting and dinner.
A Fine Wine List
One of two outdoor dining areas at The Hope Farm.
We met Danny Rivas, the beverage director, and through the course of our visit got to know him. It turned out that Danny was also originally from Denver and we hit it off. Their wines by the glass list was notable in that it had several wines that were either organic, biodynamic, natural, or sustainable. I also liked that they offered four mocktails, four flavors of kombucha, and four non-alcoholic beers.
I loved this orange wine from Spain.
My first glass of wine, and yes I had more than one, was an orange wine from Spain. Metamorphika was a wine I’d never heard about and was a lovely starter to pair with the mushroom toast appetizer.
We also ordered the Kennebec potato gnocchi. Both starters were outstanding. The mushroom toast was the best I’ve ever had and would have been right at home in a Kennett Square, PA restaurant. For those who aren’t’ familiar with Kennett Square, it’s the self-proclaimed mushroom capital of the world and a town I visit often.
The gnocchi was a small plate offering on the dinner menu.
I paired the duck and grain salad with a red wine from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand called Te Mata, a gamay noir. This luscious red wine went well with the duck salad and it was only through extreme self-control I didn’t have a second glass. I’ve traveled New Zealand’s wine regions extensively and rarely find red wines like this gamay in the US. My brother had the special burger with a slab of smoked brisket on top and pronounced it delicious.
A gorgeous and tasty burger. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
A Covid Survivor
During our visit Danny filled us in on the background of the restaurant. They opened in late spring, 2020 and with all that outdoor seating, got off to a great start. Of course the food, wine, and service had a lot to do with The Hope Farm’s early success. I worked as a chef in over 25 restaurants during my 20 year career and could tell this was a winner. They have several well-thought out dining sections for special events, big or small. Danny graciously gave us a tour of the dining rooms, patios, and the two shipping containers made into a mushroom and veggie farm, hence the name Hope Farm.
For small events they have The Cellar, a private room decorated with walls of wine. This venue is perfect for up to eight guests in an intimate space. Large events can be booked for one or both patios that are equipped with comfortable chairs and as many tables as needed. The Barn is yet another separate venue that is open for breakfast and lunch and serves delectable baked goods by pastry chef Emily Ackerman.
The baked treats at The Barn were a winner. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
My brother and I were so impressed with our dinner and wine that we came in the next morning for breakfast. I ordered the avocado/hummus toast and my brother had the breakfast power bowl that had sweet potato, house-grown greens, egg, avocado, black bean salsa, and smoked jalapeño aioli for a hearty meal. We added a lavender scone and blueberry muffin in the name of research. Both the mains and baked treats were good, and my brother, the coffee drinker liked the Nova coffee in custom made flat white-style brew.
The Last Night
Since we were so close to The Hope Farm and it was our last night in town we readily agreed we should go back for more excellent food and wine. On this second visit we were able to meet Will Jones, general manager and wine director. We liked Will instantly and talked wine and food until he needed to head home for the night. Will has a deep appreciation for fine wine and is one of the more passionate wine directors I’ve met in my travels.
We started the meal with a half pour of Tenuta Santome, an Italian Prosecco, a slightly fruit-forward bubbly. I moved on to the Sfera Cortese from Italy’s Piemonte that wowed me with its clean and bright notes. We split a bowl of the thick and rich homegrown mushroom soup made from their farm’s schrooms. It was one of the best mushroom soups I’ve had anywhere.
Mushroom soup and focaccia are not to be missed at The Hope Farm. Photo by Kurt Jacobson
After the Sfera, I had the Talley Chardonnay with rich notes of butter and oak, yet not too much oak. The chard paired well with the crawfish Fra Diavalo. My brother had the broiled oysters and we shared an order of the house made focaccia.
We ambled back to our hotel fully satiated and sporting a warm glow. Both of us look forward to returning to Fairhope and having another round of wine with a meal.