ABOUT FARM ARTISAN FOODS
Farm Artisan Foods began as a feeling and evolved into an idea, emerging as a palette for Modern American Cuisine. The Farm combines local, organic ingredients with Chef Roberto Argentina’s seasonal inspiration to create a menu evocative of Roberto’s designation as one of the "Top Ten New Chefs in Southern California" (Inland Empire Magazine). We invite you inside to experience the persuasion of the Farm Artisan Foods.
Chef Argentina selects the region's finest ingredients each day to create his Modern American Cuisine. His musings tempt our eyes and seduce our palates. The Farm menu migrates through the seasons, with food procured from local, artisanal producers. Every evening you visit offers a fresh surprise, coupled with an ideal wine culled from our unique wine list.
Our use of local farmers, producers and artisan purveyors gives us access to some of the freshest ingredients of the highest quality. We focus on supporting those growers that maintain sustainable and organic practices as we feel it keeps a closer connection to the food we serve.
- See website for menu
About Roberto
Roberto Argentina is the owner and head chef of Farm Artisan Foods on State Street in Redlands, CA. Argentina was born in Brindisi, Italy on the Adriatic coast. He grew up on a farm in Franca Villa, near Brindisi, that has been in his family for generations.
In 1978, at 13 years old, Argentina moved with his family to San Antonio, Texas. He attended high school in San Antonio and then went on to the University of Houston, obtaining a BA in Theater Arts. Although he moved to Chicago to follow his acting interests, he met and worked for Chef Keith Luce fresh off his stint at the White House. Under Luce he developed the foundation for his life’s work. who helped Argentina learn about the restaurant business from the ground up.
In 1998 Argentina moved to the West Coast, and lived in a school bus while working with Chef Joachiam Spilichal at the Patina restaurant in Hollywood. After visiting Redlands on a number of occasions Argentina fell in love with the city and decided to stay. Argentina began developing his own his culinary business in Redlands, first through catering and then with the opening of Farm Artisan Foods at it’s first location, in the basement of the Cope Building in 2004. Argentina moved The Farm to its current location on State Street in 2006, and has enjoyed expanding the restaurant and offering dining experiences above ground ever since.
- Read highlight by Martha Green top right pdf above 1st image. Martha and Roberto pictured in 2nd image.
Click on images to enlarge
Socialize with us
Events
- Weekly: Friday Wine Flights- From 4 to 6pm. Themed setting. 5 whites and 5 reds. The evening comes with one Appetizer. $12 per person
Hours
Lunch 11:30am-3:00pm
Dinner 5:00pm-9:00pm
Sundays & Mondays are available for private parties
Contact Info
- 909-792-1162 t
- www.farmartisanfoods.com
Address
- 22 East State Street
- Redlands, CA 92373
3 Reviews
This is one of the best restaurants in the IE, if not the best. So why only 4 stars then?
Well ... it has to do with their business plan. You see their menu changes with the market and the ingredients available to them. They also rotate chefs, with guest chefs coming in every now and again to cook for a night. What this amounts to is that you can go two times to the Farm and have VERY different experiences in terms of food. I have had a meal that blew me away here and a meal that underwhelmed.
I give MAD props to them for being sustainable, using local ingredients, cooking seasonally, and letting ingredients speak for themselves. Do not get me wrong about that. At the same time, it's a restaurant and I judge them on the food that is put out. And the food is not always deserving of even 4 stars.
What this also amounts to is that reviewing specific food items is a bit silly as you might have a completely different menu from someone else even a week prior. So I will comment more generally.
- Meat is always cooked well. Usually it's perfect, but we have had a few bits that were slightly overcooked.
- They make vegetables do things in your mouth that you didn't know possible. If you aren't a veggie fan then they might convert you. My lady HATES carrots with the fiery passion of a neutron bomb. But she ate every carrot on her plate and even some off mine.
- Wine pairings are done nicely and aren't going to break the bank.
- Flavors rarely are potent or dramatic. Dishes tend to be more subdued with subtle flavors. This is not to say things are seasoned poorly, they're not. But you won't have any food that will blast your taste buds out of your behind.
The service is generally very good. Some staff members are better than others, but they've all been just fine.
The Farm has quite a few events, and you can request to be notified about them. These include beer dinners and art exhibitions. These are really fun if you get the chance to go, and it's nice that the restaurant interacts with the community.
This is a great place for a Valentine's dinner, anniversary dinner, or just a night to impress that special person. It would be best if you can appreciate subtle and mellow flavors. But I think you'll be happy regardless of the exact menu that night.
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. Really, that's all I can say. Hands down this is time and time again my all time favorite restaurant in Redlands. Now we're talking Redlands right, out in the middle of the desert--not necessarily the mecca of amazing food. But, the Farm will never disappoint. This restaurant, has a simple menu, clean flavors and is literally a restaurant where every bite you take you're deeper and deeper in foodie heaven. It is pricey so get ready to pull out that wallet.
You really have to order an entree or several small plates to have enough food. but you can't go wrong with what you order. I recommend one of my favorite small plates, brie with wild mushrooms and polenta--yummy, orgasmic gooeyness of flavor. I get it every time we go here. Also, the flourless chocolate cake and lemon meringue pie can't be missed.
They also have a great happy hour deal with a small amuse bouche and wine tastings as well as some great lunch meals and monthly wine events.
My wife and I were trying to decide on a restaurant to go to for our 11th anniversary yesterday (as we weren't able to go to the Blue Bayou at Disneyland), and decided on Farm Artisan Foods.
We used to frequent the same building when Stell Coffee and Tea was there, but never thought about eating at Farm. What a mistake!
Appetizer course - Artisan Cheese plate
Small Plates - Mushrooms with polenta and brie, Seared scallops, Angus filet and Duck Confit.
The meal started with a bowl of freshly baked foccacia (amazing) accompanied by a dish of olive oil/balsamic vinegar.
The cheese plate came out with a selection of 4 cheeses (wish we paid more attention to the variety, as they were great), some capers and two jams (tasted like pear and fig, both were well balanced and worked nicely with the cheese).
Then came our main dishes. I have to make one little complaint, as there is a certain level of false advertising on the menu... when they say 'Small Plates', don't believe them. The first two dishes that were brought to the table were the Duck Confit and Angus meatloaf in phyllo (we ordered the filet, but the meatloaf was great, so we didn't complain). These were very large portions that we were not prepared for, and started to wonder how we would find room for everything. Then the Scallops and Polenta came, and our table was packed.
Everything was delicious. Each component of the dishes were prepared with care, and complemented each other perfectly. The polenta was the best that I have ever had, the scallops were MASSIVE, the duck was tender and mild, and the meatloaf was juicy. Quite possibly the most memorable flavor of everything was the lemony mustardy sauce that accompanied the duck confit (my mouth is watering still).
