Over the last year, E has become OBSESSED with Troon Brewing, a brewery in Hopewell, New Jersey. Unfortunately, it is impossible to get their beer up near where we live. They sell large cans called crowlers at the brewery only, at completely random days and times, and do not distribute their beer beyond Hopewell. In fact, only one restaurant has their beer on draft. That restaurant is Brick Farm Tavern, which is on the same grounds and directly adjacent to Troon.
E has been down to have lunch at Brick Farm a few times with friends. I decided to surprise him with a dinner there on the night before Father’s Day. I waited until the day before to tell him where we were going. When I finally revealed our reservation, he was giddy with excitement!
So we loaded the kids into the car and off we went! I made a reservation for us to have dinner at 5:00PM. The early bird special! It is the only way we can have dinner out with the kids anymore and still make it home for bedtime. We arrived a little before our reservation and we were seated immediately. I was a little worried that Brick Farm wasn’t going to be kid friendly, but they totally are! They had a highchair AND crayons waiting for Nathan.
First we ordered some drinks. E ordered a flight of beer (ALL Troon, SURPRISE, SURPRISE) while I ordered a lemonade. We also ordered a side of fries for Nathan. French fries are Nathan’s favorite meal. While we waited for the drinks to arrive, we reviewed the menu and plotted our meal choices. We decided to share a salad and an appetizer and each get our own entree. I picked the Strawberry Cornbread Salad with a Balsamic Vinaigrette and E picked the Seasonal Empanadas, which were a curry chicken and rice variation. Nathan ate most of the strawberries on the salad – he is a bit of a berry fanatic. The sweetness of the strawberries really complemented the slight sweetness of the cornbread croutons. It is a modern take on the panzanella salad.
Brick Farm typically has a variety of beer styles from Troon like sours, stouts, and IPAs, along with three to four other beers from New Jersey craft breweries. The four Troon beers in E’s flight, however, ranged from 5%-12% alcohol, and were all IPAs. The 12% alcohol beer, Malignant Horror, is described by Troon as a “hoppy ale brewed with lots of honey,” which E thought made it the most unique and interesting option from the group, even though he doesn’t usually like honey in his beers.
For the main course, I ordered the Potato Gnocchi with Pea Puree and Wild Mushrooms and E ordered the Double Brook Farm Berkshire Pork Schnitzel. My gnocchi was cooked to perfection. The pea puree was slightly sweet, while the mushrooms were slightly smokey. I really loved the richness that the runny yolky egg added to the dish. E also really liked the richness of his pork, as well as the crisp and flavorful breading, and the apple-forward mustard and cider jus. By the time the Pork Schnitzel arrived, E was finished with his flight, and decided to order a draft pour of Mango Jams by Brix City Brewing (from Little Ferry in Bergen County), which E said tasted like Skittles beer in the best possible way.
After our dinner, we took a short walk around the grounds. If we weren’t in such a rush to get home for bedtime, we probably would have stayed and played a game or two of corn hole. We will definitely visit again soon!
If you love farm-to-table cuisine and are looking for a new place to try, I highly recommend you check out Brick Farm Tavern. Click HERE to make a reservation!
Brick Farm Tavern, 130 Hopewell Rocky Hill Rd, Hopewell, NJ 08525
