Farmshop shines with creative California-focused menu
Although it was just late afternoon when we arrived at Farmshop in the Marin Country Mart, the bar area was already lively . Nearly every seat at the 20-seat bar and at the handful of cocktail were occupied.
It's understandable. I had been to Farmshop before with a couple of friends just for a drink. The bartenders are attentive and friendly and quickly establish a comfortable space.
Chef-owner Jeff Cerciello first founded Farmshop in Santa Monica in 2010. He opened Farmshop in Larkspur in In 2013. Cerciello has an impressive restaurant background, beginning with a stint at El Bulli in Northern Catalonia and several years with Thomas Keller of French Laundry fame in Napa. Chef Cerciello was the longtime chef at Bouchon in Yountville and wrote the Bouchon cookbook.
The thrust of both Farmshop restaurants is to support local California food and wine providers. That's reflected in the photographs of farmland and farm workers in muted grayblue that line the dining room walls. The place is both casual and refined with a menu that is creative and approachable with local purveyors' names spotted throughout.
Like the cuisine, the extensive wine, beer and spirits menu showcases California's artisan purveyors. Craft cocktails
range between $17 for alcohol-free cocktails to a whopping $39 for the Porthole, a
blend of tequila blanco, Grand Marnier, makrut lime liqueur and rosé. We decided to stick
to the wines-on-tap list, with prices from $14 to $17 a glass and $32 to $40 by the carafe. These wines change often. We had the Meeker 2020 Grenache from Hollyhock Vineyard, Paso Robles ($19) and Enfield Wine Co. 2020 Tempranillo Pretty Horses ($18). Wines by the glass range from Coit Tower 2021 Rosé ($14) to Gran Moraine, 2019 Pinot Noir ($26) from Oregon. Draft beer is $9 and by the bottle $9.
The list of natural beverages is $6 for Kimino Sparkling Juice to $9 for Tip Top Tonics Kombucha.