Review: Farm-to-table restaurant has its own garden, smokehouse, bakery and market
How many of us write long letters to friends and family? If you asked that question 50 years ago, the answer probably would have been significantly more than do so today. Our means of communication are more abbreviated.
What does writing letters have to do with Colab Kitchen in Stuart? The name means a different way to communicate. The owners could have named the restaurant Collaboration, but that sounds like a business deal. Colab communicates more. It’s cool, hip, fresh, friends working together in an alliance. It sounds more legit.
Colab Kitchen is all that. Inside the door, there’s a retail market where you can shop for farm-fresh produce, cheeses, jams, BBQ sauces and other foods and non-food gifts. Try not to be distracted by the bakery that beckons you as you enter the room. It’s on the right side. Don’t look at the brownies, lemon blueberry brioche, miso almond banana bread, or something that looks like cinnamon buns on steroids. The baked goods, including gluten-free options, were calling my name.
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Nonetheless, we managed to get past the counter, seated and handed the lunch menu. The restaurant is a sizable, fresh space with an industrial/farmhouse feel and an open kitchen. On one side, there are comfy sofas where you can sit a spell. The bar has golden backlighting and aqua finishes. The ceilings are corrugated with metal framework and sexy (I can say that) chandeliers. Tables are assorted wood with one large farm table that can seat a gaggle of people. That day, a group of women were enjoying wine, lunch and something obscene from the bakery.
Through the back doors is a beautiful backyard. It offers dining on a covered lanai, a music stage under a big tree, a baby blue food truck under blue awnings, and an invitation to enjoy. Our waitress, Rachel, knew everything about the menu and took her time explaining the dishes and what she loved about each one. She told us the menu was based on locally sourced produce and meats. It’s a collaboration of farmers, ranchers and the Colab Kitchen chefs. The restaurant has its own herb and vegetable garden out back, as well as a smokehouse for its meats.
Shareables include hummus and pickles, deviled eggs, and spring rolls. There are pizza-like pies with veggies or mushrooms, salads and sandwiches.
Rachel suggested we start with the fried green tomatoes ($16), which were delicious. The buttery-brown heirloom tomatoes and pickled shrimp were placed on top of a mess of greens and drizzled with comeback sauce, which is a creamy Cajun-style sauce. The greens were tossed in a sherry vinaigrette with a hint of truffle.
My friend ordered the smoked chicken salad ($17) sandwich on multigrain bread. The sandwich was filled with smoky, chopped chicken, accented by pickles and shaved onion, and tossed with dijonaise. The aroma of the wood chips used to smoke the chicken, and the melding of flavors were memorable.
My lunch was the Return of the Glory Bowl ($15), which was a celebration of tastes and textures. I was served a large bowl of nutty brown rice, crisp fresh greens, carrots, cucumbers, radishes, tahini and a hint of kimchi, which added umami to this soul-satisfying dish. From the available add-ons, I chose sliced smoked turkey ($9). The distinct savory flavor added a further dimension to the dish.
A visit to Colab Kitchen is a total experience with a true farm-to-table shop and restaurant. The menu and presentation are innovative and based on locally sourced provisions. The dishes are seasonally driven and change accordingly. The collaboration is legit.
Colab Kitchen
Cuisine: American farm-to-table
Phone: 772-872-6243
Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-9 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Friday; 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5-10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; closed Monday-Tuesday. Market hours are different.
Alcohol: Full Bar
Online: colabkitchenfl.com
Lucie Regensdorf dines anonymously at the expense of TCPalm for #WhatToDoIn772. Contact her at Lucie@theloveofcooking.com
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Restaurant review: Colab Kitchen serves farm-to-table in Stuart
