Earl's Bucks County Brings Meals from Farm to Table

Earl's Bucks County aims to bring the farm and market stand to the restaurant in order to reflect the seasons, according to General Manager David Zuckerman.

"We want to be as local as possible," Zuckerman said while introducing a four-course menu tasting as part of a Visit Bucks County seminar. 

As the seasons change, so does the cuisine. The menu at Earl's changes four to five times yearly, Zuckerman explained.

"This is a new American cuisine restaurant," he said. "It's seasonally driven. We don't like the menu to be static."

So if you enjoy a meal at Earl's Bucks County, you might never be able to have that meal again. If it's during the same season, Zuckerman said you might have a rendition of the same meal, but it probably won't be the exact presentation.

Furthermore, he said that some items aren't produced in bulk and the restaurant wouldn't have a big enough supply to keep the dish on the menu long term. This is when he designs nightly or weekly specials, which you can only get while supplies last.

He created the "Visit Bucks Farm Tour" menu special for the event, which took place mid-October.

Guests began with an arugula salad featuring roasted beets from Newtown's Milk House Farm with Flint Hill goat cheese, candied walnuts and an aged sherry vinaigrette. Then a Jack-o-Lantern Napoleon dish that included fall vegetables, garden herbs and pomodoro from Thorpe's Farm.

Two choices were available for the main course: Braised Short Ribs or a Root Vegetable Risotto. The ribs came from Tussock Sedge Farm in Upper Bucks County and were paired with local heirloom carrots, Mainly Mushrooms, a Milk House Farm potato tart and shaved Snipes Farm cauliflower. The vegetarian option was made up of butternut squash from Milk House Farm, pepitas and Flint Hill goat cheese.

For dessert, guests were treated to Tahitian vanilla ice cream; just one of three vanilla's made by oWowCow Creamery. Throughout dessert and dinner, wines courtesy of Bucks County Wine Trail were served.

During the meal, Zuckerman along with Lynne Goldman of Bucks County Taste explained the importance of eating locally not only because you know where your food is coming from, but because it helps feed the local economy.

Goldman said that for every $100 spent locally, $68 returns to the community when you eat at places like Earl's, which is more than when you dine at a chain restaurant. She added that it also preserves farmland and supports local farmers, and is better for you than food that travels.

"Food that is grown nearer to consumers is more nutritionally dense and has a longer shelf life," Goldman said during a presentation. "As food travels, it loses nutrition."

She added that locally grown food usually tastes better (especially heirloom varieties that don't travel well) because it is more vibrant and intense. Additionally, eating local connects people to their food. 

"Forget the plastic wrap," she said. "Touch, feel, smell and know your food, and know who grew it."

This meal, using ingredients from more than five local farms is a fine example of Goldman's points and Earl's Bucks County's mission: to "celebrate the rich diversity of the region, using the day's freshest ingredients..." and to "support natural, sustainable food practices and Bucks County's agricultural heritage." 

Earl's Bucks County is located at 15 Peddler's Village in Lahaska. Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. (serving all day menu); Sunday, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. (serving brunch), 2 - 8 p.m. (dinner menu). Reservations are accepted. 215-794-4000.

Interested in dining at other farm-to-table restaurants? Here's a list of some local options:

• , Doylestown
• Down to Earth Cafe, Perkasie
• The Farmer's Daughter, Blue Bell
• Maize Restaurant, Perkasie
• , Ottsville and Wrightstown
• , Newtown
• Yardley Inn, Yardley