Foragers Table is a restaurant located in Chelsea inside Foragers Market, a small, artisanal, high-end grocery store specializing in local produce and fine foods. The market is very small, as is the restaurant. In order to access the restaurant, you need to enter through the market and go all the way to the back. Because it’s so small, reservations are quite necessary during peak times (mostly, weekend brunch).
The restaurant itself has a very limited menu and uses mostly products from its own market, which is nice. However, given that it’s quite a luxury market, the menu prices are accordingly steep. We tried the place for weekend brunch and were presented with a menu of about 8 items.
Super Green Egg White Omelette – Alderfer Farm Egg Whites, Wok Greens, Asparagus, Broccoli, Organic Tofu (requested no tofu). Obviously people who get things that say “super green” and “egg white” are trying to eat healthy. But this was actually a bit too healthy. There were more greens than eggs and they didn’t blend well. It basically tasted like two separate dishes just put together on the same plate, and with very little seasoning or flavor at that. I will say it was a good portion, though, and it additionally came with roasted potatoes and greens (though you could request toast instead). And if you are going to ever get an untasty dish, it might as well be this healthy.
Pancakes – Orange Blossom Ricotta Pancakes, Candied Orange, Ioka Valley Farm Maple Syrup (requested on the side). These were the best and most original pancakes ever. The pancakes themselves were very unsweet, and were ultra fluffy because of the ricotta cooked into them. The texture was amazing and they were incredibly light, but also truly delicious. The sweetness comes from the maple syrup and the candied orange, which also adds a nice zing to the dish. They were also topped with a few fresh strawberries, which was a nice touch. These are a must try!
Overall, it’s clear that the dishes are made with quality ingredients, well thought out, and generally well executed. But, there are both hits and misses and the price is a bit prohibitive to make it a regular place. The breakfast yogurt dish (White Moustache Yogurt, Housemade Granola, Lancaster County Honey, Mixed Berries) seems delicious and looks lovely, but is also $14 and I cannot imagine it tastes twice as good as a yogurt dish you can find at any other brunch place for half the price.
Definitely go for the pancakes, but I don’t know if other items are worth the price tag!
