Salt can be controversial. Whether there’s too much or too little is far from objective fact. But this critic often feels like Goldilocks in pursuit of seasoning that’s “just right.” I found it at Farm & Fork Kitchen, the first restaurant from chef Jorge Chicas.
The Ashburn establishment may be Chicas’ debut as an owner, but it’s far from his first restaurant opening as chef. Chicas and his family moved from El Salvador to the DMV when he was 13 years old, and he started working in restaurants almost immediately. His first “official job” was with Capital Restaurant Concepts, but he made his name at ThinkFoodGroup, which is now known as the José Andrés Group. Under the oversight of founder
Andrés, Chicas honed his chops as executive chef at big names like DC’s Zaytinya and The Bazaar in Beverly Hills, California. Both were nominated for James Beard Foundation Awards for Restaurant of the Year as Chicas led the kitchens.
So why did Chicas decamp to Ashburn? “My brother-in-law lives here, and we used to come often to visit him,” the chef says, adding that his brother-in-law encouraged him to “open something unique” in the ’burbs on the edge of Ashburn and Leesburg. The landlord, he recalls, was excited by his restaurant concept, which filled a niche by providing guests with quality dishes made with sustainable seafood, ethically raised beef, and free-range chicken. Farms that provide those ingredients are mostly regional, but Chicas says that he’s slowly making relationships with more local businesses, such as District Farms in Frederick, Maryland, which stocks the restaurant’s salad plates.
The result is an excellent neighborhood restaurant, a comfortable space with friendly service, and the aforementioned stellar touch with seasoning. What Farm & Fork Kitchen is not is a destination. Though Chicas is a specialist in Mediterranean cuisine, his menu suffers from a lack of ambition. Dishes lean in the direction of roasted chicken, deviled eggs, and steak. They’re prepared well, but there’s little about which to get truly excited.
One exception is the small plate of croquetas made from Amish chicken. It’s no surprise, given his time with Andrés, that Chicas has a way with tapas. These are crisp cylinders of breading, topped with Maldon sea salt and oozing to reveal a creamy center that brings to mind an exquisitely upgraded take on chicken potpie. It’s a pity that there are only four to a $14 order. They disappear all too quickly.
Another highlight among the small plates is “eggplant meatballs.” The eggplant is bound with egg, herbs, and cheese, then fried and laden with tomato sauce, resulting in an elevated take on eggplant parmigiana.
I was not as impressed with the salad of burrata and Surryano ham. The cured meat is made in Surry by Edwards Virginia Smokehouse, an American take on air-dried Spanish serrano ham. The plate is unquestionably eye-appealing with its black polka dots of balsamic reduction and piles of arugula and ham, as well as a chilled ball of burrata. There’s nothing wrong with the dish, but I would like a $20 salad to have more personality.
The entrée that enticed me most was duck confit made from a leg of a duck raised at La Belle Farms in Ferndale, New York. It’s presented crisp-skinned in a bowl of lentils that’s colorfully punctuated with baby carrots, roasted pearl onions, and sweet garlic confit. At first glance, it’s a stunner of a dish, until you start spooning away lentils and find you are left with a bowl full of oil.
Though I enjoyed the imperfect preparation, next time, I would likely skip the duck in favor of a steak. Roseda Farm in Monkton, Maryland, provides the all-natural, dry-aged Black Angus flesh. At press time, the steak was a 12-ounce New York strip. Seasoned to perfection and cooked to my requested temperature, it bursts with sanguine, salty flavor — the goal for any steak. The slab of beef is served with a lightly tangy salsa verde on top and a pool of jus beneath. Even the sides of greens and grilled asparagus taste like bolder, better avatars of themselves.
Still, I recommend upgrading with a plate or two from the menu of sides. Smashed fingerling potatoes have crunchy skin that’s improved further with truffle salt and garlic-herb butter. Pan-roasted Brussels sprouts are tender and nutty on their own, with crispy slivers of bacon, as well as plump raisins.
Chicas is responsible for his own simple desserts. The headliner among these is an intense chocolate pot de crème. Big enough to share (though chances are, like Bartleby, you’ll prefer not to), the pudding-like dessert is topped with coffee whipped cream, a handful of pistachios, and a smattering of blueberries, all surrounding a centerpiece of an edible flower.
The most recent addition is a deconstructed carrot cake: Rather than layers, it’s two muffin-like chunks of nut-spiked sponge. They’re dressed in a dollop of mascarpone and another pansy, but the high point of the plate is a surprising dab of tangy-sweet apple butter.
“Every week, we try to feature one or two new items,” Chicas says. This allows the chef to play with fresh ingredients and keep things novel for regular guests. And his restaurant deserves some regulars. Farm & Fork Kitchen’s neighborhood is a great one for South Asian eats, but not so much American comfort food. It seems that the high-end chef may have found his niche in a suburban strip mall, and Ashburn is lucky to call him a neighbor.
Farm & Fork Kitchen
Rating:★★★ 1/2
See This: Touches of wood and botanical art give the strip mall environment a touch of rustic-chic class.
Eat This: Amish chicken croquetas, Roseda Farm dry-aged New York strip, chocolate pot de crème
Appetizers: $7–$22
Entrées: $24–$140
Desserts: $9–$10
Open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday
42755 Creek View Plz., Ste. 100, Ashburn
This story originally ran in Northern Virginia Magazine’s March issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to our monthly magazine.
