Herbfarm: A ridiculously unique gourmet dining experience

Thanks to Groupon, I finally got off my rear and booked a dinner seating at Herbfarm in Woodinville, Washington. This place is a little bit indescribable so bear with me.

Think cozy/quaint B&B rustic hunting lodge meets organic sustainable high-end dining meets Michelin-starred culinary expertise. Yeah, I know.

Tucked into a little oasis in Woodinville, The Herbfarm started out literally as a farming couple's random sales of excess herbs they had on the farm. Fast-forward to the couple's son and daughter as proprietors of this fine-dining experience. They have one seating a day, that starts with a garden tour - or in our case, a primer on the herbs we'd be enjoying with our dinner that night. It was way too cold and icky to be tromping around the gardens.

Dinner is about 9 courses, each paired with wine. When you see your table setting, it's like the china department at Macy's - there are literally 9 differently-shaped glasses lined up next to your plate. Shapes I've never even seen before.

The host welcomes you and a big introduction takes place when you sit down. Every single chef, kitchen staffmember and server is introduced, along with their fine pedigrees. We're talking 5 star hotels, top-tier international cooking schools- even "Iron Chef" participants. Each resume becomes more and more impressive than the next. Then the courses are explained in delightful detail, as are the paired wines and why they were chosen.

All the food is either grown at the farm, or obtained withing 100 miles. Even the condiments, like salt. The menu switches out every few weeks.

We experienced "The Hunter's Table." Think game, fowl.Veinson, goose, foie gras, wild mushrooms. I don't even know how they come up with some of the combinations of ingedients that they do, but it's magical. I don't even love duck or venison all that much, and even I found items to savor.

Here's a sample:

Parfait of Matsusake Mushroom & Grilled Duck Breast with Apple Horseradish Froth
Terrine of Bernie Nash's Ephrata Rabbit with Tarragon
Juniper Black Pepper Crusted Venison Loin over Creamed Brussel Sprouts
Seared Foie Gras on Sugar Pumpkin Pie with Pickled Pumpkin, Squash Ribbons and a Foie Gras-Ice Wine Drizzle
Rosemary and Caramel Mousse with Crispy Streusel, Roasted Pear, Warm Carmelized Pear Puree & Bacon-Caramel Sauce

Bacon? With caramel????!!! Oh. my. good. Lord. Genius. Ridiculous, right? In a good way.

We did a communal table which turned out to be really fun - even though we had asked for a private table when we arrived. They said they'd see what they could do after everyone was seated, but then made a very tacky announcement in front of all of the people we just met at our group table, saying they had a private table available if we wanted one. They kind of left us no classy way to take them up on it; It would have been rude to do so at that time so we declined, but again, we had a marvelous time with the folks we were with. We really think this would make a great group dining adventure event for a pack of friends.

The service was a little odd - maybe because you're there for 4 hours. Sort of creepy, "fake nice" in a way, sprinkled with a bit of attitude masked as a passive-aggressive tolerance of idiots. I can't really put my finger on it, but it just felt, well, strained.

It's been about a week and I'm still not sure how I feel about the place. I enjoyed the imaginiative food and phenomenal wines. I loved going out to feed the two Vietnameses potbellied pigs - a treat for diners - who are the Farm's own compost system. And I would love to stay the night at the adorably romantic Willows Lodge right across the driveway from the restaurant. There's even a high-end but much more casual restaurant right next door in the same circular driveway, The Barking Frog, that looks amazing.

It was by far the most unique dining experience I've ever had and I'm glad we went. It costs a forune, though, so save up and maybe do it with a group if you can.