For lunch today my cousin Sumika and I decided to try the Brick Farm Market in Hopewell, NJ. My mom had eaten their Cubano sandwich and given it a glowing review, and I had tried some of their side dishes when I was recovering from my foot surgery and thought they were quite good.
A converted auto-repair shop, the Brick Farm Market is a cross between a local market and cafe. There are prepared dishes ranging from homemade meatballs to quinoa salad to fried chicken. They also serve salads sandwiches and pizzas featured on the chalkboard behind the food. There is a huge focus here on local organically sourced food, which is certainly a growing trend and one that I appreciate (although my wallet may not always agree).
There are tables and chairs in the center of the room and above on an abbreviated top floor. A juice bar and coffee bar sit on the side of the market, and in the corner you can find fresh produce, packaged foods, and a freezer for ice cream. The whole place has a very chic rustic, local feel to it, and it is casual enough where you can just stop in for a quick bite to eat and be on your way or spend your time enjoying the sun on their outdoor patio in the front.
While we were waiting for our hot food to be ready, we browsed the market portion of the room. We found these beautiful tiny raspberries. They were so small and shiny, I thought they looked like they were jewelry.
As we continued to browse, we came upon the freezer in which we found . . . BENT SPOON ICE CREAM!!!!
What a wonderful surprise!
On to our lunch . . .
We decided to share the pizza topped with porchetta, broccoli, garlic sauce, onion jam, and provolone.
Unfortunately, the pizza we received was burnt on the bottom. We took it back and were kindly brought a new non-burnt pizza. I am very glad we did ask for a new one because the pizza itself was very good and it would have been a shame to have forced ourselves to endure through the burnt taste of the first pizza. I any event, the porchetta was nice and tender. The onion jam brought a great sweetness to the richness of the melted cheese. The broccoli was great for color and for the illusion that some of this was healthy. The crust was thin, but still sturdy enough to hold up all the toppings. Overall I was impressed and enjoyed this pizza.
Our other selection was the blueberry brie sandwich on focaccia with hazelnut spread.
The brie was creamy and not overpowering. The blueberries were soft and sweet. The bread first seemed like a lot, but this focaccia was actually very spongey with a lot of air in it. The crunch from the lettuce was a nice additive. And I think the best part of this was the nuttiness, both in flavor and texture, from the hazelnut spread.
I will have to return to actually try their cubano sandwich.
