Burlington’s hotly anticipated burger joint, The Farmhouse Tap & Grill on Bank Street, has hired a head chef. When it opens in May, NECI-grad Phillip Clayton, who’s been sous-chef at Hen of the Wood in Waterbury for two years and held the same position at Trattoria Delia before that, will run the kitchen.
“He’s the only person I talked to about the job,” says co-owner Jed Davis. “He’s absolutely committed to cooking local [food], starting with what’s available and building from that.” He continues: “The whole concept of our menu is taking comfort items and applying a fine-dining precision to them. [Clayton] has the skills.”
In keeping with the owners’ promise of house-made charcuterie, Davis says, the chef is already working on plans to whip up bacon and dry-cured Italian-style sausages. Given Davis’ own experience with pâtés and terrines during a stint at New York’s Daniel, the results should please pork purists.
Also on the developing roster of talent: bar manager Chad Rich, who hails from American Flatbread Burlington. “He’s just a walking encyclopedia of what a taproom should be, and his goal is to put us on the map in terms of New England taprooms,” says Davis.
How many brews will the bar serve? “I think we’re looking at about 24 on tap … and by the bottle I’d say 100 or so,” says the entrepreneur. Sounds like local suds fans will be spending some time down on the farm.
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2010.
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