Hegsted bringing modern, hearty menu to new spot in Ponderay

The concept is simple: farm-to-table contemporary comfort foods with a special emphasis on fried chicken and barbecue.

Of course, there’ll be craft cocktails, too. And, local beer.

When Adam Hegsted’s new restaurant opens in Ponderay in mid- to late June, the menu will be modern and hearty. Barbecue items – chicken, pork ribs and shoulder, brisket and pastrami – will be the showstoppers. So will the buttermilk-brined fried chicken.

“It’s basically a double-fried chicken,” Hegsted said. “So, we blanch fry it, and then we crispy fry it.”

Hegsted, the chef and owner behind Spokane’s Yards Bruncheon, Wandering Table and Gilded Unicorn, perfected his barbecuing skills as a young executive chef at the Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel. Lately, he’s been working on his fried chicken technique, too – hosting monthly fried chicken nights at his Wandering Table restaurant in Kendall Yards since January. Those Wednesday Night Fried Chicken Suppers have proved to be popular. So Hegsted’s building the dish into his regular menu at his new spot.

Farmhouse Kitchen and Silo Bar will be located at 477227 Highway 95 N. in Ponderay. It’s a new building, but, Hegsted said, “We want it to feel like it’s been there a long time.”

So the decor features a lot of reclaimed, distressed wood. It’s punctuated with subway tile and a butcher block bar top. The silo offers a waiting area.

Farmhouse will seat about 80 inside, plus about 20 on the patio. There’s room for about 35 in the Silo Bar, plus 20 more on the patio off of the lounge. The bar will feature a limited menu and remain open late. The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

There’s much overlap between the brunch, dinner and bar menus. Fans will also notice staples from some of Hegsted’s other restaurants, especially Wandering Table and The Yards Bruncheon, which feature similar farm-to-table philosophies and are also focused on using local, seasonal ingredients.

Brunch at Farmhouse will be served from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Starters include fresh apple doughnuts with maple dipping glaze, also a staple at The Yards Bruncheon. Also on the starter menu: deviled eggs with bacon-maple filling and crispy potato toppers, a staple at Wandering Table.

Look, also, for avocado toast, buttermilk biscuits and sausage gravy, omelets and benedicts, burgers and sandwiches, and breakfast fajitas, burritos and tacos. Sweeter entrees include a bacon-maple waffle, huckleberry pancakes and a Dutch baby, or German-style pancake. Salads are a Cobb wedge and baby kale with Parmesan. Soups are curried carrot and Northwest clam chowder.

The dinner menu – served from 3:30 p.m. to close – includes fish-and-chips, grilled New York strip steak, country-fried New York strip steak, grilled meatloaf, and breakfast-for-dinner with two eggs, sausages, bacon and more.

In the bar, find house-made beernuts – peanuts toasted in beer syrup, sea salt and sugar. The menu also will feature barbecue nachos and a signature burger.

A bonus for skiers and snowboarders and all-around outdoor enthusiasts: Farmhouse Kitchen and Silo Bar will serve as a pick-up and drop-off spot for nearby Schweitzer Mountain Resort.

“The shuttle will be running right in front of the restaurant,” said Hegsted, who also owns Eat Good Cafe in Liberty Lake and Le Catering Co.

Farmhouse Kitchen and Silo Bar will be open seven days per week. It’s hiring for all positions. Hegsted expects to need 15 to 20 employees.

For more info, call (208) 255-2603 or email info@farmhousekitchenandsilobar.com. On the web: farmhousekitchenandsilobar.com.