Foodies have known it for years–some of the very best, cutting-edge restaurants feature farm-to-table fare (meaning the ingredients are locally sourced and as fresh as possible). Newly opened Mulberry House of Westfield offers French-inspired farm-to-table cuisine as well as full tea service, which makes it a standout among local eateries.

Some of you might recognize  the facade of Mulberry House–it was once known as Ana Beall’s Tea Room. Jenna DeLorenzi and Anders Goldkuhl bought the restaurant, which is located on Westfield Ave., and relaunched it as Mulberry House in late August of this year.

There’s something special about dining in what was once a Victorian home. The sun-washed interior has an intimate feel, and in the evening patrons dine by candlelight with soft jazz in the background (sounds like the perfect date night, no?).

By day, Mulberry House is a tea house serving traditional tea service as well as bistro lunch options. But Jenna promises that tea at Mulberry House isn’t the stuffy experience you’ll find at other tea houses. “At most tea houses, when you order a tea stand, they give you a variety of each thing; you don’t pick the exact items for your stand. At Mulberry House we want our guests involved; we want them to pick their favorites and truly make it their own. Each guest picks their own selection of scones, sweets, and savories, along with a soup or salad to begin with.” Mulberry House also offers many brunch options on both Saturdays and Sundays.

Dinner at Mullberry House is a unique experience. According to Jenna, the entire dinner menu is farm-to-table. “We change our dinner menu every week. We’re going to the farms ourselves and picking our veggies for the menu that week. The beef and chicken are all grass fed and also purchased primarily at farms in North Jersey.” Chef Anders recommends you expand your culinary horizons and try the potted quail: a whole quail roasted in a mini dutch oven.

 

In addition to the downstairs seating area at Mulberry House, the upstairs seats 60 and can accommodate private events. They also provide catering services, as well as bartenders, servers, and you can even hire a Mulberry House chef to cook at a private event at your house! That sounds like stress-free entertaining to me.

There’s a little shopping section in Mulberry House where you can purchase scones, loose leaf tea, sweets, candy/holiday lollipops, gift certificates, jam, and clotted cream (perfect gifts for the holidays!).

Soon the restaurant will be offering a $25 pre-fixe three-course menu on Wednesday and Thursday nights. And good news for those of us who don’t like to host on holidays–Mulberry House will be open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve (call to inquire about Thanksgiving).

Mulberry House is located at 415 Westfield Ave. The restaurant is BYO, and reservations required for parties of 6 or more, suggested for all other parties.

Hours: Monday Closed; Tuesday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Wednesday & Thursday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Sunday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

http://mulberryhouserestaurant.com/

908-233-3562