There are farm-to-table restaurants, and then there is Purdy’s Farmer & The Fish. Located along Routes 22 and 116 in North Salem — just minutes from Somers — this enchanting restaurant operates from a white wood-framed farmhouse that dates back to 1775. The building, added to the National Historic Register in 1973, sits on the 22-acre Purdy Land Trust, and the five terraced acres behind the restaurant are where much of what ends up on your plate is grown.
That is not a marketing claim. It is a daily operational reality. More than three-quarters of the vegetables and herbs used in the kitchen are grown on the property. The salad you eat was harvested from a terraced field out back. The house-made hot sauce, the carrot bread, the cucumber salad swimming in cucumber juice so fresh and intoxicating it barely needs dressing — all of it traces back to this land.
The Fish Half of the Equation
The seafood side of Purdy’s is equally serious. One of the co-owners operates a seafood distribution company called Down East Seafood, which supplies the restaurant exclusively. The result is fish of a quality that very few restaurants anywhere can match — halibut, salmon, tuna, and soft-shell crab that arrive at the kitchen with the kind of freshness usually reserved for port-side restaurants in fishing towns.
The Michelin Guide has taken notice, describing the restaurant as one that walks the walk by using ingredients they grow, smoke, or cure on site. The scallop salad — three perfectly seared scallops set with farm bacon and a fried egg — is the kind of dish that justifies the drive from anywhere in Westchester.
A Setting Like No Other
The charm of Purdy’s extends well beyond the plate. In warm months, diners take to the front porch for outdoor dining surrounded by wildflowers and garden paths. In winter, fire pits are set up outside, turning the farmstead into a cozy gathering place even on cold nights. Inside, distressed wide-beam wooden floors and a wraparound dining room hum with warmth and energy.
Despite its pastoral setting, Purdy’s is decidedly not sleepy. The crowd tends to run younger than the farmhouse exterior might suggest, gets louder as the evening progresses, and stays later than expected. It is, as one reviewer put it, kind of a scene — and a beloved one. Since opening in 2012, Purdy’s has become one of the most acclaimed restaurants in all of Northern Westchester.
For Somers residents, Purdy’s Farmer & The Fish is the kind of destination that reminds you how extraordinary your own backyard can be.