“The thing that really drives us is a real understanding of the products we use – not only the function and use of products, but understanding who is actually producing them, where the products are coming from, and fully understanding the work that goes into them. Because things are here today and gone tomorrow, it forces us to preserve and react quickly and logically, which translates into very fresh, nuanced, and – on the surface – simple dishes.”

Green asparagus with fermented white asparagus juice; rhubarb marinated in flowers with salted strawberries; dessert of egg yolk soaked in salted licorice with frozen yogurt and meringue.

Smyth has a restaurant partner, but at least an equal part of the restaurant is The Farm, a twenty-acre family-run farm located an hour away. Chefs and owners John and Karen Shields partner with the farmers to source most of their produce, herbs, and flowers. Ingredients from The Farm are highlighted on the menu in the varying steps of the growing and ripening process, making eating at Smyth an elegant meditation on the quickly changing moments in the growing season, executed by chefs with nuanced skill. This fine dining restaurant boasts a relaxed feel, where mid-century modern meets Japanese influence with Midwestern hospitality.

“The cooking is unconventional and innovative, but by no means is it experimental. Instead, it delivers constant satisfaction alongside a few wow-inducing surprises.” Michelin Guide