The service, cuisine and atmosphere all make The Farmasea Restaurant in Gloucester an exceptional dining experience. Think date-night dinner on steroids.
A few weeks ago, my husband and I double-dated with good friends to the newish-eatery on Gloucester’s Main Street and were more than pleasantly surprised. I’d heard the restaurant offered good food with a romantic vibe and was different from all others in the area. It more than lived up to the hype.
Chef and owner William Mitchell’s creations are fresh, delicious and a feast for the eyes—almost too pretty to eat. Obviously, a lot of love goes into every dish.
Years ago, customers frequented an iconic lunch counter in the same location at the former Morgan’s Drugstore. It was during the COVID-19 pandemic that a transformation began. After sitting vacant for eight years, the building underwent a remodel in 2020 when owners Harvey and Mary-Helen Morgan worked with Mitchell to create what is now Farmasea. The restaurant opened in mid 2020.
Mitchell’s sister Ashbyrne came up with the name Farmasea, a play on pharmacy, while giving a nod to the restaurant’s farm-to-table, dock-to-dish menu. Along with old newspaper clippings and photos chronicling the drugstore’s history in the vestibule, the artisan cocktails menu includes such tantalizing drinks as The Farmacist or The RX. During our dinner, I ordered the Mood Stabilizer, described as “a medicinal blend of silver tequila, cointreau, cranberry and lime juices, with a salted rim.” As billed, it was just what the doctor ordered and although I swore off tequila several years ago—courtesy of a college happy hour gone wrong—I fell in love with the cocktail. It was smooth and refreshing. Not too strong, but not too weak. The tequila was evident but not overpowering. My husband chose The RX with its vodka, fresh mint, muddled blueberries, lime juice and simple syrup. He had no complaints and it vanished quickly.
Farmasea’s lounge area, which opens to outdoor deck seating, is stunning. A boat light fixture is the central feature of the room and was built by Mitchell he says with “lots of help.” The bar was made by Mitchell, who also has a degree in furniture design from Savannah College of Art & Design. He studied furniture design before deciding to pursue his real passion. With a culinary degree from the Art Institute of New York City, he has 25 years of culinary experience as executive chef at various restaurants along the east coast from New York to Charleston. His inspiration comes from locally-sourced products.
“Everybody around here was serving fried cod and tilapia. And I said, what the hell are ya’ll doing with all this good, local seafood,” he said. His menu offers low country cooking with a Tidewater flair.
The menu has its staples with its “Sammy’s” including fried chicken, smash burger or grilled tuna and appetizer choices that remain the same, but the entrees change weekly with what’s in season.
“I stick with what I can get 100 miles or less of Gloucester,” said the Wake native. “As soon as I can’t get tomatoes [locally], I don’t buy tomatoes. The name of the game is to support our local growers and producers.” Even his beef comes from farms in West Point and Henrico County.
On our date night, the entrees included stuffed flounder, BBQ tuna and fried oysters and a New York strip.
I chose the flounder, which was nestled on a bed of corn rice pilaf and arugula puree and wrapped around a filling of Chesapeake Bay blue crab. My husband’s tuna and oyster tower sat on warm potato salad with heirloom tomatoes and red onions. It was drenched in a country ham butter sauce.
My friend Darlene opted for the New York strip, tender and sliced thinly with a hint of pink center. It laid on a bed of fingerling potatoes and charred broccolini with whipped feta and a side of demi sauce.
Had we known how filling the dinners would be—we all left with lunch for the next day—we wouldn’t have ordered appetizers, which are inappropriately named. Farmasea’s appetizers are small entrees. The fried calamari was accompanied by an arugula and grapefruit salad with a bacon vinaigrette and our baked brie was served with a sliced apple and mixed green salad, a small sourdough loaf with blueberry jam and a pile of sliced Virginia ham. It was a meal in itself.
Pianist Alyssa Owens, who played on a baby grand in the dining room, added elegance to the experience. One diner said “the piano player takes it to a new level.” Indeed she does.
“It was difficult pulling the trigger on the piano. People thought I was nuts locally,” said Mitchell. “It’s about creating an atmosphere, not playing 96.7 on the radio.”
And indeed, Farmasea is about a complete dining experience and Mitchell’s passion for pleasing the palate.
