I am so thrilled to open the doors to this 10,000 square foot, 204-seat dining destination thoughtfully decorated much like my Bedford, New York farm. The menu features many of my own favorite dishes - all with the freshest, locally sourced ingredients. Among them - Big Martha's Pierogies, Oysters Rockefeller, my Honey Mustard Salmon, and Pasta Limone. And for dessert, my Upside-Down Lemon Meringue Pie. These are some of the same dishes I serve to family and friends when I entertain. And don't forget, at The Bedford by Martha Stewart, one can also enjoy my signature cocktails, such as my Martha-tini and my delicious Frozen Pomegranate Martha-rita. My team worked tirelessly to get the restaurant ready for you! I know you're going to love it!
Here are some photos, enjoy.
My second-ever restaurant opened its doors for business over the weekend. The Bedford by Martha Stewart is now on the east coast! And it’s open for breakfast and dinner seven days a week with lunch on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I can’t wait to hear what you think.
The bar is long and fills one entire side of the restaurant. Come and enjoy my delicious signature cocktails.
This is The Green Room, which is inspired by my own Green Parlor at the farm – the paint colors, the hanging Drabware plates, and the furniture are all very similar to what I have at home. This room is separate from the main dining area and available for private parties.
The windows in The Green Room dining room look out to videos taken of my gardens and allées. In fact, one of them even includes me riding by on one of my trusted Friesians.
If you follow my blog regularly, you may recognize some of the same design styles throughout the restaurant. These pots hang above the white marble topped counter just like they do in my own Winter House kitchen.
The copper pots and pans in a variety of sizes come from my MARTHA by Martha Stewart collection.
For opening weekend, my faux bois planters available at my shop on Amazon, were filled with blooming plants – just like I do at home.
All around the main dining room are large black and white photos of me as a model.
Last minute preparations are made to the table settings – everything is set perfectly.
Every piece is checked and checked again. And notice the colors – the walls, furniture, and the wait staff uniforms are shades of Bedford Gray.
Place settings are done in crisp white with silver flatware. Individual salt and pepper bowls are added – just like I do at home for guests.
I display many of my crystal and glass pieces on shelves and inside glass cases in my home. My team worked hard to bring my Bedford home to you – and they did an excellent job.
In one corner is a merchandise area showcasing some of my books and other products available for purchase.
Here are some pieces from my kitchen collections. Items can be purchased during one’s visit to The Bedford by Martha Stewart and added to the dining check. It’s one stop eating and shopping.
Here is another counter display showing my hanging pots and plants.
There are more than 200 seats for guests – some in open, airy spaces and others tucked away for more quiet and intimate conversations.
The staff is large and everyone is given detailed training.
By early evening, the kitchen is buzzing with chefs preparing for the launch party.
Lights are dimmed and table lamps are turned on.
Drink menus are decorated with faux bois, a pattern I love and use on various walls of my home. Several are propped up for guests to peruse.
And wait until you see who attends this exciting event. In my next blog, I will share lots of photos from our launch party – it was so much fun.
There are always so many beautiful and interesting planters to see at The Tropics, Inc. in Hollywood, California - it's definitely become one of my favorite stops whenever I'm in the Los Angeles area.
During a recent business trip, I paid a visit to Ron Horziencik, CEO and President of the 20,000 square foot gallery. You may have seen the post on my Instagram page @MarthaStewart48. Ryan and his team offer plants and accessories for both residential and corporate use, real estate staging, and television and film projects. If you're ever in the vicinity and want to browse through the space, please call and make an appointment.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
I always try to add a stop at The Tropics, Inc. to my list of must-see places whenever I am in Los Angeles. It really is a treasure trove of beautiful and unique items. In the back is a large Deuterocohnia lorentziana mound in a handmade vintage French concrete planter with
encrusted sea shells. In front are vintage hewn stone, ceramic, and terracotta planters.
Ryan’s father, Ronald J. Hroziencik, started the business selling junk at a swap meet with his college roommate. Occasionally, they would have plants to sell, and customers loved them. Now, it’s a successful establishment with a large inventory of unique and beautiful plants, containers, and so much more.
This is a massive aged elephant foot tree in a large vintage steel industrial planter.
Ryan has a variety of planters for sale inside and out – in all different sizes, forms, and materials.
In this corner is a braided Pachira aquatica forest planted in a large vintage French foundry crucible container with original patina. A Ceiba tree on the left sits in a vintage planter.
And this is Ryan’s container garden – so inspiring.
In another area, these assorted vintage Willy Guhl hourglass planters with original patina. Willy Gulh was a Swiss industrial designer and cabinet maker. These items are from Switzerland, circa 1960.
Here is an aged sculptural Cyphostemma juttae, commonly known as the Namibian grape or tree grape. It is in a vintage Willy Guhl chalice planter with its original patina – circa 1960.
Perhaps you recognize these plants – Kalanchoe, echeveria, and hanging sedum in different vintage hewn stone planters.
This is a Deuterocohnia brevifolia mound planted in a hollowed tree root.
Another interesting item is this aged deciduous Adenium obesum bonsai in a vintage French concrete planter with its original patina.
Here is a trio of vintage French concrete planters with encrusted sea shells.
Ryan also carries interesting busts – this one is a vintage French plaster bust with original patina on a table. Underneath is a large cluster of pink barnacle.
This vintage French lion sculpture looks to be guarding the space.
Sansevieria hallii, or baseball bat Sanseveria, is a slow-growing evergreen cactus succulent with blue and green foliage. It is planted in another Willy Guhl geometric planter with original patina.
I also noticed this bird’s nest fern – I have many bird’s nest ferns at my farm.
Look at this interesting aged Haworthia truncate mound in a vintage steel disk planter.
Planted here is a Brachychiton populneus bonsai with Deuterocohnia brevifolia mounds and rocks in a vintage Willy Guhl bowl planter with original patina – from Switzertland, circa 1960.
This is a vintage French bust of André Le Nôtre, a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France. In fact, Nôtre was the landscape architect who designed the gardens of the Palace of Versailles.
And this is the item I bought – a very interesting Dioscorea elephantipes, also known as Elephant’s Foot – a slow-growing caudiciform succulent native to South Africa, and loved for its large, sculptural tuber.
And here I am with Ryan. Thank you, Ryan, for another wonderful tour of The Tropics, Inc.
It's mid-March, the snow is gone, and every chance we get we're cleaning up and getting our pre-spring chores done around my farm.
The crew is busy with many projects, including raking the garden beds, pruning the weeping willows, grooming the beech tree hedge around my pool, blowing any old leaves and branches, washing my Polaris off-road vehicles, bathing the dogs, etc. I keep a running list of all the chores that need to be done at any given time. So far, it's a strong start to the season ahead.
Here are some photos.
The snow has melted here at the farm and with refreshing, mild temperatures earlier this week, my gardeners and outdoor grounds crew have been able to get a lot of jobs done.
While work is being done above to trim the dead, diseased, damaged, defective, or deranged branches from my weeping willows along the edge of my pinetum…
… Lots of raking is done below to clear away all the fallen debris.
This day was in the high 70s. Here’s my driver, Andres, giving my trusted Polaris vehicle a good washing.
And here’s Matthew cleaning the beds outside my greenhouse. All the beds look so much better after a fresh raking. More than two feet of snow covered the beds for so many weeks.
Phurba rakes the beds outside my Tenant House – being very careful not to step on any emerging bulbs.
Here’s Adan blowing underneath the dwarf apple espalier – debris and old twigs left over from last year.
And Chhiring blows all the old leaves from the tree pits in my allée of pin oaks. Soon, spring croci will fill these areas.
Before the coldest days of winter, I like to cover various gardens with evergreen branches. Doing this provides a protective barrier against freezing temperatures, drying winds, and heavy snow. They also help to insulate plants and reduce temperature swings that can damage certain plant roots. But it’s much warmer now, and Matthew can pick them all up.
On the inside of my pool fence I have a hedge of beech trees, purple columnar Fagus sylvatica ‘Dawyck Purple.’ I instructed Pasang to trim one foot from the top all the way around. It’s good to do this now when the hedge is still bare.
I like as much pruning and grooming as possible done by hand. These Japanese Okatsune shears are specially made for trimming hedges. These shears are user friendly, and come in a range of sizes.
To ensure the pruning is perfectly straight, we always use bright landscaping twine pulled between poles and placed along sections of the hedge. Here one can see what trees were trimmed and what still needs work.
Here’s my gardener Ryan bringing beautiful plants in bloom to display in my home. These are forced white amaryllis.
Down at the stable, my Chow Chow, Emperor Han, with his dense double coat also needs attention. Carlos gives Han a thorough bath.
Carlos washes carefully around Han’s face and chin and around the outside of the ear canal – never inside.
Chow Chows have a lot of coat around the head, giving it a lion-like appearance, so this area needs a lot of grooming. After a good and thorough drying and brushing, Han looks great. Now, don’t walk through any mud, Han!
Inside, Ryan tends to the growing artichokes, which will be planted outdoors in the vegetable garden come spring.
Matthew mists the tender seedlings that were started last week. Everything is growing according to schedule. I can’t wait until my giant half-acre vegetable garden is full with produce once again.
And look – some of the first blooms of spring are coming up! Here is a bunch of crocus growing outside my Equipment Barn.
And some of the first snow drops, Galanthus, growing outside my guest production house. Today’s temperatures will be colder – low 40s in this area, but don’t worry – spring is officially here in just one week!
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