The Forage team heads to the suburbs with Few & Far

The team behind Cambridge favorite Forage is bringing their recipe for success — farm-to-table food and natural wine — to Dedham.

The team behind Forage is bringing another farm-to-table, natural wine bar and restaurant to Greater Boston: Few & Far, which opened May 1.

Except this time, it’s in its owner’s neck of the woods, and conveniently next door to his wine shop, Satellite Bottle Shop.

“You drive around here — except for a few spots here and there — it’s all big chains, soulless destinations of service,” said Stan Hilbert, owner of Few & Far and Forage. “It is what it is. I just want a place where I could go if I lived here, for the community.”

It just so happened that a space for a restaurant opened up next door to Satellite, where Hilbert sells natural and small production wine and runs a wine club subscription service. So Hilbert dove in, joking that he listened to his heart before he listened to his account.

But compared to eight years ago when he opened Forage, with Eric Cooper as chef, it’s much more expensive to open and run a restaurant. So they recruited the help of NuMarket and the community, who partially crowdfund the restaurant, in addition to “personal savings and just pure craziness,” Hilbert said.

“The cost of wood and the buildout is 50 percent more than it was six years ago,” Hilbert said. “I just don’t see myself doing anything else. I thought long and hard about it, and that’s really the answer.”

Through their fundraising efforts came the reality of bringing an owner-operated restaurant of the Forage caliber to Dedham, which is certainly not common in the suburbs.

There’s the giant shopping center, Legacy Place, that has everything from fast-casual to higher-end food options, though mostly chains or run by big restaurant groups.

Then there’s Dedham Square Circle, which development has been in the works for years. What’s there are quaint local shops, like a pho restaurant, a deli, farmers markets, and even a bike shop. Hilbert’s natural wine shop opened in 2023.

A spokesperson for Dedham Square Circle said it’s been great to see Hilbert invest in Dedham with new offerings that attract customers who are “looking for something not readily found in large chain stores.”

“Now that I’ve had the shop since August, I see a lot of young families who say ‘We can’t wait for you to open,’” Hilbert said. “Hopefully that’ll reflect in actual customers coming in.”

Few & Far menu

Hilbert is working once again with Chef Cooper, also a partner at Few & Far, and he admits that it won’t be too different from Forage. Sure, it will have different people behind the scenes turning that local produce into something yummy, and of course, their menu will change as constantly as availability changes for local produce — like fresh-picked fruits from Wards Berry Farm in Sharon, or organic mushrooms from Mycoterra in South Deerfield.

“At Forage, we decide what the menu is day-of, or the week-of, because of what happens with produce availability,” Hilbert said. “We could plan something, and three weeks later, that’s not the season anymore. You never know if you get inspired by something.”

Their current menu includes items like:

• Small plates, like roasted beets ($16), mushroom toast ($22), colorful radishes ($16), and kale and potato croquettes ($16).
• Big plates, like Maine grains risotto ($30), grilled marinated swordfish ($36), hanger steak ($38), and a baked farfalle pasta ($30).

And if you’ve got the kiddos in tow, there’s a menu for them as well.

Just like Forage, the menu makes creative accommodations for vegetarian diners. But unlike Forage, there’s no prix fixe menu, and for now, there aren’t planned events, like the wine dinners their Cambridge restaurant hosts.

Toward the front of the restaurant will be the bar that makes it feel like a neighborhood spot — maybe you’re just in for a drink and snack after work, and that’s OK. Of course, it will serve natural wine, just like Hilbert’s next door shop sells and what Forage is known for offering.

There are sparkling, white, pink, red, and even orange wine options by the glass ($13-$16). For those not in the mood for a glass of vino, there are craft beer options as well ($8-$14).

But Hilbert also wanted the bar to be a place where you can get a good-quality cocktail in Dedham.

“That’s one thing we’re going to do right,” Hilbert said. “You’re coming in for a Manhattan, you’re going to get, I hope, a perfectly executed Manhattan. But then we’ll have some other drinks that are more esoteric, fun, and funky.”

“Funky,” like the If There’s Smoke mezcal cocktail with a green poblano liqueur, aloe, and cucumber ($16). There’s also their take on a cold brew cocktail in The One, with vodka, cinnamon, magnolia, egg, and cream ($16).

Guests can find their menu online, but should also follow Few & Far on Instagram for any special collaborations or menu changes. The hours are 5 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, and closed Monday and Tuesday.

Few and Far; 566 High St., Dedham