Sarah Hoffmann didn’t mean for Green Dirt on Oak to be a fine dining restaurant. The Crossroads space was intended to be another production facility for her Weston-based sheep’s milk cheese company Green Dirt Farm. But chef Oskar Arévalo, who has been a cheese maker at Green Dirt since 2020, convinced Hoffmann of the two-story building’s potential.
Green Dirt on Oak did end up becoming a cheese facility, but it’s also a cafe (downstairs) and farm-to-table restaurant (upstairs). While the beautiful upstairs dining room serves a slightly more sophisticated and elevated menu, the cafe’s more casual offerings of Reubens with shredded lamb and cinnamon rolls with sheep’s cheese icing pack an equally impressive artisan quality as well. As far as Hoffmann’s journey from cheesemonger to restaurant owner, it’s not just about showcasing cheeses anymore. At Green Dirt on Oak, it’s about deriving creativity from sustainability.
Everything that can be locally sourced is. Everything that can be made in house is. Starting with the lamb, Arévalo sources it from Green Dirt’s sheep farm in Weston. The goal is to use every bit of it, so it’s commonly seen throughout the menus. It doesn’t matter if lamb “isn’t your thing.” Arévalo prepares it in so many different ways that the flavor you know as “lamb” becomes trivial. There’s lamb tartare, lamb ragu, leg of lamb, even a lamb burger. The Reuben is made with corned lamb, but because Green Dirt doesn’t make the equivalent of a Swiss cheese, the common choice for the sandwich, Arévalo uses the byproduct of various other cheeses to create a worthy parallel. His “waste-not” mentality ensures unique dishes every time.
Of course, Green Dirt’s cheeses are integral to the menu. It may sound cliche, but this is one charcuterie board you don’t want to miss. You get to choose the cheeses featured on the board, and Dirt Lover, a soft, funky award-winning cheese, should be on it. Alongside the cheeses are house-made chicken liver mousse, country pâté made from whole hogs, nuts with different candied coatings and sourdough bread made with native yeast from Missouri.
The cheesecake made with Green Dirt’s fresh soft cheese should be the finish to every meal.
If you happen to find yourself at Green Dirt for a more casual visit, the downstairs coffee bar shouldn’t be overlooked. Sheep’s milk straight from the farm is one of the milk options and makes for an indulgent and tasty cappuccino.
