Germantown restaurant offers bac

When someone orders an omelette for Sunday brunch at Equestria Restaurant & Lounge, the chef likely will crack open an egg that he gathered just that morning from the hen house.

Behind the restaurant at Poplar Pike and Forest Hill-Irene, Equestria operates a private zoo and garden of sorts on the nearly four-acre site.

"The Peabody has the ducks, but we've got the farm," Equestria's general manager Jonathan Henderson said with a laugh.

Part of it is practical. The restaurant saves about $200 a week in produce, eggs

and herbs.

The animals are strictly pets. They are in locked and fenced-in areas after an escape two summers ago by Meatball, a male peacock.

Besides Meatball, there's Crazy Eyes, another male peacock, and an unnamed female peahen.

In addition, Ike, the mallard, can't wait to get into the miniature pool. He steps on the back of Tina, a tall lanky talkative white goose.

A smaller white goose with a puff of down on her head is Patti LaBelle, who shuns the cool water.

Roscoe struts around as the pen's rescued banty rooster. Someone brought him to them in a Bud Light carton with a biscuit and chicken bones.

Scotty and Spotty hop about as the zoo's two resident rabbits.

Next door in a separate pen are Rhode Island Red hens and a mean rooster named Perdue. Puffing his feathers, Perdue eyes Henderson, looking for a fight.

"If you do it, I'll kick you. I ain't going to let you spur me," Henderson warns.

Perdue decides to leave him alone that day.

Their gardening is part trial and error. They planted two rows of corn. Three are needed for cross-pollination.

"I think we had a half piece of corn out of the two rows," said Chef de Cusine Matt Boldreghini.

Sometimes, customers end up taking fresh veggies or herbs home in a bag.

After stewing, frying and making gumbo and succotash out of a bumper crop of okra, Boldreghini said, "We were frying the seeds and making an orka popcorn."

So far, they are growing lettuce, kiwis, tomatoes, grapes and a variety of herbs, along with peaches, pears, cherries and figs.

Workers are building a green house with raised beds where they hope to grow fresh vegetables year round.

They take turns plowing, hoeing, weeding, watering and picking the vegetables and herbs.

"It definitely wasn't on the job application," Boldreghini said.

He and executive chef Chris Henderson head the gardening team while Chris' brother, Jonathan, and restaurant owner Dennis Scott oversee the animals.

"This is my golf," said Scott who works as a cotton trader. "This is my R&R."

Even with the city's often strict zoning laws, Equestria is not violating any city or health department codes. Both animal control officers and health department officials have visited the site. The property is zoned commercial, which doesn't prevent having critters on the property.

The restaurant draws the line on serving their pets as a menu item.

Insists Henderson, "Perdue won't be on the menu. We'll still buy our chicken at the store."

-- Lela Garlington: 529-2349

Germantown restaurant offers backyard farm with ducks, peacocks, hens