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Farmhouse Evanston

Farmhouse Evanston
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  • Farmhouse Evanston

    Post #1 - July 13th, 2013, 11:46 am
    Post #1 - July 13th, 2013, 11:46 am Post #1 - July 13th, 2013, 11:46 am
    Didn't see a thread for the recently opened (4 days ago) Farmhouse location in Evanston. I went last night and had a tasty meal. We started with the house made potato chips which were nice with a tasty but somewhat chunky dill dip which led to breaking many of the thin chips. Followed the chips with a delicious house made chicken soup with fluffy herb dumplings, this was the highlight of the meal (although we were left without spoons for 5-10min), almost as good as a nice home made bowl with much less effort.

    We shared the duck leg entree which was very good, almost confit-like texture and flavor. It was served with a delicious seemingly home made wide noodle pasta with english peas a duck egg yolk on top. Mixing the egg yolk in the pasta resulted in a very nice diy carbonara. As a side we got the "fresh market vegetables" which was a bit underwhelming, just a small plate of green beans with some sort of caramelized shallot, bacon, breadcrumb topping. Nice but not very remarkable.

    The beer selection was really good, lots of local IL/MI/IN/WI craft breweries. We had a brewery Vivant Zaison and an IPA with a funny name that was nice but I can't remember the name.

    Although the food and beer was quite good, I'm going to give them a few days/weeks to get in gear, service was quite poor. For so early on it was tolerable, but it took about an hour to get our mains, ~40min after finishing our apps. The 6-top next to us, two of the diners never seemed to get their mains at all.

    http://farmhouseevanston.com/
    703 Church Street, Evanston, IL 60201 · 847.492.9700
  • Post #2 - July 31st, 2013, 9:24 am
    Post #2 - July 31st, 2013, 9:24 am Post #2 - July 31st, 2013, 9:24 am
    The Evanston Lunch Group enjoyed our lunch at the new Farmhouse Evanston. The food we had ranged from decent to very good, they have a nice beer list (I’ll let nr706 weigh in on that), but it is a bit pricey. Service was eager, competent, but a bit slow. We were a little surprised that for a table of 7 people ordering quite a few dishes off the menu, they insisted on a $5 surcharge for the kitchen to cut the sandwiches in quarters. To be fair, they did include saber-style long toothpicks in each quarter, so I suppose that made the surcharge worthwhile!

    The very good: the fish and chips--the fried yellow perch was tender, sweet, delicious; the PEI mussels were also well-cooked and very tasty (although initially the server told us it would be $2 to get 4 more triangles of bread to sop up the tasty broth).

    The good: roasted beet and arugula salad with grainy mustard vinaigrette—the mustard made this salad more pungent than many; the patty melt, served medium rare on marble rye but with some house-made “special sauce” that seemed mayo-based (I didn’t need the sauce); house-made jerky and roasted nuts were savory without being overly salty; the fries, of which we had an abundance. We received their “tavern-cut” potato chips and dill dip gratis. The dip had a nice dill punch, but the chips were nothing special. The smoked potato chips at Rub’s Backcountry Smokehouse are much better.

    The decent: hanger steak was a bit too chewy and the ciabatta bun was dry; the trippel sandwich didn’t make much of an impression on me; it came with “malted” tomato soup that we found didn’t taste of malt and was so thick it seemed more like marinara, as GAF said, than soup; my $4 house-made ginger ale was weak—I should have stuck with water. Others tried the house-made cream soda and cuke with basil.
  • Post #3 - August 9th, 2013, 9:01 am
    Post #3 - August 9th, 2013, 9:01 am Post #3 - August 9th, 2013, 9:01 am
    I went back last night for drinks; Farmhouse does ave one of the carefully thought out beer lists I've seen. Consistent with their focus on all thinks local, all beer choices are from the four states that border Lake Michigan (although, thankfully, no beers from the Miller Valley neighborhood of Milwaukee). I had a brand new release from Spiteful Brewing, Debbie Downer dunkel, and a Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza Belgian-style Golden Ale. Both excellent, and the bartender seemed pretty knowledgeable about the beers.

    Interestingly, they also offer a nice selection of meads, from the South Side's Wild Blosson meadery.
  • Post #4 - March 19th, 2014, 2:31 pm
    Post #4 - March 19th, 2014, 2:31 pm Post #4 - March 19th, 2014, 2:31 pm
    I had a meal here recently that was just short of disastrous. After looking forward to trying it for so long, we were seriously dissapointed by the comedy of errors that clouded nearly every aspect of our meal and I cannot imagine ever returning. From service, to food, to the space itself, our visit was plagued by amateurism and missteps of various shapes and sizes.

    Service was excruciatingly slow. It was nearly 45 minutes from when we ordered until the first food arrived at our table. We even gave the kitchen an easy lay-up by ordering House Cured Beef Jerky & Roasted Tavern Nuts (both make-in-advance items) but not even those showed up before 3/4 of an hour had passed. Food was repeatedly served before beverages and silverware were brought to the table. Some items we ordered were completely forgotten and never served. Others were cleared while we were still eating them. We never even got to try any of the beers (the beer list looked good) or wines because when it came time for us to order them, our server was nowhere to be found. When he finally did resurface, we figured that we'd be waiting until long after the appropriate courses to receive them, so we decided not to bother.

    The best of the food was just ok. We received 15 of the 17 items we ordered. Of those, Tavern Cut Fries, Beer Battered Wisconsin Cheese Curds and Baby Beet Salad were the tastiest. The main issue with the food was the intense overuse of salt. Nearly everything was oversalted, some dishes so much that they couldn't be finished. From soup to main courses, the problem appeared consistently throughout our meal. Had our server ever asked why we weren't finishing plates, we would have told him. He never bothered. Desserts were pretty darned bad with ice creams that were extremely gritty in texture. They were so wrong that if I'd made these at home, I would have thrown them away. But here at Farmhouse, they were being served and charged for.

    We sat in the upstairs dining room and it was hot. I typically run hot but even some others in our group who are almost always cold were shedding layers of clothing during our meal. Even our server commented on it. Bummer that an acknowledged problem of such severity could not be dealt with.

    The single highlight: the ciders. Given the local/regional focus, this is a tough needle to thread. A lot of domestic ciders are not worth the apples that were picked to make them. So, curating a meaningful list of U.S.-made ciders is not easy. Will, the gentleman who helped us, seemed to know his stuff. I'm not sure if he curated the list but it was a thoughtful one and he certainly knew it well. We started with a Basque (not local but clearly the superior choice on the list) and also had a Crabapple cider out of Oregon. It had a little bit of funk but what it lacked in that department, it made up for in acidity and complex flavor.

    Throughout our time at Farmhouse, I got the sense that the local focus was more of a business strategy than a function of any individual's or group's actual passion. At least that's how it played out at our table. It never felt sincere or anything but glommed on. Style over substance is the phrase that kept coming to mind.

    I'd suggest stopping in for nothing more than a quick beer or cider at the bar and then going somewhere else to eat. Or if you like domestic whiskeys that are made in places other than Kentucky, there's a wide assortment of those, too.

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #5 - March 20th, 2014, 3:15 pm
    Post #5 - March 20th, 2014, 3:15 pm Post #5 - March 20th, 2014, 3:15 pm
    Fom the initial post, July 2013:

    Although the food and beer was quite good, I'm going to give them a few days/weeks to get in gear, service was quite poor. For so early on it was tolerable, but it took about an hour to get our mains, ~40min after finishing our apps. The 6-top next to us, two of the diners never seemed to get their mains at all.


    Appears weeks didn't help. EIGHT MONTHS later:

    Service was excruciatingly slow. It was nearly 45 minutes from when we ordered until the first food arrived at our table. We even gave the kitchen an easy lay-up by ordering House Cured Beef Jerky & Roasted Tavern Nuts (both make-in-advance items) but not even those showed up before 3/4 of an hour had passed. Food was repeatedly served before beverages and silverware were brought to the table. Some items we ordered were completely forgotten and never served. Others were cleared while we were still eating them. We never even got to try any of the beers (the beer list looked good) or wines because when it came time for us to order them, our server was nowhere to be found. When he finally did resurface, we figured that we'd be waiting until long after the appropriate courses to receive them, so we decided not to bother.


    From the website:

    Farmhouse Owns a Farm

    Brown Dog Farm is a 140 acre farm located in the rolling hills of the Southwestern Wisconsin Driftless Region. Formerly McNeill Farm, it was founded in the early 1800s and was for many years a family-owned dairy farm. When TJ and Molly bought the farm in Fall 2012, however, it had been fallow for almost 30 years. Renamed Brown Dog Farm after TJ and Molly's two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, the plan is to raise fruits, vegetables and honey for Farmhouse Tavern in an organic, sustainable manner. We are currently growing five kinds of apples, asparagus and hazelnuts for use in the restaurants. We are also harvesting the native morels, wild grapes and black walnuts that can be found in season. This past spring, we planted an additional 35 heirloom apple, cherry and pear trees and started our first four beehives. For 2014, the plans include an additional 20 heirloom apple trees, black raspberries, red raspberries, currants and gooseberries, as well as more asparagus and hazelnuts. We are also planning to expand the apiary
    next year, doubling in size.

    TJ and Molly (sdp - the owners?) are working with the Prairie Enthusiasts, a non profit focused on restoration of the native Midwestern prairie. This past year, 22 acres of pasture was reseeded with a mix of native Wisconsin grasses and flowers. We hope to expand the prairie in the coming years.


    While I don't want to sound overly mean, perhaps the ownership should decide whether they want to be restaurateurs or farmers, rather than a dilettante combination of both. I would suggest to them, being that the farm is relatively close to Madison, to visit Heritage Tavern (or even the The Old-Fashioned!) ASAP, to see how the "farm to tavern" concept that they've cooked up can be flawlessly executed.
  • Post #6 - March 23rd, 2014, 3:40 pm
    Post #6 - March 23rd, 2014, 3:40 pm Post #6 - March 23rd, 2014, 3:40 pm
    Hi Ronnie!

    My name is Ferdia Doherty and I am the owner of Farmhouse Evanston. My personal email is ferdia@farmhouseevanston.com I would really like to apologize to you personally and find out a little more about your evening with us if you would allow. It seems we let ourselves down badly which means I let you down. Listening to guests like yourself can only make us better at what we do and I thank you for your honest opinion about us. Please feel free to contact me personally as I would like nothing more than to have you back with us for another try. I can promise you that we take all good and bad reviews to heart and work diligently on making things better for all of our guests. Please give us another chance! Cheers, Ferdia.
  • Post #7 - April 27th, 2014, 9:29 pm
    Post #7 - April 27th, 2014, 9:29 pm Post #7 - April 27th, 2014, 9:29 pm
    I ate here for lunch this weekend with my father and my oldest daughter.

    It was pretty delicious. Good beer. Good schnitzel sandwich. My kid loved it. My dad liked his (to me obscene) well done burger.

    The kitchen didn't send us out any freebies. It was reasonably priced. I paid for it myself.

    It wasn't groundbreaking, but neither was it putting on airs.
  • Post #8 - April 27th, 2014, 9:43 pm
    Post #8 - April 27th, 2014, 9:43 pm Post #8 - April 27th, 2014, 9:43 pm
    disagree wrote:The kitchen didn't send us out any freebies. It was reasonably priced. I paid for it myself.

    Yeah, I thought prices were reasonable, too. We split our bill with the other couple we dined with.

    Sounds like lunch might be a better situation than dinner. Was it busy when you were there?

    =R=
    Same planet, different world
  • Post #9 - April 28th, 2014, 10:42 am
    Post #9 - April 28th, 2014, 10:42 am Post #9 - April 28th, 2014, 10:42 am
    FWIW, the Farmhouse turned in the winning entry for Baconfest, dinner session : http://chicago.eater.com/archives/2014/04/28/baconfest-2014.php
    "Don't you ever underestimate the power of a female." Bootsy Collins
  • Post #10 - April 29th, 2014, 11:35 am
    Post #10 - April 29th, 2014, 11:35 am Post #10 - April 29th, 2014, 11:35 am
    ronnie_suburban wrote:
    disagree wrote:The kitchen didn't send us out any freebies. It was reasonably priced. I paid for it myself.

    Yeah, I thought prices were reasonable, too. We split our bill with the other couple we dined with.

    Sounds like lunch might be a better situation than dinner. Was it busy when you were there?

    =R=
    Not particularly busy, but not dead. The upstairs was empty, and the downstairs and patio were pretty full.

    To be honest, and to touch on your experience, I think their lunch and brunch menu is much more appealing than their dinner menu, which I find to be far too heavy.

    It'll be interesting to see how they do when Bangers & Lace opens up.
  • Post #11 - September 28th, 2015, 9:21 am
    Post #11 - September 28th, 2015, 9:21 am Post #11 - September 28th, 2015, 9:21 am
    I had an interesting meal here yesterday.
    I went with Mr. Pie and Mr. Pie-in-Law for lunch recently and I was impressed, so took my friend here for dinner. I ordered the Lamb and Dumplings (Braised Lamb Shoulder, Coffee Infused Parisian Gnocchi, Honey Braised Shallot, Tomato Concasse, Lamb Jus) for $24. She ordered the Grass Fed Steak (with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Green Peppercorn Sauce, Buttermilk Smashed Potatoes) at market price. I found the 'market price' a bit odd, but fine. The table next to us had steak and they were pretty huge, so I figured my meal would be comparable. Nope. Mine was so small as to be considered a lunch, and I was done eating in about half the time. And with no veggie side, this was pretty silly. Delicious, but silly. Her steak, which we figured was going to be about $50 if mine was $24 and so tiny, but nope...$37.
    I requested a second meal, the beet salad that was listed as a special. Apparently within the thirty minutes time span of having been read these specials and ordering one, they sold out. So I ordered side of 'seasonal market vegetables'. The waiter told me they were sprouts. Despite my friend's warnings that hers were nearly raw, I ordered them anyway. When the veggies arrived, they were broccoli and cauliflower. Roasted, yummy, but WTF? And she gave me her sprouts and they were indeed too hard, like they were given one toss in the pan and that was that.
    Dessert was delicious and appropriately sized for the price ($8): two triangles of warm brownies with a scoop of peanut butter ice cream sprinkled with pretzels. Luckily for me, she's a lightweight. ;)
    I want to have a good body, but not as much as I want dessert. ~ Jason Love

    There is no pie in Nighthawks, which is why it's such a desolate image. ~ Happy Stomach

    I write stuff.
  • Post #12 - August 15th, 2016, 10:29 am
    Post #12 - August 15th, 2016, 10:29 am Post #12 - August 15th, 2016, 10:29 am
    Mr. X and I went to Farmhouse in Evanston for dinner last Friday. Overall, the meal was good with attentive service. We did have a situation with one of the entrees that the restaurant handled well, but it was odd. Mr. X ordered the zucchini lasagna. When the plate came to the table, it was more a deconstructed lasagna: long pieces of roasted squash (yellow and green) and eggplant, tomato sauce on top with a hunk of burrata on the side. This was not what either one of us expected based on the menu description. Omitting eggplant in the description was significant -- Mr. X does not like eggplant. He ended up sending it back and requested the cauliflower steak instead. He explained to our server, and the manager who came over later, why he sent it back.

    The restaurant responded well. They comped a side salad for Mr. X so he had something to nosh on while I worked on my entrée. The manager checked in with us a couple more times. Food-wise, the cauliflower steak was delicious and didn't have any surprises on the plate versus the description.

    With so many other farm-to-table options out there, it's unlikely we'll return, but not for any fault of the restaurant.
    -Mary

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