What I Ate Wednesday

  I have been meaning to do this, thanks to the blog, Peas and Crayons who started this idea. We didn't eat at home, we ate out for our end of the year celebration dinner. End of the teaching year that is.  Gary and I ate at Founding Farmers.  

The Family Farmer

"The American family farmer is truly at the heart of Founding Farmers because the restaurant is owned by genuine, hardworking, American family farmers.
We believe it is the right of all diners and food lovers to enjoy of a good “meal away from home” that is fulfilling, delicious and honest, made with ingredients from high-quality sources. We strive to source the best products seasonally and regionally whenever possible, and our meals are prepared with the utmost care and attention by our talented chefs and kitchen staff. “Strive” is an important word, because in today’s world and today’s economy, it isn’t always possible to source or buy the ideal products.
The Founding Farmers name represents a combination of ideas: it is a celebration of the land and the American family farmer; it is a nod to the founding fathers of our country, many of whom owned and farmed land that surrounds Washington, D.C.; and it is a place where true, sustainably farmed, grown and harvested American foods are brought to our guests.
The rich history of American cooking tradition is celebrated throughout the menus at Founding Farmers, with a philosophy to promote sustainable agriculture and the ways of the American family farmer at every turn. Each season, new choices reflect the best of what’s available from our sources.  At Founding Farmers, it isn’t always about “local”, or “organic” — sure, when it makes sense, those are great things, but local doesn’t always means the smallest carbon footprint, and “organic” can also refer to broccoli that comes from China.
Our mantra is “quality and natural ingredients”: if we find a product we love from a family farmer in California, we buy it; if we find a biodynamic vineyard in Chile, we love buying that wine. And carbon footprint, you ask? We buy carbon offsets to ensure that regardless of the distribution distance, Founding Farmers is walking its talk that the planet matters.
As stewards of the land, family farmers work to protect the soil, the air, the water and biodiversity in addition to producing high-quality, healthy foods. Thus the Founding Farmers philosophy to operate wisely, serve the community and live green is the heart of the American family farmer.
Everyone needs to eat. Most people prefer to eat food that is healthy — but how do you know what is “good” and what is not? When consumers make purchasing decisions on groceries for their households, they seek out opportunities to purchase the freshest and healthiest foods from local groceries and farmers’ markets, but they often give their favorite restaurants a pass on this high standard of food.
At Founding Farmers, know that we strive to make decisions the same way you do. We care about the source, and while sometimes — due to price, availability, or quality — we can’t be perfect with every item we buy, rest assured that we share the same values as you with regard to quality. In addition, it’s more than just the food; be confident that we use natural cleaning products in the restaurant, use low-voltage lighting and recycle and compost. It’s the holistic approach, trying to impact all areas of the business, and we appreciate your support." [source]

I love what this restaurants stands for. I know my bestie Teresa would love eating here especially since they support local farms.

A Couple of Hotties, me waiting patiently for my food and Gary contemplating what drink to get.

 Gary's Ricky Roy
The neat thing about Founding Fathers is that all their drinks, syrups are made in house, even their sodas. Pretty neat! I love that Gary's drink has a huge square ice cube.  At his restaurant they make huge balls of ice. So fancy.

 Smears, dips and table breads: Romesco Sauce, Green Goddess Dip, Pimento Cheese Spread. That bread was some of the best bread, the dips and smears weren't too shabby either.

Shared Farmer's Salad: Baby Lettuce, Avocado, Dates, Tomatoes, Red Grapes, Almonds, Parmesan Cheese, Champagne Vinaigrette
I've never had grapes on my salad, pretty tasty. I wish there had been more avocado, but there was quite an accoutrement of flavors that all worked nicely together. Loved the house-made dressing too. I think I could have eaten the whole salad solo, but instead we shared. There were also olives on the salad, they didn't mention it in the description, but I love olives, all for me!  With each bite of lettuce I also got a bite of one of the above toppings.  Sometimes when restaurants have a house salad, the toppings are lacking. If you know anything about me, you know I like me some toppings.

 House-made lemonade and raspberry limeade and MAN that stuff was tart!

Gary ordered the skirt steak with chimichurri sauce, mashed sweet potatoes with goat cheese and asparagus salad(it was cold). His steak was delicious melt in your mouth tender. I didn't try his potatoes. The asparagus was ok, not my favorite, but it wasn't cooked as long as I would have liked and it was cold.

 My dish was hailbut with a roasted hazelnut butter and cracked ground pepper. Sides: Garden squashes, peas, garlic and herb butter and Farmhouse Rice-A-Roni with scallions, basil and thyme.
The fish was great! I don't get to eat seafood very often since Gary doesn't eat it.  The fish was light and flaky and not "fishy" at all. You know, sometimes fish are uber fishy. The Farmhouse rice-a-roni was really good too with various types of pasta in it and almonds.  I couldn't finish the whole meal, which is a crime!

 

Rice-a-roni up close and delicious!

I am very particular about bathrooms, I mean, who doesn't like clean bathrooms?!  This was super clean, fun sink, nice soap, and quotes all over the walls. I had planned on taking a picture, but someone was also in there with me, so this was a super quick shot, before I got weird looks.

  

  We definitely plan on going back again this summer. Next time I really want to try the skillet corn bread with honey butter and the bacon lollies, as well as many other dishes!

Feel free to join us:-)