Dos Mattys, The Bombshell and I giggled a little when we walked into DC's cheekily named Founding Farmers. Most of the places in NY that tout themselves as crafty farm-fresh tend to be smaller, softly lit, seemingly hallowed cloisters to pig.
Not so here. It's a huge space, two floors, mostly modern with rustic flourishes--a big restaurant with a big menu crammed with big, unabashedly American flavors. (And lighting that behooves opportunistic bloggers to boot. Hooray!)
And the thing is...it works! Who can hate on a menu that has chicken pot pie, chicken and waffles, lobster rolls and french dip?
Take, for instance, our appetizers:
Puffed pastries filled with pimento cheese--a pinky-up version of the old-school packaged cheese-and-cracker snacks (y'know, with the flat red rods for faux cheese smearing?). Classy and brassy, gone before anyone could blush.
Deviled eggs! We opted for the "classic" (there's a more baroque "Combo" egg platter, with seafood-decked eggs); eight halves to an order, besprinkled with chives, a straightforward, two-bite treat (and a STEAL at $4!).
Steamed mussels with chunks of chorizo and bounteous bread for sopping the magical marriage of seafood and pork juices; not to be outdone, a platter their bivalve counterparts, raw oysters from the west and east coasts. There was mollusk carnage EVERYWHERE as we licked our briny chops.
Fried green tomatoes! I've never been a fan, but they were a gloriously crunchy delivery module for the tasty green goddess (foreground) and blue cheese dressings.
As for entrees, I think Bombshell won the overall ordering showdown with her Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce, Chicken-and-Cheese Enchiladas, and Corn with Lime, Chile and Queso Fresco (Corn holders! GLEE!):
Second would have to go to Spicy Matty, with his Diver Scallops Meuniere and Pumpkin Risotto:
Mild Matty and I would tie for third, as he sampled their well-executed Frisco Burger (with bacon, avocado, lettuce, tomato and havarti cheese) and I the Straw-and-Hay Pasta (cream sauce with bacon, corn, mushrooms, asparagus and peas):
We had to dig deep, but motioned for takeout boxes and mustered floundering appetites to tackle dessert...
...a super-fun torched marshmallow S'mores Pudding (the only wish here was that the graham crackers were on the bottom of the bowl, a la Nilla Wafer pudding)...
...and a warming, blissful Apple Turnover with vanilla bean ice cream.
Checkout the sweetener collection! PureVia(TM) stevia, Splenda, and Sugar in the Raw. A nice, subtle touch with your coffee in a night of welcome heavy-hitting.
Why this gathering, this aggressive, celebratory feasting, you ask? Well, a reunion of friends tends to be reason enough for peeps like us, but there was one excellent reason:
Meet Baby Bombshell!
Isn't she gorgeous? Proud Momma, Uncies and Auntie we be! Cheers, tiny beloved!
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Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave, NW (IMF HQ2),
Washington DC 20006
Ph: 202.822.TRUE (8783)
Fax: 202.822.0949
info@WeAreFoundingFarmers.com
Make a Resvervation on OpenTable
Hours of Operation:
Breakfast:
Monday – Friday: 8 am – 11am
Lunch & Dinner:
Monday – Wednesday: 11am – 10pm
Thursday – Friday: 11am – 11pm
Saturday: 12pm – 11pm
Bar & Late Night Menu:
Friday – Saturday: 11pm – Midnight
Sunday:
10am – 2pm(Brunch)
2pm – 9pm(Lunch/Dinner)
Aww...I wuv u! P.S. - You couldn't crop my boobs out, could ya?!?
Posted by: Pia | April 03, 2009 at 12:08 AM
b r i n e
Posted by: from b e h i n d | April 06, 2009 at 11:49 PM