October 22, 2008
First Look: Founding Farmers
It's not every day that a restaurant has 42,000 owners.
True to its name, the newly opened Founding Farmers restaurant is owned by the North Dakota Farmers Union. The two-story Farragut space is the second restaurant from NDFU, which also owns Agraria in Georgetown. Like its sister restaurant, Founding Farmers sources most of its food from regional family farms in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. A few products, like honey, are from farther flung destinations (Maine, Wisconsin). All of Founding Farmers partner farms follow sustainable farming guidelines.
If that isn't enough to quell your inner conflicted omnivore, Founding Farmers is also a Certified Green Restaurant, and the first is applying to become the first LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified restaurant in D.C. In short, that means is that the restaurant is constructed of reclaimed or recycled materials, is energy efficient, and powered by solar and geothermal sources. Founding Farmers is also committed to recycling everything from water carafes to paper menus.
Chef Graham Duncan changes the menu seasonally, if not daily, depending on the kind and quality of available produce. While this might seem limiting, especially during the winter months, Founding Farmers actually has an enormous selection, serving breakfast (PDF), lunch, dinner (PDF), and a late night (PDF) bar menu. Most of the dishes are upscale takes on American classics, such as meatloaf, fried chicken, pot roast, and steak. There's also a selection of fresh fish, seafood, sandwiches, handmade pasta, and several cheese plates. (Fans of stinky cheese may be interested in the plate titled, "We want the Funk, Give up the Funk!") For dessert, there are mammoth-sized slices of carrot, chocolate, and Red Velvet cake.
Founding Farmers' beverage menu is also impressive in its breadth and depth. Boutique brands of sustainably grown tea and coffee hold a place next to refreshing homemade juices (cranberry cucumber, mint limeade) and sodas (grapefruit, ginger ale). Bar chef Jon Arroyo has crafted a mouth-watering drink menu that takes its inspiration from classic cocktails and seasonal juices. Familiar libations such as the Mint Julep, Old Fashioned, and Mai Tai are made to historical specification--strong and usually far less sweet than modern renditions. Original creations, like the Farmer's Fizz and the Constitution, mix unusual and sophisticated flavors like chamomile tea, ginger, and blueberry. There is also a formidable wine, beer, and spirits menu which includes several types of absinthe.
With so many choices of food and drink, some items are bound to be better than others. Between the feel-good concept and the staggering selection, there is probably something at Founding Farmers that appeals to just about everyone.
Founding Farmers
1924 Pennsylvania Ave, NW
202-822-0949
Metro: Farragut West (Orange and Blue Lines), Farragut North (Red Line)
Hours:
Monday – Wednesday: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Thursday: 8 a.m. – 11 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. - 12 a.m.
Saturday: 4 p.m. – 12 a.m.
Sunday: 12 p.m. - 9 p.m.
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Founding Farmers is also committed to recycling everything from water carafes to paper menus.
Can I safely assume there won't be any composting toilets? Because you're going to need some industrial-strength commodes if you're offering steaks that size. Heck who am I kidding? Customers will be so blocked-up with protein, they won't need to go ca-ca for a week.
And kudos for having a hamburger under the $15 price point. Take that, Marvin!
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Everything about Founding Farmers' concepts and menu and food was fantastic when we were there on Monday, but the service just didn't match up. While FF is making it right, it was still troubling to see that they hadn't nailed the concept of the big group while making room for them in the restaurant. That, and we thought the 20% gratuity for big parties was a little intense.
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we went the other night for my roomie's birthday. the food was delicious, but the service was horrible.
basically, this is a ditto on everything Tom Bridge says above: we had a group of 8, the waiter was guaranteed a 20%(!) gratuity, and thought nothing of dragging our meal out over 3 hours (with NO water refills or questions about it - i had to go to the bar to get one cup for us to share) - on a monday.
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The west entrance to Farragut West may be the closest metro, but I wouldn't call this a Farragut Square joint. I guess it may be borderline - but this strikes me more as Foggy Bottom, being in an IMF building, adjacent to the World Bank and GWU.
The center of gravity over there is not Farragut Square.
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It's pretty standard for service to be sloppy at a newly opened restaurant, but a mandatory 20% gratuity for the privelege of getting peed on? I've seen 17-18% for parties over 10, but that's just weak. What's the waiter's motivation if he/she knows they'll get 20% even if they break wind in the customer's face and blame it on their momma?
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They've been open for six weeks, according to our server the other night, monkey. So, if it'd been the first few weeks, I'd given them a total pass, but it's clear that they're not firing on all cylinders in the bar or the kitchen right now.
But, their manager's great, and has Made Things Right For Us, after we submitted feedback via their website.
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i was there in that party with jaime, and i can third everything that she and tom bridge had to say.
good food, poor poor service. it appeared that they need to work on staffing issues. there seemed to be one waiter working the whole room, but three people chatting it up at the front door seating people.
word to the 42,000 owners—you don't need that many people working as hostesses in your restaurant.
oh, and monkey, the men's room has waterless urinals...
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I normally tip 20% anyway, so maybe I'm biased, but are people really upset about a 20% gratuity? When places do that, it's usually 15-18%.. an extra couple percent is really nothing, unless you have a huge bill, in which case you can probably afford the extra $20.
I can understand being against the automatic addition of a tip (I am), but criticizing the rate of the automatic tip just seems odd.
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politburo: i'm not against 20% at all, even though i thought the standard for an automated gratuity is 18% - i normally tip 20% or more for good service. it just felt like the waiter knew he was getting that on a pretty large bill even if he pooped on the table, so we were ignored for the majority of our dinner.
in all fairness, it did seem like he was working most of the room, which was crazy crowded...but still.
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in all fairness, it did seem like he was working most of the room, which was crazy crowded...but still.
In that case, the manager has his/her head up his/her a$$. Their job is to staff the place appropriately depending on the lunch/dinner rush. You'll occasionally get a rush, but being understaffed on a Friday/Saturday night is just stupid.
And I do 20% as a rule. I just haven't seen mandatory 20% gratiuities for parties over 8 before. Is 20% some kind of trend for downtown eateries? If so, they can keep their waterless toilets. I'll do my business on the floor and leave a nasty note on the bathroom mirror written in poo.
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Apart from taking a jab at "sustainable" agriculture (if "sustainable agriculture" were all there were, the poor would starve); whence this inflation of tip percentages? Assuming food prices keep pace with inflation (which they obviously do) why was a 15% tip for good service satisfactory in the seventies but now servers think anything less than 20% is rude?
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That's great that we're working towards LEED and certified organic restaurants in DC.
Can we please take it one more step forward though and offer some vegetarian/vegan options? Seriously, you'd think this was a city in the Midwest with the lack of veggie-friendly options.
The fact that Founding Farmers tries to come off as oh-so forward thinking, yet leaves vegetarian options off the menu (fuck you if you say salads count) is egregious.
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That's great that we're working towards LEED and certified organic restaurants in DC.
Can we please take it one more step forward though and offer some vegetarian/vegan options?
You might think that's a natural progression, but to many chefs, it is not. To them, organic means quality provisions, LEED means good for the environment, vegetarian/veganism means enemy of food culture. I'm not taking a side, just making an observation.
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I'm inclined to think that vegetarian options get second-rate treatment because they're a low-margin item. How many vegetarian entrees would they have to serve to make the equivalent profit of a $45 cowboy steak? I'm sure a clever restauranteur could come up with a $45 vegetarian entree, complete with heirloom muskmelons, Bhutan red rice, and white truffle oil, but then you'd have to deal with the realization that you've blown a bunch of money on something that tastes like wide-open ass and has all the mouth-feel of a handful of Weebles. But I suppose worse things have happened. Look at Rachel Ray, if you can bear to even gaze at her maniacal Joker face. I've heard it induces spontaneous abortions.
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My boyfriend and I went there a few nights ago, and I really recommend it. I can't wait to go back.
Kev29- I'm vegetarian, and was a bit disappointed by their options. Although, it is better than most DC places who *may* have one vegetarian offering that always includes mushrooms or beets.
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With record food prices, the collapse of the oil price and a porktastic new farm bill, I would guess the farmers union can afford to hire a few more servers and live without mandatory 20% gratiuities. Greed is good, but only if its locally grown and LEED certified.
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Hitler was a vegetarian. Mandatory 20% gratiuities are worse than Hitler. Coincidence?
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For the vegetarians out there and/or vegans have you tried Vegetate? I have heard good things from vegetarians about it.
http://www.vegetatedc.com/
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There's no such thing as a "mandatory" tip. People are free to leave more or less. If questioned, talk to a manager and explain. Though if you plan to leave significantly less than the "mandatory, you should pipe up as early as possible.
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So let me get this straight: that "Employees Must Wash Hands" sign in the bathroom? That's for employees only, right? Not customers? Because I don't truck with some little bitty piece of paper telling me how to live my life. These hands have handled snakes and strychnyne and I'll be damned if they're gonna wash just to handle your $45 steaks. And I tithe 10% of my earnings at Walmart UNTO THE LAWD, and I don't see how some organified rest-o-rant waiter deserves more than THE LAWD. Can I get an amen?
[rolls on floor, speaking in tongues, soils self]
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badtzmaru: oh yes there is such a thing as a mandatory tip. read the bottom of most menus. they'll state "gratuity included for parties of [5,6,8] or more"
that's a mandatory tip. i'd like to see you go into a restaurant with a group of 10 and then say "i don't want to pay the gratuity"
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@ Anonymous Girl...
Thanks a ton! Hadn't heard about it, but I'll definitely check it ou.
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Woops, I meant "out" - may the Texas Longhorns forgive me.
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that's ok, majapa. 'out' is a long word, and might be difficult for texans to spell
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damnit, that didn't display my 'clever' end tag that said "ducks" in it. oh well, let the insults fly.
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I used to work for the IMF in that building. It isn't a LEED-certified building. When that building was going up we did recommend an organic restaurant so it's good to see FF open. However, just to make this clear- whatever LEED certification FF got, it's not for the building.
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I went to FF for lunch with 2 co-workers and had a great experience, including both the food (mmm... a grown-up grilled cheese) and service. Maybe it's just an issue w/ large groups that they're working out?
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as one of the partners on the team responsible for the restaurant, i thought i'd chime in and let you know that you're being heard, and we take the feedback seriously. although some of you mention the restaurant is new, and i appreciate being understanding that its a challenging business, since we're charging full prices, we should be delivering fully on our promises.
our culinary team is working on the winter menu right now, and i'm sitting in the restaurant having just tasted several dishes that we're working on, with the last three dishes i tasted being vegetarian...we're working on a fantastic vegetarian dish for our pasta category, and another for our signature category. vegan dishes are not a focus for us but we do need to step up our performance and offerings for vegetarians.
regarding the auto-gratuity of 20%, we'll be changing (eliminating) that policy--the guests need to determine the gratuity, and it should be based on the caliber of the service and the overall experience.
any time a guest has anything other than a great time in the restaurant, i want to know about it, and we'll go to extreme measures to make it up to someone in order to have the chance to earn their loyalty. i would like to think that our efforts to own and fix our mistakes don't go unnoticed, and i appreciate that mr. tom bridge noted that although we had buggered things up, we also were committed to fixing it and making up for it.
you won't hear any excuses from me or my team, we strive to be perfect, we never will be perfect, and every time we're aware of our imperfection, we'll take responsibility and try and make it right. our mistakes aren't because we're clueless or stupid, our mistakes are simply because we need to perform at a higher, more consistent level. we do have a great management team working incredibly hard every day, and for that i'm appreciative and thankful. now its my job to help that team raise their game each and every day, so bloggers and guests can just focus on loving the restaurant!