Recently, the BFF and I took a little road trip down to Bloomington for a getaway—to eat, drink and just have a break. Food wise, my main goal was to eat at Restaurant Tallent (which we did, and the review will come soon), but since we aimed at getting there by lunch time, we also decided to give FARMbloomington a go as well.The interior of this place is quite kitschy in its farm paraphernalia, but honestly, I sort of breezed over it because I was pretty hungry. You do get the feeling that someone has had the genuine desire to create a causal farmhouse feel, but has just taken it maybe one step too far.
Anyhow, it was a Saturday, and on the weekends, they serve a brunch menu, so that is what we were choosing from. After checking out the tables next to us (if you are seated at the banquette, you are quite close to the tables on either side) we decided to split the bacon and egg pizza (I told ya, I’m a sucker for eggs on stuff). A poor young college girl with her parents next to us had
ordered this pizza on her own, and was a little overwhelmed by it. It is quite large, and totally appropriate for sharing (that fact might even deserve a mention on the menu if you ask me).So the pizza was like a thin crusted flatbread layered with a bit of red sauce (I really liked that there wasn’t too much of it), layers of quite tasty bacon, spinach, Gouda and topped with two poached eggs. The crust was obviously homemade, as it was quite uneven in shape (and totally different from the one at the table next to us) but it was really tasty. Pleasantly crispy but really thin, and still held up to the ingredients on top. I took my egg and cut it up and divided a bit of it onto each of my pieces. The bacon was layered across the pizza and was slightly crisp, but still had a nice amount of chewiness as well. I tell you what, it was really good. If I lived around there, this would be something I would probably crave on a routine basis.
One pet peeve, the napkins were really cheap and thin and they only gave you one (well, until I asked for more). A meal like this, you needed more than that. Or if you are only going to give just the one, either make it cloth, or make it more substantial. The service was a little distant, and occasionally missing, but generally we got things in a decent time frame.
But we had some wine as well; lots of girl talk, and really ended up enjoying this meal. Unfortunately, because we split one thing, I don’t have more to tell you about, but if you eat here for brunch, this pizza is yummy.
FARM Bloomington
108 East Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47408
877-440-FARM
812-323-0002
http://www.farm-bloomington.com/
Had lunch here several times, usually very filling but good. I'm happy to see the emphasis on fresh,local products. You are right about the napkin problem though - it is a frustration every time. They are the cheapest napkins available.
ReplyDeleteI was at FARM Sat night! It was my first time there! I would recommend sitting in the bar-- more atmosphere. The fries were super addictive and I ordered the special (ribs, macaroni & cheese) and read they have a fried chicken special on Wed- which I can't wait to try.
ReplyDeleteAmy- that's funny. We were there Saturday too--but for brunch..
ReplyDeleteLooks good. Would've loved to see a gooey-yolky pic, but I owe FARM another visit sooner than later. Did you buy the FARM food cookbook? Picked it up a few weeks ago, but have yet to make anything from it. Lots of eye candy.
ReplyDeleteErin,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Harry and I am the General Manager here at FARMbloomington restaurant. I was very happy to read your great review of our restaurant. I love to hear positive feedback from our guests. I did want to let you know about the napkins though. The napkins are quite thin and don't really hold up well to messes. We use them because they are made with recycled paper and are completely biodegradable - they go right into our compost buckets. :) Never be afraid to ask for more, as far as I'm concerned, the more napkins you need, the more fun the meal must be! Thanks again for the kind words, and we look forward to your next visit.
Sincerely,
Harry Shafer
Harry, thanks for following up about the napkins. I can understand your reasoning for using them... maybe someone should come up with a completely biodegradable one that is a little more substantial! thanks for reading and taking the time to write.
ReplyDeletePS I was back in about a month ago and had the pizza again and it was just as good.