Within a week of being at Farmhouse for brunch (my review on that here), I went back again, as I knew I had to, for dinner. It was a last minute bonus, and my whole family met a fun couple, Meghan Telpner (she has a best-selling book that just launched and knows good stuff when she sees and eats it!) and Josh Gitalis there to enjoy a good farm-to-table meal together.
It definitely lived up to my expectations, and maybe even surpassed them!
Since it was early when we arrived, my brother and sister and I sat at the bar and ordered drinks. Of course, we didn’t have alcohol, we just had water. Tap Water! The waiters and waitresses were so nice and they engaged us in conversation almost immediately when we sat down, even though we are kids. We took our mismatched glasses of water and sat back down at our table soon after, to order dinner off their big blackboard menu. It’s also important to note that the staff can answer every question about every item on the menu (and if they don’t happen to know they go ask the chefs, and get you the answer, and they answer and research with a smile, too instead of being bothered by it!!)
Everything from my mom’s wild mushroom soup and beautifully presented salad, to my dad’s Veg Gnocchi was incredible. They managed to accommodate all of our special requests – and there were a LOT! When I’m out, and I can trace where all of the food comes from, I love to indulge in a burger. And, what a burger it was. If you check out the pictures below, you will see how big it was. I finished and enjoyed every last bite of the perfectly done meat topped with goat cheese, bacon, secret sauce and a fried duck egg. I immediately put my burger at Farmhouse to the second best in the city (My list of Best Burgers in Toronto is written and I will post in the next bit, maybe tomorrow, but this instagram gives away who my number 1 is). My sister loved her fish (sorry, I didn’t pay attention to what kind it was) in a celery root puree with purple kale and other veggies, it looked a bit like art on the plate actually. My brother was happy with his fish and devoured the entire piece of fish, plus a special side order of a fried duck egg very quickly. He is probably the hardest to please, so that is a big score, and we all enjoy more when he is happy. Meghan and Josh, who both know good, clean food very well picked dishes that looked great, and that they really enjoyed too. When 7 people with all different likes can all be happy, that’s a sign of a good meal. As always, my mom wishes that there would be a vegan protein on the menu, but is always happy if we are all happy!
I loved chasing Alex, the chef, when he went outside to their soon-to-be-opened patio to their smoker, to watch him prepare the chicken for the following day’s brunch. It made me realize how much is really involved in planning to even create simple dishes!
This restaurant on Dupont and Edwin near Dundas, seems likes it’s in the middle of nowhere, because there’s not much right around it, but it feels like it’s a comfy neighbourhood spot when you are inside. They play great music, and I think you’ll enjoy your meal there.
