The Farm Bistro — Restaurant in Cortez

I'm a traveling Culinary Instructor. I'm out here for work. I've been coming to Cortez for almost 3 years. I've tried many restaurants. This was my 3rd visit to the Farm Bistro. I was surprised at my experience today, being that my first 2 were amazing. I was curious what other customers had to say so I came on Google to see if I'm the only one who noticed a difference in food quality. I went to read the many one star reviews, I also read the owners responses to said reviews. I look forward to their response to my review. I spent most of my career in FOH and in recent years transitioned to BOH as well as in the education field. I have a little degree in CUL-MNGMT. I mention all that for the owner, who, by having read their replies ro their patrons;, probably doesn't value the opinion of anyone except themselves anyway. But here we go anyway, just for fun. I ordered the pot pie. What constitutes a pie? For me, it's the crust. And for $20, it better be well executed. It wasn't. It came in a salad bowl. No crust on the bottom at all. It was just some filling, poured into a salad bowl with a super thin layer of crust on top and the edges were smashed against the plate so thin that it had to be scraped off with a butter knife as it crumbled to bits It was disappointing. Then the roll that came with it was stale and inedible due to the amount of salt. The waitress was pleasant. To the owner: when you respond, don't bother to say that you're sorry for my experience. You're not. I was unimpressed with the pot pie. After letting the server aware of my disappointment, no manager or supervisor bothered to apologize. I was going to finish it becuase I was hungry after teaching two cooking classes today, but then I took a bite of the salty roll and lost my appetite. I think the owner could use a nicely baked humble pie, but they don't seem to be concerned at all with any opinions. I will no longer support an owner who refuses to accept or even consider constructive criticism, and I'm sure the owner is delighted not to have me...

As a sous chef who retired to this area, I constantly seek out local restaurants for their variety, creativity, and commitment to providing the community with exceptional fare and service. Unfortunately, The Farm Bistro over-promises and under-delivers. I have come here numerous times just in case I caught them on a bad night; it is always the same. I have ordered numerous items from their menu, most of them being best described as average. However, I am going to talk about their burgers for this review. I have tried their regular burgers numerous times, their black bean burger twice, and their yak burger once. I always order my burgers medium rare, which even their menu tells you is the recommended cook for yak. In every instance, my burger has come out well done, or beyond. Even the black bean burgers, which are pre-cooked and only need warmed on the grill, were delivered burned, one with the cheese literally melted down into the pores of the burger. One day, while approaching the restaurant from the rear due to having to park on North St, I noticed all of the cooks (I can't call them chefs) sitting in the back smoking. Upon entering the restaurant, I saw the dining room was full of people waiting for their meals and it became evident why the food is always overcooked- the cooks must take a break in between throwing food on the grill and serving it. Servers are reluctant to take complaints to the kitchen for fear of how they will be treated for bringing back a legitimate customer complaint. While they do have friendly wait staff, if you want food prepared tastefully and professionally, then I cannot recommend this establishment. I've wasted...

Called last night to order (hour and a half before the listed closing time) and was told the kitchen was closed. Showed up this evening and the place was under-staffed. I waited up front for 5 minutes before seeing a staff member. When I was finally seated the only two staff working were running between 14 tables. I saw them only running to the other tables most of the night. I was given the menus (food and later drink) and the drink menu made zero sense. It was like reading a giant run-on sentence without any descriptions. When I asked what a beer was, was told it was from Telluride and “hazy.” It may have been from Telluride, but it was 100% not hazy. I ordered an app (wontons and sweet chilly sauce) and to be fair it exceeded expectations at this point. After asking the waitress about the yak burger I was told it was very good. The waitress made a point of saying that the yak should be ordered medium or less. I ordered medium rare. When it came it was quite done with hints of burnt (very well done). I had also ordered with a side of French fries (asked for regular and received sweet potato). When they arrived I politely asked for the regular fries. The waitress apologized and brought out regular fries shortly after which were lukewarm. Soooo I didn’t eat them, or the sweet potato fries I didn’t order, or the overcooked yak burger. Sadly this is just about the best food you’ll find in beautiful Cortez. Come for the sights and sounds. Don’t come for the food. In fairness I should say that the waitress did not charge for the food (burger or...