Field House at Town & Country Market Mill Creek — Restaurant in Mill Creek

WOW! I can't believe how positive the reviews have been for this place. As a rule, I usually never go to a restaurant during their first month of operation. Every business deserves a month to acclimate. But I had read about this place from a couple of sources, especially citing it was a menu designed by Ethan Stowell (do a wiki search) so we went. It's a bizarre restaurant built into the side of a grocery store. The space is a little confusing, but not bad. There is outdoor seating. There is comfortable booth seating. There is a bar/diner styled counter seating. There are high bar tables. Probably 7 different ways to dine, from a table perspective. You won't have a wait person, just a cashier and someone who drops off the plates based on your placard table number. There are a lot of people working here for the size of the venue. We counted at least 5 people standing around and not working more than 5-7 minutes in the THIRTY FIVE minutes it took to receive our food. Up until then, we went to pull silverware from the communal station. I took a knife out of the slot and it looked dirty. I thought maybe just water spots from the dishwasher, but when I put my finger to it, it was greasy. Not a water spot. I presented this to the employee who had previously taken my order. She completely brushed it off and acted as if I was an annoyance. Later, during our THIRTY FIVE minutes to get our food, I noticed another customer approach the bus boy (for lack of knowing his job description). He actually listened to what the patron said, and went over to the silverware area, pulled out all the knives and wiped them off. When our food arrived, it looked pretty. We were excited about our meal. My wife ordered the Fish and Chips, and I ordered the Wagyu Cheeseburger. They both came with fries. The only positive thing I can say about the whole experience was the fries were good. Everything else, was not. My wife's fish was overcooked. My burger looked nice, but wasn't. The grease was so heavy that the bottom part of the bun was already saturated and mush when it arrived. The beef, while pretty, wasn't seasoned at all. The sear too strong on the outside. Tasted like charcoal. The slice of tomato on the burger was a 1/4 inch thick and made for difficult eating and more to saturate below. There was supposed to be a "sweet pickle sauce" as part of the ingredients. Couldn't taste anything like that. Was it the worst meal I ever had? No. Was it anything I care to repeat? No. On a good day in a few months, I might try this spot again. Maybe. We don't usually go out to restaurants, and because this was an Ethan Stowell project, I was motivated. I won't be next time. People like to eat tasty food. Being pretty shouldn't...

The good: The setting: Warm woods, an open space, and a variety of different types of seating made for a pleasant experience. The process: you order your food up front, and if you're dining in, they give you a number for your table. You sit wherever you want (bar seating, booths, tables, outdoors), and they bring the food out to you. This is a no tip establishment, which was something that I really appreciated. The service: Staff were very friendly and the food was out to my table in about 10-15 minutes. The server bringing the food went out of her way to get extra utensils and napkins without us requesting them. This great attention to detail earns an A+ in my book.

The Bad: The food: While it looked good when it came out, the flavors of brisket tater tots I ordered were completely drowned out by the massive amount of bbq sauce. I can't speak to the rest of the food menu, but it definitely didn't justify the $17 I paid for the dish. The price: This place was more spendy than I was expecting. Shareables and entrees are all around $16+, which felt about $3-$4 more than the price for similar quality food items at other restaurants. The water: It isn't chilled, and just tastes like room temperature tap water.

Overall it was a decent experience, but definitely not a place I'd be going out of my way to come back to. It's still pretty neat that this style of restaurant is built into the town and country, and I'll probably stop by again at some point if I happen to be shopping there...

UPDATE We have since returned and indeed it was the case that the team was still dialing things in right after opening.

The fries have improved significantly.

I still think they need to figure out their pricing for vegetarian modifications. I asked about tater tots and they offered me the brisket tots without the brisket -- at full price.

We came for the first time last Friday. We ordered a forager pizza and a side of fries to share.

FOOD: The fries were definitely overcooked but it’s early so they may be figuring things out. The pizza was great! I was a little surprised at the prices but there’s no tipping which makes sense. As vegetarians I feel there should be a bit more variation to accommodate dietary restrictions but maybe that will come in time.

SERVICE: I think some front of house folks are adjusting to new roles at the restaurant, they may have previously been in other departments at the store. There were a lot of idle hands we noticed but it wasn’t crazy busy. The food didn’t take too long.

On the whole we are huge fans of Town and Country and were so excited about The opening of Field House. Still hyped, will be back and...