Bird Creek Farms — Restaurant in Port Austin Township

I'd been told that the restaurant was doing a fantastic job of Social Distancing, and that was 100% correct. The hostess was very accommodating and was also concerned that my wife and myself got seats in the shade. Already we were off on a good foot!

When I sat down, I perused the menu for a bit, while waiting for my wife to arrive... The first thing that went through my mind was: Expendy. Then when Jenny got there, we both realized we were in a tourist town, so... not really TOO far out of line.

I love a REALLY big IPA beer, but they didn't really offer anything that tickled my fancy. Basic IPAs are all you'll get here. Two-Hearted Ale seems to be the big seller. I was hoping something from... say... Stone Brewing, in Escondido. Hint, hint...

I want to start with the fries. The FRIES! I've had fries all over. Duck-fat fries, truffle fries, cheese fries, chili fries, buffalo fries... you name it, I've. Had. Fries. These COULD be the very best french fries I have ever eaten. Top five, anyway. They were hot. They were salty, PERFECTLY salty. They had just the tiniest sprinkle of Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses, and some parsley. They were fried to the dictionary PICTURE of perfection, with a (for lack of a better word) dainty crispiness that in no way embodied hard or over done. Inside EVERY fry, was a moist, fluffy, but not TOO fluffy (think perfect mashed potatoes). The were simply incredible.

I ordered the BCF Classic Burger. If you've read previous reviews of mine, you know I enjoy a really delicious burger. This was NO disappointment. A deliciously butter-toasted brioche bun, with a cute little bamboo toothpick in the top of it for assembly purposes... The patties are fresh ground beef, perfectly seared, with little crispy bits on the edges. The cheese was perfect. This was NOT your everyday Kraft American cheese. Maybe it was, and everything else on the plate just made it ... well, BETTER. Fresh arugula, perfectly dainty sliced onions brought a perfect texture, vine-ripe tomato slice, and the PICKLES! OMG. The pickles, they MADE this burger. Homemade, snappy, briny, salty. Just what a great burger BEGS for.

My wife ordered the chicken strips and fries. I had a bite of them, as well. They were moist, tender, flavorful, perfectly fried, without too much breading. I'm not certain all they put on them, but the seasoning was as amazing as the burger, described above...

$50.00 including tip. So, yes... Expensive, but WELL worth the trip to...

We arrived, had a half hour wait. No problem, but there were just a few empty tables as we walked up. That wasn't a problem, when we asked we were told it would be a 30 min. wait. Once seated we gave our drink order and was served drinks fairly promptly. We ordered our food within about 5-10 minutes. Then the problem began. It took 50 minutes for our appetizer to arrive. Another half hour for our main dish to arrive. During this time other parties were seated near us, they were served and left before we were served our main dish. When we received our food, it was unexpectedly underwhelming. We ordered the cherry chicken brie sandwich. Cherries were hard to find, and the small sliver of brie was even harder to find. Essentially it was a grilled chicken on a bun with slight flavor. It was equivalent to what I would expect from fast food restaurants. And in one bite there was hair in the sandwich. Our server frequently checked on us, apologized for the wait with a canned excuse I'm sure she was given, asked how we were doing, but never offered to refill beverages. She was very hard working. Servers were not at fault for our bad experience. Management was responsible. They should have been mingling in the crowd, filling beverages, and if there was an unhappy table they should have been out there making it right. They could have apologized offering free drinks, not charged us for our appetizer, or offered fries or chips while we waited. It was poorly managed. We understood it was busy, but when other larger parties were served in a timely manor, ate their meals and left before we were served, that was unacceptable. The server tried. But again, the customer service on the part of management/ownership was severely lacking. I brought friends from out of town and from Canada. I will not return. I had to apologize to my friends for the poor choice of restaurant. We had other plans to spend time in the area sightseeing after lunch, our experience at Bird Creek Farm Restaurant changed and shortened our plans before my friends had to leave. Very...

The gist: food = good service = bad

First off the food was delicious. I had the salmon burger and my Grand Parents and my wife had the pecan salad and Turkey burger. They each liked their meals very much. The fries were great with the seasoning they use. The salmon burger was moist with the sauce and cilantro on top making for a good combination of flavors.

I was excited to show this place to my Grandparents. I had a prior good experience. The service made this a three star experience for us. We walked from the front onto the deck, to where an arrow is pointing mind you, to be seated and instantly we’re met with a disrespectful waitress who just treated us like a burden. The restaurant had three other patrons so they weren’t that busy. My Grand Mother who is in her 80s and handicapped saw there were no backs on the seats on the patio and decided to eat inside. The waitress then told us we would have to walk all the way around the restaurant to the front to enter the building. We literally had to walk past two doors. Then for our meal the waiter forgot our waters and silverware/napkins. My Grandfather went to ask him for the waters and he was sitting on his phone. My Grandparents, bless their hearts didn’t say one thing bad, but the whole meal I just felt embarrassed and truly shocked for how bad the service was.

I’m not one to really care much about bad service but when it comes to disrespecting elders and those less mobile I have to speak up. If you want good food and don’t mind bad service this place is for you. If your handicapped find a more accessible...