Founding Farmers & Distillers — Restaurant in Washington

TL;DR Traditional American fare done right. Great dining experience Service sort of slow Make reservations. Popular. Get the Banana Split dessert. Trust me on this one.

I've done it. Finally, I've located the the perfect downtown DC dinner spot. Accomplishing this feat was harder than I imagined. As someone who doesn't usually reach out for traditional American fare, this place becoming my new go-to was also unexpected.

So, what makes this place so great? I'm glad you asked. Firstly, and most importantly, is the establishments use of space. The lobby is large enough that you won't have to have some stranger sit on your lap while you wait for your table to be cleared. By saying "wait for your table to be cleared" this implies that you should have a reservation waiting for you. Do this early. Reservations fill quickly, especially on holidays. Additionally, and this is huge for me, the restaurant doesn't sacrifice your comfort in the name of making more money. Meaning, tables aren't crammed together so tightly that you end up hearing your neighbor's chewing noises. I have no idea why, but this congested table setting seems to be a recurring theme in most DC restaurants. Thankfully, that isn't the case here.

Next, our waiter was attentive to our needs but not overbearing. This is a difficult, but important, balance to strike and he nailed it. He regularly circled the area, but didn't repeatedly do that obnoxious thing where they ask you how your food is while mid-chew. This allowed me to get his attention when required, but was invisible otherwise.

Food was moderately slower to arrive. By that, I mean that right when you start to wonder what the hold up is, it shows up. This, in my mind, means that it is being prepared freshly. At least, that is how I rationalized it. What made less sense was the fact that my beer took an uncomfortable amount of time to show up. The appetizer I order (which was the amazing Parmesan cheese bread) managed to arrive prior to my beverage. Minor annoyance, but still odd.

I selected the Mustard-Seed Crusted Twin Lamb Chops ($26). Girlfriend selected the Mid-Atlantic scallops (also $26). Both of these were absolute knockouts. I was immediately enamored with the fact that my lamb was cooked as specified (medium-rare. Pink on outer edge, bloody inside). It is astounding how hard it is to come by actual medium-rare anything in DC. What made it truly memorable, though, was the mustard seed seasoning.

However, portions seemed awkwardly disproportionate. My meal would have been better called "Friggin' massive baked potato with a splash of lamb and some green beans". I realize this doesn't have the same ring to it. I would have rather paid more money for the meal to primarily feature the item in the name of the dish, rather than gorging myself on an over-sized spud.

Now, I don't know if all of their dessert are this outstanding, but if nothing else, you need to get a banana split after your meal. The thing is a glorious, massive tower of varying ice cream flavors, chocolate drizzle, peanuts and bananas. If you weren't full after eating your main dish, you will be after this. But, it will also be totally worth it.

All said, I'd say this location is a solid 4 1/2 stars, but I nominated to round up due to how minor the discrepancies were and how amazing everything else was. Also, 4 1/2 stars is not an option so... :)

This place is date night, done right, but it's versatile enough to be a hangout with...

Oh my goodness! Why am I just learning of Farmers & Distillers?

From the time we walked in the door to the time we walked out of the door, we were amazed!

It was like a scene out of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (a good scene) only the chocolate was replaced by 🍩 donuts. It was heavenly!

This was our lunchtime experience:

✔️ A very nice young lady 👧🏽 greeted us at the door.

✔️ We wanted a booth. She told us it would be a 15-20 minute wait.⌚ We were seated in less than 10 minutes.

✔️ The host that seated us was very friendly making sure we were okay sitting by the window.

✔️ I loved the atmosphere, design and layout of the joint. It reminded me of a restaurant in an old black and white movie. 🎬

✔️ Beautiful view of Massachusetts Avenue.

✔️ Our waiter had the most amazing personality. (I can't believe I didn't get his name.) He was training a young lady who was just as personable. 👫 I think his infectious personality was rubbing off on her.

✔️ The food as my father would say, "it melted in my face." I never take leftovers, but it was so good, I took what was left over home and ate every bit of it later that night.

We shared the gazpacho soup.

I ordered Turkey 🦃 Gravy. It came with the works -- mashed potatoes, cornbread stuffing, green beans, cranberry sauce, and fresh ginger soda made in-house.

The soup was good. The turkey was a just little tough, but still good. The gravy was also good (not sure it was home made though 🤔). The mashed potatoes were creamy, fluffy and good. The cornbread stuffing was very flavorful, but a little mushy and could have been put in the oven for some minutes (sorry, I'm from a southern daddy), the green beans were perfectly crunchy, 😋 and the cranberry sauce would have been good in a pie crust (I'm not a fan of cranberry sauce, so don't go by me on this one ... my friend loved it).

The ginger soda was so good I didn't want it to end. It was made with fresh ginger and a lime syrup. Yum-my! 💞

My friend had grilled salmon with bulgur, wheat berries, kale, roasted brussels sprouts, cauliflower hummus, goji berries, coconut nut butter, and vinaigrette.

My plate was huge, but there wasn't a lot on my friends plate. If you're 'hangry you may not want to order the salmon dish.

✔️ Let's talk about 'dem donuts 'tho. They were stupid good 'yo! 😂 We were told that they make them downstairs. I need to meet those people. They deserve a pay raise. I definitely recommend you try them. You won't regret it.

My only complaints about service were:

❌ Our waiters would disappear for long periods of time to the point where we thought we were supposed to go pickup our donuts at the donut station.

❌ The donut delivery girl was a little cold and unfriendly pretty much slamming the donuts (on one plate) down. She mumbled that she forgot the forks, and came back with them without bringing another plate. Luckily there was an unused small plate from lunch left on the table as we didn't want to bother her at work. 🙄

❌ Again, the lengthy disappearance of our waiters confused us and left us wondering if we were supposed to get up and pay at the front desk, but they finally came and provided a friendly checkout experience.

Finally, I say Farmers and Distillers was not just any old lunch time. It was an awesome EXPERIENCE!

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I highly recommend it to all...

My husband and I went to Farmers and Distillers with my son and daughter in-law, who live in D.C. It's a farm to table restaurant near Chinatown that has a large and unique menu. They are known for locally sourced suppliers for the dishes on their menu. Plus, they make their own liquors and offer an interesting cocktail and beer menu.

We had reservations and were told upon arrival that they were running about 15 minutes behind. However, this soon turned into an almost 30 minute wait. When we were finally seated, it took awhile for a server to come to our table.

Because they were so harried, we felt it best to order both our drinks and dinner selections at the same time. I should mention that they make their own doughnuts all day long and you can actually watch them doing so.

My husband and son ordered southern based dishes that included their fresh doughnuts, while I and my daughter in-law ordered traditional beef dishes. I had high expectations since the beef was locally sourced.

When our food arrived, all of us, except for my husband had problems with our orders. My daughter in-law ordered her filet mignon medium and it definitely was served well-done. They replaced it, but it resulted in a lengthy wait for her replacement.

My son ordered their chicken fried steak with macaroni and cheese. They forgot the mac 'n' cheese and served him a different side. When he mentioned it, a side of it was brought and, thankfully, there was no charge on our bill.

I had high hopes for my prime rib since it was a featured item on menu. I ordered it medium rare and at first glance, it appeared to be rare. However, upon cutting into it, it was closer to well done. I didn't complain, but my high hopes were quickly dashed since the beef was so tough as to be almost unchewable. It almost seemed as if it was heated in a microwave.

My husband ordered their fried chicken and had a hard time actually finding any chicken in his first piece. Both my husband's and son's dishes came with their fresh doughnuts, which they loved.

We ordered their banana split for dessert and shared it among the four of us. The doughnuts, the drinks, and the dessert were the best part of the meals.

The decor is wonderful and I'm actually sorry to give them a lower rating than I would like. However, the meal combined with the service didn't meet the standards for a restaurant of this caliber. It was a very busy night, but this is still not an...