Yesterday I shared with you a fantastic coffee shop I visited while on business in Kansas City, MO. My coworkers and I spent the morning at said coffee shop prepping for a late afternoon meeting. Around 12:30pm we decided to ask the baristas for a lunch recommendation in the neighborhood.
To our surprise and delight they suggested a place three doors away called The Farmhouse.
I loved that the Farmhouse was the one splash of color against this super tall brick building, creating a very cool contrast of color and texture.
The restaurant is welcoming, inviting visitors in with a rooster themed "Open" sign.
The hostess stand in the entry way was covered in chalkboard paint which had a friendly message beneath a tree.
The restaurant is divided into three spaces: the right side (bar), the front (private dining area) and the left side (full dining room).
The bar area was hopping for lunch! If you can't score a seat at the bar, there are plenty of two top tables.
The private dining area is one of the more fun I've seen. First of all, it has a couch in front of it, perfect for sipping cocktails. Second, it's on a raised platform, further touting your special treatment and lastly, it has the best view in the house.
To get to the left side of the restaurant you walk through two beautiful, blond wood, barn doors.
On the other side is a dining room full of life and personality. I was enamored with this bird themed mobile hanging over one of the tables.
There was artwork displayed above every table and it looked stunning against the exposed brick.
I thought this "Employees Only" chalkboard sign was so cute!
Once we were seated I noticed another chalkboard, this one a thank you to all of the local farmers that supply The Farmhouse with everything from eggs to milk to cheese to fruits to vegetables. The restaurant is part of the "Farm to Table" movement.
Each day the menu is printed because the dishes change based on what is fresh and in season. The best way to eat!
The day we visited, the menu was hot pink. Coincidence?
As I perused the offerings I couldn't help but notice that almost every dish had prosciutto. We were in meat country, after all.
One of my coworkers decided to go with the pastrami sandwich, which came with a side of French fries and house made ketchup. She was kind enough to let me snag a fry and I have to say, that ketchup tasted like Spaghetti O broth!
Though the sandwich had a great, ooey gooey presentation, she said, "I loved the slaw and the rye bread, but the meat was too fatty."
Both my boss and I decided to order the winter vegetable polenta cake. As I get older I find that I like polenta more and more. This variety was super creamy and served over charred kale, mushrooms and a sweet potato puree. The charred kale added a really nice flavor to the dish. Because of the polenta and the potato, the dish was quite filling and I only made it about half way through my stack.
Though my boss ordered the exact same dish, his took another 10 minutes to arrive. While he was waiting, our waitress brought him an apology cheese plate, which was actually quite incredible.
The cheese plate also came with these paper thin, black pepper crisps which we all loved (he was nice enough to share).
As I said in my first post about Kansas City, I had very low expectations for this city. Twice in one day I was majorly impressed. The Farmhouse is a beautifully decorated space, they are committed to sustainable and local ingredients and their food is damn good.
Visit The Farmhouse at 300 Delaware Street in Kansas City.
