Founding Farmers
Ok, so for awhile, I’ve been meaning to go out to Founding Farmers on 19th and Pennsylvania for quite some time now. I’ve heard nothing but good things about Founding Farmers by various different people. So Van and I decided to go check it out for his pre-birthday dinner last Thursday night (8/6).
The reason why they call it Founding Farmers is because it prides its self in using produce grown and bought by small local farms. Which of course, is always a good thing. I personally support local farms, as I have been shopping for my produce at this small farm just minutes away from my house, all my life. So naturally, besides everyone telling me to go, I wanted to check out this restaurant.
I really really really wish I didn’t have bad things to say about this place, but unfortunately I do. The service that Van and I were given, was probably the WORST service I’ve ever received at a restaurant! We were sat quickly, which was nice, but he and I sat at our table for 20 minutes before our server even came over and acknowledged us. The table next to us, that was in his sections, was sat a good 15 minutes AFTER us, was greeted by him BEFORE us! I don’t know what Van and I did to be given such bad service, but still, THAT was just ridiculous. Once our server finally made his way over to our table, it was clear on my face that I was unhappy with him. And from that point on, I could tell that he was trying his best to redeem himself. Unfortunately, the damage has been done.
Alright, enough talk about the service and now onto the food!
Van ordered the Farmhouse Mix Grill, which is a combo of their BBQ pork ribs, Barackwurst, and Fried Chicken. The BBQ pork ribs was very tasty, as well as the Fried Chicken, but the Barackwurst was rather bland. Points lost for that dish because of the Barackwurst being flavorless, but points given for its name.
I ordered the Low Country Shrimp and Grits. The dish was comprised of shrimp, grits, and a whole lot of other stuff that the menu as well as the servers fails to mention to you. Thou very tasty, I did not taste shrimp nor grits in my dish. The apples, and popcorn, and sausage, and bacon, and everything else on it, over powered the delicate taste of what the dish was suppose to feature. So yes, this dish looses points for it’s complexity and lack of description.
Needless to say, I was greatly disappointed in this restaurant. From the bad service, to the food that did not make it up to par. This place even made me go and do something I never do; I gave it a bad rating on Opentable.com! That’s how you know it’s serious with me! I will however, at some point give them another chance to make up for all that was done, but probably not for awhile.
By the way, Van and I also got the the Devil-ish Eggs Combo for an appetizer. It was very good and they played up a common dish in a unique way. Points for them for this one. Oh and we skipped on dessert and went to my uncle ice cream shop around the corner instead.
Founding Farmers 1924 Pennsylvania Ave, NW (IMF HQ2), Washington DC 20006 202.822.TRUE (8783)
Tags: 19th and Penn, farm fresh, farmers, farmhouse, founding farmers, fresh food, local food
Dear Veronica and Van: I am SO SORRY for what you experienced at our restaurant. We clearly let you down in many ways. No excuses, and I take full responsibility. We learn from each and every review, and when the feedback is actionable, we take action! We’re going to entirely re-work the recipe on the Shrimp & Grits, and the Barackwurst is being replaced by an item from another artisan sausage maker–we’ve tried to support the artisan maker of the Barackwurst, but they just haven’t been able to get it right. I’m very appreciative of your specific feedback–it highlight two areas we need to solve–and we will. Regarding the service, again, no excuses. It sounds to me like we made the error of having our servers not know who was assigned to the table–clearly making our guests wait anything more than 3 minutes is neither the intent, nor acceptable. I hope you and Van will accept the offer to return as my guest–after your recent experience, we owe you! Feel free to email me directly to continue the dialogue, and again, I’m appreciative of the feedback, as it helps us improve.
Best regards,
Dan Simons
Founding Farmers.