Restaurant Review – Farm Bar Edgewater

This week I ventured with a friend into Edgewater to check out Farm Bar for a late lunch. This local franchise has spread since its inception in 2011 in River North outwards to Evanston, Lakeview, and its current Edgewater location at 1133 W. Granville Avenue. With a tunnel vision focus on sustainable ingredients locally sourced, I was eager to see what Farm Bar had in store for us.

The location was super easy to get to thanks to the Granville Red Line station being right down the street. Farm Bar’s ambiance was welcoming and full of natural light without any aesthetic focus in particular vying for your attention. Our server was attentive and wasted no time in explaining the specials and taking our order. The focus here is on food brought from farm to table, and we were eager to see what Farm Bar had in store for us.

Our meal kicked off with the Wisconsin Cheese Curds complimented with Farm Bar’s own homemade ketchup and curd sauce that packed a slight kick. Each bite was delicious and oozed with the ideal blend of fluffy cheesiness that required a second order. If nothing else, I knew that Farm Bar was my new spot for cheese curds and hoped that the rest of our order could live up to the tasty appetizer.

The winter menu provided a plethora of great-sounding options, and I ultimately settled on the Meatloaf Burger served medium-well. The burger kicked my taste buds into a new stratosphere thanks to the mixture of flavors featuring Monterey Jack cheese, shallots, mushroom aioli, and BBQ sauce. My friend ordered the crispy cheddar buttermilk fried chicken sandwich.  The few bites I tried were genuinely extraordinary, redefining in a few mouthfuls just how good a classic chicken sandwich can be done. The hand-cut fries, which I had reservations about when they arrived at our table, were seriously satisfying. They instantly rivaled the cheese curds in the “I can’t stop eating these” category.

I wish I had more time and room in my stomach to try the other items that caught my eye on the menu, such as the winter veggie salad, Midwestern grilled cheese, and pan-roasted salmon, but, alas, they will have to wait for another day. In other words, I will be coming back to Farm Bar in the very near future.

The farm to table method works exceptionally well at Farm Bar with the establishment keeping their food sourced from a four state radius ranging from Illinois and Indiana to Wisconsin and Michigan. Prices may be a touch on the high side, but for the quality of food, there is no reason to complain. Farm Bar’s Edgewater location is open Tuesday-Thursday 5 pm – 10 pm, Friday 5 pm – 11pm, Saturday 10 am – 11 pm, and Sunday 10 am  – 9 pm. Monday’s are closed.

ERIC KAPLAN AND DEAN’S TEAM CHICAGO