Restaurant Review: Farm Bar in the city? Just ask Lakeview and Ravenswood!
Chicago Restaurant Week (January 19-February 4) is an opportunity to taste the best of Chicago’s restaurants throughout the city, particularly those that may have been overlooked, given the number of awesome restaurants to choose from.
One such restaurant is the Farm Bar, with locations in Lakeview and Ravenswood. With near-perfect ratings on Google, their three course tasting menu, prepared by Executive Chef, David Wakefield is a perfect excuse for your family to sample fresh farm-to-table meals close to home.
For Chicago Restaurant Week, they’re celebrating in both neighborhoods with a three-course, Chef’s Choice dinner for $42.
As Open Table reminds us, Farm Bar is nestled in a tiny hole in the wall in the heart of Chicago, paying homage to traditional Midwestern fare. Using ingredients only grown in Illinois and its surrounding states, Farm Bar prides itself on presenting guests with a quality taste of the Midwest, presenting guests with a simple seasonal menu that highlights dishes made from scratch and crops grown on operator TJ Callahan’s Wisconsin farm.
At their Lakeview location, 1300 W. Wellington Avenue, and their recently opened Ravenswood location at 1970 W. Montrose Avenue, you and your family can indulge in Midwest-style comfort food, writ large.
Wisconsin Cheese Curds are served with a kick as they pair Ellsworth, Wisconsin cheese curds with ketchup and a spicy curd sauce. French Onion Dip is made with flavorful crispy shallots, caramelized onions, and chives and served with Farm Bar’s homemade chips.
Move on to their Beets Me Salad, withroasted red beets, orange vinaigrette, little gem lettuce, pine nut vinaigrette, shaved fennel, white bean hummus, fresh citrus, toasted pine nuts, and pomegranate molasses, or their Farm Green Salad with mixed greens, cucumbers, Heirloom cherry tomatoes, Farmers cheese, Old Bay croutons, and caramelized Brown Dog honey vinaigrette. An additional charge gets you an Amish Chicken Breast.
Both Lakeview and Ravenswood serve Farm Bar’s highly touted Classic Farm Bar Burger, made with Grass Fed beef, and served with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, cheddar cheese, and their ‘Secret Sauce,” (no telling!) on a butter bun. Grilled Cheese On Tomato Soup has smoked gouda, sharp cheddar, Texas toast, Chef David’s Homemade Tomato Soup, with chives.
Entrees are a farm-to-table feast. Try their North Road Faroe Island Salmon, a pan-seared salmon, served with Brown Dog Farm honey-roasted carrots, parsnip puree, pickled watermelon radish and watercress salad.
At their Ravenswood location, you can enjoy their Rigatoni Bolognese, with beef, pancetta, veal, San Marzano tomato, rigatoni Pasta, Sarvecchio cheese, and basil. BDF Honey Brined Hen is a whole roasted chicken, with Carolina Gold Rice stuffing, haricot verts, and parsley Beurre Blanc.
For the kiddos, there’s a ‘Little Farmers’ menu to delight any picky palate! And don’t leave without dessert…their Apple Cobbler is one in a million, as are their variety of gelato flavors!
“I recently visited Farm Bar with my cousin, and even without a reservation, our experience was fantastic! We decided to sit at the bar, where the bartender was incredibly attentive and made us feel right at home.
My cousin opted for the grilled cheese on tomato soup, and I went with the breaded pork chop. Both dishes were delicious, but the pork chop truly stole the show. Cooked to perfection, it left a lasting impression on my taste buds.
The lack of a reservation didn’t pose any issues; instead, it added to the spontaneous and welcoming atmosphere. Farm Bar is a hidden gem with friendly staff and mouthwatering food—I’ll definitely be back for that pork chop!”
For information and reservations about both locations, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
