Every other year or so I end up back at FarmBloomington. The food is pretty spendy, making it more of a special occasion spot. And since it's not my favorite big budget restaurant (Uptown and Samira usually come first and second) I don't make it there very often. It's usually the fries that bring me back. The addictively garlick-y, slightly spicy, perfectly crunchy, "famous" french fries.
The occasion was Katy's birthday, the objective was those fancy fries and some even fancier drinks. Well, mission accomplished. To drink I ordered a Jack Rose, made with applejack and housemade grenadine. It was strong. Perhaps a little too strong for an alcohol wimp like me to enjoy. Also on the table was an Aviation for Katy (Plymouth Gin, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, Lemon Juice, Creme de Violette) and I have no clue what Jessica ordered, I think she liked it?
The fries still rank up there with the best in Bloomington. The bowl is huge, the spuds are crispy, thin, and tossed liberally with wonderful things like garlic, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese. Dipped in the creamy lemony aioli the fries were seriously hard to quit, even when the rest of our food started arriving. While we were working on the fries, our waiter dropped off an amuse bouche of gazpacho. The spoonful was very flavorful and surprisingly spicy.
To make it a real meal, we each chose a few small plates and a pizza to share. We had The Sausage Factory Pie, topped with chorizo, sage sausage, pepperoni, and black olives. The sage sausage dominated, I could have done with a little less and a few more of the briny olives to cut through all that meat. I also ordered the Chargrilled Baby Octopus Salad on the recommendation of our server and liked it very much. Served on a bed of potatoes and watercress and dressed with a slick of aioli and balsamic the salad was a definite success. The octopus pieces were nicely tender and I loved how the tentacles crisped up and took on tons of grilled flavor.
Katy picked a side of Brussels Sprouts to go with the pizza. Sauteed with plenty of butter and garlic, these sprouts were deceptively decadent. As a vegetarian, Jessica took no part in our meaty pizza, instead ordering a basic but tasty salad and a cheesy vegetable pot pie.
Post Farm, we headed over to The Bishop for a few after dinner drinks. It was a lovely night, perfect people watching.
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