The Farmhouse near the River Market

The Farmhouse
300 Delaware St
Kansas City, MO 64105
Website

HOW I FOUND IT:  I read an article about it in the KC Star, and had also read the rave reviews of it online.  I was a fan of the building's previous occupant, Cafe Delaware, before its untimely demise around the end of 2008.  I liked the concept of the The Farmhouse (local, fresh ingredients, all at a good price), and had the day off, so Cyndi and I decided to check it out for lunch.

ATMOSPHERE (SCORE: ***1/2):  I had only been in the bar area when it was Cafe Delaware, so I can't speak for the other half of the dining area, but it looked like it was largely unchanged.  Which is a good thing, I liked the minimal fuss of the open ceiling rafters and the brick walls.  We enjoyed the artwork on the walls, and the layout of the dining room.  The only thing that we didn't care for a whole lot was that it felt almost TOO open.  The high ceilings and unused space in the back of the dining room created an echo that made it sound like a basketball court.

FOOD (SCORE: ***1/2):  This was the main reason I was there.  I was really looking forward to trying one of the many tasty options on their lunch menu (be advised, they are only open for dinner on Thu-Sat).  We split an appetizer of chickpea fritters, fried little cubes of ground chickpeas.  They were slightly under-seasoned, but good nonetheless. However, what really made the dish was the little salad on top which consisted of julienne apples and smoked red peppers, which looked weird on paper but worked perfectly and had Cyndi asking, "How'd they get the apples to taste like bacon?"

Entree decisions were tough, as the options were many:  A Reuben with braised cabbage instead of sauerkraut, pulled pork sliders, a burger that looked outstanding, a Croque Monsieur topped with a fried egg if you desired (I would've).  Everything sounded great.


I ended up getting the hanger steak (since you don't really see it on a menu too often, which is a shame, as it's cheap and flavorful) which was on the menu as "360 day aged hanger steak".  I had meant to ask the waitress about that, thinking it either a typo or maybe some meat purveyor named "360" or something, but I forgot about it because I was too busy thinking about steak.  It came out perfectly cooked, with a large helping of hand-cut french fries that were superb.  The steak itself was topped with a blue cheese butter that worked well with the meat, but was a little overpowering.  Overall, the dish was pretty straightforward, not letting me down at all but at the same time not wowing me.


Cyndi had the seared polenta cake with smoked mushrooms, braised greens, and red onion gastrique.  The flavors on it were each strong on their own, but all together worked in harmony.  The red onions were a wonderful note.  It was a great dish, and if there is an improvement to be made, it's that it could stand to be a bit larger.  However, upon ordering it, the waitress did inform us that it was indeed a small portion, so I can't complain too much.

Dessert is where we hit a snag.   We wanted to split the pie-o-the-day, which was apple-pear pie.  On a cold winter day, I was looking forward to some warm pie.  But it came cold.  I know some people like it that way, I just wish I had been given an option, I guess.  But alas, on to the pie!  The filling and topping were good, nothing I'd bother stealing off a windowsill if I lived in 1960s Mayberry, but good.  Once we got down to the crust, though, it became a battle.  The crust was next to impossible to cut with a fork, it was so hard.  Like, I seriously thought if I put any more pressure on that poor pie, the crust would finally yield and shoot a piece across the room.  Also, the pie had this ginger-maple-brittle thing stuck in it that may or may not have been a touille.  Whatever it was, I'm pretty sure it must have been made a little thick because I about lost a tooth trying to eat it.  Seriously, I think you could encase a prehistoric mosquito in that and start your own Dinosaur Park.

SERVICE (*****):  Service was very good here.  Our waitress managed many other tables in addition to ours, but we never felt forgotten and were never left wanting for drink refills or anything else for that matter.

VALUE (****):   The prices were very reasonable considering the quality of the food. The average price for an entree is 7-8 bucks!

OVERALL:  I really, really wanted this place to be great.  I really liked the concept, and the menu.  It aimed high, and started strong, but fell a little short at the end.  For me, instead of achieving greatness, it landed firmly in very-goodness.  The only problem is, with it being at 3rd and freakin Delaware, I don't really know if it's "very-good" enough for me to make the drive down there again anytime soon.

OVERALL SCORE: ****