Farmers Gastropub has been on my list to visit for a while. Danny, Steve and I finally got a chance to have lunch again (which has been sort of a rare occasion lately) and we decided a trip to Farmers Gastropub would be in order. I’ve heard mixed reviews from people I’ve know that have been there so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.
We arrived about noon-thirty and there were just a few other tables occupied. We selected a table along the wall and started reviewing the menu. Steve ordered us a starter of hummus and “crudites” ($7). We all wanted to try something different so Danny picked the fish & chips ($9), Steve got the Cottage Pie ($9) and I selected the burger ($9). We wanted to try the Bangers & Mash but that item (as well as the sausage roll appetizers) were ‘not available’ on the day of our visit. Funny thing to run out of for a ‘pub’. The dinner menu appears to be a fixed-price ($36 this week) affair where you select from a couple of appetizers, entrees and deserts. The dinner menu also appears to change frequently – I supposed based on what is available from their local vendors.
In short, Farmers' burger doesn't get a standing "O" from Bob.
I wasn’t familiar with the term crudites (I was pronouncing it ‘Krud’-ites) and wasn’t sure what we were going to be getting with our humus. Turns out the term is actually crudités (pronounced ‘krew-di-tey’) and is French for cut veggies served with a dip. So what we got were a few rounds of toasted baguette and a selection of cut veggies to go along with our ‘dip’. We all found the veggies good but the humus fairly lackluster. We also asked for and got a few more baguette rounds (which were good by the way) as there wasn’t quite enough dipping implements for the whole bowl of humus.
Danny’s fish looked pretty good and had a nice crunchy batter. It was served with what we think was some homemade tartar sauce which Danny said was really good. I had a taste of the fish and thought it was ok, but nothing spectacular – the batter could have used a bit more seasoning.
Steve’s Cottage pie is a take on Shepard’s pie. The potato layer was nicely browned and very thick while the meat layer was pretty thin. It was served with some sautéed zucchini which I’m glad I didn’t get (I don’t like that zucchini stuff). Steve, however, liked the vegetables. I had a taste of the pie and thought it was bland needing more seasoning. Steve agreed with that assessment.
My burger arrived and I was pretty stoked because it looked sooooo good. The bun had been toasted on a Panini grill and had those cool-looking toast marks on top. The burger patty was obviously done by hand and the cheese was melted into all the nooks & crannies of the patty. I added some ketchup along with the supplied tomato and lettuce to the burger and went to savor my first bite. This, however, is where my love affair with this burger ended. There was something wrong with the patty. It was cooked just like I had ordered – a bit past medium – and had what at first tasted like a great charcoal flavor. But that charcoal flavor quickly turned into a bad metallic/chemical taste. Danny and Steve were looking at me kind of funny so I had them both try the meat and they agreed there was something very wrong there. It is hard to describe the flavor. We all wondered if they had left some cleaning solution on the grill or something. Needless to say I was very disappointed.
Bob’s Whine and Dine
Moving on, the fries were OK. They were fresh-style and somewhat crispy. Not bad, but not as good as Grad School across the street. The amount of catsup I got was not quite enough for all of the fries.
Service was just OK. I had to ask for each drink refill but at least they came back quickly. Our food was brought out in an acceptable amount of time.
There is an attempt to make this Gastro’PUB’ look a bit like a British pub inside and it works OK for Springfield. There are chairs at the large bar, several large 6 person tables available in addition to the 4 tops we sat at as well as some booths. There is another dining room towards the back of the space where the tables had white tablecloths. I guessed that this is for evening dining as it was closed off on our visit. There is also a nice large outside eating area which looked like a great place to get some fresh air on warm evenings (I’m pretty sure smoking is allowed out there thought so maybe you won’t get fresh air).
So, bottom line – the food Danny & Steve got at lunch was pretty ho-hum with just about everything needed more seasoning. That mirrors some of the comments I’ve heard from others. The burger was downright awful. I’m really hoping that this was a one-time deal and there is a simple explanation for the burger since it looked so darn good. If that is typical of anything coming off the grill – then I would say stay away from any grilled items. If it was a one-time deal though – why does it always seem to happen to me?
As I was leaving, I looked down the sidewalk, saw Grad School sitting there and wished I’d gone there for my burger & fries (can you say ‘Full Ride’?).
Bob’s Whine and Dine
431 S. Jefferson – (417) 864-6994
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