Sad burger at Farm on Adderly

[redgirl]

I've been a huge fan of their burgers forever. But the last 3 times we went, I ordered medium burgers and 80% of it was essentially raw each time (sent back twice). So today I ordered a to-go burger medium well with salad sans fries (cause their fries are great but not great for me...yes, I know...maybe not the burger either). Got home to a burger that was, at best, medium rare and a salad with some icky slightly fishy dressing on it. I think someone's asleep at the wheel.

[adylan76]

I must eat at the Farm 2-3 times a month, and I can't ever remember having a bad experience there. Another poster mentioned that they find the service to be too casual. I'm not sure what happened to that poster, but I for one enjoy a certain degree of informality. I think the owners are trying to create a neighborhood restaurant, where the staff recognizes their regular customers, and treats them with some measure of familiarity. I can't speak for everyone that lives in Ditmas Park, but for me, the Farm is "the place on the corner" that I go to when I want to relax and have a good meal without riding the subway. I can't relax as well when my waiter is constantly calling me "sir."

As for the food, I've never had a bad dish, and I think their prices are quite reasonable for the quality of food that they offer. I also appreciate the fact that their menu seems to be under constant revision. The owners seem to realize that they are the only game in the neighborhood (aside from Picket Fence), and they keep the menu fresh in order to keep things interesting for their repeat neighborhood customers.

Finally, if there has been a dip in quality lately, it could be because the owners are in the process of opening a second restaurant a few blocks away, and they may not be able to dedicate the same energy to the Farm at this point. Once the second place is up and running, I would hope that their cards will be back in order, and I'll have a second option near my house.

[chowhundius]

I agree w/ almost everything you say there, adylan. I have few reservations (no pun intended) about the Farm. Very good - sometimes great - food in a casual atmosphere. I do think they might look into serving a different blend of coffee though. Their coffee is good, but Gorilla Coffee is better.

[TBird]

just left from my first visit and HIGHLY impressed. the service was friendly. the food was GREAT. i went with the specials, kale salad & shiitake/butter bean stuffed pork, my wife had goat cheese/beet terrine and butternut squash ravioli. my pork may have been a bit overly salted, a fault i find lots of places. the bigger negative was the dessert. butterscotch pudding was missing anything even resembling butterscotch. but i rarely have a sweet tooth and rarely order dessert, so that'll teach me to stick to what i know...

six point rye on draft doesn't suck either...

the burgers(and fries) LOOKED great.

i'll be back...

[TBird]

finally had the burger today and it was anything but sad. went with the chedder and fried egg on top.

but speaking of sad, i went to grab a pie from difara's afterwards for later consumption. it was nowhere a madhouse, with only 10-15 people inside, and they simply cannot get it together for ordering. no eye contact, people cutting, etc etc. it was utterlly ridiculous and i'm afraid i am gonna have to write the place off entirely until something is done. bu-bye, difara's....

[sam1]

i support farm on adderley...nice people, good food, good prices.

i had brunch there a few weeks back and i enjoyed it. the burger was ok but what i loved was their baked goods. that english muffin that they serve it on was strangely delicious and the fries are great...though not amazing like people have said in the past.

i have no qualms with that place. if i lived there, that would be my spot.

[JFores]

Nothing I had from that place was anything but sad. It's just a ridiculous little place which overcharges and survives because Ditmas has few alternatives.

[CalJack]

I'd agree they can be inconsistent, and Ditmas Park is barren as can be, but you're writing off The Farm rather quickly given the quality and care that goes into both the sourcing and the preparation of their ingredients. I'm not a rabid supporter or anything, but I hate to see a place needlessly disparaged. What went wrong on your visits, if you don't mind me asking?

To offer a few reference points, I've suffered through a hopelessly over-salted monkfish, a fresh-but-somewhat-uninspired summer wine pairing prix-fixe, and disconcertingly casual banter from nearly every server who has ever waited upon or around me. But the superlative cucumber-avocado-crab soup, the constantly crisp late-summer vegetables (dressed just lightly enough to enhance but not overpower their natural sweet and bitter notes), and a burger whose buttery freshness comes through all the more clearly with each step it takes towards rare (mis-cooked burgers are unacceptable, but I happen to love theirs just the way the OP described it - apparently The Farm's kitchen agrees with my tastes a tad too zealously) all give me hope that the missteps are small chinks in an otherwise solid foundation. Charging $12-20 for an entree is tough out in Ditmas park, but you'd pay a fair sight more for ingredients of comparable quality anywhere in Manhattan.

Any mistakes I've pointed out to the staff have been graciously corrected, but the mistakes are there to be sure. Your scorn is likely justified given your experiences JFores, but writing a place off without providing any verifiable details (perhaps you've done so elsewhere on these boards) doesn't allow for much in the way of healthy dialogue. I will go out on a rather rickety limb and claim that their fries and that curry mayo are beyond reproach.

I'd welcome whatever further context anyone might care to offer.

[JFores]

I had an overcooked and over salted piece of fish with a sauce that was the only thing that added flavor to the dish for far too much money. I would've been much happier if I had taken a walk over to Di Fara or a random Bengali greasy spoon on Church Ave.

[jgps]

Interesting to hear about some bad experiences with dinner there. The brunch is incredible, I've been there at least 6 different times and they always get it right. I've had eggs, french toast, fries, various sides, and all of it has been cooked to perfection.

[chowhundius]

I've been to the Farm many, many times, and have almost never had anything less than very good, and sometimes great. When the burger is on, it's excellent. However, I would say that's probably the one problem area - though, ironically (in relation to Redgirl's post), I've usually had the opposite problem, that the things are overcooked, not under. I ask for a medium-rare burger, and get a burger that's medium - a very good medium burger, but that's not how I like 'em! They need to fix that.