Founding Farmers DC: 47,000 Farmers Feeding DC

Owned by more than 47,000 family farmers, the values of the American family farmer are at the heart of everything done at Founding Farmers. Started in 2005 by members of the [amazon_textlink asin=’076279674X’ text=’North Dakota’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’theyums-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’6bc7a647-ab27-11e7-b031-23dd351dd703′] Farmers Union, Founding Farmers chose [amazon_textlink asin=’1465439692′ text=’Washington, DC’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’theyums-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’77a203c6-ab27-11e7-8186-ff70bf38c3a9′] to showcase their philosophy of making food from scratch, using only the freshest ingredients supplied by hundreds of farms. As much as possible, this unique restaurant is constantly innovating to bring the values of the American farmer to the table.

Locations: At several locations:

• Founding Farmers DC:            1924 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
• Founding Farmers Tysons:     1800 Tysons Blvd, Tysons, Virginia
• Farmers and Distillers:             600 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington DC
• Founding Farmers MoCo:       12505 Park Potomac Avenue, Potomac, Maryland

Menu:  Founding Farmers serves an extensive menu for breakfast brunch, lunch, and dinner.

Burgers include the Blue Cheese Balsamic Bacon Burger, Goat Cheese Burger, and the Chili Cheeseburger. Burgers are served with your choice of chips, fries, or crop list side.

Pasta, anyone? How about the handmade Ham, Apple and Peas Macaroni and Cheese, the Butternut Squash Mascarpone Ravioli, or the Sausage Mushroom Gnocchi. Or try some seafood pasta with the Lobster Macaroni and Cheese, or the flavorful Seafood Bucatini with lobster, shrimp, cod, and mussels.

Tempting Signature Dishes are made from scratch Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken and Waffles, Yankee Pot Roast, and the Shrimp and Grits with Andouille Sausage. Or if you’re really hungry and want some variety, try the famous Farmhouse Platter. This popular platter consists of baby cheeseburgers, a chili dog, pork ribs, potato salad, and corn.

For meat lovers, Founding Farmers offers custom aged beef, with Salt Crusted Prime Rib, Boneless Ribeye, and Dry-Aged NY Strip. Also on the meat menu is the Long Roasted Pork Chop and the delicious BBQ Pork Ribs. Add shrimp, crab cakes or lobster tail to complete your meal.

Don’t fret, seafood fans. From traditional Fish and Chips, Crispy Shrimp, and Crab Cakes to the Glazed Cedar Plank Salmon, Scallops Meuniere, and Shrimp and Lobster Risotto, Founding Farmers has you covered.

In addition to your basic Green Beans and Double Whipped Mashed Potatoes, Crop List Sides offer some unique complements to your entrée. Crops List Sides include Minted Watermelon, Cucumber Snow Peas, Sautéed Spinach and Seven Cheese Macaroni.

Thoughts:  What a great place to eat and pay homage to the American Farmer! Founding Farmers DC has been the most booked restaurant in the nation on Open Table for the last five years, and after eating there twice, I can see why. From the great food, top quality choice of wines and beers, the modern and comfortable décor, and the impeccable service, Founding Farmers does everything first class.

The philosophy of the owners is what creates the culture of excellence at Founding Farmers. According to owner Dan Simmons, the staff pays very close attention to its customers. They are constantly learning, growing and adapting, and focus on exceeding the expectations of their guests every day.

Favorite dishes: On my first trip to Founding Farmers DC, I couldn’t resist ordering the Chicken and Waffles. Two deep fried chicken breasts, a generous serving of their homemade macaroni and cheese, fresh green beans, and two light, crispy waffle quarters made the perfect meal on this Friday evening.

On my second trip to Founding Farmers, this time at their Tyson’s Corner location, I ordered the Yankee Pot Roast and savored every last bite. The tender pot roast is served on top of whipped potatoes with a perfectly seasoned brown gravy, carrots, and is topped with light, crunchy fried onion strings. The ultimate comfort food, the pot roast is something I would order again and again. Too bad they don’t have a location in my home state of [amazon_textlink asin=’1742201997′ text=’Texas’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’theyums-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’d56af4e7-ab27-11e7-b351-9d21aa3d072a’].

Other dishes that got rave reviews from our group were the Glazed Cedar Plank Salmon, the Chicken Pot Pie, and the Butternut Mascarpone Ravioli. From a limited, but excellent, selection of fine craft beers and craft cocktails, I chose a great Uinta Wyld Extra Pale Ale from Salt Lake City. It was the perfect beverage to complement a great meal.

Prices:  $15 – $30 +