@PhilaRestWeek Review: #FARMiCiA
Great first ever lunch visit to FARMiCiA for this vegetarian who was utterly hungry after working hard all morning with no breakfast! Not only did I have a great restaurant week meal AND great service, I also met Bart, my "table neighbor", who let me take a pic of his food [Pan Seared Tofu (vegan) warm quinoa salad, charred broccoli, spinach pesto.. which smelled amazing] and provided great conversation (from the WAWA CEO to how Philly has changed in the last 15 years) to go with my meal.
In a Nutshell: If you value great service, fresh tasting food (i would say Harvest Seasonal Grill is a good food comparison) and attention to aesthetic detail (they carried the green apple design from the tables to the art on the wall, nice!), you will love this restaurant.
About the Service
- Multiple greetings upon entering
- Quick table seating (although to be fair it was lunch hour on a Wednesday so not sure if this holds true at all times)
- Fast first course from time of seating
- Enrique (my waiter, excuse me if any mis-spelling) was attentive and checked on me throughout my meal (and even humored me and took the elusive waiter/guest pic that I know many serves absolutely hate, lol!)
- Water Service - Glass was re-filled EVERY TIME it reached the half-way point. After the 2nd re-fill, I was also ASKED if i would like more (which is a small but appreciated level of service). For sticklers for good service like myself, the water service is what separates a good restaurant from a great restaurant (and FARMiCiA gets a GREAT from me).
About the Food (Lunch)
- First Course: Soup of the Season - Tomato Basil
- Nice and smooth but with the right little bits of herbs that let you know the soup is fresh
- Second Course: Veggie Burger - Amish cheddar, vegetable fixings, Metro roll, garden lettuces salad
- OMG, OMG, OMG about this veggie burger right here! YUM! I think i tasted black beans, mushrooms, some sort of leafy green? Maybe, maybe not, but it was good. It actually stayed together when biting into it (which sadly cannot be said for many a veggie burger found around the city or country for that matter). The lettuce/tomato/red onion topping added great texture to the burger. Bread was soft but not too soft with a hit of butteryness (<-- is this a word?).
- Side Salad could have been a meal all by itself, it was huge! Perfectly dressed in an herb vinaigrette with chopped carrot, green and red peppers... yummy and healthy!
- Third Course: Peach Crisp w/ vanilla bean ice cream
- seasonal fruit with crispy sweet topping and really good ice cream... very good but missing that something that would have made it great (maybe more "spice" in the fruit or crisp topping)
For a Wednesday lunch, I was definitely #winning when i chose FARMiCiA and will be adding it to my list of favorite places to eat in #Philly!