Two Top 10s in One Week for Founding Farmers

Wow! The year is only two weeks old and already it’s gotten off to an amazing start for Founding Farmers. This week, we’re proud to say, we’ve made two top 10 lists in the foodie blogosphere — and for different reasons. First, Food Republic put us on its “Power Ranking” list of 10 sustainable restaurants, noting just a few of our many eco-friendly design features. Then, Gourmet magazine and BlogHer named us among the 10 healthiest restaurants in the nation, with blogger Jessica of JessRuns mentioning our commitment to local and family farm ingredients.

We’re looking forward to the time when we can get on the road ourselves and trying out the other dining spots named in these two lists — they all sound amazing. Congratulations to everyone for their successful focus on sustainable food service, from ingredient sourcing to restaurant design.

Gourmet/BlogHer — Road Trip: Top 10 Healthy Restaurants

Food Republic — Power Ranking: 10 Sustainable Restaurants

2011 at Founding Farmers: Celebrity Quiz

OK, Founding Farmers fans, it’s quiz time. This one is based on the many notables who enjoyed our Pennsylvania Avenue location in 2011, plus a question about our appearances in the reality TV camera spotlight. What’s at stake? The first person to answer all three questions correctly gets a $25 Be Our Guest Card good for either Founding Farmers location. Leave your responses in the comments below, as well as a Twitter handle or link to your Facebook page, so that we can let you know if you’ve won! Deadline: 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, January 31.

Ready? Here we go. Good luck!

(1) Which person on this list of celebrities and notable people did not dine at Founding Farmers in 2011?
• Mrs. Jill Biden
• Laurence Fishburne
• D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray
• Food Network Host/Chef Robert Irvine
• White House Chef Sam Kass
• George Washington University President Steven Knapp
• Lady Gaga
• Ryan & Tatum O’Neal
• Queen Latifa
• Teresa Scanlan, Miss America 2011
• Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL)
• Jason Segel
• Martha Stewart
• Tennessee Titans Linebacker Will Witherspoon

(2) Which of the following reality TV shows did Founding Farmers or one of its staff not appear in?
• Food Network: Best Thing I Ever Ate
• OWN: Ryan and Tatum: The O’Neals
• Food Network: Meat & Potatoes
• Cooking Channel: Everyday Exotic

(3) How many times did Laurence Fishburne dine at Founding Farmers during Thurgood‘s three-week run at the Kennedy Center? Give us your best guess.

Montgomery Mag Serves Up Founding Farmers’ Brunswick Stew

Montgomery Magazine‘s Pamela Shipper offers a thorough look at Potomac’s Founding Farmers, from design DNA to menu philosophy, in a recent article about the restaurant. Making its first appearance in print is Woodstock, the 800- to-1,000 degree Fahrenheit oven that’s the heart of Potomac’s Founding Farmers’ kitchen. It’s a powerhouse oven that’s pretty rare in this area, so we thought you’d like to know what it looks like:

Shipper closes out the article with our Brunswick Stew recipe, which we’ve pasted below as well. Enjoy!

Founding Farmers’ Brunswick Stew
Makes 3 1/2 quarts (serves 6–8)
¾ pound applewood smoked bacon—raw and julienne
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons shallots, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons minced garlic
¾ cup celery, diced
¾ cup carrots, diced
½ cup fennel, diced
1½ cups leeks, sliced, white part only
2 quarts chicken broth (low salt or no salt)
1 cup tomato juice
¼ cup barley
¾ cup Idaho potato, peeled and diced
¾ cup garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 cup tomatoes, ½” diced
¾ cup yellow squash, diced
¾ cup zucchini, diced
1 cup frozen lima beans
½ cup fresh green beans, diced
1½ cup cilantro, rough-chopped
¼ cup basil, rough-chopped
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1½ teaspoons black pepper, fresh mill-ground
¾ cup barbecue sauce
½ pound baby spinach
¾ cup green onions, sliced
1½ each limes, juiced

Optional for heartier stew: 1 pound roasted whole chicken, pulled

Cooking Instructions
Heat a stockpot to medium heat and cook bacon until crispy but not burnt. Add oil and heat. Once oil is hot, add yellow onion, garlic, shallots, celery, carrots, fennel and leeks. Sauté or “sweat” vegetables for 4 to 5 minutes or until translucent. Add chicken broth, tomato juice and barley. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add potatoes, garbanzo beans and tomatoes and simmer for another 10 minutes. Add yellow squash, zucchini, lima beans, green beans, cilantro, basil, salt, black pepper and barbecue sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes to heat through. Prior to serving, add spinach and green onions, lime juice (and warm, pulled chicken, if desired). Add additional salt to taste.

Best when served with crusty bread.

Potomac’s Founding Farmers Beef Burgoo Recipe

Did you happen to catch Potomac’s Founding Farmers at the Bethesda Farmers Market on Sunday, December 18? We were showcasing our Kentucky Beef Burgoo recipe. In case you missed it, you can find a downloadable PDF of the recipe right here.

Happy cooking!

Start a New Christmas Day Tradition at Potomac’s Founding Farmers

Looking for a new spot to dine on December 25, when just about every other place else is closed? This year, Potomac’s Founding Farmers is the place to be.

Hours for Christmas Day:
• Brunch: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
• Lunch: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• Dinner: 4 p.m. – 10 p.m.
… and the bar will be open late!

Whether it’s our Stuffed New Orleans Style French Toast, a chicken option from our “Woodstock” oven, an award-winning pre-Prohibition-era cocktail, or any of our other heartland-inspired, scratch-made selections, there’s no better way to celebrate the spirit of the season than with a visit to Potomac’s Founding Farmers.

Make your reservation now. We’ll have a table waiting for you!

Win $30 for Brunch at Founding Farmers

Who doesn’t love brunch — especially at a place recently voted to have D.C.’s best? Now you have a chance to win $30 to enjoy our stuffed French toast, chicken and waffles, or any of our other delicious selections. The website Delectabelle is holding a “12 Days of Christmas” giveaway, and $30 toward brunch is one of the offerings. What are you waiting for? Sign up today!

Muppets Movie Team Dines in D.C.

Last night, following a White House screening of the just-released Muppets film for a group of military families, lead actor Jason Segel (that’s him at far left, next to Founding Farmers concept developer Dan Simons of VSAG), producer Todd Lieberman, and several Disney executives enjoyed dinner at our D.C. location. Unfortunately, Kermit and crew weren’t part of the entourage. Maybe next time!

Are you going to see The Muppets? We will. It looks like great fun for the family. If you’re a fan, check out Flavorpill’s roundup of their favorite moments from previous Muppet films.

UPDATE: Word has it the group enjoyed, among other things, Prosecco and cocktails, fried chicken and waffles, lobster mac ‘n’ cheese, Southern fried chicken salad, pork chop, milk shakes, cobblers, and pies. Also, Segel was kind enough to let fans in the restaurant (like our man Dan) take pictures, and he and his associates were extremely gracious to our staff. Thanks for stopping by!

Recent Celeb Sightings at Founding Farmers

Washington, D.C., is the kind of place where both cultural and political celebrities can be found, and occasionally we’re lucky enough to have them stop by Founding Farmers — sometimes on the same night!

Last Thursday, Martha Stewart and five other women dined at our D.C. restaurant. What did the doyenne of domestic life enjoy for dinner? The Washington Post‘s Reliable Source column knows.

Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) also stopped by 1924 Pennsylvania Ave. on Nov. 17 to enjoy some wine and food with two companions, finishing off his meal with a slice of carrot cake, writes The Hill.

Did the two cross paths at Founding Farmers? That, alas, we don’t know.