Photo by Michael Moran, Courtesy Founding Farmers
I went out with some high expectations. A colleague mentioned the restaurant, Founding Farmers, and said it was owned by a collective of family farmers and used fresh and local ingredients from family farms, ranches, and fisheries (as the web site proudly proclaims).
My date was excited: it was a "hip" restaurant. Which I understood when I tried to make reservations and there were none to be had. Thankfully, so I wouldn't be too embarrassed, there would be tables available that night. When we arrived at 6:30 on a Saturday night, the wait was expected to be a little over an hour. (Fortunately, it turned out to be a mere 40 minutes, which we were able to spend at the bar talking.)
I regret to inform you that this was a disappointing meal. After the wait for a table, we were escorted to the table and noticed a nice, eclectic mix of ages and dress: everything from suits and cocktail dresses to jeans and some guy in an eye-catching, sparkling gold metallic coat. Being an oldie, I liked the gentle '70s music that played all night, like James Taylor's "Mexico." The waiter noted that all the materials were made in a sustainable manner and the lights used energy efficient light bulbs. Indeed, Founding Farmers might be the only DC restaurant to meet the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Standard.