Bloggers’ Bites: The Farmacy
Bloggers’ Bites is a series of posts chronicling the foodie adventures of Penn Appétit’s blog staff. On November 23, the bloggers took a trip to the Farmacy, located on 44h and Spruce, for brunch. (You can see our impressions on the Farmacy’s dinner here!)
Sophie Litwin: I love everything about the Farmacy–the retro clock with a different soda cap on every number, the list of home remedies for common illnesses in the bathroom, and of course the fresh, locally grown food. I first visited the Farmacy for a three course dinner over the summer, a very different but equally enjoyable experience as the late fall brunch that I attended with some fellow Penn Appétit bloggers. I was a little disappointed that my Forrest Salad didn’t come on a block of wood, like the salads did over the summer, but the presentation was still beautiful–artisanal greens sprinkled with dried cherries and toasted almonds, dotted with local chevre, and drizzled with an apple-cider walnut vinaigrette. Our trip to the Farmacy was the perfect way to celebrate the end of a successful fall semester by enjoying fall flavors like apple that will soon be replaced with peppermint and gingerbread.
Chase Matecun: The eight-block walk from my dorm to The Farmacy was brutally cold, but the blast of warm air and the scent of freshly fried eggs and buttermilk biscuits that greeted me as I walked through the door were well worth it. After deliberating over the menu with my fellow bloggers, I ordered the Crab Cake Benny, a play on traditional eggs benedict that replaced the usual Canadian bacon with—you guessed it—a freshly made crab cake. Both eggs were perfectly poached and they each yielded spectacularly savory pools of yolk that went well with the zestiness of the crab cakes. It was the perfect dish for a cold fall morning, evidenced by the fact that I found myself using morsels of bread to wipe up the last vestiges of the creamy hollandaise sauce. The only part of my brunch that didn’t thrill me was the English muffin my eggs were stacked on. It could have been much crisper and, frankly, it reminded me of the standard “Thomas” brand English muffins I have back home. Thankfully the crispy deliciousness of the duck-fried potatoes overshadowed the muffin, and brunch went off without a hitch. The service was prompt, the conversation was good, and the food was soul warming—overall The Farmacy was a solid choice for a savory morning meal.
Carolyn Koh: There’s such a great energy in the restaurant with awesome vintage decorations that build up your appetite. I ordered the Chicken n’ Biscuits – essentially a biscuit sandwich with a fried chicken in between topped with the most amazing, flavorful gravy. The biscuits were super moist and the chicken wasn’t too dry. This dish got me attached to anything biscuits and gravy!
Katie Behrman: Tucked away on the corner of 44th and Spruce, the Farmacy prepares local, fresh comfort food. I ordered the banana foster pancakes, which were served with banana-rum flambe, vanilla maple syrup, and duck fried potatoes. The vanilla maple syrup, with visible chunks of banana, oozed over the sweet and fluffy pancakes, while the duck fried potatoes provided a delicious crunch to the meal.
Nicole Woon: With a host of sweet and savory options available on the menu, it took many minutes of deliberation before I opted for the Smoked Salmon Sandwich. The star of the sandwich was indeed the smoked salmon: its translucent, brilliant magenta hue caught the morning sunshine streaming through the window (there’s a “Tie-dyed Salmon” dish on the menu, so I’m curious if this is the same cut of salmon), and the slices were moist and buttery on the tongue. Complemented with crisp cucumber slices, a rich roasted heirloom tomato and caper jam, and creamy citrus-herb cream cheese, this was one sandwich fit for the king of the sea. A housemade “Pepino’s Pickle”–crisp and just sour enough–and freshly-cut pommes frites–thickly cut and pleasantly potatoey–completed the dish.
Connie Yu: On this bleak and blustery Saturday morning, I walked with a few bloggers to a cute corner restaurant to seek some sunshine. This restaurant was Rx the Farmacy, and this sunshine, if anywhere, was in my brunch. I noted the yellow-green walls, the unframed paper menu, the chalkboard specials, the statement clock made of big soda pop caps, and easily forgave these tacky touches when I read through their classic and farm-to-table fare. We chatted casually about our classes and seriously about our food, and had talked half our way through Philadelphia in food before our meals arrived. But when they did, most all conversation ceased.
With some difficulty, I ordered the Crab Cake Benny, though I’d been swayed heavily toward the Banana Foster Pancakes. Sprawled like royalty on thrones of crab cake were my two poached eggs. I poked the bulging center of one, and the best kind of sunshine spilled down the sides, into the waiting pores of the crisp English muffin, and onto the plate, mingling with the generous Hollandaise sauce and lending much grace to the crisp but bland duck-fat fried potatoes. The first full bite, enrobed in silky yolk and seasoned by the crab cake’s roasted pepper and spice, was in gorgeous proportion, and each after that still rich, still happy, until there were none left, and all the ooey-gooey sunshine was sleeping soundly in my belly.
We left with new friends by our side, a good meal tucked away, and the weekend ahead for delicious meanderings.
