Farmacia

Farmacia is supposed to be a mid-range, trendy restaurant featuring natural, healthy, "free-range" and vegetarian/vegan dining. It was started by a co-owner of the White Dog, one of our favorite places in the city, and we've seen some of its packaged goods for sale at our local Metropolitan Bakery.

We booked a table for 6 on a Tuesday night for a special anniversary dinner with our four (teens and 20s) children. One is a vegan, so this seemed like a good choice. The restaurant was empty except for one other table during the entire time we were there (8:30-10 PM). The service was cold/surly. For example, when 13-year-old ordered a Hanks Creme Soda from the menu she was served a diet soda. When we politely asked for a regular one we were chastized that this was the only kind they offered.

They were sold out of two of the three types of wines on the specials menus and we were told that it was an old menu. (?)

The food was middling. Our salads, "Crispy fried corn-crusted squid salad", were a dull affair of chewy fried squid and brown-edged romaine. My "Wild Alaskan Salmon roasted beets, lentils, Swiss chard, creamy herb sauce" was egregiously over-cooked and the beet slice was fibrous to the point of inediblity. The bill for a table of six including wine, soft drinks, appetizers and entrees was $236.

I can see why the place was empty, and we won't be returning.