Reviewed by: Myles Dakan (Cost: 3; Rating: 4)

An expensive restaurant worth the price, Farmicia is perfect for die-hard vegetarians and carnivores alike. The menu features foods from local, organic, and artisanal producers. From herb-mustard London broil to pumpkin risotto (a personal favorite) Farmicia has quality food for everyone. The desserts are simple but of high quality, just like the delicious appetizers. Farmicia's ambiance is also unique, with eclectic plants and painted mirrors somehow melding with fruit and orchid centerpieces to create a pseudo-Italian feel. I strongly recommend it.

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Reviewed by: Jeanie Glaser (Cost: 3; Rating: 3)

I've been to Farmicia four times now and each visit was worse than the previous, maybe just because I pay more attention each time. Although the restaurant works fine if you simply want to escape Sharples for some very fresh, organic, locally grown food, only one of the items I've had here has actually wowed me. Most things I've had, though made with high quality ingredients, have been bland and unmemorable. The warm, just-baked breads dipped in fine olive oil or herbed butter and the creative alcoholic beverages full of pure juices start the meals off favorably, but everything turns downhill from here. The salads, with their sparse and plain dressings and indelicate greens-toppings combinations, will leave you hoping for better things in your next course. If you order the curried poached pear, as I have twice, then you won't be disappointed: the flavors together are excellent. My boyfriend has tried the masa-crusted shrimp and said that although it was tasty, the portion size did not warrant its price. The cappellini appetizer, though again, very fresh, has little flavor. The entrees seem to be hit or miss. The vegetarian tofu dishes I have had were without exception uninspired, relying far too heavily on cannellini beans and tasting like nothing but the too-pungent rosemary-balsamic glaze that covers everything on the plate except for the overcooked, unseasoned, and usually cold broccoli. My boyfriend has tried the pork twice. He said that although the first time it seemed expertly cooked and perfectly tender, the second time it arrived barely heated and almost bloody after he'd asked for it medium-well. The pork arrived recooked in a relatively timely fashion for a Saturday night and was still "above average", though not worthy of the rave reviews it had received at our last visit. However, the sorbets and ice creams are charmingly served with house-baked shortbread cookies and have always been a satisfying treat at the end of each meal. Although the food has been bland at worst and legitimately good at best during each visit and is always a welcome reprieve from the overcooked, chemically-tasting fare of Sharples, I am not sure if I'd ever want to return to Farmicia. I have a true appreciation of the restaurant's commitment to serving healthy, sustainable meals in an elegant but relaxed setting. However, the managers have not seemed to put much effort into training their waitstaff or perhaps into hiring adequate waitstaff. Maybe this is because the managers themselves do not understand good customer service. I've waited over fifteen minutes for a bar drink each time I've ordered one, and very infrequently has the server asked if everything is okay with my appetizers and meal. Once I even received a soup without a spoon and waited a good ten minutes until a single staff member noticed that I was trying to get someone's attention. By then, my soup was barely warm, and I received no apology, just a surprised "Oh!". The worst part, though, is that during my last visit, when I received my dessert (after waiting a good fifteen minutes with the dessert menu in front of me) I asked the manager who brought it if I could get my check immediately since we wanted to catch the next SEPTA back. "Sure!" he said, and I didn't see him or the waitress who eventually brought it until half an hour later! Needless to say, we missed the SEPTA and had a very fun hour sitting in Market East Station. Well, at least it provided us plenty of time to think about how mediocre and overrated this restaurant really is. Some of the dishes are true gems, and it’s always great to see a menu composed nearly entirely of local, organic foods, but if you want this sort of meal in the same price range but with a heck of a lot more flavor and creativity, head a few blocks south and try Horizons. It’s all vegan, but even the staunchest carnivores I’ve taken there have found many things to love and left full-stomached, singing its praises.

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