Farm 2 Bistro - Nutley, NJ

When we saw the deal on Groupon for Farm 2 Bistro, we just had to get it. The deal was $15 for a $30 voucher. I've been meaning to check out this place since forever, so with the Groupon deal, it was a good time to do so. Armed with our Groupon, we headed out to Nutley a few Sundays ago for dinner (Yes, I know. I've been meaning to blog about this for quite a while but never got around to it). It's located on Franklin Ave, the main strip in Nutley. Since it was a Sunday, there wasn't really many shops open around that area, so there were ample off street parking.

What made me want to check Farm 2 Bistro out in the first place was it's whole concept and the lifestyle that it promotes. Most of their ingredients are purchased from local farms and markets, when in season. Because of that, they have a diverse menu and feature different specials everyday. They also pride themselves in serving really fresh and healthy food. In fact, their tag phrase is "Farm to Plate, in a Day". I like the whole idea and concept of learning how to live a more sustainable lifestyle.

The moment we walked into the restaurant, we were like "wow". The decor was definitely errrr eclectic. There were a few picnic tables in the middle and a mismatch of tables and chairs all around. Random things were hanging on the walls but the tin ceiling was pretty cool though. There was also a weird musky kinda smell that I cannot place, maybe it's just an old building. The whole place had this laid back hippie kinda feel to it. We felt a bit out of place and a lil weird :P

The waitress took our drinks order and gave us the dinner menu to look through. Both Kevin and I ordered Unsweetened Iced Tea ($3 each). Farm 2 Bistro is also a BYOB, so you can bring along your favorite bottle of wine to go with dinner, if you choose to.

Kevin ordered the Shepard's Pie ($16, even though the online menu says $15). The portion was really small though. I asked Kevin if it was any good and he said it was just alright. I guess it wasn't all that great but it wasn't bad either. However, to pay $16 for this tiny mediocre serving of Shepard's Pie is little too much.

I ordered the Balsamic Chicken ($16, again..it says $15 on the online menu). Seared chicken breast, marinated in Balsamic Vinaigrette. It was served with fresh mozzarella, local tomatoes and pesto on top. Now, this was really really good. Again, the portion was really small but it tasted great. As much as I love the taste, I do not know if paying $16 for such a small portion, is justifiable. I would understand if it's a nice restaurant, but this is just a small and casual suburban cafe. I don't know.

There was a whole table filled with home made cakes, muffins and pastries, on display, just next to us. They all looked super yummy, so we decided to share a slice of carrot cake ($5). I must say that it's as yummy as it looks. Really moist and delicious! That really ended our meal on a sweet note :D
Now, here comes the part that ruined our whole dinner experience. When we first walked in, we showed the waitress our Groupon voucher. She said alright. Then, when the bill came, you can see from the pic above that she took out $30 from our total bill BUT added on a 18% tip for herself! It was just the two of us and not a huge party of six or more. Why should she add on a 18% gratuity? When we asked her, she just said that because we used a Groupon voucher, she HAD to add that in. Now, no where on the voucher or the Groupon website does it say that it's mandatory to add in a 18% gratuity. Of course we will tip her, but it is not right for her to add in the 18% herself, INSIST that it's done because we used the Groupon voucher and that's the policy. She was just outright lying thru her teeth. Boy, I really dislike people like that. The service in that place wasn't all that great, definitely not worth getting that 18%. We didn't want to argue with her anymore, so we just paid the bill and left. With the steep prices, small portions and horrible service...I don't think we will ever return again, no matter how good the Balsamic Chicken or Carrot Cake was.

Farm 2 Bistro - Nutley, NJ
177 Franklin Avenue,
Nutley, NJ 07110
Tel: (973) 667 3276
Web: http://www.farmbistro.com

American Shepards Pie

Kevin loves Shepards Pie. He has hinted quite a number of times that I should try and make some for dinner but I never really got around to it. I finally managed to do so sometime last week and I guess it turned out pretty good. Oh just to clarify some things, when I say Shepards Pie, I am refering to the American style Shepards Pie. Unlike the traditional English style Shepards Pie (which is made out of lamb or mutton), the American style Shepards Pie is made out of beef and has a little tomato paste in the filling. I think the English would call what I am making today Cottage Pie. Shepards Pie, Cottage Pie...it doesn't really matter what it's called. The bottom line is, it's really simple to make and it's super yummy. That's all that matters :P So, let me share with you this really easy to make 'Shepards Pie' recipe.

Start off by browning about 1 lbs of minced beef. Once it's brown, drain and set aside.

Then, melt 1/2 a stick of butter in a large pan.

Once the butter is melted, throw in some chopped onions. I used one really large onion, so if the onions that you have is small, use two.

Next, throw in some frozen peas and carrots.

Mix the peas and carrots with the onions and then add in some sliced mushrooms.

Allow everything to cook for a bit. Once it's almost cooked, add in the minced beef that you browned earlier.

Mix the minced beef with the rest of the ingredients and add in some Worcestershire sauce. I can't really tell you how much to put in cos I just eyeballed it. Just enough to season it nicely will do.

Next goes in the tomato paste. I just used about half a small can of tomato paste. Mix everything together, allow it to cook for a little bit more and the filling's done!

Once it has cooled down for a bit, transfer the filling to a deep baking dish.

Now it's time to make some mashed potatoes. You can either make it from scratch or you can just make it out from the box. I was feeling lazy, so I made things simple for myself by using instant mashed potatoes out from a box. Just follow the instructions on the back of the box, it's really simple.

Then, add in some shredded cheese into the mashed potatoes. You do not have to add any cheese if you do not want to. The cheese just makes it extra cheesy and yummy!

Now, scoop the mashed potatoes and place it on top of the filling. Remember to rough up the potatoes with a fork. By doing so, it helps the peaks brown nicely in the oven.

Once you are done with the potatoes, it's ready to go into the oven. Just place it in a 400F oven for about 30-45 minutes. Once it start bubbling and the peaks are brown, you know that it's done! There you have it. A simple and really yummy American Shepards Pie recipe.