December 2- 8, 2004

food

Double Dose

CHILLING TO PERFECTION: Relaxation, one of Farmicia's signature tonics, contains pineapple juice and apricot elixir with jujube seeds. Photo By: Michael T. Regan

Medical benefits and earthy flavors compete for equal dispensation at Farmicia's counters.

by Elisa Ludwig

Restaurants, unlike proms, are not necessarily better when themed. Sure, a theme can be fun or exotic or even instructive (I'm thinking of the tour through the Buca di Beppo kitchen). But a theme that is too strictly applied can also feel constricting and artificial, and a confusing theme can really distract you from your dinner. At Farmicia, the new restaurant opened by James Barrett and Wendy Smith Born of Metropolitan Bakery and Kevin Klause of White Dog Café fame, there are a few overlapping but sometimes dueling themes: pharmacy and medicine; Asian healing arts and spirituality; and finally, sustainable and humanely produced food.

As far as themes go, the fresh, locally grown angle is tough to argue with. Who could object to healthful, high-quality and guilt-free food? It's an easy concept to grasp, and it should obviate the need for props like a menu fashioned as a doctor's chart with prescribed doses of food. Evoking the pharmaceutical industry while hocking braised free-range duck legs is not a great idea.

In many ways, Farmicia is extremely appealing, starting with its fresh and simple vibe. The gloomy gunmetal-and-black dining room of previous tenant Novelty has been given an injection of color with fabric banquettes and painted glass panels. Stalks of lemongrass and tiny, bonsai-like berry bushes adorn the tables. The women's bathroom sink is filled with fresh flowers (though the beautifully decorated bathroom is itself a frigid little icebox).

The menu, divided up into three sizes of "doses" plus a whole section of "T.V." (or "totally vegetarian") dinners, manages to be intriguing and creative without sounding fussy. (Consider: "Trio of Cypress Grove Goat Cheeses — walnut toasts, fruit pastes." We know those toasts and fruit pastes involve some serious kitchen labor, but reading about them is refreshingly nonlaborious.) In its concern for the well-being of its patrons, Farmicia serves portions that would appease most nutritionists at prices that would not offend workaday diners looking for weekend leisure.

More than just a cute touch, the "tonic and elixir" cocktails are worth sampling, particularly the Deep Replenisher with berry, ginseng and orange juice, which ordinarily comes with Ketel One, but tasted just as healing without. A basket of Metropolitan breads is brought tableside so you can choose from a selection of flatbreads, olive ficelle, focaccia and French rolls among others.

Most of the small plates are cooler and lighter where, ostensibly, those organic veggies will get a chance to really shine. Too often, though, this was not the case. The beets in a beets and fennel salad had not been roasted long enough to caramelize — they were hard and metallic-tasting, while the salad's cubes of Amish feta had been cut so small they'd grown rubbery and dry. The silky cured artic char was sweet, but its bed of shredded celeriac, créme fraîche and herbs was overly dense and soggy. Of the light doses, the crab and Asian pear slaw was the most memorable — the delicate lump meat and crisp fruit was brightened by a tart citrus dressing and fresh mint.

That kind of inconsistency ran through the menu, and our server seemed to be aware of it. When he warned us against the potpie and several other vegetarian items, my friend ordered the pumpkin risotto with cheddar, sage and caramelized onions, which was cooked to an undifferentiated mush. I had the same response to the pumpkin bread pudding, which at the very least made me appreciate the seasonal nature of the menu. Another disappointment was an otherwise decent crab cake from the medium dose section, which was marred by an ill-suited lemon-ginger foam.

On the other hand, roasted whole calamari stuffed with cauliflower and breadcrumbs with a dollop of tangy gremolata was a wonderful package of unexpected flavor, and its accompanying melted radicchio was a creative spin on the usual fruity braised cabbage. A pork chop stuffed with chanterelles and topped with blue cheese was the kind of perfectly juicy, perfectly tender slab of meat that could silence any free-range skeptic. I also enjoyed the striped bass, grilled in its crispy silvery skin, which came with a chowder sauce of fresh clams, cubed potatoes and shards of smoked tomato bacon.

Desserts, with the exception of that bread pudding, were superior. A parfait of three custards — vanilla, dark chocolate and butterscotch — in a tall glass had a classic, old-fashioned appeal, and it came with a plate of tiny cookies studded with tiny raisins and tiny chocolate chips. Also pleasing was an airy pastry puff filled with delicious lemon curd and topped with candied lemon peel. But the best dessert was a slice of warm gingerbread with creamy sabayon and sauteed pears, in which each element was good on its own but was especially enhanced by the various combinations thereof. These, you might say, were our proverbial spoonfuls of sugar, and they made us appreciate the smaller portions at the front end of the meal.

The tricky thing about theme restaurants, even the good ones, is you almost never remember what you ate and you almost never feel the need to go back. This is not the case with Farmicia. Even with its imperfections, Farmicia seems to be most serious about the food itself, and for serious diners, that's theme enough.

Farmicia 15 S. Third St. 215-627-6274 www.farmiciarestaurant.com

• Lunch: Tue.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m.
• Brunch: Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
• Dinner: Tue.-Thu., 5:30-10 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-11 p.m.; Sun., 5 -10 p.m.
• Small plates, $5.50-$9; medium, $7.50-$11; large, $15.50-$19.50
• Reservations accepted.
• Wheelchair accessible.
• All major credit cards except Diners Club and Discover.
• Smoking is not permitted.
• No cell phones.