Farm, Bloomington

Thursday 22 October

We drove up to Bloomington, Indiana, through vibrant fall colors and uncommonly balmy weather, so that Holt could give a talk on Antinous and other Teen Angels for the Classical Studies department.  As a reward for his ephebic efforts, Matt, Adam, and Noah took us out to dinner at Farm.

It's a funky place with the usual eclectic decor, and by its name signals its allegiance of farm-to-table cuisine.  Of course, farm-to-table in Bloomington is not that long a distance. 

While we were considering our choices, we got a giant bowl of "farmfamous" garlic fries, addictive little fritters made with parmesan, chili flakes, lemon zest, chopped herbs, garlic, and turmeric aioli, to be washed down with the tasty and cleverly-labeled Writer's Block pinot noir.

One of our mains was a chewy but well-seasoned bison strip sirloin, served with chimichurri, heirloom tomatoes, and a grilled baguette.  

The other was a two-tentacle portion of Spanish octopus (from the octopus farm?) braised in white wine and oregano and dabbed with smoky romesco, floating elegantly among red potatoes and sweet corn in saffron broth.  Both were strong enough to stand up to the Durigutti Malbec we had progressed to.

At the end we split two desserts among the five of us: succulent Indiana sweet potato pie with caramel and ice cream, and a clever cheddar cheesecake with sauteed apples and more ice cream.  

So thanks, Bloomingtonians, for a more than pleasant visit!