Flatbush Farm - An Update

It was my pop's birthday and the place he wanted to eat was closed, so we wound up at Flatbush Farm, a restaurant that we liked but didn't love. When you have a 4 month old baby with you who needs to be sleeping in 90 minutes, your options are somewhat limited. This was the only place in the neighborhood where we would definitely get a table for five people without a reservation, hopefully outdoors on a lovely evening, and where a baby might not be a disturbance to other diners.

We did get to sit outside in what is truly a great outdoor dining space - lots of room between the tables, plenty of trees and green, an airy and luxurious feeling to the place.

We start with a bottle of Astoria Prosecco, which retails for $7 a bottle and goes for $24 here. Whaddayagonnado, eh? We order two salads, both excellent, although a little over dressed. Frisee with mushrooms and blue cheese, and bibb lettuce with radishes and craime fraiche. Tasty and fresh ingredients, delicious outside in the garden. And the waiter brings five plates for us, which he should do, but since it so rarely happens without asking in restaurants, we thought it was nice.

Sorry to say, though, that things went downhill from here. The problems we experienced last time with the restaurant (spotty service, inconsistent and overpriced food) were still present, maybe worse this time around.

A pet peeve: I hate it when after considering what every one at the table will eat, I spend time with a wine list, order a wine, and am told that the restaurant is out of it.

Ma and pa order the spare rib special with greens and baked beans (good sides, so-so at best on the ribs), brother and I order the duck that I loved last time (this time, too fatty, poorly presented, mushy lentils, gloopy citrus sauce - the opposite of how good it was last time), BrooklynLady goes again for her French-dip sandwich. I order a bottle of the Shinn Estates Wild Boar Doe - Long Island wines on the mind I guess.

Waiter disappears for almost 10 minutes and comes back to tell me that actually they do not have that wine. Waiter should know that when handing me the list. Or at least when I spoke the words "Wild Boar Doe," waiter should say whoops, we're out of that one, sorry."

So I go for the cheaper but very tasty 2006 Roches Neuves Saumur-Champigny that we had last time. He goes away again, another 10 minutes, and comes back to tell me that that wine also is gone! Ridiculous. We went with a Bierzo that was pleasant, but that is totally beside the point. The place is half empty and they can't manage themselves better than that? Waiter crowned his achievement by pointing to a $55 Gigondas on the list and saying "This one is a Bordeaux and it's really good."

I am just not a fan of dinner at the Farm. If you want a nice place to have a drink in the garden, go for it.