However, last Friday she was called into work early, so on a whim I decided take a short walk along the waterfront and grab breakfast at Farmers Fishers Bakers with my boyfriend (hereafter BF).
Farmers Fishers Bakers is the sister restaurant of Founding Farmers. Self described as a full service upscale casual restaurant, Farmers Fishers Bakers offers a rather unconventional mix of foods, from house-made bread to sushi, but everything is prepared with absolutely remarkable attention to detail and quality.
Breakfast here is delightfully casual; you order at the bakery counter and everything is self serve. There were relatively few people and I can definitely see myself lingering here over a cup of coffee and some homework.
While brunch is a bit pricy here, breakfast easily fits into anyone's budget. Portions are on the smaller side, however, so we managed to try a number of items on offer.
Café americano and café latte // 2.75 each
Good caffeine is a must at breakfast and while I was not absolutely blown away by Farmers Fishers Bakers' offerings, my cup was still darn tasty. Here's another dirty little secret: I'm lactose intolerant, so I had BF order a latte just so I could get a pretty picture.
Steel cut oatmeal // vanilla bean cream + almonds + raisins // 3.5
When I'm at home, I make oatmeal just about every single morning, but at college, it's just not practical. While I've heard so many people boast about steel cut oats' health benefits and superior creaminess, I never managed to take a liking for them. Maybe I just didn't prepare them correctly because after having Farmers Fishers Bakers' version, I'm officially a convert. Lusciously creamy with a slight popping bite, the soft oatmeal was well contrasted by the crunchy almonds and the raisins managed to rehydrate a bit to offer a slightly juicy squish on each bite. Dribble on the vanilla cream and a sprinkle of brown sugar and I was in absolute oatmeal heaven.
Birds in a nest // poached eggs + three chili cheese bread // 2.5
It's a classier take on toad-in-a-hole. I wish the egg yolk was a bit less done (team yolk porn, anyone?), but nonetheless this dish managed to thoughtfully transition a piece of my childhood to adulthood. And the bread. Savory, toasty, with a surprising amount of heat. Hello bread, meet stomach.
Breakfast taco // with applewood smoked bacon // 3.5
To be honest, I was a bit disappointed in the taco. It was good and well crafted as are all of Farmers Fishers Bakers' offerings, but nothing really special and a bit expensive for the portion size.
Baker's toast // brioche with chocolate butter // 2
There are a good variety of breads on rotation and we decided to get a slice of brioche. It was sliced thick and well toasted (maybe a little too well for some people? But I like my toast nice and dark). Unfortunately while the bread was tasty, it I missed the rich, dense, egg-iness I have come to associate with brioche. And I think they gave us the honey butter rather than the chocolate, but we never bothered to ask for a change; the butter was delicious nonetheless and complimented the slightly sweet bread well.
Overall I was more than pleased with my visit to Farmers Fishers Bakers; it definitely lives up to its claim quality and dedication to detail. I'll be back again.
Farmers Fishers Bakers
3000 K St NW
Washington, DC 20007
