Most restaurants have a theme. Sometimes it works; sometimes it's a bit of a stretch. The Urban Farmhouse Market & Café, in Shockoe Slip, definitely has a theme. Think upscale country coffee/sandwich shop using fresh local ingredients, and you've got the basic picture. This theme is all encompassing in that everything is natural or organic. Everything. From the coffee and food to the household market items — even the beer and wine is organic.
The menu is pretty basic: sandwiches, salads and soups, with evening additions of sweets and cheese plates. The sandwiches give the café's panini press a heavy workout. Oversized morning breakfast sandwiches such as the Virginia Bacon and Egg are served with rough-cut fresh fruit and make for a nice start to the day, even if the egg is a little underseasoned, while a Virginia Ham Cubano sandwich will add spice to your afternoon.
Salads such as the Roasted Butternut Squash or Roasted Glazed Pears and Walnuts tend to use seasonally fresh ingredients, but the Urban Farmhouse really shines with its homemade soups. Serve me something unusual, like Irish Yellow Broth Soup — chicken stock, onions and carrot, thickened with oatmeal — and you have snagged the full attention of my soup obsession.
Whether you're stopping in for a quick breakfast or lunch, enjoying a leisurely afternoon using free Wi-Fi over a $6 glass of wine ($4 during happy hour from 5 to 7 p.m.), the Urban Farmhouse is a great place to get good, organic food in a comfortable setting.
