Figure 1. Cleveland’s Urban Farmer.
Figure 2. Urban Farmer’s entrance from the lobby of the Westin Downtown Cleveland.
I know, I know. Heavy consumption of red meat is bad. It’s bad for your health (PMCID:PMC4409470). It’s bad for the environment. And, the situation is not all that great for the animal.
Oh, but red meat, I love you so! So much so, that some know me as “carnivorous Crawford.” I can’t tell you how many times I have ordered the steak and Steve has ordered the salad, and the waitstaff have tried to give me his salad.
So it must come as no surprise that we love a good steakhouse for special occasions. Of course, there are the usuals: Ruth’s Chris, Flemings, etc. Sure they serve a fine steak, but what if we want something a little different? Enter Urban Farmer (Figure 1).
Urban Farmer isn’t exactly a local steakhouse. The other two locations in the United States include Portland, OR and Philadelphia, PA. The Cleveland location of Urban Farmer is in the Westin Cleveland Downtown hotel. Don’t worry–it’s not your typical hotel restaurant. The entrance off the hotel lobby (Figure 2) greets you with their craft cocktail scene and charcuterie and cheese stations. Just past that scene is the dining….and steaks!
Figure 3. Fresh oysters on the half shell. Ask your server for today’s selection!
Figure 4. Charred octopus and a side of oysters.
So far, we have been to Urban Farmer twice for special occasions. I predict we will always think of Urban Farmer as a “special occasion” place because it is very pricey. Very. I suppose it doesn’t help given our taste for fresh oysters on the half shell (Figures 3-4). Or, our tendency to want to try steaks we cannot buy at the local grocery store (Figure 5-6). Corn fed, grass fed, US-bred, Japanese (Wagyu), ribeye, strip, tenderloin, aged, and aged some more. And cooked to order, of course. They even offer fancy sides like bone marrow (Figure 7).
Overall, the handcrafted drinks and carefully prepared steaks were stellar. But, as you might suspect, the menu will not please everyone. Price aside, there’s probably not much on the meu for non-meat eaters looking for his or her decadent meal alongside their meat-eating companions. Also, we found that everything, including the steaks, is infused with butter. This is not good news for people like Mom trying to avoid the stuff. Otherwise, we were quite satisfied with our experiences and hope to be back for that next special occasion.
Figure 5. New York Steak Tasting at Urban Farmer.
Figure 7. Steak with a side of bone marrow.
Figure 6. Ohio Proud at Urban Farmer.
