Where is Farmhouse Table in downtown Rochester?
Dark glazing on the windows can obscure the view that there is a restaurant inside.
From the outside, dark, reflective glaze on the windows obscures the fact that a glass and steel structure that thousands of people pass daily on their way to downtown Rochester houses a restaurant. That may be one reason the space on South Clinton Avenue next to Innovation Square is in its fourth lease since its 2018 renovation.
Sarah and Mike Hasenauer, the husband and wife team who own Farmhouse Table, a catering business that sources its produce directly from the farm, are confident they have the right ingredients to make the location a success. They’ve opened a cafe that serves breakfast and lunch, and plan to host happy hours and events on the eatery’s mezzanine and third floors once they get a liquor license.
“Our job is to get people in the house,” said Mike Hasenauer. “As soon as they come in, they say, ‘Wow, this is great.'”
Farmhouse Table began in 2015 when the Hasenauers began making baked goods in a small commercial kitchen and selling them at farmers markets. They built relationships with local farmers and relied on those relationships as they launched their catering business, which emphasizes locally-sourced foods. Farmhouse Table now includes a 5,000-square-foot production space, a 1,000-square-foot event space in Irondequoit, and a cozy retail store at the intersection of St. Paul and Lakeshore Boulevard in Irondequoit.
The company has been regularly supplying shops in the city center for years, said Sarah Hasenauer. Opening a small restaurant in the middle of the action therefore makes perfect sense.
The menu continues the company’s farm-to-table approach. For example, there is currently a BLT sandwich with house-smoked bacon, lettuce from Kirby’s Farm Market in Brockport and thick-cut tomatoes from Growing Family Farms in Spencerport. Once tomato season is over, that sandwich will be replaced on the menu with something else.
Other current lunch specials include a curried chicken salad sandwich, a grilled chicken sandwich, a grilled turkey sandwich, a Mediterranean wrap and a seasonal farmhouse salad. For breakfast, there are four breakfast sandwiches, including the best-selling Farmhouse Sandwich with two fried eggs, house-smoked bacon, American cheese and a homemade breakfast sauce with tomatoes on a hard bun.
In addition, coffee drinks, baked goods and salads are served to go and there is a sales area for various snacks, chips and drinks.
The space has a second and third floor, each with its own bar and views of downtown. Once the liquor license is obtained, the rooms will be used for events and happy hours. In the meantime, these spaces are available to clients looking for a quiet place to work.
When you go
Farmhouse Table, 90 S. Clinton Ave., is open for breakfast and lunch Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and for brunch Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. There is outdoor seating along Broad Street on weekends.
Paid parking is available on the street or in the Midtown Garage. In the garage, park near the Clinton Avenue entrance (Section A3) and take the elevator to the first floor. Farmhouse Table can also be accessed via the skyway, which connects to Innovation Square and other downtown buildings.
Menus can be found online at farmhousetablemidtown.com. Online ordering and delivery via third-party apps will be added soon.
Accessibility: The first and third floors are wheelchair accessible via the elevator from the Midtown Garage. Restrooms are located in the basement where you enter the garage. The first and third floors have a mix of low and high seating.
Tracy Schuhmacher covers the Rochester dining scene. Notice something opening or closing in your neighborhood? Send tips to [email protected].
