Tillie's Farmhouse...or how to meet a New Yorker (sort of)

Wanting something fresh to eat tonight...so away from the burbs and into St. Paul...

Drove around and decided on

  Tillie's Farmhouse.

This is the old Trotter's on Cleveland at Marshall in St. Paul.   Now, last time we were at Trotter's, we sat down at a table and there was another couple a few tables away.  The woman sobbed through our whole dinner.   We were hoping for a less stressful evening tonight.

There's been some remodeling, although there are still some rough edges.   The building is old and kinda musty...that hasn't changed since the Trotter's days.

A rack of paper menus when you enter...then order at the counter and they hand you a bucket of silverware & napkins with a number painted on a wooden spoon.

I really wanted to try the curry bowl...but the menu stated that it might contain 'shellfish' (my allergy), so no go.  The spinach handpie in the cream cheese pastry topped with an egg and accompanied by a salad was my choice.  John, always trying to do something different, clearly wasn't listening [John: "I was"] and said "I'll have the handpie".   Ha...after shaming him over his typical husband-like ability to listen [John: "Rerun"], he decided to go for the parmesan pasta with salad.   Good move!

Food Safety Passes the Test 

at Tillie's Farmhouse

The food came out so quickly that I barely had time to check out the kitchen (and that's my duty, I think).  I was pleased that prep staff were wearing gloves, using tongs, and being very careful not to touch the prepared food with their digits.   Good job....very reassuring.

Service & Food is Great 

at Tillie's Farmhouse

The server, who had a quick sense of humor (John tests these things...on purpose???  Who knows?[John: "Yes"]) brought the food out so fast that I wasn't sure it was really our order.  But it was!

Tillie's Farmhouse Handpie

My handpie (almost more of an open square tart) was well baked to a nice crispy finish.  The spinach on top was a little crispy, with the spinach and potatoes in the middle roasted and tender.   It was plated on a pool of cauliflower puree and was accompanied on an oval plate by a nicely dressed fresh salad of baby greens, some shaved carrot, and what turned out to be rye crumbs (not big croutons).  These added a really nice contrast to the salad.    Everything on my plate was delish...and after sharing a measly bite with John...I made it all disappear.

Tillie's Farmhouse Past With Spring Vegetables

Same for John (although I think I stole a slightly larger bite).  He had campanielle with parmesan 'fondue' and topped with a tomato conserve...really more of a rich topping of sundried tomato (traditional conserve contains nuts...not the case here) and spinach and some scallions.   The pasta was accompanied by a slightly larger salad in a separate bowl, composed of the same ingredients.

We both pronounced our dinners 'excellent'.

New Yorker Friendliness at Tillie's Farmhouse

Now, about that 'sort of' New Yorker.   As we left, a woman was sitting at an outside table enjoying a big, creamy iced coffee and a beautiful piece of bread/cake.  It was so beautiful that we asked her what it was...she cut off a piece and offered it to us to share.   I love this woman already 

So, we ended up having a 20 minute conversation 

with an English professor from SUNY, by way of Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina (not necessarily in that order).   She did 'Beowulf' and, of course, I did Chaucer...while we munched blueberry bread/cake and enjoyed a beautiful evening in St. Paul.

This Visit:  Tillie's Farmhouse = 4.8 Stars ... Throw in this friendly New Yorker it's a solid 5 Stars!