FARM + FEED

GAME AND GRUB COME TOGETHER FOR FAMILY-FRIENDLY FUN

Food & Drinks

BAR/PUB FOOD

WINNER - HOLY GRAIL PUB

2ND - THE FILLMORE PUB

3RD - 32 DEGREE ROOFTOP BAR

BBQ JOINT

WINNER - LOCKHART SMOKEHOUSE

2ND - BURNT BBQ & TACOS

3RD - WINNERS BBQPLANO

BEER SELECTION

WINNER - UNION BEAR BREWING CO.

2ND - KATY TRAIL ICE HOUSE OUTPOST

3RD - BEERHEAD BAR & EATERY

BRUNCH

WINNER - WHISKEY CAKE

2ND - BREAD WINNERS

CAFE & BAKERY

3RD - FIRST WATCH

BURGER JOINT

WINNER - KENNY’S BURGER JOINT

2ND - RODEO GOAT ICE HOUSE

3RD - YE OLE BUTCHER SHOP

COFFEE SHOP

WINNER - 1418

COFFEEHOUSE

2ND - MUDLEAF COFFEE

3RD - BLACK RIFLE COFFEE

HEALTHY EATING

WINNER - SEASONS 52

2ND - TRUE FOOD KITCHEN

3RD - BELLAGREEN

INDIAN FOOD

WINNER - KUMAR’S

2ND - EVEREST INDIAN

HIMALAYAN RESTAURANT AND BAR

3RD - MALGUDI GARDEN

Can’t get the kids off of their devices long enough for a family dinner? Farm + Feed says if you can’t beat them, join them.

Named after two gaming terms that seem food-related to normies (nongamers), the restaurant combines video games and family dinner with over 30 booths fit with a Nintendo Switch and an XBOX Series X or a PS5. The restaurant also has over 30 custom-built gaming PCs to choose from.

Families, friends and business partners are free to come in, choose a gaming system and play their favorite multiplayer games while dining on gaming-inspired concoctions.

Max Steel, the owner and brains behind the concept, created Farm + Feed last year to fill a need he saw in an already expansive gaming community.

“What got me into restaurants was this notion of bringing people together, obviously over food or drink,” Steel says. “Farm + Feed really came to a head where something I’ve always been passionate about is geek culture, video games and board games. … It’s a great way to get people out together and to have a place where you can celebrate geek culture or celebrate gaming where you’re always welcome no matter what walk of life you’re coming from.”

The DFW area and Plano already have a thriving video gaming community. Plano is home to game developers like Robot Entertainment and Stray Kite Studios. Gearbox Software, Dreamhack Dallas, many Twitch streamers and specialized gaming stores are also nearby.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is how big of a gaming community is in the area,” Steel says. “The gaming industry has taken note by having a lot of their studios move down to the Dallas or Austin area. … You have this huge network and you have a lot of colleges and young people that want to play board games and whatnot and are based in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.”

Of course, with a restaurant, there’s much more than video games to consider. Steel brought in Riot Games/ ISS Guckenheimer Executive Chef Matt Yuen to create the first menu. Farm + Feed Executive Chef Lindsey Rush took that menu and expanded it, which Steel and the team are constantly adjusting.

“We worked on a simple menu of gaming treats but with nuanced flavors and flavor profiles,” Steel says. “We learned early on that that was too limiting, so we’ve been constantly every quarter iterating on our menu and either expanding items or

Zato Thai Cuisine & Sushi Bar offers you traditional Thai cuisine and fantastic sushi prepared by our expert chef with over 10 years of experience. Come experience our great traditional Thai dishes and sushi. We welcome you to enjoy our delicious cuisine and make unforgettable memories.

MARGARITAS

WINNER - MI COCINA

2ND - URBAN RIO

3RD - CHUY’S

MARKET FOR FOODIES

WINNER - CENTRAL MARKET

2ND - TRADER JOE’S

3RD - EATZI’S MARKET & BAKERY

MEXICAN FOOD

WINNER - MI COCINA

2ND - MI DIA FROM SCRATCH

3RD - CHUY’S

PATIO FOR DAY DRINKING

WINNER - KATY TRAIL ICE HOUSE OUTPOST

2ND - URBAN CRUST (ROOFTOP)

3RD - LAZY DOG RESTAURANT & BAR

PIZZA

WINNER - URBAN CRUST

2ND - TAVERNA ROSSA

3RD - KENNY’S EAST COAST PIZZA

PLACE FOR A COLD TREAT

WINNER - HENRY’S ICE CREAM

2ND - SUGAR PINE CREAMERY

3RD - FAT STRAWS BUBBLE TEA & MOCHI DONUTS

PLACE FOR CARNIVORES

WINNER - BOB’S STEAK & CHOP HOUSE

2ND - FOGO DE CHAO

3RD - DEL FRISCO’S DOUBLE EAGLE STEAKHOUSE

PLACE TO DRINK TOO MANY TRENDY COCKTAILS

WINNER - WHISKEY CAKE

2ND - MEXICAN SUGAR

3RD - CRAFTWAY KITCHEN

PLACE TO SATISFY YOUR SWEET TOOTH

WINNER - BETTER THAN SEX

2ND - SPRINKLES

3RD - TELL ME SOMETHING SWEET BAKERY

QUESO

WINNER - TORCHY’S TACOS

2ND - CHUY’S

3RD - MI DIA FROM SCRATCH taking items that aren’t selling well and moving them to specials.”

Farm + Feed’s current menu features their twist on typical appetizers and handhelds. Many of the dishes are inspired by Asian cuisine, a nod to the origin of the biggest PvP (player versus player) games and characters. Rather than plain french fries, one appetizer is kimchi sweet potato cheese fries, which are loaded with kimchi, gochujang nacho cheese, yum yum sauce, green onions and black sesame seeds.

Many popular dishes also have nods to popular games, like Boawsers, which are 24-hour beef brisket, spicy hoisin mayo, cilantro, jalapeño, pickled carrots and daikon-filled fried bao buns. The Rush Hour features raw tuna and salmon, rice paper crackers, diced mango, diced cucumber, avocado, edamame, chili aioli, green onion, cilantro and black sesame.

“We want to have one or two items that focus on the major cultures that are in gaming and geek culture and have those be represented in our menu,” Steel says. “Our menu is in constant flux, but we’ve had that core foundation and we constantly interact with both our guests as well as our staff. … That is something that we focus on tremendously.”

Guests can choose from hundreds of gaming options across board games, PC, PS5, Switch or XBOX Series X. Booths for more than three people are $20 weekdays and after 10 p.m. or $30 on the weekend. Booths range from $15-$30 and PCs range from $5-$7 depending on time and number of participants. PCs are $5 on weekdays and after 10 p.m. and $7 on the weekend. Reservations are not required, but are suggested to ensure that guests get the console and games that they prefer at their booth.

“They [the staff] are all gamers themselves and that is what makes us very unique,” Steel says. “You’ll have our serving staff and waitstaff sit with you and try to get you past that hard level or show hints of how to get by things. Or if you don’t know how to play, they will sit there and curate that experience for you.”

Farm + Feed’s walls are also full of Easter eggs, with the original League of Legends server and World of Warcraft server blades signed by the development team. Farm + Feed is open 4 p.m.-12 a.m. MondayWednesday, 11-12 a.m. Thursday and Sunday, and 11-2 a.m. FridaySaturday. P

Farm + Feed, The Shops at Legacy North, 7401 Lone Star Drive, 432.356.3467, farmandfeed.com

RESTAURANT FOR A DATE

WINNER - HAYWIRE

2ND - SIXTY VINES

3RD - URBAN CRUST

SANDWICHES

WINNER - BREAD WINNERS CAFE & BAKERY

2ND - MR. G’S DELI

3RD - THE BISCUIT BAR

SEAFOOD

WINNER - SEA BREEZE FISH MARKET & GRILL

2ND - URBAN SEAFOOD

3RD - EDDIE V’S PRIME SEAFOOD

SUSHI

WINNER - RA SUSHI

2ND - DENSETSU

3RD - EBESU

WINE LIST

WINNER - SIXTY VINES

2ND - BOB’S STEAK & CHOP HOUSE

3RD - CRU WINE BAR

PLACE TO GRAB A SNACK

WINNER - EATZI’S MARKET & BAKERY

2ND - CRAVE POPCORN

3RD - HOJA BUBBLE TEA & ASIAN STREET FOOD

SOUTHERN/ HOMESTYLE COOKING

WINNER - NORMA’S CAFE

2ND - WHISTLE BRITCHES

3RD - POOR RICHARD’S CAFE