Faussette family brings new life into the Old Farmhouse Eatery

After sitting vacant for nearly three years, new life has been breathed into the old 19th-century farmhouse situated right off the “Y” in Zion on state Route 64.

Most recently the home of Michael’s Triangle Tavern, the new restaurant, appropriately named The Old Farmhouse Eatery, aims to bring a more family-friendly feel to the venue.

The restaurant was purchased in July by David Faussette, of Pleasant Gap, his wife Michele Faussette and son David Faussette Jr., after Faussette Jr. told his father he was too young to retire and came up with the idea of owning a restaurant.

“The first time we walked in here, we walked out,” Faussette said. “It was kind scary. It needed a lot of work.”

Whether it was the location, the amount of traffic driving to and from Penn State each day, or the history of the old farmhouse, the Faussettes kept coming back until they reached a deal for the amount of money needed for renovations.

Then they ripped everything up — the floors, walls, roof — transforming the old bar into a more modern-day locale.

The orange tile floors have been replaced with hardwood, the old wood paneling stripped from the walls of the main room and the bar replaced by one Faussette and his son built themselves from rough hemlock — straight from the mill — to give the centerpiece of the venue that “old-farmhouse” feel.

“I never built anything like that in my life but it came out pretty good,” Faussette said with a laugh. He also built the hostess station from the same wood, and plans to build a soda fountain in the back room.

With a little plastic table and chairs set tucked under the staircase in the dinning room with games and activities in a nearby box to entertain children while their parents enjoy a quiet meal, Faussette said they really are stressing that family-friendly atmosphere, by keeping 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. hours from Tuesday through Sunday.

However, adult beverages will certainly be a feature of The Old Farmhouse Eatery once it is complete.

“We’re building a 24-by-48-foot brewery right now,” Faussette said, “that we hope will be done by March or April.”

The building is planned for right behind the main restaurant, with a breezeway that will connect the two and a patio for outdoor seating underneath.

Faussette said they plan to brew four of their own beers, with brewmaster Scott Chatman, and sell eight beers from other local breweries. They also have a full bar stocked with wine and spirits.

“Every time people come in, they ask ‘Where’s the beer?’ ” Faussette said.

Until the building permit gets approved and the brewery is complete, the Old Farmhouse Brewery is BYOB.

In its three weeks of operation, Faussette said they’ve seen plenty of success, and already have some “regulars,”with some people having come back five to six times.

“Over weekend we went through five cases of fish and three cases of hamburgers, we’re talking in the hundreds, and we didn’t get any complaints,” he said.

Though the menu is still evolving, some dishes that have quickly become favorites, Faussette said, are the ham and turkey club sandwich, linguine with tomato butter sauce with the choice of chicken, steak or shrimp, and the prime rib dip sandwiches.

With Chef Terence Cane, the restaurant also makes all its own sauces and use locally made dressings from the Village Eatinghouse.

Although he may have initially intended to sit back, relax and enjoy his retirement, Faussette said he enjoys running a restaurant so far, especially meeting and talking to new people, and encourages more people to come out and say hello.

“Our food is good and the atmosphere is great, and people who come here love it. They love what we did here and they keep coming back, and I just think it’s awesome,” he said.

This story was originally published December 14, 2018 at 9:21 AM.