The Farm Bistro on Main Street started as a way for Laurie and Rusty Hall to get rid of their excess produce.

After the Halls began farming on their 70 acres near Summit Ridge 10 years ago, they quickly realized that they had more lettuce than they could sell.

“We were growing more produce than we could sell in our area, so we thought well, another use for our produce would be a salad delivery service,” Laurie Hall said.

It didn’t take long before they realized they needed to do something else.

So, Laurie and Rusty Hall opened The Farm Bistro in January 2009. It fit a need for the two farmers, and they sold a lot of salads. Since then, the restaurant has grown into a larger space and has become a regional favorite, winning multiple awards while offering locally grown foods on the menu. They still sell some of the salads they first sold in 2009, but the menu has expanded and also includes dinner on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

On Nov. 5, The Farm opened a lounge.

Laurie Hall said it felt like the next logical step.

“We are calling it a lounge because it is more comfortable and cozy than a bar,” Laurie Hall said.

A few more tables were added, along with some couches and a fireplace.

“It has a casual atmosphere,” Laurie Hall said.

The Lounge is open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, for now.

“If customer demand calls for it, we can open other nights,” Laurie Hall said.

And keeping in true Farm form, nearly all menu items are locally grown, The Lounge exclusively serves alcohol from Colorado.

“Colorado, as it turns out, has dozens of distilleries,” Laurie Hall said.

The bar will be stocked with a range of spirits, including whiskey and vodka from Denver, bourbon and tequila from Palisade. Also on the menu are local beers and wines.

“We have always been busy with lunch, and dinner was a nice addition, so the bar seemed like a natural step to make,” Laurie Hall said. “Adding the Colorado liquor seemed like a nice choice.”

The Farm also recently earned a second-place award from the 2014 Colorado Roots Restaurant Challenge. The challenge invited locally owned Colorado restaurants to share their finest menus, advertising, displays, marketing and decor that feature and promote Colorado’s urban and rural culinary experiences. Not bad for a couple, who tried their hand at farming 10 years ago. Laurie, previously from Texas, had a background in graphic design and marketing, Rusty has a been a chef in New York and in Texas.

The goal of the challenge was to discover and spotlight culinary gems that feature local products, are green-minded and sustainable, and incorporate the history, heritage or farming lineage of the area.

“We set out to discover restaurants that embrace Colorado’s culinary roots, and we received a robust response from restaurants all across the state,” said Al White, director of the Colorado Tourism Office. “Colorado is rich in heritage, local pride, sustainable practices and regional specialties, and this contest provided us an avenue to unearth and honor some of our culinary charms.”

The award recipients were honored at the Taste of Colorado reception at the Governor’s Tourism Conference in Westminster on Oct. 30.

First place went to El Moro Spirits and Tavern in Durango, second-place to The Farm Bistro, third-place to 626 on Rood in Grand Junction, and special recognition to The Fort in Morrison.

“We were really excited to win that award,” Laurie Hall said. “We felt we were up against some really tough competition.”