Laurie W.
Yelp
This is a hard review to write, especially with so many positive reviews and wanting them to be successful, but I have to be honest. Let me be clear - all things considered, I feel Patowmack Farm is fine - not bad, not great, but right in the middle. I want to be able to call it great, but I just can't, for a few reasons. I've been twice - once last year and once this year so I think this is a fair assessment based on both experiences.
Atmosphere: The restaurant is going for a rustic charm, and definitely delivers. There's an outdoor area as well as indoor and both show spectacular views, especially at sunset and in the fall when the leaves are turning. There's a price to pay for that view though - it's pretty far (borders MD and WVA) - took about an hour to drive there from where we live (and, admittingly, a consideration if you are planning to imbibe at dinner - it's a dark drive back in the fall/winter).
Drink: We've gotten the wine pairing both times. I admittingly don't remember the details of the last one, but one of the wines I liked so much I purchased two bottles. This time, I enjoyed the wine pairing but nothing really stood out. There are two pairing options - one for $50 (all wine) and one for $90 (included a beer and a cocktail and different, more upscale wines). My husband wasn't a fan of the non-wine options so he swapped the beer and the cocktail out for two wines on the cheaper pairing (I wish they'd had more options for the switch). Also, the wines by the glass menu was very weak. As an example, sparkling wine by the glass was two proseccos and a champagne. Other categories were similar. I don't mind a small wines by the glass list, but just didn't think theirs was curated well. My favorite wine of the evening was the pinot noir that was paired with the main course.
Food: The food was very good, but a few things kept it from being great (more specifically from this visit). I loved the "break bread" course as I love sweet potatoes (included a sweet potato butter) and the bread that was served along with the pumpkin seeds. They always feature an egg, and this time you could choose between caviar and truffle - chose the truffle but thought the flavor could be more pronounced. I enjoyed the fish course - light and bright with good acidity, and I also enjoyed the squash/ravioli course with the mushrooms and broth - a great fall dish. Our main course was pork and while it was good, it didn't wow me. It was served with a big section of fat that I cut off and I think it was supposed to be smoked but I really didn't taste any smoke flavors - it was kind of flat. The cheese course was good but honestly I think my favorite course of the night was the dessert - a paw paw tart with paw paw ice cream with honey and cinnamon. The dessert was fabulous. The treats at the end, and the granola to take home, are a nice touch.
Service: Both times, service was excellent. Despite my visits being a year apart, we had the same server (Tai) who was lovely and provided excellent service, and I'm glad to see that she is still working there. Everyone who brought out our food and drinks provided excellent service and explained things in detail. The only service surprise was bringing the main dish out when one member of our party was in the restroom - she missed the explanation of the dish, which was unfortunate (and they didn't cover it or anything to keep it warm). That was honestly the only service hiccup from either visit.
Price: This is where I go from good to ok. For over $500 for two if you include wine/beverage pairings (which, for me is part of the experience), I didn't think the food or beverage pairings lived up to the price. That, coupled with the drive to get out there, decreases its star value for me.
Honestly, I think a few tweaks here and there could take the restaurant to great for me, and I'll keep an eye out for a possible return visit.