It doesn't look like much from the outside, located south of Frederick, MD on 355 just far enough away to feel like it's in the middle of no where. Inside, it's pretty rustic and to me, that's the charm of the place. We ate here over a year ago and it was one of our best dining experiences ever. Unfortunately, this return visit didn't quite live up to our original hype. I should preface that with the fact that we went on a Sunday night and 30 minutes before closing.. so I'm sure we did not get their A team or at least not their A game. Our first experience here will definitely bring us back in the future.. but next time we'll go on a Saturday night. One complaint I don't have was how nice it was to have the restaurant nearly completely to ourselves.
Artichoke Beignets with Feta and Pesto
We opened with some artichoke beignets, laced with some pesto and feta atop some marinara sauce. This was the highlight of the evening, perfectly balanced and extremely tasty. I'm really loving the combining of pesto and marinara lately, and the artichokes lightly fried in dough were an excellent complement to the sauces and feta.
Low country BBQ Shrimp with Lobster Infused Cheese Grits
On a shrimp and grits kick, I had to give theirs a go. The BBQ sauce they made for the shrimp was really nice. Light, sweet and tangy, it complemented the cheese grits. The "Lobster" part was not that evident, but I was ok with that. The side of broccoli was fine, but definitely not exciting. It was a decent dish, but not something that would cause me to keep coming back for more.
Crab Cakes topped with Old Bay Aioli
Last time we came, the crab cakes were exactly what was going to keep us coming back over and over. They were some of the best I had ever had, but this time they fell flat. There seemed like there was too much crust on the outside and it seemed a little overcooked. The rice was nice, clearly cooked in some decent stock and again with the same unexciting broccoli.
All in all, it was an ok experience. They place is not overpriced at all, and given we went late on a Sunday night, I guess I will forgive them, but only because the last time we went (on a Saturday) it was sooo good!
Since this was our anniversary diner, returning to the area we got married in, we skipped the desert and ate our wedding cake from Ed's Bakery... sorry!
No comments:
Post a Comment