Farm to Table

When trying to decide where to celebrate my birthday with my family, I turned to the Washingtonian's list of the 100 Very Best Restaurants. One restaurant stood out to me as the clear winner almost immediately, The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm. The menu not only changes seasonally, it changes daily. In a time when it has become especially important to be socially conscious of the local movement, so much so that eating locally is considered trendy, this restaurant's approach is incredibly refreshing. The interest in locally grown produce and locally sourced meat, chicken and fish seems genuine here, as though the chef, Christopher Edwards, cooks what's available to him within a couple of miles from the kitchen. The quaintness of the space (which is essentially a clear top tent) makes it feel far away from the bustling metropolis, and waiters know every detail about the food. Yes, they say every dish is wonderful and, in most cases, they're right.
The ingredients here are local. See, there is the herb garden where the fresh chives and rosemary are snipped. Down the road is the farm where we get the asparagus. The wine came from a vineyard about five miles from here.
Frankly, one doesn't have the opportunity to experience this kind of place all that often. This is a little gem of a place, seemingly tucked away from it all and yet, the staff is doing all the right things.