The family and I went to dinner at Potomac Farms Saturday night in celebration of my birthday (which is today… where’s my gift?). It’s located in the very north of Loudoun County and very likely that you haven’t heard of it. The restaurant is actually a “side business” for an organic farm and it’s located on the farm itself. It isn’t really a restaurant per se, but actually more of a decorated greenhouse with climate control and a tin roof. Given the rather expensive nature of the food it’s sort of strange to eat in such a location but at the same time it’s cool because it’s different. We were there in a torrential downpour and while the rain falling on the roof was fairly loud it wasn’t annoying enough to detract from the “different” factor. Add to that personal attention from the owners and you’re quickly convinced that your dining experience matters.
The menu is either a 4 or 7 course “chef’s choice” tasting or a 5 course prix fixe. There is no standard menu but as I understand it the courses in the three options change weekly/seasonally. The prix fixe had two choices for each course and since we all have different tastes our party opted for it. It’s fairly expensive at $79/person but that’s partly because the menu is all organic, has somewhat uncommon ingredients and they’re going for the upscale style. They will pair wines with each course for an additional fee, something we chose to do for the full experience. This was actually a nice touch as one of the owners came over the explain why the wine was chosen, where it was from and what flavors it was matched with in that particular course.
Warning, food snob content: While I won’t bore you will all the options we had and what everyone chose I should call attention to two dishes; the parsnip bisque with roasted garlic flan and the veal sweetbread with root vegetables chips. The parsnip bisque was not enticing on the menu but it actually turned out to be fairly good. The flavor itself changed dramatically as each spoonful traversed 2 or 3 distinct flavors before you got the next. This complexity was enhanced by the paired wine and certainly a pleasant surprise. I mention the sweetbread because I ordered it having never had it and knowing only that it was some sort of organ. I figured if foie gras (duck liver) is fantastically delicious then sweetbread couldn’t be all that bad. Turns out it’s the thymus or pancreas of a young cow and is highly prized in French (among other) cuisine. The meat itself was very tender, slightly spongy in texture and absent of any protein “grain” you get in a steak. The flavor was subtle and pleasing but given the choice status of sweetbread I’d much rather spend my money on foie gras.
All in all the experience was certainly different and broke the mundane Northern Virginia restuarant scene. The food was well prepared and fairly good although be prepared for a flat dish here and there. Our dinner took 2.5 hours and given that it was 5 course, we only noticed the length in the last half hour. It’s unlikely you’d go there more than once a year but I think it’s worth at least one visit.
Bottom line – Only true food aficionados will appreciate the complex flavors and wine pairings but it’s worth visiting for a pricey “date” night. Think anniversary fellas.