By David Jones

The Farmhouse Restaurant is a place we’ve wanted to try for many years and just never seemed to make it for one reason or another.

Since turning 65 doesn’t happen every day or even every year, we decided to celebrate this year on the last day at 64 and the first day at 65.  This brought us to the Farmhouse Restaurant about 10 minutes west of Longwood Gardens this past week.

The Farmhouse Restaurant is next to the clubhouse at Loch Nairn Golf Course in Avondale.  They also have 2 other eating establishments right there next to the Farmhouse.

The Tavern is more of a place for after your round of golf, with drinks the focal point.  Then there is the Great House, which is also a high end place to eat or for special occasions, like weddings.

As you walk into the Farmhouse Restaurant you are immediately impressed with the décor and setting.  If you like old stone houses you will really enjoy this place.  There are plenty of rooms and each one is intimate and tastefully decorated.  Floors and furniture are a little uneven though and my seat would shift from time to time, but it wasn’t enough to ask for a replacement.

The service was very nice and cordial.  They specialize in making you feel special at the Farmhouse and that was just the right atmosphere for our dinner.

We went on a Sunday night and although there were a few other tables filled, it wasn’t crowded at all.  We had the option of sitting outside on a very nice patio with canopy, but chose to stay inside for the air conditioning, since it was fairly muggy during our visit.

Our party consisted of Lin, my Mom and I.  Mom’s appetite is not real big these days so she had the crab bisque and the seared scallops appetizer.  The bisque was a nice thick version with a little spicy after taste.  The scallops were drizzled with a lavender infused oil and Mom really enjoyed them.

Lin and I both got the price fixe offered on Sunday’s only, for $35 per person.  Lin also started with the crab bisque, followed by salmon stuffed with brie and spinach.  She liked it a lot.  It came with a nicely done portion of green beans and mashed potatoes.

I started with a cheese plate.  There was a very generous portion of three cheeses from Chester County’s Doe Run Farm, toasted French bread crisps, strawberries, and grapes.  It was accompanied with a nice mustard, warm local honey and a very nice apricot jam.

The cheeses were a brie that was quite nice, a parmesan that was very good and a cheddar made with Victory Hop Devil.  The brie was my favorite, but they were all quite good.

The cheese plate is easily large enough to share with two and a good price at $15.

For my entrée I had stuffed chicken that was very nicely done.  My entrée also came with the same green beans and mashed potatoes.

For dessert, Lin had the chocolate mousse cake, which I ‘had’ to help her finish.  It was light, smooth and very good.

I had cheese cake.  There was nothing special or noteworthy about the cheese cake, but it was quite tasty.

We had 3 glasses of Stump Jump Shiraz with our meals ($9.50 each).

All-in-all we thoroughly enjoyed our entire meal and experience at the Farmhouse.  It’s a perfect setting for a special occasion or an intimate dinner for two.  It’s not cheap.  Our total bill for 3 was $150.  That included a 20% tip.

We could have cut the price down quite a bit without the wine, but for us a special occasion ‘usually’ includes a glass or two.  The Farmhouse Restaurant is more than a little out of the way, but if you travel South on route #41, just before you get to route #1 you will see the sign for Loch Nairn Golf Course.

Take a left on Woodview Rd.  Follow that 1.3 miles and make a right on McCue Road and it takes you straight to the restaurant.  From our home in Parkesburg it was 13.3 miles and a 22 minute trip.

I thought it was well worth the travel time.

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A native of Chester County and a 1968 graduate of Octorara Area High School, David Jones earned a Masters Degree in Medical Ethics from from Villanova University. Mr. Jones served as CEO of both Mayview and Wernersville State Hospitals and later worked directly with then Governor Rendell to modernize and right-size Pennsylvania’s entire state hospital system. Jones and his wife Lynn make their home in Parkesburg and dine out frequently across Chester County and the Delaware Valley.