With so many family farms, access to fresh seasonal ingredients, grass-fed meats and even wild foraged produce such as chanterelles and ramps, it’s no surprise Loudoun has become a popular foodie destination. Today, almost every corner of the county has a restaurant utilizing local and seasonal meats and produce.
Here we select five not-to-miss farm-to-table restaurants in Loudoun.
The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm
Beverly Morton Billand’s family farm turned upscale destination restaurant north of Lucketts helped pioneer America’s farm-to-table movement in the 1990s. Open Thursday-Sunday, diners sit in an ethereal glass greenhouse on a forested hillside overlooking the Potomac River and served an eight or nine-course “Progression Menu” straight from the land, river and ocean – what Morton calls “Earth to Table.” Book well in advance to sample unique tastes and flavors such as tuna and watermelon with banana peppers and purslane; striped seabass with fairytale eggplant and heirloom tomato; bison with wax beans, wagyu tongue and blueberries. Go for the wine pairing for the full experience. The view of the river through the emerald-green forest below is almost as breathtaking as the food.
Market Table Bistro
Good things come to those who wait and you’ll have to wait until a Friday or a Saturday to dine at this locavore classic in Lovettsville. Chef-owner Jason Lage (who also has the more downhome Market Burger in Purcellville), partners with local growers, vintners and culinary artisans to offer what he calls “origin-specific cuisine.” How local can you get? Well, the goat cheese in the summer salad comes from nearby Georges Mill Farm; local mushroom purveyor Misty Meadows supplies the oyster mushrooms in the potato gnocchi entrée and family-owned School Hill Garden farm in Round Hill provides everything from greens and tomatoes to watercress, carrots and beans. The menu is seasonal and ever-changing: visit when the famous pork belly dish – the pork from rare Mangalitsa pigs raised on a farm in Lovettsville – is back on the menu. The local ethos extends to the drinks: order a bottle of Loudoun-made 2022 Boden Young Petillant Viognier.
Magnolias at the Mill
The care that’s gone into the design and décor at this immaculately restored 120-year-old former grain mill in downtown Purcellville is replicated in the menu, with local farms and purveyors providing everything from the tomatoes and greens in the salads to the root vegetable sides and even the basil in the signature Basil Martini (perfectly poured by bartender Katherine). What to order? While it’s tempting to fill up on the insanely delicious house-made ciabatta, save space for specialties such as fried green heirloom tomatoes, bacon-wrapped scallops and the succulent Springhouse Black & Blue Burger – the blue cheese from Middleburg’s Locksley Farmstead Cheese Co and the beef from Spring House Farm in Hamilton. There are several Loudoun wines on the menu and management will even waive the corkage fee if you bring a bottle of Loudoun wine with you.
Local Provisions
This exquisite Sterling restaurant of power-chef couple Ally and Michael Stebner has taken Loudoun foodies by storm, as evident by the packed tables, crowded centerpiece bar and eager diners lined up outside. The Stebner’s use fresh, seasonal ingredients, make their own pastas and use a classic wood-burning oven to grill meats and bake breads. What to order? We love the watermelon and local Feta salad to open, the fettucine pesto with walnuts and spinach and the Roseda Farms Flat Iron Steak, always cooked to perfection. Beverage-wise the restaurant offers beers from Loudoun breweries Solace, Lost Rhino and Crooked Run.
The Wine Kitchen
The cozy King Street spot in downtown Leesburg operated by chef-owners Tim Rowley and Jason Miller is famous for pairing local, national and world wines with sublime small plates created from regional produce, the farms and suppliers often listed on the menu. A sample dish: Longstone Farm Bone-in Pork Chop served with fresh polenta, Catalan style bell peppers, roasted peaches and mustard jus. The restaurant also does superb cheese plates utilizing the likes of Loudoun-based Georges Mill Farm and Locksley Farmstead Cheese and features several Loudoun wines on the menu, notably a Walsh Family Wine rosé. Glorious!
Coming Soon: Dinner at Waverly Springs
James Beard-nominated Loudoun Chef Tarver King helped put The Restaurant at Patowmack Farm on the world map when he was executive chef there up until October 2020. Four years on his next big project is almost ready: Waverly Springs, a historic farmhouse and garden just outside Waterford. King and sous-chef and business partner Nathan Shapiro have created an intimate 20-seat dining room (the tables made from an ancient poplar tree felled in the front yard) where they will serve exquisite dishes from local and regional produce, much of it grown on the farm. The grounds of the 17-acre property are ripe with mulberry, apple, pawpaw, plum and peach trees and soon black truffles will grow under the roots of lindens planted near the horse stables. Aside from rarefied dining, they plan to open guest rooms on the property if you want to stay the night. Set to open in late 2024, Waverly Springs is already being hailed as a must-visit restaurant destination.
