The Smokehouse Restaurant

One of our favorite restaurants in the world - always a fantastic meal with excellent service. Top notch wine. Recommend the wine pairing.

How do people find out about this place? I've never seen any kind of ad. But as folks like to say nowadays: if you know, you know. The Antrim's restaurant is without question our local money-is-no-object special place.My Valentine and I just went last week to celebrate Valentine's Day (pro tip: we usually don't go out on the 14th, and we as a result get less crowds wherever). Since it's been a while since we'd been there, I decided we deserved to treat ourselves to dinner at the Antrim.Prepare yourselves, if you haven't been: this is a level of elegance, service, attention, and cuisine you'll seldom find outside the big cities. When you park outside the impressive 1844 mansion (in little Taneytown) and walk in, you'll be warmly greeted and given a feast for the senses. Have a seat in any of the sumptuously decorated rooms on the first floor, and they'll come around and take drink orders and deliver hand-passed appetizers. We were brought a selection of 3 attractive bites: a tiny tartlet of shrimp mousse, a little square of savory pork belly, and a bit of goat cheese on a crispy crostini. A terrific start. (They made my requested dark n' stormy cocktail weird--that's my entire list of complaints.)About the time we'd finished our introductory snack, we were led downstairs into the attached historic smokehouse, where we were pleased to see we'd again been seated in the small smokehouse area itself, one of four 4-tops in the cozy room with the roaring fireplace. A pianist in one of the adjacent dining rooms contributed to the relaxed atmosphere.Typically, dinner is a prix-fixe affair ($86/person on this weeknight), where you'll pay a single price for those hand-passed pre-appetizers and a full 5-course meal. This night, we chose from 4 more appetizers, 2 soup/salad courses, a main entree, and a dessert; we were also brought a little intermezzo of raspberry sorbet before the main course. Your menu is personalized with your name as a souvenir.There's pretty much something for everybody, even with those limits; we chose the crab toast and roasted mushrooms appetizers, the mixed greens and ratatouille bisque, the seared king salmon and cioppino, and both got the homemade blueberry shortcake. There were also a beet salad, bison carpaccio, a filet mignon, duck breast, and a pork chop, among other options. Not sure about plant-based entrees, but I bet they can do them.Greg, our server, kept us fed and looked after, along with other servers who bustled in or out with plates or to remove empties or tend the fire.The crab toast was a level above even what you'd expect in most of Maryland from that title, plump morsels of warm lump crab in a tasty aioli on sourdough. I don't know how many different kinds of mushrooms were in the shroom app, but it was a delicious array. The soup and salad were also quite good. The salmon and cioppino were near flawless, fresh seafood perfectly cooked. I had just enough room to finish the terrific fresh blueberry shortcake, made with what I call the biscuit kind of pastry.Drinks are extra, of course. I let myself be persuaded into a wine pairing of 3 different glasses ($45; there's also a $69 5-course pairing). I enjoyed all 3, dry and complementary to the foods.Our outing for two ran a little over $240, before tip. Not cheap, but you won't likely be asking if it was worth it (it was). The check arrived with a fresh long-stemmed rose for my companion and a little bag of 4 homemade cookies for later.It was more busy than I expected, for a Thursday, but there were plenty of empty tables. We've never had a less than special experience at the Antrim.

We had an AMAZING dinner for 10 in the Wine Cellar of the Smokehouse restaurant in the Antrim 1844 Inn. Every detail was superb. Multiple surprise (and all delectable) amuse-bouche from the chef (spanakopita and mushroom arancini were among the favorites). Menu (in February) was outstanding! Our table tried virtually everything! The favorites included the Duck Agnolotti and New Frontier Coffee Braised Bison. Atmosphere is elegant but not uptight. Staff is lovely -- special shout-out to Allie who was our dedicated server -- she was fun, professional and very knowledgeable of the menu. Excellent experience overall!!!

Nice restaurant . I go to party with my friend and family it really good for us. Soon I go to there again

The Smokehouse Restaurant is part of the Antrim 1844, nestled in the Catoctin Mountains. This little gem of a restaurant offers a 6-course dining experience, and the menu changes often due to the use of seasonal ingredients. When you arrive, you are checked-in by the hostess, who offers to take your coats and lead you in the various parlors. You can have a seat, order drinks, and servers come around offering various hors d'oeuvres (such as a lobster salad in a cone (tasty!), steak and mushroom puffs (super hot and yummy!), and a falafel (very soft, but with a slight crisp on the outside). There's even a pianist playing wonderful tunes, so you can soak the ambiance in and chit chat while you enjoy some bites. Be sure to check out the different rooms on the 2nd and the 3rd floors, such as the library and the spiraling staircase, and you can go check out the shop that has apparel, soap, glassware, wine, and other gifts.The seating is staggered, so once your table is ready, a staff member comes and fetches you and leads you to your table.We ordered: the Burrata (with baby beet, arugula, and sherry vinegar - the burrata was deliciously creamy and yummy, but I wasn't really a fan of the beets as it was a bit too sweet); Pork Belly (with cornbread, baby corn, harissa, and bacon powder; the pork belly was thick-cut, and the hubs enjoyed it; I wasn't a fan of it, as it had a strong pork taste to it); a Wedge Salad (baby iceberg, cherry tomatoes, pickled pearl onions, smoked bacon, and a blue cheese dressing; this was really tasty, as the bleu cheese wasn't too pungent, but creamy and dressed the iceberg and the vegetables very well; the bits of the bacon added a nice salty layer to it); the Lobster Bisque (this was creamy and had a strong seafood stock taste to it; the hubs enjoyed it more than I did); the Filet Mignon (with whipped potatoes, green bean almondine, and cipollini onions; I wished the steak was seasoned more, as it was a bit bland; the whipped potatoes were very vinegary, which somehow complemented the steak); the Lamb Loin (with fingerling potatoes, eggplant, baby sweet peppers, and a bechamel sauce); a Royal Chocolate Mousse Dacquoise (with hazelnut and raspberry coulis; we were told this had more of a milk chocolate taste, but it was a bit dark for us); and, the Basque Cheesecake (with blackberry compote; I enjoyed the compote, but thought the cheesecake was a little grainy).I really liked how they support and list the local farmers and purveyors on their menu - on the evening that we went, items from Liberty View, Chesapeake Farm to Table, Robert's Roost Farm, Little Gunpowder, Good Dog, Flying Plow, Bee Green Apiaries, McDaniel Honey, Elysian Fields, the Chef's Garden, and the Catoctin Mountain Farm were featured. I'd love to return and check out their other items on the menu, such as the cheese plate and their pasta dishes.The staff are all friendly and welcoming, and once your table is ready, you are led down to the dining area. There's a fireplace, and all the waitstaff are friendly, welcoming, and very kind.The place is definitely a cute romantic spot, but also in a comfortable setting. Plenty of parking on their gravel lot.+seasonal menu+supports local farmers and purveyors+6-course dining experience+includes cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres+live pianist+friendly waitstaff+plenty of free parking in private lot+reservations required

The food was only outshined by the amazing service. We were celebrating a birthday and to our surprise they printed our custom menus that said "Happy Birthday John" on them. The six courses were thoughtfully done with unique flavors and combinations that were the perfect flavors. We did the wine pairing that was excellent - watch out if you're not staying the night in the hotel because they were very generous pours!

This place is definitely a rip off. I had a Christmas party to go to here and my wife was supposed to attend which she couldn't due to an illness. I had to pay for her meal which was over $100 and they didn't even give me her meal so in essence I was charged for something I never received. To many other reputable places to get a great over the top meal to deal with this place.

Great service- 6 course menu with a lot of "standard" options for pickier eaters. There was a piano player and the restaurant definitely feels old (in a good way!)

First I'll tell you the good points. Ambience and service in the restaurant are especially good. The menu is unique for the locale and appealing, but unfortunately the chef who replaced the fabulous Ihlan doesn't seem to put the same love into the food. And the difference in taste is remarkable. It's hard to comment on the excellent job the staff does with wine pairing when the food is so-so. The breakfast (for those who spend the night) is also lack-luster. We've been staying here several times per year for many years and even had our daughter's wedding here (which was perfec in every detail), but the food (and the front desk manager for overnight accommodations) are now a deterrent.

The theme of this review is: value received for price paid. We returned to the Smokehouse to celebrate a friend's birthday that needed to be celebrated on a Tuesday evening. This was our second visit and highly likely our last and necessary because Thacher and Rye in Frederick is closed on Tuesdaytepid . We asked for special printing on the menu that was incorrect. They ran out of house white wine and substituted but did not advise us of the 30% price difference. Several menu items were very good and the overall service was excellent, so there is potential to be a true high-end dining experience. However, the bisque arrived and the creme brulee and meringe desserts were underwhelming. These issues are minor in the grand scheme of things but become significant when one compares value received for price paid.