Beautiful decor, usually decent food but not always.
(2)
Andrew B.
Went to La Ferme this past Saturday, 9/21/13 for my father-in-law's 80th birthday and felt compelled to write. La Ferme has well above average food and a waitstaff that is near excellent in both quality of service and attentiveness. We dined with folks aged 80-10 and everyone went away happy. Three persons (including myself) ordered the Filet Mignot Au Poivre and I personally found it to be fantastic and perfectly cooked medium. My 10-year old son also ordered it and asked for it to be a plain piece of meat (only salt and pepper) and cooked medium. They complied perfectly and even put his au poivre sauce on the side in case he wanted to experiment. They also accommodated his request for a salad with just lettuce leaves and nothing else. Again, they put all the salad ingredients on the side for his to pick and choose .... without us asking. My wife's dish (something with snails and risotto) was said to be delicious and my father-in-law also had something that he quite liked. I regret not ordering the Chocolate Souffle. I wasn't sure I'd have the room for it after a big meal, and after discovering I did, went with the Creme' Brulee instead, which was just great. Finally, we really appreciated the waitstaff waiting for my mother-in-law to finish her meal before taking away all the plates. I'm not exaggerating that in the time it takes her to eat 1 bite, most everyone at the table is near the end of their meal. The cons: 1. There is a kinda cheesy piano player taking requests all night. The man is clearly talented, but a little past his prime playing popular standards from the 1970's. It was actually a little embarrassing. The big tip jar on his piano was equally off-putting, but we put in our $10 which seemed to be the obligatory donation for hearing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (which I really didn't want to hear). 2. The price. Don't get me wrong, the food was really quite good. But not $450 good for 5 people ($90/person). Food - 4 stars Service - 5 stars Ambiance - 3 stars (would be 4 stars without the piano player) Value - 2 stars.
(4)
Leah F.
This has become our Christmas Eve dinner tradition. So delicious and the ambiance is perfect for a winter holiday dinner. Looking forward to doing it again this year.
(5)
E F.
I took a girlfriend to this restaurant for a long overdue reconnection. Horrible experience. Food was well below average (my scallop dish was served tepid.) I lived in France for many years. There was nothing French about this food. Service was atrocious although the piano player was a sweetie. Our waitress was as surly as they come -- for being a young woman, this doesn't bode well for her future in the service industry. If I had a nickel for every time a staff person came over and said "Do you need anything else?" I would have been able to pay for the over priced meal. Well, almost. The message was "you people need to leave now." Seriously? It is 9pm and the place was almost empty. Then, the topper was that I got a bad case of food poisoning which I feel certain was caused by the tepid scallops. Note to self: no tepid scallops. Second note to self: don't go to La Ferme.
(1)
Carson S.
My family and I went for this past Mother's Day and I couldn't be more blown away. The food was absolutely delicious and served in a great environment. La Ferme has the perfect setting for the picturesque Sunday brunch with the natural light that pours into the main dining area and the balcony seating. The service was friendly and relaxed as they try to set the mood of a calm French country-side. I don't know why everyone is up in arms about some of the service, but when you go to an up-scale restaurant the service wants to allow you to enjoy the meal. They aren't there to rush you through your food, they want you to savor it. Overall, great experience and I can't wait to go back.
(5)
Samantha D.
We had Easter dinner at La Ferme with my boyfriend's family on Sunday and it was just lovely. From the authentic, rich, and beautifully prepared dishes to the warm ambiance with high ceilings/open beams, it was a wonderful dining experience. I had the opportunity to spend Easter in Provence a few years ago, and the French country decor and wine at La Ferme transported me back there. Food: Some of our group had the pork roast, which looked perfect (until their plates were clean), and I had a tasty buttery rockfish over risotto with red pepper and corn. The bread portions are huge, but I didn't want to get too full before the main course. The menu was prefixed, so for our first course I had the seafood chowder, which was perfectly creamy with ample servings of shrimp and scallops in a lobster base. I also had the crepes for dessert, but they were a little dry/"meh" and made me wish I had tried the creme brulee instead. This might be the only reason I removed a star. Feel: We had a glass of wine on the patio before the rest of our party arrived and I'd highly recommend sitting outside if it's not too hot as it was really charming. There was a nice breeze passing through and lots of greenery so you're not just overlooking the parking lot. Also, once we moved inside, we could still feel the breeze from the open doors. It's a slightly older crowd, hence the piano player in the back cranking out classics and show tunes, but again it felt warm and welcoming. I hope to visit La Ferme again soon as we are just down the road and am already looking forward to that second glass of wine on the patio!
(4)
Ricky M.
Went here for restaurant week. Calf liver was amazing (per the waiter, it is not on the regular menu). Soft-shell crab had great taste, although texture was somewhat chewy. The restaurant is very stuffy and had an antique feel to it. It was very hot, no AC. The service was great
(4)
T K.
We've gone there at least three times in the past 3 months. Each time has been outstanding. The filet mignon is superb and cooked to perfection. Scallops and duck appetizers and entree's were delicious. We've gone pretty early in the evening, so the restaurant was empty and service was great.
(5)
Madeline w.
We celebrated our daughter's Bat Mitzvah here, and had a party of 36 in the attic room. Everything was amazing. People are still talking about how great the food was. The service was excellent. Prasad was wonderful to work with. The decor was beautiful and the space perfect. I cannot say enough about how perfect the evening was.
(5)
Kat A.
In sum: great food, great service, and an ambiance that's hard to come by in the DC area. Good place to go for special occasions. The only reason I didn't give 4 stars is because the high price for some menu items that you can get for less elsewhere that taste just as good. Nonetheless the food is good with a nice selection of wines. The staff are very knowledgeable about everything on the menu and the ingredients. A rare find for those of us with allergies and much appreciated.
(3)
Patrick W.
The food was excellent. The wine was excellent. The server was excellent. I'm not sure why the ratings are so low on Yelp other than maybe people aren't familiar with French cuisine or expect a lot more because of the expense. We will come back for certain, it's really nice.
Known by the locals as Chevy Chase Club East, this is a nice place to go for a quiet lunch or dinner. Food is always good, and prices are not out of this world. It indeed is off the beaten path, but a nice little visit to the country.
(4)
Nicole H.
We went there last weekend and had a delicious meal outside on the patio. I had the crab and avocado salad to start and then the soft shell crab for my entree. Both were delicious! We will definitely be going back.
(5)
Charles R.
Delicious and classy french rustic cuisine! We liked it so much after a few visits, we eventually had our wedding reception here, and it was a wonderful experience! Classy, friendly, high quality food. Highly recommend.
(5)
Ben K.
Went for thanksgiving with my family while on a visit home. We were sat by the stairs to the kitchen and the whole table shook. A few people in the party felt motion sick. What was really unfortunate was that the waiter nor the manager cared. Their attitude was simply that they were busy and couldn't do anything to move us or assist. I'd have thought asking wait staff to simply not run up and down the stairs would fix this issue. The food was good though. I can't really recall much of it because my family spent Thanksgiving complaining about feeling sea sick. Well thanks for the $400 family dinner of motion sickness. Next time we'll just go on a cruise. Its a shame the manager nor wait staff cared ... Happy Thanksgiving ..this place was so packed I'm sure they have plenty other reviews to be thankful for.
Almost 5-stars for food and service! Exceptionally well-prepped/presented Mother's Day prie fixe brunch. No complaints... except for the outrageous $55/meal price tag -- yikes! Additionally, mimosas were priced at nearly $10 PER glass! I fully understand charging per glass for beverages at dinner time, however, I firmly believe that Sunday brunch, particularly at these prices, should be an all-inclusive event. Overall a very pleasant dining experience, however, I can't help feeling a little gouged after looking at the check...!
(3)
Laureen K.
La Ferme used to be one of our "special occasion" restaurants. No more. Last Mother's Day my husband and I brought my mother-in law, visiting from Los Angeles, and two children to La Ferme, having enjoyed our prior dinners here but the staff treated us so poorly that we have crossed this restaurant off our list. We had made a reservation and were seated but then no one came to our table for more than 15 minutes. We even saw friends who appeared to be receiving fine service but no one appeared at our table. We finally had to get up and hail a waiter. We ordered, and waited. We finally received appetizers (now we are more than 45 minutes in) and then proceeded to wait and wait . . . Finally my husband asked to speak to the manager. We expected some attention and a willingness to take care of us, apologize, etc. However, he basically shrugged his shoulders and displayed not one ounce of concern or contrition. We got the check and left without dinner and a sour taste in our mouth. Needless to say, we will not return. No one should reward a restaurant with such poor service and inconsiderate management with their business.
(1)
Mike L.
The food and service were fantastic! Great French Country atmosphere. Their French Onion Soup is very good.
(5)
Jogi S.
I went to the Resturant on Passover on Friday and arrived at 9:15. Asked the manger for table for two people. He replied ... Do you have reservations which we don't . He said ..... We are closed I asked him what time do you close and he replied at 9:30. I asked him yelp shows you guys closed at 10:00 and your web site no time. When I discuss the timing he got very upset and rude. He said don't come here if you don't have reservations. He said we decided to close early. I told him big resturant should not change time unless they post if they are going close early. The manager got more upset and got very aggressive. As I was walking out he started using racial remarks and using F words. If you are running class A Resturant should have people with class work there. If you are going there late and not from this country they will insult and discriminated you. Bethesda and Chevy chase has much better restaurant you can go dine and be treated nice. Stay away from this Resturant to teach them lesson.
Group of 23 celebrated my mother's birthday at Sunday brunch. Private room, excellent service, first rate food. Fixed price brunch included one each appetizer, main, and dessert chosen from about 8 of each on the menu. At $30 was a good value in this market for a seated meal, 20% tip was added. Wine added about $15 per person to the bill. The brunch menu offered enough selection for all. Staff was discretely attentive, professional and cheerful. Highly recommended for brunch with a bunch!
(4)
L S.
La Ferme is in a charming building but as for the food, looks can be deceiving. The menu is tired french, uninspired so so preparation. Wife had the salmon which is was really not much of anything - a piece of salmon, not much else, not even much taste. I had a pork chop with a reduction sauce accompanied by some very tired winter veggies - almost reduced to mush. It is hard to kill a pork chop. At least it was not cooked to death. An appetizer salad was - not much - some lettuce with a few dried cranberries and nuts. As for pricing there is something blatantly disconcerting paying $25 - $35 for entrees for truly mediocre food. At $9, the uninspired salad must be a real profit center. In an area where there are so many good choices - La Ferme is not one of them.
(2)
Joe H.
Pros: * The food is good. * The ambiance is nice, true to its French farmhouse appellation. * Wine prices are average. * Service is fairly attentive, until it comes time to present the check. Cons: * Portions are a little on the small side. Which is OK except for the next con: * Prices are high. Plan to spend quite a bit. Clientele is heavily skewed towards the upper range of the age spectrum--lots of grey hair in the dining rooms.
(3)
John T.
Great French country atmosphere in a nice farmy looking building. it sets the mood well - an interesting contrast of elegance and informality. Nice pianist playing on a Sunday evening. The food was good, but not spectacular. The souffle at $10.00 strikes me as a must-have item. We got chocolate, but they had Grand Marnier and hazlenut too. My one big negative was the air conditioning. We went on a hot day, and I noticed all the men in the place who wore jackets, including myself, had to take them off. It was sweltering. One lady sat there fanning herself the entire time we were there. If you're going to charge that much for a meal, you have to maintain a great atmosphere... in all respects.... no excuses. This is a personal peeve, but there were so many different people bringing and taking things from my table that it got confusing and distracting. The guy who brought the entres got ours reversed. No big deal, but I really don't like an army of different servers mingling around. I guess that's part of the French fine-dining thing.
(3)
Sheldon H.
Took my wife to La Ferme for dinner last night and had a very good meal. The ambience and piano were, as always, lovely. It is a very pleasant room to come into on a cold evening. The food was above average and the service was excellent. My wife had the sweetbreads and I had the pork chop. Both were above average. It is also nice not to have to fight for a parking space. This is a very nice place for dinner and still has a great deal of charm.
(4)
AJ H.
I don't know how to say this nicely, so I will do my best to be objective. We had the pumpkin ravioli with scallops appetizer -- the scallops were cooked perfectly, but the ravioli were disappointing. The ravioli had clearly been frozen previously as the ends seemed dried out due to freezer burn and the pasta was very chewy. Toasted pumpkin seeds were a nice touch and it had a tasty butter sauce. As for entrees, the pork chop was ordered medium and came out very well done, with soggy veggies. The mixed seafood in puff pastry was not good with not house-made puff pastry; lobster and other seafood were dry and chewy with a congealed butter sauce. Both were lukewarm but had hot plates, so seemed to have been under heat lamps for some time. The wine was painfully marked up (about 200% from retail). We were largely ignored by waitstaff; service was slow and our unfinished meals sat in front of us for about ten minutes before being boxed after we were done eating. Service seemed to move more quickly for tables around us. All in all a disappointing experience, we will not return. Update: the mixed seafood puff pastry entree seems to have given my girlfriend food poisoning.
(1)
Larry C.
I have to give credit where credit is due. We held a celebratory lunch for my mother and uncle: 13 adults, 5 kids. The adults were a combination of middle-aged and elderly. The reviews among our clan were uniformly positive, including the food, ambience, and service. We were well taken care of, both in the planning phase and at the actual lunch. For a large group such as hours, we were given a fixed menu (with individual choices for each of three courses) for a little under $30 per adult -- I thought it was a bargain for the quality of the experience. Would I go back on my own? Maybe not. Would I go there with friends or family with more traditional tastes? In a heartbeat.
(5)
JP S.
We were there a couple weeks ago with friends, having been there a few times before we wanted to introduce them to one of our favorite restaurants. I don't know what has happened there. The service was terrible and the food was fair at best. Someone needs to shake the place up a bit. For the amount you spend you should be dazzled by both food and service. They have let me down.
(2)
Liza A.
OMG.... FIVE STARS TO THEIR SOUFFLE.. ..CUS....SERVER'S SUCKED....we had a fish that had to be fillet and when the plate came to the table is was extremely dirty on the edges....my fish that had a delicious sauce on the bottom was dirty too.....a little under seasoned....duck liver awesome with figs.....but the star of the night souffle and wine!!!! Well la ferme is a bitter sweet restaurant for me....first date long ago with the hubby....but yet food has declined a lot in the past years....nit their souffle it is just as great as always!!!
(3)
Jonathan C.
The service was quite nice but SUPER slow. They even took a long time to run my credit card after the meal...it felt like ten minutes or more. The venison was quite good. The steak (my date's) tasted kind of soapy. I know some people just LOVE this place and have it in their heads that La Ferme can do no wrong. In my critical opinion I think it's a bit lacking for the level they are trying to represent themselves at, and the prices they charge. Overall, a great place to take your older relatives, it's the kind of place old people just love. I went there to make my mom happy and she was happy with the evening. Mission accomplished.
(3)
Roy S.
A nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Cant beat a piano player when going to a classy restaurant. However, the steak is fine but you can get a better one at Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring. Now if this place added more fries and maybe a sauce or pepper crust then they would have an excellent meal.
(3)
jennifer p.
almond souffle is the best here-tried the chocolate, hazelnut and almond...and almond is definitely the most flavorful and delicious! :) I think the dessert is the best part of the meal. i've been here twice just for the ambiance. they have live piano music which is nice. the pianist takes requests and is always very accommodating! Servers are nice as well...but food is just mediocre. Filet mignon is pretty good...pork shank is tender but is A LOT of meat...NY strip was a little dry for my taste... wouldnt recommend any appetizers..portions are small and they are expensive!
(3)
Boss H.
This was good for a First date but La Ferme was La tooooo slow pace for me. However, I told a fib to my date and told her how much I really liked the food but if you had seen the dress that she glued on, them never ending legs and open toe 5" heels, you my friend would have lied about the food too. I ordered a steak that tasted like a Canadian moose with 3 legs that bathed in an onion patch (dont ask, just laugh) and my lite ice came back diet sprite. However, a very nice upscale classic styled restaraunt that I would personally, take my parents to for a sunday brunch....XoXo
(3)
Foodie C.
Nice hidden French Restaurant Literally could drive by it if your not looking for it. Very old school. Fills up with snobby uptight clientele .... But hey it's French Food 3 Service 3.5 Cleanliness 4
(3)
Stephen B.
Well passed its prime. sloww service, nothings sings on the menu. Whole inside needs a make over from Robert on restuarant impossible. My expensive for the quality. Good for the blue hairs of CC, go over to Bethesda for something interesting.
(2)
Danae M.
Beautiful decor, usually decent food but not always.
(2)
Anita P.
My father's steak au poivre, which he asked for medium rare, was grey throughout and tough. But our waiter disappeared for at least 15 minutes after delivering the entrees, and so my father ate enough to lose his appetite, and having it replaced was not in question, with the glacial pace of service. The waiter mumbled something about the check when we complained, but the check arrived with full charge ($35) for the steak. As it was my mother's 80th birthday, decided to keep the peace and left a significantly smaller tip than usual. Thoroughly unacceptable. A bad taste that lingers. Redolent of an aging French harlot.
Service was awful no one seemed to notice we had been sitting at our table 4 20 minutes. Finally someone took our order & we were served the wrong appetizer. After 1 1/2 hr no main course we called the owner to the table. He was rude and dismissive. He said he didn't care if we left so we did after paying for our appetizers and a glass of wine. We will never go back Thanks for helping us celebrate mothers day
(1)
David M.
Exquisite French dining with live piano music, awesome decoration and wonderful service. Classy restaurant for fine dining.
(5)
Sherri H.
Had a lovely meal there this evening. Relaxing atmosphere, gracious service, delicious food. Very enjoyable.
(5)
MaJ C.
For Years and Years, I have heard this was the place to go. So we reserved a table for two, and at a decent hour, to have good, attentive service, as well as general talkative atmosphere. Service: Look, the waiter was good, yet too busy to be good. and he did not really listen. Reminiscent of some of the places we will not go back to in Paris. The back waiter was awesome! what kind of grind on the pepper, he asks, as well as just being very nice, attentive and caring. The Food: Salted to death , I thought the entire ensemble, from appetizers to entrees, was made from Bacalao. I mean, the amount of Salt was so, that the chef actually disrespected the life of the fish I ate. Very, very sad. For the price: 2 people, 1/2 btl nice wine 1 full bottle decent wine. 2 appetizers, 2 entrees. ( we only eat fish by the way ) 200$.. A real shame, as this is one of those 'Fairy Tales I had always wanted to experience. After years of build up, a colossal let down.. :(
(1)
Joselito E.
I was invited for a dinner and I was surprised to listen to a very good piano player. I enjoyed my sea bass with my clam chowder soup. We ordered another wine to hear more music to end our wonderful night.
(4)
Celeste M.
I visited my family in Maryland last month and I was stoked to find out that we were going to have a big family dinner at La Ferme Friday night. Each of us arrived... car by car, some in vans -- a total of 40 relatives (cousins, aunts, uncles, cousin's cousin, etc.). The place was packed, we headed towards the back of the restaurant up the stairs where our whole party was seated. I was starving. Started with warm bread and butter and before I even can finish my roll, the salad arrived -- mixed baby greens with tomato and mushrooms in a light vinaigrette dressing. For the main course, it was a free-range chicken breast -- braised and was served with morel sauce, wild rice and steamed vegetables. A very tasty dinner indeed and I gobbled it all up in no time. The dessert was okay, nothing special. I had the chocolate mousse cake, big portion, but way too sweet for my taste. Atmosphere is nice, felt like "home." Service wasn't bad, they could have been more attentive, but we were a big group so it made it difficult for the waiters to check up on every single one of us.
(3)
John D.
You're going for the atmosphere. La Ferme anchors one end of a tiny, incongruous commercial strip on Brookville Road in residential Chevy Chase. There is no traffic, there are no crowds, and parking is easy. Indeed if you squint on your way in, you can almost make yourself believe that you're out in the country at some remote farmhouse inn (in fact not far off La Ferme's actual heritage). Anyhow, it's very sweet. Rustic decor, a live piano player - it's a nice, low-key place to enjoy a meal. I like it. The food is, to be candid, nothing special. More precisely, it's fine but it's not quite up to the look and feel of the place. I've never had a bad meal at La Ferme but I've never had a memorable one either. So for a nice evening, just rachet down your culinary expectations by one star, order something that's not too ambitious, and enjoy your cocktail(s). The piano player takes requests -- with a 10-spot in his tip jar, maybe he'd agree *not* to play "Happy Birthday" for an hour!
(3)
Hillary D.
I went to La Ferme last Monday and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and food. The atmosphere was cozy and romantic. I imagine during the more pleasant months the outdoor seating is a great way to spend a meal. I ordered the wild mushroom ravioli, Vol au Vent de Fruits de Mer, and the chocolate souffle. All of it was fantastic. One thing to note when you go is that the portions are generous compared to other fine dining restaurants. I could have done without my ravioli and would have been plenty full. The Vol au Vent wasn't as full of flavor as I would have hoped but it was still very good. The service was also fantastic. We had a large group and they handled it without missing a step.
(4)
D K.
My boyfriend and I went to La Ferme for restaurant week, and 3 courses for $30 was a good deal, including the service. If this review is simply based on food, then I'd have to dial down my rating to a 3, but the service tacks on a star. It's a bit unsettling, when you arrive at La Ferme because it looks like someone's house, which I think it probably was. As soon as we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the live piano player in the corner. Nice touch. The second thing I noticed was the number of elderly Caucasian diners. My boyfriend and I stuck out like a sore thumb. The food came out very quickly, and there was little downtime in between courses. However, when it was time for dessert, I think they forgot about us because not only did it take 3 times as long to get our desserts, but they also messed up our orders. To make up for it though, we got a free dessert, and the service was so good beforehand, that I couldn't hold it against them. Service is stellar, and the food is nothing to complain about. I'd have no problem returning to La Ferme, and it was a good choice for Restaurant Week. Food: (1) Crab Mousseline - VERY good. Texture was very pleasant, but it does get old half-way through. (2) Calamari - Not fried, but fresh. Refreshing, but I wouldn't order it again. (3) Seafood Risotto - Average. (4) Pork Chop - Mmm. I love meat. I haven't had pork chop in awhile, so it was tasty to me. I usually like my pork chop with fruit chutney, but the way they served was fine. The dish had seasoned carrots and green beans with some potato au gratin that went very well with the pork chop. (5) Bread Pudding - The best dish we ordered. HOT bread pudding with ice cream. Delicious. (6) Grand Marnier Frozen Souffle - Confusing because it was more like a cold creme brulee. It was just okay. (7) Complimentary Chocolate Mousse - I'm not a fan of mousse, but the streusel on top was delicious. I ate every crumb.
(4)
Tim R.
This was my second time here. First time was a year ago for a lunch. I like it. Mushroom risoto. Scallops. Lamb. Souffle. They made pasta for the kids that they both really enjoyed. Food was good, service was good, decor is good.
(4)
Pam W.
Just had Thanksgiving dinner here. Once we got past the huge traffic jam at the entrance and waited 20 minutes to be seated for our 5 pm reservation, we had a wonderful meal. Sat upstairs in the Attic Room along the banquette which was very nice. Staff was amazing given the volume of diners. All very professional under tough circumstances. The prix fixe menu moved things along nicely. We got our appetizers quickly along with our bottle of wine. My husband had a wonderful salad with beets, walnuts, endive, and spinach dressed with roquefort dressing....lovely. I had a tasty Roulade of smoked salmon with cucumber salad, horseradish sauce and toasted pumpernickel. After a nice pause between courses, we had the traditional turkey dinner for my husband and I had the scallops served with pumpkin ravioli and sage and smashed potatoes with brussels sprouts. Great presentation and delicious execution. Ken had an apple cinnamon creme brulee which was wonderful and I had traditional chocolate mousse made special with macadamia brittle. Wonderful evening.
(4)
Mark M.
Nice environment, good food, but a little dated (sort of like a French Mrs. K's Tollhouse). Nice for special occasions.
(3)
Michael M.
Went for brunch, and was very pleased. For a reasonable price you get a great selection from a prix fixe menu. They do almost all the little things right here, warm bread basket with a variety of breads,great drinks, great services and atmosphere.....but the ceiling fans are horrendously dusty... doesn't really take away from the experience, but things like that just shouldn't happen at a $20+ dollar brunch.
(4)
Shieva R.
Went for restaurant week, not impressed. Let me start off by saying why on earth does everyone with a birthday want to celebrate it here??? Anyway, I ioved the location, out of the way, something unexpected. I loved the piano playing and private balconies, but the food I did not love. Our waiter was not very attentive in fact no one was until one of the busboys noticed that my friend and I were under fifty and not too shabby, after that he was unfortunately, very attentive. The food was also as disappointing. I expected more from entrees that were nearly $30. My friends pork was chewy and tough and my halibut came with a cold ratatouille that was so overwhelmed with sage it was inedible. I wasn't blown away with the appetizers or dessert either. The french onion soup wasn't even good here! I've had much better food an service at other french restaurants around town; I can assure you I won't be back.
(2)
D D.
Below is a copy of a lette sent to La Ferme: BTW their wines are way overpriced. I wanted to point out my outrage at wanting to purchase a gift certificate from your restaurant over the phone. The nerve for your restaurant to charge $5.00 for a .44 cent stamp. Way to lose customers! I live in Florida and my family lives in Maryland and this is one of thier favorite restaurants. We had planned to dine there on our next visit but with so many choices and this poor treatment (there was no apology nor attempt to save the sale by anyone when we chose to cancel the gc), we will be choosing somewhere, anywhere else. Apparently you don't need the money, or the customers, or the repeat business.
(1)
Alycia E.
I think a true test of a restaurant is its ability to handle groups both large and small. We took about 15 people from work for a holiday dinner and perhaps we taxed the limit of La Ferme's wait staff (basically, there's really no way to recover from a missing order of souffle); however, I cannot fault the quality of the food that did arrive as ordered. My plat of charcuterie, including a nice meaty country pate, was lovingly presented with petite cournichons and toasted bread. My sea bass over risotto was moist and flaky. I abstained from dessert and instead chose a ruby port. Overall, it was a very good meal in a deceptively rural setting. I'll certainly remember it the next time I have out-of-town guests.
(3)
Sheila D.
The food was good, the wine list was good, the staff was good. My family and I went here for Thanksgiving dinner and the place was packed. A reviewer on here described the place to a 'T". The reviewer's name in Phillip L., he hit it right on the money :) The people there had there nose stuck up in the air. Don't get me wrong, I've lived in Beverly Hills, so I know how annoying stuck up people can be. Everyone around me was wearing some kind of gaudy fur coat. Lets just say, if I was a member of PETA, I'd probably come back to this restaurant with a couple color spray cans, and have a hay day spraying their fur coats. It was border line, upper class home for the elderly ambiance..lol! However, the fireplace and pianist next to it, was a nice touch. They did run out of high chairs, so my 1 year old daughter was forst to sit on the chair, her view being under the table (poor girl). The food and service was good, the ambiance, on the other hand, I could live without.
(3)
christine c.
It's Bethesda restaurant week so time to try out places you normally might not have any special reason to go to. So La Ferme it was for this weekday evening. The restaurant's located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Chevy Chase which has the feel of a small village. Inside, the main dining room is attractive, large and spacious with high A-frame ceilings, brightly lit and lavishly decorated in the style of a classic French farmhouse. White table clothes, flowers everywhere, 50s background music (live piano at 6:30 pm), it's like a throw back in time. We were there between 6-8 pm, so dining room's mostly empty, and there was a disproportionately large number of somewhat strangely but well dressed little old ladies (one wore a large white fur hat throughout dinner) in their 80s (90s?) having a nice quiet evening out with what must be their middle aged children. Not sure if the demographic would be different on different days and times. We felt a bit underdressed, as all the men seemed to be wearing jacket and tie. But despite being a fancy restaurant, the atmosphere's still sufficiently casual we didn't feel too out of place despite not following the dress code. Anyway, we ordered off the restaurant week menu: chilled asparagus salad, French onion soup, salmon and tilapia, and for dessert, apple tart and eclaire with grand marnier. Food was fine, in a good old fashioned way - no strange or unusual flavors or artsy presentations - well prepared and tasty in fair sized portions. Service was not overly warm or exuberant but low key and efficient. Trendy this is not, although an adequate place to go for a quiet or romantic evening out (but maybe not for first dates), and given the low noise level and pleasant setting, a perfect place for taking older family members and relatives.
(3)
Paul M.
La Ferme is a bit of a secret. It's in an out-of-the-way-spot, it's been there a long time. It has its fans ( including Warren Buffet I might add), but it is probably unknown to a lot of people. And quite frankly I suspect a lot of its regulars would prefer that it stays that way - I promise you few of them will add reviews here. It's good because: 1. History. James Madison and Dolly fled down this street to Brookville in 1812 when the Brits burned the Whitehouse. ( Bloody Brits). George Washington had a drink at the inn that was on site back in the day, FDR held a fund raiser here in the 30s ( they have the pictures to prove that one). 2. The food. It's French, it's upscale it's authentic - it's a little old-school . Exactly the sort of old school you would find in a Parisian Brasserie today. 3. The crowd. This is genuine bona fide camp authenticity at its finest. The Blue Rinse mob are there in force. All the Chevy Chase retirees love the place. The high school kids on a special date. The middle aged couple celebrating their anniversary on one of the Juliet balconies overlooking the main room. A holier-than-thou trendy couple hiding in the corner enjoying it, drinking it all in, and thinking they are slightly better than anyone else ( yip - that would be us - apologies). I say all this with reverence and love. The food and drink and service are all marvellous and it is definitely worth the time and money for you urban types to get out ( a whole mile outside the DC line ) to the Burbs to enjoy a dining experience like no other this city can offer. The only thing I don't like is that there is no bar - there should be a law against a restaurant not having a bar.
(4)
Phillip L.
I agree with some of the other reviews made here. Service was excellent, food was top-notch and the ambiance was sublime. The wine list is very impressive, as was the dessert menu (always the hallmark of a keeper in my book). La Ferme would get much higher marks if it weren't for the excessively clubby feel. And I can do clubby, but really people? It just wasn't THAT good. In my book, pretension does not equal five stars, excellence in balance equals five stars. The clientelle are a bit chilly, like caricatures of old WASP ladies in Gwen Stefani and Eve's "Blow Your Mind" video or aged manifestations of Joan Crawford in "Mommy Dearest" -- except way, way more vanilla. We made the mistake of wearing polo shirts and seersucker (gasp!) shorts. A couple walking out of the restaurant said "how cute, even the help gets to eat tonight." How rude, actually. I guess our Prada sunglasses were too "racy" for this staid crew. Bottom line here is that as long as you wear loafers, something tweed, and accessories from Tiffany or Van Cleef and Arpels you'll love it. If you don't, well, don't get mixed up with the help.
(3)
Eleanor B.
One of my favorites for quality and service.
(5)
Sally C.
Food - 4 stars Service - 3 stars When we pulled up, the parking lot was crowded and we spotted two Bentleys and an Aston Martin. Yikes. Lovely atmosphere inside. I don't know why there were so many cars parked outside - there were only a few full tables inside. Service was average. Better at the beginning of the meal but by the end he didn't talk much. One of the waitstaff took my husband's plate just as he was putting the last morsel of food in his mouth. Geez! I had the lamb shank - YUM! I could have lived without the couscous though. Husband ordered the venison with sweet potato puree and string beans. His was yummy too.
(3)
Jim P.
An SF transplant continues his quest for a damned decent restaurant, with high hopes for La Ferme, as it was highly personally recommended. We were told it was "worth the [45+ min] trip". I will now invalidate any future recommendations made by that source. Usually I go on and on, but this place doesn't deserve that. Let's just say: 1) "Risotto" is not Italian for "flavorless, overcooked Minute Rice," despite what La Ferme appears to think. That wasn't even a passable pilaf, ya' punters. 2) Fish should have texture. While a texture, "mushy and bland" is not one that should be served. 3) I have never - ever - had a server take my wine glass away without offering another drink... and this happened _before_my_entree_. WTF? I won't hold it against the place that it draws the Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd (seriously: Sang it at least 4 times), and it was probably my mistake for ordering seafood on any night but Friday or Saturday, but I sure won't be back, nor make any trips based on that particular source of suggestions. Skip. For the money (seriously, a $30 fish entree that *had* to be frozen... probably repeatedly frozen and thawed since Wednesday/Thursday), you can do much, much, MUCH better. Heck, a Filet 'o' Fish would have been better.... at least McD only freezes it once. Let's call it 1.5 stars. Definitely worse than "meh" but arguably better than "EEK". On the upside, no food poisoning and they have their own parking lot (beware, though, the aforementioned Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd ... some scary-ass parking maneuvers in that lot. You may want to use the street, come to think of it), so 2 stars. Barely. The bisque was passable. The quest continues....
(2)
Joe G.
What is everyone here talking about???? I can't believe all the positive reviews this place has received. Having heard so many good things about the restaurant, I tried this for Valentine's Day this year. The staff were completely overwhelmed and unable to manage the service. It took them twenty minutes to bring menus to the table and it only continued from there. I would have been ok with waiting a little longer than average if the food had been anywhere close to fresh or authentic French. The Sea bass was probably the worst I've ever had. I could go on but I'll just stop at that. Avoid at all costs!!!
(1)
Roger S.
Went here for Restaurant Week, $30 for 3 courses. We had come from work and were in jeans, so outside seating seemed appropiate for the way were dressed. Inside, many people were dressed up a little nicer. Everyone who worked at the restaurant was very friendly, and quite attentive to our needs throughout the meal. The quality of the food was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back. I'm never a dessert person, but they had a chocolate mousse with walnuts which was perfect. Overall great experience, would recommend to anyone. If you're worried about prices - look online at the menu first, they're all there. In my opinion, any price issue one may have is outweighed by the deliciousness of the food.
(5)
Candace K.
We went for Bethesda/Chevy Chase Restaurant Week and normally one has to make allowances for this but not this time. We ended up selecting our meals from the regular menu but our friends chose the RW menu and their food looked great! I got the pork tenderloin medallions with cheese/spinach/sundried tomatoes and it was good. It came with this rissoto that made me believe in God! The hubby got the braised lamb shank and thought it was too fatty for his taste, not the restaurants fault he just haden't had that cut before. The bottle of wine we got was GREAT and we ordered a souffle and we liked it. Service was very attentive and atmosphere was SUPER! A good place to go for good food that isn't downtown! I'm sorry to see the other two reviewers didn't like it. But worth a try in my book, but bring $$$ its expensive!
(5)
Kendra L.
Spent Valentine's Day dinner here. Prix fixe menu. I'd been once before and liked it. This time, not very impressed. We were seated upstairs so we didn't get to enjoy the real ambiance and I think we had the B-team for wait staff. Our waitress was not very attentive and hardly spoke to us at all. In fact, I wasn't sure she was familiar with the items on the prix fixe menu - she had to squint at the menu to verify our order. I got the feeling we were on an assembly line - here's the menu, what do you want, here it is. We both ordered the filet and crab cake entree and while it was decent, I've certainly had much better cuts of filet and far better crab cakes at other places in Maryland. The mini-dessert selections were okay but my decaf coffee tasted old and slightly scorched - and no offer on a refill or refresh. Once the mini-desserts were auto-served, its like we were dismissed. Assuming a busy dinner night like Valentine's is not the best time to go - I might be willing to try it once more but not convinced yet. For the price, I've had way better service and food at other restaurants in the DC area.
(2)
T S.
I thought this restaurant was delicious and very cute as it is hard to find and quaint inside. My one concern was these little itty bitty fruit flies EVERYWHERE!!!! They were driving me bananas i couldnt even concentrate on the conversation. im not sure if it was the flowers in the center of the table and all around the restaurant. it was very uncomfortable. Food was great from what i remember though! Wine was divine! Service was excellent.
(4)
Jono S.
First a short strand of nostril hair on my grilled chicken breast with wild mushroom risotto and then no sugar in the chocolate souffle' after the waiter initially forgot to put in the dessert order. My last two meals (out of five) at La Ferme not only made it feel like I was eating my last meal, it really ended up being my last meals there--unbecoming for an upscale French restaurant.
(3)
Jim P.
An SF transplant continues his quest for a damned decent restaurant, with high hopes for La Ferme, as it was highly personally recommended. We were told it was "worth the [45+ min] trip". I will now invalidate any future recommendations made by that source. Usually I go on and on, but this place doesn't deserve that. Let's just say: 1) "Risotto" is not Italian for "flavorless, overcooked Minute Rice," despite what La Ferme appears to think. That wasn't even a passable pilaf, ya' punters. 2) Fish should have texture. While a texture, "mushy and bland" is not one that should be served. 3) I have never - ever - had a server take my wine glass away without offering another drink... and this happened _before_my_entree_. WTF? I won't hold it against the place that it draws the Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd (seriously: Sang it at least 4 times), and it was probably my mistake for ordering seafood on any night but Friday or Saturday, but I sure won't be back, nor make any trips based on that particular source of suggestions. Skip. For the money (seriously, a $30 fish entree that *had* to be frozen... probably repeatedly frozen and thawed since Wednesday/Thursday), you can do much, much, MUCH better. Heck, a Filet 'o' Fish would have been better.... at least McD only freezes it once. Let's call it 1.5 stars. Definitely worse than "meh" but arguably better than "EEK". On the upside, no food poisoning and they have their own parking lot (beware, though, the aforementioned Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd ... some scary-ass parking maneuvers in that lot. You may want to use the street, come to think of it), so 2 stars. Barely. The bisque was passable. The quest continues....
(2)
Alycia E.
I think a true test of a restaurant is its ability to handle groups both large and small. We took about 15 people from work for a holiday dinner and perhaps we taxed the limit of La Ferme's wait staff (basically, there's really no way to recover from a missing order of souffle); however, I cannot fault the quality of the food that did arrive as ordered. My plat of charcuterie, including a nice meaty country pate, was lovingly presented with petite cournichons and toasted bread. My sea bass over risotto was moist and flaky. I abstained from dessert and instead chose a ruby port. Overall, it was a very good meal in a deceptively rural setting. I'll certainly remember it the next time I have out-of-town guests.
(3)
Sheila D.
The food was good, the wine list was good, the staff was good. My family and I went here for Thanksgiving dinner and the place was packed. A reviewer on here described the place to a 'T". The reviewer's name in Phillip L., he hit it right on the money :) The people there had there nose stuck up in the air. Don't get me wrong, I've lived in Beverly Hills, so I know how annoying stuck up people can be. Everyone around me was wearing some kind of gaudy fur coat. Lets just say, if I was a member of PETA, I'd probably come back to this restaurant with a couple color spray cans, and have a hay day spraying their fur coats. It was border line, upper class home for the elderly ambiance..lol! However, the fireplace and pianist next to it, was a nice touch. They did run out of high chairs, so my 1 year old daughter was forst to sit on the chair, her view being under the table (poor girl). The food and service was good, the ambiance, on the other hand, I could live without.
(3)
Candace K.
We went for Bethesda/Chevy Chase Restaurant Week and normally one has to make allowances for this but not this time. We ended up selecting our meals from the regular menu but our friends chose the RW menu and their food looked great! I got the pork tenderloin medallions with cheese/spinach/sundried tomatoes and it was good. It came with this rissoto that made me believe in God! The hubby got the braised lamb shank and thought it was too fatty for his taste, not the restaurants fault he just haden't had that cut before. The bottle of wine we got was GREAT and we ordered a souffle and we liked it. Service was very attentive and atmosphere was SUPER! A good place to go for good food that isn't downtown! I'm sorry to see the other two reviewers didn't like it. But worth a try in my book, but bring $$$ its expensive!
(5)
Jogi S.
I went to the Resturant on Passover on Friday and arrived at 9:15. Asked the manger for table for two people. He replied ... Do you have reservations which we don't . He said ..... We are closed I asked him what time do you close and he replied at 9:30. I asked him yelp shows you guys closed at 10:00 and your web site no time. When I discuss the timing he got very upset and rude. He said don't come here if you don't have reservations. He said we decided to close early. I told him big resturant should not change time unless they post if they are going close early. The manager got more upset and got very aggressive. As I was walking out he started using racial remarks and using F words. If you are running class A Resturant should have people with class work there. If you are going there late and not from this country they will insult and discriminated you. Bethesda and Chevy chase has much better restaurant you can go dine and be treated nice. Stay away from this Resturant to teach them lesson.
Group of 23 celebrated my mother's birthday at Sunday brunch. Private room, excellent service, first rate food. Fixed price brunch included one each appetizer, main, and dessert chosen from about 8 of each on the menu. At $30 was a good value in this market for a seated meal, 20% tip was added. Wine added about $15 per person to the bill. The brunch menu offered enough selection for all. Staff was discretely attentive, professional and cheerful. Highly recommended for brunch with a bunch!
(4)
Ricky M.
Went here for restaurant week. Calf liver was amazing (per the waiter, it is not on the regular menu). Soft-shell crab had great taste, although texture was somewhat chewy. The restaurant is very stuffy and had an antique feel to it. It was very hot, no AC. The service was great
(4)
T K.
We've gone there at least three times in the past 3 months. Each time has been outstanding. The filet mignon is superb and cooked to perfection. Scallops and duck appetizers and entree's were delicious. We've gone pretty early in the evening, so the restaurant was empty and service was great.
(5)
Madeline w.
We celebrated our daughter's Bat Mitzvah here, and had a party of 36 in the attic room. Everything was amazing. People are still talking about how great the food was. The service was excellent. Prasad was wonderful to work with. The decor was beautiful and the space perfect. I cannot say enough about how perfect the evening was.
(5)
christine c.
It's Bethesda restaurant week so time to try out places you normally might not have any special reason to go to. So La Ferme it was for this weekday evening. The restaurant's located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Chevy Chase which has the feel of a small village. Inside, the main dining room is attractive, large and spacious with high A-frame ceilings, brightly lit and lavishly decorated in the style of a classic French farmhouse. White table clothes, flowers everywhere, 50s background music (live piano at 6:30 pm), it's like a throw back in time. We were there between 6-8 pm, so dining room's mostly empty, and there was a disproportionately large number of somewhat strangely but well dressed little old ladies (one wore a large white fur hat throughout dinner) in their 80s (90s?) having a nice quiet evening out with what must be their middle aged children. Not sure if the demographic would be different on different days and times. We felt a bit underdressed, as all the men seemed to be wearing jacket and tie. But despite being a fancy restaurant, the atmosphere's still sufficiently casual we didn't feel too out of place despite not following the dress code. Anyway, we ordered off the restaurant week menu: chilled asparagus salad, French onion soup, salmon and tilapia, and for dessert, apple tart and eclaire with grand marnier. Food was fine, in a good old fashioned way - no strange or unusual flavors or artsy presentations - well prepared and tasty in fair sized portions. Service was not overly warm or exuberant but low key and efficient. Trendy this is not, although an adequate place to go for a quiet or romantic evening out (but maybe not for first dates), and given the low noise level and pleasant setting, a perfect place for taking older family members and relatives.
(3)
Danae M.
Beautiful decor, usually decent food but not always.
(2)
Kat A.
In sum: great food, great service, and an ambiance that's hard to come by in the DC area. Good place to go for special occasions. The only reason I didn't give 4 stars is because the high price for some menu items that you can get for less elsewhere that taste just as good. Nonetheless the food is good with a nice selection of wines. The staff are very knowledgeable about everything on the menu and the ingredients. A rare find for those of us with allergies and much appreciated.
(3)
Jonathan C.
The service was quite nice but SUPER slow. They even took a long time to run my credit card after the meal...it felt like ten minutes or more. The venison was quite good. The steak (my date's) tasted kind of soapy. I know some people just LOVE this place and have it in their heads that La Ferme can do no wrong. In my critical opinion I think it's a bit lacking for the level they are trying to represent themselves at, and the prices they charge. Overall, a great place to take your older relatives, it's the kind of place old people just love. I went there to make my mom happy and she was happy with the evening. Mission accomplished.
(3)
Roy S.
A nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Cant beat a piano player when going to a classy restaurant. However, the steak is fine but you can get a better one at Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring. Now if this place added more fries and maybe a sauce or pepper crust then they would have an excellent meal.
The food was excellent. The wine was excellent. The server was excellent. I'm not sure why the ratings are so low on Yelp other than maybe people aren't familiar with French cuisine or expect a lot more because of the expense. We will come back for certain, it's really nice.
Known by the locals as Chevy Chase Club East, this is a nice place to go for a quiet lunch or dinner. Food is always good, and prices are not out of this world. It indeed is off the beaten path, but a nice little visit to the country.
(4)
Nicole H.
We went there last weekend and had a delicious meal outside on the patio. I had the crab and avocado salad to start and then the soft shell crab for my entree. Both were delicious! We will definitely be going back.
(5)
Charles R.
Delicious and classy french rustic cuisine! We liked it so much after a few visits, we eventually had our wedding reception here, and it was a wonderful experience! Classy, friendly, high quality food. Highly recommend.
(5)
Ben K.
Went for thanksgiving with my family while on a visit home. We were sat by the stairs to the kitchen and the whole table shook. A few people in the party felt motion sick. What was really unfortunate was that the waiter nor the manager cared. Their attitude was simply that they were busy and couldn't do anything to move us or assist. I'd have thought asking wait staff to simply not run up and down the stairs would fix this issue. The food was good though. I can't really recall much of it because my family spent Thanksgiving complaining about feeling sea sick. Well thanks for the $400 family dinner of motion sickness. Next time we'll just go on a cruise. Its a shame the manager nor wait staff cared ... Happy Thanksgiving ..this place was so packed I'm sure they have plenty other reviews to be thankful for.
Almost 5-stars for food and service! Exceptionally well-prepped/presented Mother's Day prie fixe brunch. No complaints... except for the outrageous $55/meal price tag -- yikes! Additionally, mimosas were priced at nearly $10 PER glass! I fully understand charging per glass for beverages at dinner time, however, I firmly believe that Sunday brunch, particularly at these prices, should be an all-inclusive event. Overall a very pleasant dining experience, however, I can't help feeling a little gouged after looking at the check...!
(3)
Leah F.
This has become our Christmas Eve dinner tradition. So delicious and the ambiance is perfect for a winter holiday dinner. Looking forward to doing it again this year.
(5)
E F.
I took a girlfriend to this restaurant for a long overdue reconnection. Horrible experience. Food was well below average (my scallop dish was served tepid.) I lived in France for many years. There was nothing French about this food. Service was atrocious although the piano player was a sweetie. Our waitress was as surly as they come -- for being a young woman, this doesn't bode well for her future in the service industry. If I had a nickel for every time a staff person came over and said "Do you need anything else?" I would have been able to pay for the over priced meal. Well, almost. The message was "you people need to leave now." Seriously? It is 9pm and the place was almost empty. Then, the topper was that I got a bad case of food poisoning which I feel certain was caused by the tepid scallops. Note to self: no tepid scallops. Second note to self: don't go to La Ferme.
(1)
Carson S.
My family and I went for this past Mother's Day and I couldn't be more blown away. The food was absolutely delicious and served in a great environment. La Ferme has the perfect setting for the picturesque Sunday brunch with the natural light that pours into the main dining area and the balcony seating. The service was friendly and relaxed as they try to set the mood of a calm French country-side. I don't know why everyone is up in arms about some of the service, but when you go to an up-scale restaurant the service wants to allow you to enjoy the meal. They aren't there to rush you through your food, they want you to savor it. Overall, great experience and I can't wait to go back.
(5)
Liza A.
OMG.... FIVE STARS TO THEIR SOUFFLE.. ..CUS....SERVER'S SUCKED....we had a fish that had to be fillet and when the plate came to the table is was extremely dirty on the edges....my fish that had a delicious sauce on the bottom was dirty too.....a little under seasoned....duck liver awesome with figs.....but the star of the night souffle and wine!!!! Well la ferme is a bitter sweet restaurant for me....first date long ago with the hubby....but yet food has declined a lot in the past years....nit their souffle it is just as great as always!!!
(3)
Samantha D.
We had Easter dinner at La Ferme with my boyfriend's family on Sunday and it was just lovely. From the authentic, rich, and beautifully prepared dishes to the warm ambiance with high ceilings/open beams, it was a wonderful dining experience. I had the opportunity to spend Easter in Provence a few years ago, and the French country decor and wine at La Ferme transported me back there. Food: Some of our group had the pork roast, which looked perfect (until their plates were clean), and I had a tasty buttery rockfish over risotto with red pepper and corn. The bread portions are huge, but I didn't want to get too full before the main course. The menu was prefixed, so for our first course I had the seafood chowder, which was perfectly creamy with ample servings of shrimp and scallops in a lobster base. I also had the crepes for dessert, but they were a little dry/"meh" and made me wish I had tried the creme brulee instead. This might be the only reason I removed a star. Feel: We had a glass of wine on the patio before the rest of our party arrived and I'd highly recommend sitting outside if it's not too hot as it was really charming. There was a nice breeze passing through and lots of greenery so you're not just overlooking the parking lot. Also, once we moved inside, we could still feel the breeze from the open doors. It's a slightly older crowd, hence the piano player in the back cranking out classics and show tunes, but again it felt warm and welcoming. I hope to visit La Ferme again soon as we are just down the road and am already looking forward to that second glass of wine on the patio!
(4)
Laureen K.
La Ferme used to be one of our "special occasion" restaurants. No more. Last Mother's Day my husband and I brought my mother-in law, visiting from Los Angeles, and two children to La Ferme, having enjoyed our prior dinners here but the staff treated us so poorly that we have crossed this restaurant off our list. We had made a reservation and were seated but then no one came to our table for more than 15 minutes. We even saw friends who appeared to be receiving fine service but no one appeared at our table. We finally had to get up and hail a waiter. We ordered, and waited. We finally received appetizers (now we are more than 45 minutes in) and then proceeded to wait and wait . . . Finally my husband asked to speak to the manager. We expected some attention and a willingness to take care of us, apologize, etc. However, he basically shrugged his shoulders and displayed not one ounce of concern or contrition. We got the check and left without dinner and a sour taste in our mouth. Needless to say, we will not return. No one should reward a restaurant with such poor service and inconsiderate management with their business.
(1)
Mike L.
The food and service were fantastic! Great French Country atmosphere. Their French Onion Soup is very good.
(5)
JP S.
We were there a couple weeks ago with friends, having been there a few times before we wanted to introduce them to one of our favorite restaurants. I don't know what has happened there. The service was terrible and the food was fair at best. Someone needs to shake the place up a bit. For the amount you spend you should be dazzled by both food and service. They have let me down.
(2)
Andrew B.
Went to La Ferme this past Saturday, 9/21/13 for my father-in-law's 80th birthday and felt compelled to write. La Ferme has well above average food and a waitstaff that is near excellent in both quality of service and attentiveness. We dined with folks aged 80-10 and everyone went away happy. Three persons (including myself) ordered the Filet Mignot Au Poivre and I personally found it to be fantastic and perfectly cooked medium. My 10-year old son also ordered it and asked for it to be a plain piece of meat (only salt and pepper) and cooked medium. They complied perfectly and even put his au poivre sauce on the side in case he wanted to experiment. They also accommodated his request for a salad with just lettuce leaves and nothing else. Again, they put all the salad ingredients on the side for his to pick and choose .... without us asking. My wife's dish (something with snails and risotto) was said to be delicious and my father-in-law also had something that he quite liked. I regret not ordering the Chocolate Souffle. I wasn't sure I'd have the room for it after a big meal, and after discovering I did, went with the Creme' Brulee instead, which was just great. Finally, we really appreciated the waitstaff waiting for my mother-in-law to finish her meal before taking away all the plates. I'm not exaggerating that in the time it takes her to eat 1 bite, most everyone at the table is near the end of their meal. The cons: 1. There is a kinda cheesy piano player taking requests all night. The man is clearly talented, but a little past his prime playing popular standards from the 1970's. It was actually a little embarrassing. The big tip jar on his piano was equally off-putting, but we put in our $10 which seemed to be the obligatory donation for hearing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (which I really didn't want to hear). 2. The price. Don't get me wrong, the food was really quite good. But not $450 good for 5 people ($90/person). Food - 4 stars Service - 5 stars Ambiance - 3 stars (would be 4 stars without the piano player) Value - 2 stars.
(4)
L S.
La Ferme is in a charming building but as for the food, looks can be deceiving. The menu is tired french, uninspired so so preparation. Wife had the salmon which is was really not much of anything - a piece of salmon, not much else, not even much taste. I had a pork chop with a reduction sauce accompanied by some very tired winter veggies - almost reduced to mush. It is hard to kill a pork chop. At least it was not cooked to death. An appetizer salad was - not much - some lettuce with a few dried cranberries and nuts. As for pricing there is something blatantly disconcerting paying $25 - $35 for entrees for truly mediocre food. At $9, the uninspired salad must be a real profit center. In an area where there are so many good choices - La Ferme is not one of them.
(2)
Joe H.
Pros: * The food is good. * The ambiance is nice, true to its French farmhouse appellation. * Wine prices are average. * Service is fairly attentive, until it comes time to present the check. Cons: * Portions are a little on the small side. Which is OK except for the next con: * Prices are high. Plan to spend quite a bit. Clientele is heavily skewed towards the upper range of the age spectrum--lots of grey hair in the dining rooms.
(3)
John T.
Great French country atmosphere in a nice farmy looking building. it sets the mood well - an interesting contrast of elegance and informality. Nice pianist playing on a Sunday evening. The food was good, but not spectacular. The souffle at $10.00 strikes me as a must-have item. We got chocolate, but they had Grand Marnier and hazlenut too. My one big negative was the air conditioning. We went on a hot day, and I noticed all the men in the place who wore jackets, including myself, had to take them off. It was sweltering. One lady sat there fanning herself the entire time we were there. If you're going to charge that much for a meal, you have to maintain a great atmosphere... in all respects.... no excuses. This is a personal peeve, but there were so many different people bringing and taking things from my table that it got confusing and distracting. The guy who brought the entres got ours reversed. No big deal, but I really don't like an army of different servers mingling around. I guess that's part of the French fine-dining thing.
(3)
Sheldon H.
Took my wife to La Ferme for dinner last night and had a very good meal. The ambience and piano were, as always, lovely. It is a very pleasant room to come into on a cold evening. The food was above average and the service was excellent. My wife had the sweetbreads and I had the pork chop. Both were above average. It is also nice not to have to fight for a parking space. This is a very nice place for dinner and still has a great deal of charm.
(4)
AJ H.
I don't know how to say this nicely, so I will do my best to be objective. We had the pumpkin ravioli with scallops appetizer -- the scallops were cooked perfectly, but the ravioli were disappointing. The ravioli had clearly been frozen previously as the ends seemed dried out due to freezer burn and the pasta was very chewy. Toasted pumpkin seeds were a nice touch and it had a tasty butter sauce. As for entrees, the pork chop was ordered medium and came out very well done, with soggy veggies. The mixed seafood in puff pastry was not good with not house-made puff pastry; lobster and other seafood were dry and chewy with a congealed butter sauce. Both were lukewarm but had hot plates, so seemed to have been under heat lamps for some time. The wine was painfully marked up (about 200% from retail). We were largely ignored by waitstaff; service was slow and our unfinished meals sat in front of us for about ten minutes before being boxed after we were done eating. Service seemed to move more quickly for tables around us. All in all a disappointing experience, we will not return. Update: the mixed seafood puff pastry entree seems to have given my girlfriend food poisoning.
(1)
Larry C.
I have to give credit where credit is due. We held a celebratory lunch for my mother and uncle: 13 adults, 5 kids. The adults were a combination of middle-aged and elderly. The reviews among our clan were uniformly positive, including the food, ambience, and service. We were well taken care of, both in the planning phase and at the actual lunch. For a large group such as hours, we were given a fixed menu (with individual choices for each of three courses) for a little under $30 per adult -- I thought it was a bargain for the quality of the experience. Would I go back on my own? Maybe not. Would I go there with friends or family with more traditional tastes? In a heartbeat.
(5)
jennifer p.
almond souffle is the best here-tried the chocolate, hazelnut and almond...and almond is definitely the most flavorful and delicious! :) I think the dessert is the best part of the meal. i've been here twice just for the ambiance. they have live piano music which is nice. the pianist takes requests and is always very accommodating! Servers are nice as well...but food is just mediocre. Filet mignon is pretty good...pork shank is tender but is A LOT of meat...NY strip was a little dry for my taste... wouldnt recommend any appetizers..portions are small and they are expensive!
(3)
Boss H.
This was good for a First date but La Ferme was La tooooo slow pace for me. However, I told a fib to my date and told her how much I really liked the food but if you had seen the dress that she glued on, them never ending legs and open toe 5" heels, you my friend would have lied about the food too. I ordered a steak that tasted like a Canadian moose with 3 legs that bathed in an onion patch (dont ask, just laugh) and my lite ice came back diet sprite. However, a very nice upscale classic styled restaraunt that I would personally, take my parents to for a sunday brunch....XoXo
(3)
Foodie C.
Nice hidden French Restaurant Literally could drive by it if your not looking for it. Very old school. Fills up with snobby uptight clientele .... But hey it's French Food 3 Service 3.5 Cleanliness 4
(3)
Stephen B.
Well passed its prime. sloww service, nothings sings on the menu. Whole inside needs a make over from Robert on restuarant impossible. My expensive for the quality. Good for the blue hairs of CC, go over to Bethesda for something interesting.
(2)
Anita P.
My father's steak au poivre, which he asked for medium rare, was grey throughout and tough. But our waiter disappeared for at least 15 minutes after delivering the entrees, and so my father ate enough to lose his appetite, and having it replaced was not in question, with the glacial pace of service. The waiter mumbled something about the check when we complained, but the check arrived with full charge ($35) for the steak. As it was my mother's 80th birthday, decided to keep the peace and left a significantly smaller tip than usual. Thoroughly unacceptable. A bad taste that lingers. Redolent of an aging French harlot.
Service was awful no one seemed to notice we had been sitting at our table 4 20 minutes. Finally someone took our order & we were served the wrong appetizer. After 1 1/2 hr no main course we called the owner to the table. He was rude and dismissive. He said he didn't care if we left so we did after paying for our appetizers and a glass of wine. We will never go back Thanks for helping us celebrate mothers day
(1)
David M.
Exquisite French dining with live piano music, awesome decoration and wonderful service. Classy restaurant for fine dining.
(5)
Sherri H.
Had a lovely meal there this evening. Relaxing atmosphere, gracious service, delicious food. Very enjoyable.
(5)
MaJ C.
For Years and Years, I have heard this was the place to go. So we reserved a table for two, and at a decent hour, to have good, attentive service, as well as general talkative atmosphere. Service: Look, the waiter was good, yet too busy to be good. and he did not really listen. Reminiscent of some of the places we will not go back to in Paris. The back waiter was awesome! what kind of grind on the pepper, he asks, as well as just being very nice, attentive and caring. The Food: Salted to death , I thought the entire ensemble, from appetizers to entrees, was made from Bacalao. I mean, the amount of Salt was so, that the chef actually disrespected the life of the fish I ate. Very, very sad. For the price: 2 people, 1/2 btl nice wine 1 full bottle decent wine. 2 appetizers, 2 entrees. ( we only eat fish by the way ) 200$.. A real shame, as this is one of those 'Fairy Tales I had always wanted to experience. After years of build up, a colossal let down.. :(
(1)
Joselito E.
I was invited for a dinner and I was surprised to listen to a very good piano player. I enjoyed my sea bass with my clam chowder soup. We ordered another wine to hear more music to end our wonderful night.
(4)
John D.
You're going for the atmosphere. La Ferme anchors one end of a tiny, incongruous commercial strip on Brookville Road in residential Chevy Chase. There is no traffic, there are no crowds, and parking is easy. Indeed if you squint on your way in, you can almost make yourself believe that you're out in the country at some remote farmhouse inn (in fact not far off La Ferme's actual heritage). Anyhow, it's very sweet. Rustic decor, a live piano player - it's a nice, low-key place to enjoy a meal. I like it. The food is, to be candid, nothing special. More precisely, it's fine but it's not quite up to the look and feel of the place. I've never had a bad meal at La Ferme but I've never had a memorable one either. So for a nice evening, just rachet down your culinary expectations by one star, order something that's not too ambitious, and enjoy your cocktail(s). The piano player takes requests -- with a 10-spot in his tip jar, maybe he'd agree *not* to play "Happy Birthday" for an hour!
(3)
Hillary D.
I went to La Ferme last Monday and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and food. The atmosphere was cozy and romantic. I imagine during the more pleasant months the outdoor seating is a great way to spend a meal. I ordered the wild mushroom ravioli, Vol au Vent de Fruits de Mer, and the chocolate souffle. All of it was fantastic. One thing to note when you go is that the portions are generous compared to other fine dining restaurants. I could have done without my ravioli and would have been plenty full. The Vol au Vent wasn't as full of flavor as I would have hoped but it was still very good. The service was also fantastic. We had a large group and they handled it without missing a step.
(4)
D K.
My boyfriend and I went to La Ferme for restaurant week, and 3 courses for $30 was a good deal, including the service. If this review is simply based on food, then I'd have to dial down my rating to a 3, but the service tacks on a star. It's a bit unsettling, when you arrive at La Ferme because it looks like someone's house, which I think it probably was. As soon as we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the live piano player in the corner. Nice touch. The second thing I noticed was the number of elderly Caucasian diners. My boyfriend and I stuck out like a sore thumb. The food came out very quickly, and there was little downtime in between courses. However, when it was time for dessert, I think they forgot about us because not only did it take 3 times as long to get our desserts, but they also messed up our orders. To make up for it though, we got a free dessert, and the service was so good beforehand, that I couldn't hold it against them. Service is stellar, and the food is nothing to complain about. I'd have no problem returning to La Ferme, and it was a good choice for Restaurant Week. Food: (1) Crab Mousseline - VERY good. Texture was very pleasant, but it does get old half-way through. (2) Calamari - Not fried, but fresh. Refreshing, but I wouldn't order it again. (3) Seafood Risotto - Average. (4) Pork Chop - Mmm. I love meat. I haven't had pork chop in awhile, so it was tasty to me. I usually like my pork chop with fruit chutney, but the way they served was fine. The dish had seasoned carrots and green beans with some potato au gratin that went very well with the pork chop. (5) Bread Pudding - The best dish we ordered. HOT bread pudding with ice cream. Delicious. (6) Grand Marnier Frozen Souffle - Confusing because it was more like a cold creme brulee. It was just okay. (7) Complimentary Chocolate Mousse - I'm not a fan of mousse, but the streusel on top was delicious. I ate every crumb.
(4)
Celeste M.
I visited my family in Maryland last month and I was stoked to find out that we were going to have a big family dinner at La Ferme Friday night. Each of us arrived... car by car, some in vans -- a total of 40 relatives (cousins, aunts, uncles, cousin's cousin, etc.). The place was packed, we headed towards the back of the restaurant up the stairs where our whole party was seated. I was starving. Started with warm bread and butter and before I even can finish my roll, the salad arrived -- mixed baby greens with tomato and mushrooms in a light vinaigrette dressing. For the main course, it was a free-range chicken breast -- braised and was served with morel sauce, wild rice and steamed vegetables. A very tasty dinner indeed and I gobbled it all up in no time. The dessert was okay, nothing special. I had the chocolate mousse cake, big portion, but way too sweet for my taste. Atmosphere is nice, felt like "home." Service wasn't bad, they could have been more attentive, but we were a big group so it made it difficult for the waiters to check up on every single one of us.
(3)
Pam W.
Just had Thanksgiving dinner here. Once we got past the huge traffic jam at the entrance and waited 20 minutes to be seated for our 5 pm reservation, we had a wonderful meal. Sat upstairs in the Attic Room along the banquette which was very nice. Staff was amazing given the volume of diners. All very professional under tough circumstances. The prix fixe menu moved things along nicely. We got our appetizers quickly along with our bottle of wine. My husband had a wonderful salad with beets, walnuts, endive, and spinach dressed with roquefort dressing....lovely. I had a tasty Roulade of smoked salmon with cucumber salad, horseradish sauce and toasted pumpernickel. After a nice pause between courses, we had the traditional turkey dinner for my husband and I had the scallops served with pumpkin ravioli and sage and smashed potatoes with brussels sprouts. Great presentation and delicious execution. Ken had an apple cinnamon creme brulee which was wonderful and I had traditional chocolate mousse made special with macadamia brittle. Wonderful evening.
(4)
Mark M.
Nice environment, good food, but a little dated (sort of like a French Mrs. K's Tollhouse). Nice for special occasions.
(3)
Michael M.
Went for brunch, and was very pleased. For a reasonable price you get a great selection from a prix fixe menu. They do almost all the little things right here, warm bread basket with a variety of breads,great drinks, great services and atmosphere.....but the ceiling fans are horrendously dusty... doesn't really take away from the experience, but things like that just shouldn't happen at a $20+ dollar brunch.
(4)
Joe G.
What is everyone here talking about???? I can't believe all the positive reviews this place has received. Having heard so many good things about the restaurant, I tried this for Valentine's Day this year. The staff were completely overwhelmed and unable to manage the service. It took them twenty minutes to bring menus to the table and it only continued from there. I would have been ok with waiting a little longer than average if the food had been anywhere close to fresh or authentic French. The Sea bass was probably the worst I've ever had. I could go on but I'll just stop at that. Avoid at all costs!!!
(1)
Shieva R.
Went for restaurant week, not impressed. Let me start off by saying why on earth does everyone with a birthday want to celebrate it here??? Anyway, I ioved the location, out of the way, something unexpected. I loved the piano playing and private balconies, but the food I did not love. Our waiter was not very attentive in fact no one was until one of the busboys noticed that my friend and I were under fifty and not too shabby, after that he was unfortunately, very attentive. The food was also as disappointing. I expected more from entrees that were nearly $30. My friends pork was chewy and tough and my halibut came with a cold ratatouille that was so overwhelmed with sage it was inedible. I wasn't blown away with the appetizers or dessert either. The french onion soup wasn't even good here! I've had much better food an service at other french restaurants around town; I can assure you I won't be back.
(2)
D D.
Below is a copy of a lette sent to La Ferme: BTW their wines are way overpriced. I wanted to point out my outrage at wanting to purchase a gift certificate from your restaurant over the phone. The nerve for your restaurant to charge $5.00 for a .44 cent stamp. Way to lose customers! I live in Florida and my family lives in Maryland and this is one of thier favorite restaurants. We had planned to dine there on our next visit but with so many choices and this poor treatment (there was no apology nor attempt to save the sale by anyone when we chose to cancel the gc), we will be choosing somewhere, anywhere else. Apparently you don't need the money, or the customers, or the repeat business.
(1)
Tim R.
This was my second time here. First time was a year ago for a lunch. I like it. Mushroom risoto. Scallops. Lamb. Souffle. They made pasta for the kids that they both really enjoyed. Food was good, service was good, decor is good.
(4)
Paul M.
La Ferme is a bit of a secret. It's in an out-of-the-way-spot, it's been there a long time. It has its fans ( including Warren Buffet I might add), but it is probably unknown to a lot of people. And quite frankly I suspect a lot of its regulars would prefer that it stays that way - I promise you few of them will add reviews here. It's good because: 1. History. James Madison and Dolly fled down this street to Brookville in 1812 when the Brits burned the Whitehouse. ( Bloody Brits). George Washington had a drink at the inn that was on site back in the day, FDR held a fund raiser here in the 30s ( they have the pictures to prove that one). 2. The food. It's French, it's upscale it's authentic - it's a little old-school . Exactly the sort of old school you would find in a Parisian Brasserie today. 3. The crowd. This is genuine bona fide camp authenticity at its finest. The Blue Rinse mob are there in force. All the Chevy Chase retirees love the place. The high school kids on a special date. The middle aged couple celebrating their anniversary on one of the Juliet balconies overlooking the main room. A holier-than-thou trendy couple hiding in the corner enjoying it, drinking it all in, and thinking they are slightly better than anyone else ( yip - that would be us - apologies). I say all this with reverence and love. The food and drink and service are all marvellous and it is definitely worth the time and money for you urban types to get out ( a whole mile outside the DC line ) to the Burbs to enjoy a dining experience like no other this city can offer. The only thing I don't like is that there is no bar - there should be a law against a restaurant not having a bar.
(4)
Phillip L.
I agree with some of the other reviews made here. Service was excellent, food was top-notch and the ambiance was sublime. The wine list is very impressive, as was the dessert menu (always the hallmark of a keeper in my book). La Ferme would get much higher marks if it weren't for the excessively clubby feel. And I can do clubby, but really people? It just wasn't THAT good. In my book, pretension does not equal five stars, excellence in balance equals five stars. The clientelle are a bit chilly, like caricatures of old WASP ladies in Gwen Stefani and Eve's "Blow Your Mind" video or aged manifestations of Joan Crawford in "Mommy Dearest" -- except way, way more vanilla. We made the mistake of wearing polo shirts and seersucker (gasp!) shorts. A couple walking out of the restaurant said "how cute, even the help gets to eat tonight." How rude, actually. I guess our Prada sunglasses were too "racy" for this staid crew. Bottom line here is that as long as you wear loafers, something tweed, and accessories from Tiffany or Van Cleef and Arpels you'll love it. If you don't, well, don't get mixed up with the help.
(3)
Eleanor B.
One of my favorites for quality and service.
(5)
Sally C.
Food - 4 stars Service - 3 stars When we pulled up, the parking lot was crowded and we spotted two Bentleys and an Aston Martin. Yikes. Lovely atmosphere inside. I don't know why there were so many cars parked outside - there were only a few full tables inside. Service was average. Better at the beginning of the meal but by the end he didn't talk much. One of the waitstaff took my husband's plate just as he was putting the last morsel of food in his mouth. Geez! I had the lamb shank - YUM! I could have lived without the couscous though. Husband ordered the venison with sweet potato puree and string beans. His was yummy too.
(3)
Roger S.
Went here for Restaurant Week, $30 for 3 courses. We had come from work and were in jeans, so outside seating seemed appropiate for the way were dressed. Inside, many people were dressed up a little nicer. Everyone who worked at the restaurant was very friendly, and quite attentive to our needs throughout the meal. The quality of the food was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back. I'm never a dessert person, but they had a chocolate mousse with walnuts which was perfect. Overall great experience, would recommend to anyone. If you're worried about prices - look online at the menu first, they're all there. In my opinion, any price issue one may have is outweighed by the deliciousness of the food.
(5)
Kendra L.
Spent Valentine's Day dinner here. Prix fixe menu. I'd been once before and liked it. This time, not very impressed. We were seated upstairs so we didn't get to enjoy the real ambiance and I think we had the B-team for wait staff. Our waitress was not very attentive and hardly spoke to us at all. In fact, I wasn't sure she was familiar with the items on the prix fixe menu - she had to squint at the menu to verify our order. I got the feeling we were on an assembly line - here's the menu, what do you want, here it is. We both ordered the filet and crab cake entree and while it was decent, I've certainly had much better cuts of filet and far better crab cakes at other places in Maryland. The mini-dessert selections were okay but my decaf coffee tasted old and slightly scorched - and no offer on a refill or refresh. Once the mini-desserts were auto-served, its like we were dismissed. Assuming a busy dinner night like Valentine's is not the best time to go - I might be willing to try it once more but not convinced yet. For the price, I've had way better service and food at other restaurants in the DC area.
(2)
T S.
I thought this restaurant was delicious and very cute as it is hard to find and quaint inside. My one concern was these little itty bitty fruit flies EVERYWHERE!!!! They were driving me bananas i couldnt even concentrate on the conversation. im not sure if it was the flowers in the center of the table and all around the restaurant. it was very uncomfortable. Food was great from what i remember though! Wine was divine! Service was excellent.
(4)
Jono S.
First a short strand of nostril hair on my grilled chicken breast with wild mushroom risotto and then no sugar in the chocolate souffle' after the waiter initially forgot to put in the dessert order. My last two meals (out of five) at La Ferme not only made it feel like I was eating my last meal, it really ended up being my last meals there--unbecoming for an upscale French restaurant.
(3)
Spots W.
Group of 23 celebrated my mother's birthday at Sunday brunch. Private room, excellent service, first rate food. Fixed price brunch included one each appetizer, main, and dessert chosen from about 8 of each on the menu. At $30 was a good value in this market for a seated meal, 20% tip was added. Wine added about $15 per person to the bill. The brunch menu offered enough selection for all. Staff was discretely attentive, professional and cheerful. Highly recommended for brunch with a bunch!
(4)
Ricky M.
Went here for restaurant week. Calf liver was amazing (per the waiter, it is not on the regular menu). Soft-shell crab had great taste, although texture was somewhat chewy. The restaurant is very stuffy and had an antique feel to it. It was very hot, no AC. The service was great
(4)
Kat A.
In sum: great food, great service, and an ambiance that's hard to come by in the DC area. Good place to go for special occasions. The only reason I didn't give 4 stars is because the high price for some menu items that you can get for less elsewhere that taste just as good. Nonetheless the food is good with a nice selection of wines. The staff are very knowledgeable about everything on the menu and the ingredients. A rare find for those of us with allergies and much appreciated.
(3)
Patrick W.
The food was excellent. The wine was excellent. The server was excellent. I'm not sure why the ratings are so low on Yelp other than maybe people aren't familiar with French cuisine or expect a lot more because of the expense. We will come back for certain, it's really nice.
I took a girlfriend to this restaurant for a long overdue reconnection. Horrible experience. Food was well below average (my scallop dish was served tepid.) I lived in France for many years. There was nothing French about this food. Service was atrocious although the piano player was a sweetie. Our waitress was as surly as they come -- for being a young woman, this doesn't bode well for her future in the service industry. If I had a nickel for every time a staff person came over and said "Do you need anything else?" I would have been able to pay for the over priced meal. Well, almost. The message was "you people need to leave now." Seriously? It is 9pm and the place was almost empty. Then, the topper was that I got a bad case of food poisoning which I feel certain was caused by the tepid scallops. Note to self: no tepid scallops. Second note to self: don't go to La Ferme.
(1)
Carson S.
My family and I went for this past Mother's Day and I couldn't be more blown away. The food was absolutely delicious and served in a great environment. La Ferme has the perfect setting for the picturesque Sunday brunch with the natural light that pours into the main dining area and the balcony seating. The service was friendly and relaxed as they try to set the mood of a calm French country-side. I don't know why everyone is up in arms about some of the service, but when you go to an up-scale restaurant the service wants to allow you to enjoy the meal. They aren't there to rush you through your food, they want you to savor it. Overall, great experience and I can't wait to go back.
(5)
Samantha D.
We had Easter dinner at La Ferme with my boyfriend's family on Sunday and it was just lovely. From the authentic, rich, and beautifully prepared dishes to the warm ambiance with high ceilings/open beams, it was a wonderful dining experience. I had the opportunity to spend Easter in Provence a few years ago, and the French country decor and wine at La Ferme transported me back there. Food: Some of our group had the pork roast, which looked perfect (until their plates were clean), and I had a tasty buttery rockfish over risotto with red pepper and corn. The bread portions are huge, but I didn't want to get too full before the main course. The menu was prefixed, so for our first course I had the seafood chowder, which was perfectly creamy with ample servings of shrimp and scallops in a lobster base. I also had the crepes for dessert, but they were a little dry/"meh" and made me wish I had tried the creme brulee instead. This might be the only reason I removed a star. Feel: We had a glass of wine on the patio before the rest of our party arrived and I'd highly recommend sitting outside if it's not too hot as it was really charming. There was a nice breeze passing through and lots of greenery so you're not just overlooking the parking lot. Also, once we moved inside, we could still feel the breeze from the open doors. It's a slightly older crowd, hence the piano player in the back cranking out classics and show tunes, but again it felt warm and welcoming. I hope to visit La Ferme again soon as we are just down the road and am already looking forward to that second glass of wine on the patio!
(4)
Laureen K.
La Ferme used to be one of our "special occasion" restaurants. No more. Last Mother's Day my husband and I brought my mother-in law, visiting from Los Angeles, and two children to La Ferme, having enjoyed our prior dinners here but the staff treated us so poorly that we have crossed this restaurant off our list. We had made a reservation and were seated but then no one came to our table for more than 15 minutes. We even saw friends who appeared to be receiving fine service but no one appeared at our table. We finally had to get up and hail a waiter. We ordered, and waited. We finally received appetizers (now we are more than 45 minutes in) and then proceeded to wait and wait . . . Finally my husband asked to speak to the manager. We expected some attention and a willingness to take care of us, apologize, etc. However, he basically shrugged his shoulders and displayed not one ounce of concern or contrition. We got the check and left without dinner and a sour taste in our mouth. Needless to say, we will not return. No one should reward a restaurant with such poor service and inconsiderate management with their business.
(1)
Mike L.
The food and service were fantastic! Great French Country atmosphere. Their French Onion Soup is very good.
(5)
Joe H.
Pros: * The food is good. * The ambiance is nice, true to its French farmhouse appellation. * Wine prices are average. * Service is fairly attentive, until it comes time to present the check. Cons: * Portions are a little on the small side. Which is OK except for the next con: * Prices are high. Plan to spend quite a bit. Clientele is heavily skewed towards the upper range of the age spectrum--lots of grey hair in the dining rooms.
(3)
Jogi S.
I went to the Resturant on Passover on Friday and arrived at 9:15. Asked the manger for table for two people. He replied ... Do you have reservations which we don't . He said ..... We are closed I asked him what time do you close and he replied at 9:30. I asked him yelp shows you guys closed at 10:00 and your web site no time. When I discuss the timing he got very upset and rude. He said don't come here if you don't have reservations. He said we decided to close early. I told him big resturant should not change time unless they post if they are going close early. The manager got more upset and got very aggressive. As I was walking out he started using racial remarks and using F words. If you are running class A Resturant should have people with class work there. If you are going there late and not from this country they will insult and discriminated you. Bethesda and Chevy chase has much better restaurant you can go dine and be treated nice. Stay away from this Resturant to teach them lesson.
We've gone there at least three times in the past 3 months. Each time has been outstanding. The filet mignon is superb and cooked to perfection. Scallops and duck appetizers and entree's were delicious. We've gone pretty early in the evening, so the restaurant was empty and service was great.
(5)
Madeline w.
We celebrated our daughter's Bat Mitzvah here, and had a party of 36 in the attic room. Everything was amazing. People are still talking about how great the food was. The service was excellent. Prasad was wonderful to work with. The decor was beautiful and the space perfect. I cannot say enough about how perfect the evening was.
(5)
Liza A.
OMG.... FIVE STARS TO THEIR SOUFFLE.. ..CUS....SERVER'S SUCKED....we had a fish that had to be fillet and when the plate came to the table is was extremely dirty on the edges....my fish that had a delicious sauce on the bottom was dirty too.....a little under seasoned....duck liver awesome with figs.....but the star of the night souffle and wine!!!! Well la ferme is a bitter sweet restaurant for me....first date long ago with the hubby....but yet food has declined a lot in the past years....nit their souffle it is just as great as always!!!
(3)
Andrew B.
Went to La Ferme this past Saturday, 9/21/13 for my father-in-law's 80th birthday and felt compelled to write. La Ferme has well above average food and a waitstaff that is near excellent in both quality of service and attentiveness. We dined with folks aged 80-10 and everyone went away happy. Three persons (including myself) ordered the Filet Mignot Au Poivre and I personally found it to be fantastic and perfectly cooked medium. My 10-year old son also ordered it and asked for it to be a plain piece of meat (only salt and pepper) and cooked medium. They complied perfectly and even put his au poivre sauce on the side in case he wanted to experiment. They also accommodated his request for a salad with just lettuce leaves and nothing else. Again, they put all the salad ingredients on the side for his to pick and choose .... without us asking. My wife's dish (something with snails and risotto) was said to be delicious and my father-in-law also had something that he quite liked. I regret not ordering the Chocolate Souffle. I wasn't sure I'd have the room for it after a big meal, and after discovering I did, went with the Creme' Brulee instead, which was just great. Finally, we really appreciated the waitstaff waiting for my mother-in-law to finish her meal before taking away all the plates. I'm not exaggerating that in the time it takes her to eat 1 bite, most everyone at the table is near the end of their meal. The cons: 1. There is a kinda cheesy piano player taking requests all night. The man is clearly talented, but a little past his prime playing popular standards from the 1970's. It was actually a little embarrassing. The big tip jar on his piano was equally off-putting, but we put in our $10 which seemed to be the obligatory donation for hearing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (which I really didn't want to hear). 2. The price. Don't get me wrong, the food was really quite good. But not $450 good for 5 people ($90/person). Food - 4 stars Service - 5 stars Ambiance - 3 stars (would be 4 stars without the piano player) Value - 2 stars.
(4)
L S.
La Ferme is in a charming building but as for the food, looks can be deceiving. The menu is tired french, uninspired so so preparation. Wife had the salmon which is was really not much of anything - a piece of salmon, not much else, not even much taste. I had a pork chop with a reduction sauce accompanied by some very tired winter veggies - almost reduced to mush. It is hard to kill a pork chop. At least it was not cooked to death. An appetizer salad was - not much - some lettuce with a few dried cranberries and nuts. As for pricing there is something blatantly disconcerting paying $25 - $35 for entrees for truly mediocre food. At $9, the uninspired salad must be a real profit center. In an area where there are so many good choices - La Ferme is not one of them.
(2)
JP S.
We were there a couple weeks ago with friends, having been there a few times before we wanted to introduce them to one of our favorite restaurants. I don't know what has happened there. The service was terrible and the food was fair at best. Someone needs to shake the place up a bit. For the amount you spend you should be dazzled by both food and service. They have let me down.
(2)
John T.
Great French country atmosphere in a nice farmy looking building. it sets the mood well - an interesting contrast of elegance and informality. Nice pianist playing on a Sunday evening. The food was good, but not spectacular. The souffle at $10.00 strikes me as a must-have item. We got chocolate, but they had Grand Marnier and hazlenut too. My one big negative was the air conditioning. We went on a hot day, and I noticed all the men in the place who wore jackets, including myself, had to take them off. It was sweltering. One lady sat there fanning herself the entire time we were there. If you're going to charge that much for a meal, you have to maintain a great atmosphere... in all respects.... no excuses. This is a personal peeve, but there were so many different people bringing and taking things from my table that it got confusing and distracting. The guy who brought the entres got ours reversed. No big deal, but I really don't like an army of different servers mingling around. I guess that's part of the French fine-dining thing.
(3)
Sheldon H.
Took my wife to La Ferme for dinner last night and had a very good meal. The ambience and piano were, as always, lovely. It is a very pleasant room to come into on a cold evening. The food was above average and the service was excellent. My wife had the sweetbreads and I had the pork chop. Both were above average. It is also nice not to have to fight for a parking space. This is a very nice place for dinner and still has a great deal of charm.
(4)
AJ H.
I don't know how to say this nicely, so I will do my best to be objective. We had the pumpkin ravioli with scallops appetizer -- the scallops were cooked perfectly, but the ravioli were disappointing. The ravioli had clearly been frozen previously as the ends seemed dried out due to freezer burn and the pasta was very chewy. Toasted pumpkin seeds were a nice touch and it had a tasty butter sauce. As for entrees, the pork chop was ordered medium and came out very well done, with soggy veggies. The mixed seafood in puff pastry was not good with not house-made puff pastry; lobster and other seafood were dry and chewy with a congealed butter sauce. Both were lukewarm but had hot plates, so seemed to have been under heat lamps for some time. The wine was painfully marked up (about 200% from retail). We were largely ignored by waitstaff; service was slow and our unfinished meals sat in front of us for about ten minutes before being boxed after we were done eating. Service seemed to move more quickly for tables around us. All in all a disappointing experience, we will not return. Update: the mixed seafood puff pastry entree seems to have given my girlfriend food poisoning.
(1)
Larry C.
I have to give credit where credit is due. We held a celebratory lunch for my mother and uncle: 13 adults, 5 kids. The adults were a combination of middle-aged and elderly. The reviews among our clan were uniformly positive, including the food, ambience, and service. We were well taken care of, both in the planning phase and at the actual lunch. For a large group such as hours, we were given a fixed menu (with individual choices for each of three courses) for a little under $30 per adult -- I thought it was a bargain for the quality of the experience. Would I go back on my own? Maybe not. Would I go there with friends or family with more traditional tastes? In a heartbeat.
(5)
Jonathan C.
The service was quite nice but SUPER slow. They even took a long time to run my credit card after the meal...it felt like ten minutes or more. The venison was quite good. The steak (my date's) tasted kind of soapy. I know some people just LOVE this place and have it in their heads that La Ferme can do no wrong. In my critical opinion I think it's a bit lacking for the level they are trying to represent themselves at, and the prices they charge. Overall, a great place to take your older relatives, it's the kind of place old people just love. I went there to make my mom happy and she was happy with the evening. Mission accomplished.
(3)
Roy S.
A nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Cant beat a piano player when going to a classy restaurant. However, the steak is fine but you can get a better one at Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring. Now if this place added more fries and maybe a sauce or pepper crust then they would have an excellent meal.
(3)
jennifer p.
almond souffle is the best here-tried the chocolate, hazelnut and almond...and almond is definitely the most flavorful and delicious! :) I think the dessert is the best part of the meal. i've been here twice just for the ambiance. they have live piano music which is nice. the pianist takes requests and is always very accommodating! Servers are nice as well...but food is just mediocre. Filet mignon is pretty good...pork shank is tender but is A LOT of meat...NY strip was a little dry for my taste... wouldnt recommend any appetizers..portions are small and they are expensive!
(3)
Boss H.
This was good for a First date but La Ferme was La tooooo slow pace for me. However, I told a fib to my date and told her how much I really liked the food but if you had seen the dress that she glued on, them never ending legs and open toe 5" heels, you my friend would have lied about the food too. I ordered a steak that tasted like a Canadian moose with 3 legs that bathed in an onion patch (dont ask, just laugh) and my lite ice came back diet sprite. However, a very nice upscale classic styled restaraunt that I would personally, take my parents to for a sunday brunch....XoXo
(3)
Foodie C.
Nice hidden French Restaurant Literally could drive by it if your not looking for it. Very old school. Fills up with snobby uptight clientele .... But hey it's French Food 3 Service 3.5 Cleanliness 4
(3)
Stephen B.
Well passed its prime. sloww service, nothings sings on the menu. Whole inside needs a make over from Robert on restuarant impossible. My expensive for the quality. Good for the blue hairs of CC, go over to Bethesda for something interesting.
(2)
Anita P.
My father's steak au poivre, which he asked for medium rare, was grey throughout and tough. But our waiter disappeared for at least 15 minutes after delivering the entrees, and so my father ate enough to lose his appetite, and having it replaced was not in question, with the glacial pace of service. The waiter mumbled something about the check when we complained, but the check arrived with full charge ($35) for the steak. As it was my mother's 80th birthday, decided to keep the peace and left a significantly smaller tip than usual. Thoroughly unacceptable. A bad taste that lingers. Redolent of an aging French harlot.
Service was awful no one seemed to notice we had been sitting at our table 4 20 minutes. Finally someone took our order & we were served the wrong appetizer. After 1 1/2 hr no main course we called the owner to the table. He was rude and dismissive. He said he didn't care if we left so we did after paying for our appetizers and a glass of wine. We will never go back Thanks for helping us celebrate mothers day
(1)
Jim P.
An SF transplant continues his quest for a damned decent restaurant, with high hopes for La Ferme, as it was highly personally recommended. We were told it was "worth the [45+ min] trip". I will now invalidate any future recommendations made by that source. Usually I go on and on, but this place doesn't deserve that. Let's just say: 1) "Risotto" is not Italian for "flavorless, overcooked Minute Rice," despite what La Ferme appears to think. That wasn't even a passable pilaf, ya' punters. 2) Fish should have texture. While a texture, "mushy and bland" is not one that should be served. 3) I have never - ever - had a server take my wine glass away without offering another drink... and this happened _before_my_entree_. WTF? I won't hold it against the place that it draws the Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd (seriously: Sang it at least 4 times), and it was probably my mistake for ordering seafood on any night but Friday or Saturday, but I sure won't be back, nor make any trips based on that particular source of suggestions. Skip. For the money (seriously, a $30 fish entree that *had* to be frozen... probably repeatedly frozen and thawed since Wednesday/Thursday), you can do much, much, MUCH better. Heck, a Filet 'o' Fish would have been better.... at least McD only freezes it once. Let's call it 1.5 stars. Definitely worse than "meh" but arguably better than "EEK". On the upside, no food poisoning and they have their own parking lot (beware, though, the aforementioned Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd ... some scary-ass parking maneuvers in that lot. You may want to use the street, come to think of it), so 2 stars. Barely. The bisque was passable. The quest continues....
(2)
Joe G.
What is everyone here talking about???? I can't believe all the positive reviews this place has received. Having heard so many good things about the restaurant, I tried this for Valentine's Day this year. The staff were completely overwhelmed and unable to manage the service. It took them twenty minutes to bring menus to the table and it only continued from there. I would have been ok with waiting a little longer than average if the food had been anywhere close to fresh or authentic French. The Sea bass was probably the worst I've ever had. I could go on but I'll just stop at that. Avoid at all costs!!!
(1)
Roger S.
Went here for Restaurant Week, $30 for 3 courses. We had come from work and were in jeans, so outside seating seemed appropiate for the way were dressed. Inside, many people were dressed up a little nicer. Everyone who worked at the restaurant was very friendly, and quite attentive to our needs throughout the meal. The quality of the food was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back. I'm never a dessert person, but they had a chocolate mousse with walnuts which was perfect. Overall great experience, would recommend to anyone. If you're worried about prices - look online at the menu first, they're all there. In my opinion, any price issue one may have is outweighed by the deliciousness of the food.
(5)
Kendra L.
Spent Valentine's Day dinner here. Prix fixe menu. I'd been once before and liked it. This time, not very impressed. We were seated upstairs so we didn't get to enjoy the real ambiance and I think we had the B-team for wait staff. Our waitress was not very attentive and hardly spoke to us at all. In fact, I wasn't sure she was familiar with the items on the prix fixe menu - she had to squint at the menu to verify our order. I got the feeling we were on an assembly line - here's the menu, what do you want, here it is. We both ordered the filet and crab cake entree and while it was decent, I've certainly had much better cuts of filet and far better crab cakes at other places in Maryland. The mini-dessert selections were okay but my decaf coffee tasted old and slightly scorched - and no offer on a refill or refresh. Once the mini-desserts were auto-served, its like we were dismissed. Assuming a busy dinner night like Valentine's is not the best time to go - I might be willing to try it once more but not convinced yet. For the price, I've had way better service and food at other restaurants in the DC area.
(2)
T S.
I thought this restaurant was delicious and very cute as it is hard to find and quaint inside. My one concern was these little itty bitty fruit flies EVERYWHERE!!!! They were driving me bananas i couldnt even concentrate on the conversation. im not sure if it was the flowers in the center of the table and all around the restaurant. it was very uncomfortable. Food was great from what i remember though! Wine was divine! Service was excellent.
(4)
Jono S.
First a short strand of nostril hair on my grilled chicken breast with wild mushroom risotto and then no sugar in the chocolate souffle' after the waiter initially forgot to put in the dessert order. My last two meals (out of five) at La Ferme not only made it feel like I was eating my last meal, it really ended up being my last meals there--unbecoming for an upscale French restaurant.
Known by the locals as Chevy Chase Club East, this is a nice place to go for a quiet lunch or dinner. Food is always good, and prices are not out of this world. It indeed is off the beaten path, but a nice little visit to the country.
(4)
Nicole H.
We went there last weekend and had a delicious meal outside on the patio. I had the crab and avocado salad to start and then the soft shell crab for my entree. Both were delicious! We will definitely be going back.
(5)
Charles R.
Delicious and classy french rustic cuisine! We liked it so much after a few visits, we eventually had our wedding reception here, and it was a wonderful experience! Classy, friendly, high quality food. Highly recommend.
(5)
Ben K.
Went for thanksgiving with my family while on a visit home. We were sat by the stairs to the kitchen and the whole table shook. A few people in the party felt motion sick. What was really unfortunate was that the waiter nor the manager cared. Their attitude was simply that they were busy and couldn't do anything to move us or assist. I'd have thought asking wait staff to simply not run up and down the stairs would fix this issue. The food was good though. I can't really recall much of it because my family spent Thanksgiving complaining about feeling sea sick. Well thanks for the $400 family dinner of motion sickness. Next time we'll just go on a cruise. Its a shame the manager nor wait staff cared ... Happy Thanksgiving ..this place was so packed I'm sure they have plenty other reviews to be thankful for.
Almost 5-stars for food and service! Exceptionally well-prepped/presented Mother's Day prie fixe brunch. No complaints... except for the outrageous $55/meal price tag -- yikes! Additionally, mimosas were priced at nearly $10 PER glass! I fully understand charging per glass for beverages at dinner time, however, I firmly believe that Sunday brunch, particularly at these prices, should be an all-inclusive event. Overall a very pleasant dining experience, however, I can't help feeling a little gouged after looking at the check...!
(3)
Leah F.
This has become our Christmas Eve dinner tradition. So delicious and the ambiance is perfect for a winter holiday dinner. Looking forward to doing it again this year.
(5)
Alycia E.
I think a true test of a restaurant is its ability to handle groups both large and small. We took about 15 people from work for a holiday dinner and perhaps we taxed the limit of La Ferme's wait staff (basically, there's really no way to recover from a missing order of souffle); however, I cannot fault the quality of the food that did arrive as ordered. My plat of charcuterie, including a nice meaty country pate, was lovingly presented with petite cournichons and toasted bread. My sea bass over risotto was moist and flaky. I abstained from dessert and instead chose a ruby port. Overall, it was a very good meal in a deceptively rural setting. I'll certainly remember it the next time I have out-of-town guests.
(3)
Sheila D.
The food was good, the wine list was good, the staff was good. My family and I went here for Thanksgiving dinner and the place was packed. A reviewer on here described the place to a 'T". The reviewer's name in Phillip L., he hit it right on the money :) The people there had there nose stuck up in the air. Don't get me wrong, I've lived in Beverly Hills, so I know how annoying stuck up people can be. Everyone around me was wearing some kind of gaudy fur coat. Lets just say, if I was a member of PETA, I'd probably come back to this restaurant with a couple color spray cans, and have a hay day spraying their fur coats. It was border line, upper class home for the elderly ambiance..lol! However, the fireplace and pianist next to it, was a nice touch. They did run out of high chairs, so my 1 year old daughter was forst to sit on the chair, her view being under the table (poor girl). The food and service was good, the ambiance, on the other hand, I could live without.
(3)
Candace K.
We went for Bethesda/Chevy Chase Restaurant Week and normally one has to make allowances for this but not this time. We ended up selecting our meals from the regular menu but our friends chose the RW menu and their food looked great! I got the pork tenderloin medallions with cheese/spinach/sundried tomatoes and it was good. It came with this rissoto that made me believe in God! The hubby got the braised lamb shank and thought it was too fatty for his taste, not the restaurants fault he just haden't had that cut before. The bottle of wine we got was GREAT and we ordered a souffle and we liked it. Service was very attentive and atmosphere was SUPER! A good place to go for good food that isn't downtown! I'm sorry to see the other two reviewers didn't like it. But worth a try in my book, but bring $$$ its expensive!
(5)
David M.
Exquisite French dining with live piano music, awesome decoration and wonderful service. Classy restaurant for fine dining.
(5)
Sherri H.
Had a lovely meal there this evening. Relaxing atmosphere, gracious service, delicious food. Very enjoyable.
(5)
MaJ C.
For Years and Years, I have heard this was the place to go. So we reserved a table for two, and at a decent hour, to have good, attentive service, as well as general talkative atmosphere. Service: Look, the waiter was good, yet too busy to be good. and he did not really listen. Reminiscent of some of the places we will not go back to in Paris. The back waiter was awesome! what kind of grind on the pepper, he asks, as well as just being very nice, attentive and caring. The Food: Salted to death , I thought the entire ensemble, from appetizers to entrees, was made from Bacalao. I mean, the amount of Salt was so, that the chef actually disrespected the life of the fish I ate. Very, very sad. For the price: 2 people, 1/2 btl nice wine 1 full bottle decent wine. 2 appetizers, 2 entrees. ( we only eat fish by the way ) 200$.. A real shame, as this is one of those 'Fairy Tales I had always wanted to experience. After years of build up, a colossal let down.. :(
(1)
Joselito E.
I was invited for a dinner and I was surprised to listen to a very good piano player. I enjoyed my sea bass with my clam chowder soup. We ordered another wine to hear more music to end our wonderful night.
(4)
John D.
You're going for the atmosphere. La Ferme anchors one end of a tiny, incongruous commercial strip on Brookville Road in residential Chevy Chase. There is no traffic, there are no crowds, and parking is easy. Indeed if you squint on your way in, you can almost make yourself believe that you're out in the country at some remote farmhouse inn (in fact not far off La Ferme's actual heritage). Anyhow, it's very sweet. Rustic decor, a live piano player - it's a nice, low-key place to enjoy a meal. I like it. The food is, to be candid, nothing special. More precisely, it's fine but it's not quite up to the look and feel of the place. I've never had a bad meal at La Ferme but I've never had a memorable one either. So for a nice evening, just rachet down your culinary expectations by one star, order something that's not too ambitious, and enjoy your cocktail(s). The piano player takes requests -- with a 10-spot in his tip jar, maybe he'd agree *not* to play "Happy Birthday" for an hour!
(3)
Hillary D.
I went to La Ferme last Monday and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and food. The atmosphere was cozy and romantic. I imagine during the more pleasant months the outdoor seating is a great way to spend a meal. I ordered the wild mushroom ravioli, Vol au Vent de Fruits de Mer, and the chocolate souffle. All of it was fantastic. One thing to note when you go is that the portions are generous compared to other fine dining restaurants. I could have done without my ravioli and would have been plenty full. The Vol au Vent wasn't as full of flavor as I would have hoped but it was still very good. The service was also fantastic. We had a large group and they handled it without missing a step.
(4)
D K.
My boyfriend and I went to La Ferme for restaurant week, and 3 courses for $30 was a good deal, including the service. If this review is simply based on food, then I'd have to dial down my rating to a 3, but the service tacks on a star. It's a bit unsettling, when you arrive at La Ferme because it looks like someone's house, which I think it probably was. As soon as we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the live piano player in the corner. Nice touch. The second thing I noticed was the number of elderly Caucasian diners. My boyfriend and I stuck out like a sore thumb. The food came out very quickly, and there was little downtime in between courses. However, when it was time for dessert, I think they forgot about us because not only did it take 3 times as long to get our desserts, but they also messed up our orders. To make up for it though, we got a free dessert, and the service was so good beforehand, that I couldn't hold it against them. Service is stellar, and the food is nothing to complain about. I'd have no problem returning to La Ferme, and it was a good choice for Restaurant Week. Food: (1) Crab Mousseline - VERY good. Texture was very pleasant, but it does get old half-way through. (2) Calamari - Not fried, but fresh. Refreshing, but I wouldn't order it again. (3) Seafood Risotto - Average. (4) Pork Chop - Mmm. I love meat. I haven't had pork chop in awhile, so it was tasty to me. I usually like my pork chop with fruit chutney, but the way they served was fine. The dish had seasoned carrots and green beans with some potato au gratin that went very well with the pork chop. (5) Bread Pudding - The best dish we ordered. HOT bread pudding with ice cream. Delicious. (6) Grand Marnier Frozen Souffle - Confusing because it was more like a cold creme brulee. It was just okay. (7) Complimentary Chocolate Mousse - I'm not a fan of mousse, but the streusel on top was delicious. I ate every crumb.
(4)
Celeste M.
I visited my family in Maryland last month and I was stoked to find out that we were going to have a big family dinner at La Ferme Friday night. Each of us arrived... car by car, some in vans -- a total of 40 relatives (cousins, aunts, uncles, cousin's cousin, etc.). The place was packed, we headed towards the back of the restaurant up the stairs where our whole party was seated. I was starving. Started with warm bread and butter and before I even can finish my roll, the salad arrived -- mixed baby greens with tomato and mushrooms in a light vinaigrette dressing. For the main course, it was a free-range chicken breast -- braised and was served with morel sauce, wild rice and steamed vegetables. A very tasty dinner indeed and I gobbled it all up in no time. The dessert was okay, nothing special. I had the chocolate mousse cake, big portion, but way too sweet for my taste. Atmosphere is nice, felt like "home." Service wasn't bad, they could have been more attentive, but we were a big group so it made it difficult for the waiters to check up on every single one of us.
(3)
Pam W.
Just had Thanksgiving dinner here. Once we got past the huge traffic jam at the entrance and waited 20 minutes to be seated for our 5 pm reservation, we had a wonderful meal. Sat upstairs in the Attic Room along the banquette which was very nice. Staff was amazing given the volume of diners. All very professional under tough circumstances. The prix fixe menu moved things along nicely. We got our appetizers quickly along with our bottle of wine. My husband had a wonderful salad with beets, walnuts, endive, and spinach dressed with roquefort dressing....lovely. I had a tasty Roulade of smoked salmon with cucumber salad, horseradish sauce and toasted pumpernickel. After a nice pause between courses, we had the traditional turkey dinner for my husband and I had the scallops served with pumpkin ravioli and sage and smashed potatoes with brussels sprouts. Great presentation and delicious execution. Ken had an apple cinnamon creme brulee which was wonderful and I had traditional chocolate mousse made special with macadamia brittle. Wonderful evening.
(4)
Mark M.
Nice environment, good food, but a little dated (sort of like a French Mrs. K's Tollhouse). Nice for special occasions.
(3)
Michael M.
Went for brunch, and was very pleased. For a reasonable price you get a great selection from a prix fixe menu. They do almost all the little things right here, warm bread basket with a variety of breads,great drinks, great services and atmosphere.....but the ceiling fans are horrendously dusty... doesn't really take away from the experience, but things like that just shouldn't happen at a $20+ dollar brunch.
(4)
Shieva R.
Went for restaurant week, not impressed. Let me start off by saying why on earth does everyone with a birthday want to celebrate it here??? Anyway, I ioved the location, out of the way, something unexpected. I loved the piano playing and private balconies, but the food I did not love. Our waiter was not very attentive in fact no one was until one of the busboys noticed that my friend and I were under fifty and not too shabby, after that he was unfortunately, very attentive. The food was also as disappointing. I expected more from entrees that were nearly $30. My friends pork was chewy and tough and my halibut came with a cold ratatouille that was so overwhelmed with sage it was inedible. I wasn't blown away with the appetizers or dessert either. The french onion soup wasn't even good here! I've had much better food an service at other french restaurants around town; I can assure you I won't be back.
(2)
D D.
Below is a copy of a lette sent to La Ferme: BTW their wines are way overpriced. I wanted to point out my outrage at wanting to purchase a gift certificate from your restaurant over the phone. The nerve for your restaurant to charge $5.00 for a .44 cent stamp. Way to lose customers! I live in Florida and my family lives in Maryland and this is one of thier favorite restaurants. We had planned to dine there on our next visit but with so many choices and this poor treatment (there was no apology nor attempt to save the sale by anyone when we chose to cancel the gc), we will be choosing somewhere, anywhere else. Apparently you don't need the money, or the customers, or the repeat business.
(1)
Tim R.
This was my second time here. First time was a year ago for a lunch. I like it. Mushroom risoto. Scallops. Lamb. Souffle. They made pasta for the kids that they both really enjoyed. Food was good, service was good, decor is good.
(4)
christine c.
It's Bethesda restaurant week so time to try out places you normally might not have any special reason to go to. So La Ferme it was for this weekday evening. The restaurant's located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Chevy Chase which has the feel of a small village. Inside, the main dining room is attractive, large and spacious with high A-frame ceilings, brightly lit and lavishly decorated in the style of a classic French farmhouse. White table clothes, flowers everywhere, 50s background music (live piano at 6:30 pm), it's like a throw back in time. We were there between 6-8 pm, so dining room's mostly empty, and there was a disproportionately large number of somewhat strangely but well dressed little old ladies (one wore a large white fur hat throughout dinner) in their 80s (90s?) having a nice quiet evening out with what must be their middle aged children. Not sure if the demographic would be different on different days and times. We felt a bit underdressed, as all the men seemed to be wearing jacket and tie. But despite being a fancy restaurant, the atmosphere's still sufficiently casual we didn't feel too out of place despite not following the dress code. Anyway, we ordered off the restaurant week menu: chilled asparagus salad, French onion soup, salmon and tilapia, and for dessert, apple tart and eclaire with grand marnier. Food was fine, in a good old fashioned way - no strange or unusual flavors or artsy presentations - well prepared and tasty in fair sized portions. Service was not overly warm or exuberant but low key and efficient. Trendy this is not, although an adequate place to go for a quiet or romantic evening out (but maybe not for first dates), and given the low noise level and pleasant setting, a perfect place for taking older family members and relatives.
(3)
Paul M.
La Ferme is a bit of a secret. It's in an out-of-the-way-spot, it's been there a long time. It has its fans ( including Warren Buffet I might add), but it is probably unknown to a lot of people. And quite frankly I suspect a lot of its regulars would prefer that it stays that way - I promise you few of them will add reviews here. It's good because: 1. History. James Madison and Dolly fled down this street to Brookville in 1812 when the Brits burned the Whitehouse. ( Bloody Brits). George Washington had a drink at the inn that was on site back in the day, FDR held a fund raiser here in the 30s ( they have the pictures to prove that one). 2. The food. It's French, it's upscale it's authentic - it's a little old-school . Exactly the sort of old school you would find in a Parisian Brasserie today. 3. The crowd. This is genuine bona fide camp authenticity at its finest. The Blue Rinse mob are there in force. All the Chevy Chase retirees love the place. The high school kids on a special date. The middle aged couple celebrating their anniversary on one of the Juliet balconies overlooking the main room. A holier-than-thou trendy couple hiding in the corner enjoying it, drinking it all in, and thinking they are slightly better than anyone else ( yip - that would be us - apologies). I say all this with reverence and love. The food and drink and service are all marvellous and it is definitely worth the time and money for you urban types to get out ( a whole mile outside the DC line ) to the Burbs to enjoy a dining experience like no other this city can offer. The only thing I don't like is that there is no bar - there should be a law against a restaurant not having a bar.
(4)
Phillip L.
I agree with some of the other reviews made here. Service was excellent, food was top-notch and the ambiance was sublime. The wine list is very impressive, as was the dessert menu (always the hallmark of a keeper in my book). La Ferme would get much higher marks if it weren't for the excessively clubby feel. And I can do clubby, but really people? It just wasn't THAT good. In my book, pretension does not equal five stars, excellence in balance equals five stars. The clientelle are a bit chilly, like caricatures of old WASP ladies in Gwen Stefani and Eve's "Blow Your Mind" video or aged manifestations of Joan Crawford in "Mommy Dearest" -- except way, way more vanilla. We made the mistake of wearing polo shirts and seersucker (gasp!) shorts. A couple walking out of the restaurant said "how cute, even the help gets to eat tonight." How rude, actually. I guess our Prada sunglasses were too "racy" for this staid crew. Bottom line here is that as long as you wear loafers, something tweed, and accessories from Tiffany or Van Cleef and Arpels you'll love it. If you don't, well, don't get mixed up with the help.
(3)
Eleanor B.
One of my favorites for quality and service.
(5)
Sally C.
Food - 4 stars Service - 3 stars When we pulled up, the parking lot was crowded and we spotted two Bentleys and an Aston Martin. Yikes. Lovely atmosphere inside. I don't know why there were so many cars parked outside - there were only a few full tables inside. Service was average. Better at the beginning of the meal but by the end he didn't talk much. One of the waitstaff took my husband's plate just as he was putting the last morsel of food in his mouth. Geez! I had the lamb shank - YUM! I could have lived without the couscous though. Husband ordered the venison with sweet potato puree and string beans. His was yummy too.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Dressy Ambience : Classy Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : Yes Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : Yes
Danae M.
Beautiful decor, usually decent food but not always.
(2)Andrew B.
Went to La Ferme this past Saturday, 9/21/13 for my father-in-law's 80th birthday and felt compelled to write. La Ferme has well above average food and a waitstaff that is near excellent in both quality of service and attentiveness. We dined with folks aged 80-10 and everyone went away happy. Three persons (including myself) ordered the Filet Mignot Au Poivre and I personally found it to be fantastic and perfectly cooked medium. My 10-year old son also ordered it and asked for it to be a plain piece of meat (only salt and pepper) and cooked medium. They complied perfectly and even put his au poivre sauce on the side in case he wanted to experiment. They also accommodated his request for a salad with just lettuce leaves and nothing else. Again, they put all the salad ingredients on the side for his to pick and choose .... without us asking. My wife's dish (something with snails and risotto) was said to be delicious and my father-in-law also had something that he quite liked. I regret not ordering the Chocolate Souffle. I wasn't sure I'd have the room for it after a big meal, and after discovering I did, went with the Creme' Brulee instead, which was just great. Finally, we really appreciated the waitstaff waiting for my mother-in-law to finish her meal before taking away all the plates. I'm not exaggerating that in the time it takes her to eat 1 bite, most everyone at the table is near the end of their meal. The cons: 1. There is a kinda cheesy piano player taking requests all night. The man is clearly talented, but a little past his prime playing popular standards from the 1970's. It was actually a little embarrassing. The big tip jar on his piano was equally off-putting, but we put in our $10 which seemed to be the obligatory donation for hearing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (which I really didn't want to hear). 2. The price. Don't get me wrong, the food was really quite good. But not $450 good for 5 people ($90/person). Food - 4 stars Service - 5 stars Ambiance - 3 stars (would be 4 stars without the piano player) Value - 2 stars.
(4)Leah F.
This has become our Christmas Eve dinner tradition. So delicious and the ambiance is perfect for a winter holiday dinner. Looking forward to doing it again this year.
(5)E F.
I took a girlfriend to this restaurant for a long overdue reconnection. Horrible experience. Food was well below average (my scallop dish was served tepid.) I lived in France for many years. There was nothing French about this food. Service was atrocious although the piano player was a sweetie. Our waitress was as surly as they come -- for being a young woman, this doesn't bode well for her future in the service industry. If I had a nickel for every time a staff person came over and said "Do you need anything else?" I would have been able to pay for the over priced meal. Well, almost. The message was "you people need to leave now." Seriously? It is 9pm and the place was almost empty. Then, the topper was that I got a bad case of food poisoning which I feel certain was caused by the tepid scallops. Note to self: no tepid scallops. Second note to self: don't go to La Ferme.
(1)Carson S.
My family and I went for this past Mother's Day and I couldn't be more blown away. The food was absolutely delicious and served in a great environment. La Ferme has the perfect setting for the picturesque Sunday brunch with the natural light that pours into the main dining area and the balcony seating. The service was friendly and relaxed as they try to set the mood of a calm French country-side. I don't know why everyone is up in arms about some of the service, but when you go to an up-scale restaurant the service wants to allow you to enjoy the meal. They aren't there to rush you through your food, they want you to savor it. Overall, great experience and I can't wait to go back.
(5)Samantha D.
We had Easter dinner at La Ferme with my boyfriend's family on Sunday and it was just lovely. From the authentic, rich, and beautifully prepared dishes to the warm ambiance with high ceilings/open beams, it was a wonderful dining experience. I had the opportunity to spend Easter in Provence a few years ago, and the French country decor and wine at La Ferme transported me back there. Food: Some of our group had the pork roast, which looked perfect (until their plates were clean), and I had a tasty buttery rockfish over risotto with red pepper and corn. The bread portions are huge, but I didn't want to get too full before the main course. The menu was prefixed, so for our first course I had the seafood chowder, which was perfectly creamy with ample servings of shrimp and scallops in a lobster base. I also had the crepes for dessert, but they were a little dry/"meh" and made me wish I had tried the creme brulee instead. This might be the only reason I removed a star. Feel: We had a glass of wine on the patio before the rest of our party arrived and I'd highly recommend sitting outside if it's not too hot as it was really charming. There was a nice breeze passing through and lots of greenery so you're not just overlooking the parking lot. Also, once we moved inside, we could still feel the breeze from the open doors. It's a slightly older crowd, hence the piano player in the back cranking out classics and show tunes, but again it felt warm and welcoming. I hope to visit La Ferme again soon as we are just down the road and am already looking forward to that second glass of wine on the patio!
(4)Ricky M.
Went here for restaurant week. Calf liver was amazing (per the waiter, it is not on the regular menu). Soft-shell crab had great taste, although texture was somewhat chewy. The restaurant is very stuffy and had an antique feel to it. It was very hot, no AC. The service was great
(4)T K.
We've gone there at least three times in the past 3 months. Each time has been outstanding. The filet mignon is superb and cooked to perfection. Scallops and duck appetizers and entree's were delicious. We've gone pretty early in the evening, so the restaurant was empty and service was great.
(5)Madeline w.
We celebrated our daughter's Bat Mitzvah here, and had a party of 36 in the attic room. Everything was amazing. People are still talking about how great the food was. The service was excellent. Prasad was wonderful to work with. The decor was beautiful and the space perfect. I cannot say enough about how perfect the evening was.
(5)Kat A.
In sum: great food, great service, and an ambiance that's hard to come by in the DC area. Good place to go for special occasions. The only reason I didn't give 4 stars is because the high price for some menu items that you can get for less elsewhere that taste just as good. Nonetheless the food is good with a nice selection of wines. The staff are very knowledgeable about everything on the menu and the ingredients. A rare find for those of us with allergies and much appreciated.
(3)Patrick W.
The food was excellent. The wine was excellent. The server was excellent. I'm not sure why the ratings are so low on Yelp other than maybe people aren't familiar with French cuisine or expect a lot more because of the expense. We will come back for certain, it's really nice.
(5)Sharon W.
We have now been going to La Ferme on a more regular basis since being "re-introduced" in 2011. In that time, though not weekly regulars, we have gotten to know the staff, and the then 6 year-old, now 10 year-old, is now greeted with "you've grown so much!" Without announcing our reservation and giving our name, our server leads us right to are our table with "we have it all set up for you." The Caesar salad with chicken is consistently delicious, as are other entrees. And even though I'm not a huge dessert fan I'm drawn into their offerings. Today our granddaughter ordered a mousse (you do it when you place your entrée order) and husband I were tempted by a chocolate/Grand Marnier cake. We told our waiter we are going to share the cake so they served the cake in halves on separate plates, which was a nice touch. I usually am not a fan of eating outdoors but they have a porch with ceiling fans. When we heard that, on a late-August day, the temperature was going to be moderate, we made our reservations for the porch. It was a lovely lunch with beautiful weather; perfect service; good food; and two of my favorite people, husband and granddaughter.
(5)Wanda Z.
I had enjoyed La Ferme years ago when they were in Downtown Bethesda. I decided to try them again. Loved the French country home charm feel of the place! We were seated promptly. Live piano music and we enjoy dinner! My husband and I ordered the French onion soup. The taste was very good, however it was served lukewarm at best. Maybe because in Paris they serve it piping hot with the cheese still bubbling? Yeah, I expect that every time I order french onion soup. I ordered the Scallops in cauli purée with pumpkin ravioli topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. Very delicious! I highly recommend that dish. Also shared the Grand Marnier soufflé and that hit it out of the part. No doubt dessert is one thing they do well. All in all a nice dining experience. Very French with even a bit of French snoodiness from the waiter, but that is French dining for you and it's part of the experience, I think.
(4)Wm H.
Known by the locals as Chevy Chase Club East, this is a nice place to go for a quiet lunch or dinner. Food is always good, and prices are not out of this world. It indeed is off the beaten path, but a nice little visit to the country.
(4)Nicole H.
We went there last weekend and had a delicious meal outside on the patio. I had the crab and avocado salad to start and then the soft shell crab for my entree. Both were delicious! We will definitely be going back.
(5)Charles R.
Delicious and classy french rustic cuisine! We liked it so much after a few visits, we eventually had our wedding reception here, and it was a wonderful experience! Classy, friendly, high quality food. Highly recommend.
(5)Ben K.
Went for thanksgiving with my family while on a visit home. We were sat by the stairs to the kitchen and the whole table shook. A few people in the party felt motion sick. What was really unfortunate was that the waiter nor the manager cared. Their attitude was simply that they were busy and couldn't do anything to move us or assist. I'd have thought asking wait staff to simply not run up and down the stairs would fix this issue. The food was good though. I can't really recall much of it because my family spent Thanksgiving complaining about feeling sea sick. Well thanks for the $400 family dinner of motion sickness. Next time we'll just go on a cruise. Its a shame the manager nor wait staff cared ... Happy Thanksgiving ..this place was so packed I'm sure they have plenty other reviews to be thankful for.
(2)Séamus C.
Almost 5-stars for food and service! Exceptionally well-prepped/presented Mother's Day prie fixe brunch. No complaints... except for the outrageous $55/meal price tag -- yikes! Additionally, mimosas were priced at nearly $10 PER glass! I fully understand charging per glass for beverages at dinner time, however, I firmly believe that Sunday brunch, particularly at these prices, should be an all-inclusive event. Overall a very pleasant dining experience, however, I can't help feeling a little gouged after looking at the check...!
(3)Laureen K.
La Ferme used to be one of our "special occasion" restaurants. No more. Last Mother's Day my husband and I brought my mother-in law, visiting from Los Angeles, and two children to La Ferme, having enjoyed our prior dinners here but the staff treated us so poorly that we have crossed this restaurant off our list. We had made a reservation and were seated but then no one came to our table for more than 15 minutes. We even saw friends who appeared to be receiving fine service but no one appeared at our table. We finally had to get up and hail a waiter. We ordered, and waited. We finally received appetizers (now we are more than 45 minutes in) and then proceeded to wait and wait . . . Finally my husband asked to speak to the manager. We expected some attention and a willingness to take care of us, apologize, etc. However, he basically shrugged his shoulders and displayed not one ounce of concern or contrition. We got the check and left without dinner and a sour taste in our mouth. Needless to say, we will not return. No one should reward a restaurant with such poor service and inconsiderate management with their business.
(1)Mike L.
The food and service were fantastic! Great French Country atmosphere. Their French Onion Soup is very good.
(5)Jogi S.
I went to the Resturant on Passover on Friday and arrived at 9:15. Asked the manger for table for two people. He replied ... Do you have reservations which we don't . He said ..... We are closed I asked him what time do you close and he replied at 9:30. I asked him yelp shows you guys closed at 10:00 and your web site no time. When I discuss the timing he got very upset and rude. He said don't come here if you don't have reservations. He said we decided to close early. I told him big resturant should not change time unless they post if they are going close early. The manager got more upset and got very aggressive. As I was walking out he started using racial remarks and using F words. If you are running class A Resturant should have people with class work there. If you are going there late and not from this country they will insult and discriminated you. Bethesda and Chevy chase has much better restaurant you can go dine and be treated nice. Stay away from this Resturant to teach them lesson.
(1)Lovebird S.
I took my hubby there for Father's Day & the service was perfect!! They checked in enough but let us have our space. The food is good but nothing spectacular. It's a nice dining experience but I wasn't wowed by anything on the menu. I ordered scallops & they were well cooked & delicious but they only gave you 3 with some basic risotto! My husband got the steak & that was delicious but the sides were kind of dry & very bland! We had an amazing chocolate soufflé that finished the meal really nicely! Overall it's good but if you're French don't come here & except French food but well done American food & a pleasant calm atmosphere!
(3)Spots W.
Group of 23 celebrated my mother's birthday at Sunday brunch. Private room, excellent service, first rate food. Fixed price brunch included one each appetizer, main, and dessert chosen from about 8 of each on the menu. At $30 was a good value in this market for a seated meal, 20% tip was added. Wine added about $15 per person to the bill. The brunch menu offered enough selection for all. Staff was discretely attentive, professional and cheerful. Highly recommended for brunch with a bunch!
(4)L S.
La Ferme is in a charming building but as for the food, looks can be deceiving. The menu is tired french, uninspired so so preparation. Wife had the salmon which is was really not much of anything - a piece of salmon, not much else, not even much taste. I had a pork chop with a reduction sauce accompanied by some very tired winter veggies - almost reduced to mush. It is hard to kill a pork chop. At least it was not cooked to death. An appetizer salad was - not much - some lettuce with a few dried cranberries and nuts. As for pricing there is something blatantly disconcerting paying $25 - $35 for entrees for truly mediocre food. At $9, the uninspired salad must be a real profit center. In an area where there are so many good choices - La Ferme is not one of them.
(2)Joe H.
Pros: * The food is good. * The ambiance is nice, true to its French farmhouse appellation. * Wine prices are average. * Service is fairly attentive, until it comes time to present the check. Cons: * Portions are a little on the small side. Which is OK except for the next con: * Prices are high. Plan to spend quite a bit. Clientele is heavily skewed towards the upper range of the age spectrum--lots of grey hair in the dining rooms.
(3)John T.
Great French country atmosphere in a nice farmy looking building. it sets the mood well - an interesting contrast of elegance and informality. Nice pianist playing on a Sunday evening. The food was good, but not spectacular. The souffle at $10.00 strikes me as a must-have item. We got chocolate, but they had Grand Marnier and hazlenut too. My one big negative was the air conditioning. We went on a hot day, and I noticed all the men in the place who wore jackets, including myself, had to take them off. It was sweltering. One lady sat there fanning herself the entire time we were there. If you're going to charge that much for a meal, you have to maintain a great atmosphere... in all respects.... no excuses. This is a personal peeve, but there were so many different people bringing and taking things from my table that it got confusing and distracting. The guy who brought the entres got ours reversed. No big deal, but I really don't like an army of different servers mingling around. I guess that's part of the French fine-dining thing.
(3)Sheldon H.
Took my wife to La Ferme for dinner last night and had a very good meal. The ambience and piano were, as always, lovely. It is a very pleasant room to come into on a cold evening. The food was above average and the service was excellent. My wife had the sweetbreads and I had the pork chop. Both were above average. It is also nice not to have to fight for a parking space. This is a very nice place for dinner and still has a great deal of charm.
(4)AJ H.
I don't know how to say this nicely, so I will do my best to be objective. We had the pumpkin ravioli with scallops appetizer -- the scallops were cooked perfectly, but the ravioli were disappointing. The ravioli had clearly been frozen previously as the ends seemed dried out due to freezer burn and the pasta was very chewy. Toasted pumpkin seeds were a nice touch and it had a tasty butter sauce. As for entrees, the pork chop was ordered medium and came out very well done, with soggy veggies. The mixed seafood in puff pastry was not good with not house-made puff pastry; lobster and other seafood were dry and chewy with a congealed butter sauce. Both were lukewarm but had hot plates, so seemed to have been under heat lamps for some time. The wine was painfully marked up (about 200% from retail). We were largely ignored by waitstaff; service was slow and our unfinished meals sat in front of us for about ten minutes before being boxed after we were done eating. Service seemed to move more quickly for tables around us. All in all a disappointing experience, we will not return. Update: the mixed seafood puff pastry entree seems to have given my girlfriend food poisoning.
(1)Larry C.
I have to give credit where credit is due. We held a celebratory lunch for my mother and uncle: 13 adults, 5 kids. The adults were a combination of middle-aged and elderly. The reviews among our clan were uniformly positive, including the food, ambience, and service. We were well taken care of, both in the planning phase and at the actual lunch. For a large group such as hours, we were given a fixed menu (with individual choices for each of three courses) for a little under $30 per adult -- I thought it was a bargain for the quality of the experience. Would I go back on my own? Maybe not. Would I go there with friends or family with more traditional tastes? In a heartbeat.
(5)JP S.
We were there a couple weeks ago with friends, having been there a few times before we wanted to introduce them to one of our favorite restaurants. I don't know what has happened there. The service was terrible and the food was fair at best. Someone needs to shake the place up a bit. For the amount you spend you should be dazzled by both food and service. They have let me down.
(2)Liza A.
OMG.... FIVE STARS TO THEIR SOUFFLE.. ..CUS....SERVER'S SUCKED....we had a fish that had to be fillet and when the plate came to the table is was extremely dirty on the edges....my fish that had a delicious sauce on the bottom was dirty too.....a little under seasoned....duck liver awesome with figs.....but the star of the night souffle and wine!!!! Well la ferme is a bitter sweet restaurant for me....first date long ago with the hubby....but yet food has declined a lot in the past years....nit their souffle it is just as great as always!!!
(3)Jonathan C.
The service was quite nice but SUPER slow. They even took a long time to run my credit card after the meal...it felt like ten minutes or more. The venison was quite good. The steak (my date's) tasted kind of soapy. I know some people just LOVE this place and have it in their heads that La Ferme can do no wrong. In my critical opinion I think it's a bit lacking for the level they are trying to represent themselves at, and the prices they charge. Overall, a great place to take your older relatives, it's the kind of place old people just love. I went there to make my mom happy and she was happy with the evening. Mission accomplished.
(3)Roy S.
A nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Cant beat a piano player when going to a classy restaurant. However, the steak is fine but you can get a better one at Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring. Now if this place added more fries and maybe a sauce or pepper crust then they would have an excellent meal.
(3)jennifer p.
almond souffle is the best here-tried the chocolate, hazelnut and almond...and almond is definitely the most flavorful and delicious! :) I think the dessert is the best part of the meal. i've been here twice just for the ambiance. they have live piano music which is nice. the pianist takes requests and is always very accommodating! Servers are nice as well...but food is just mediocre. Filet mignon is pretty good...pork shank is tender but is A LOT of meat...NY strip was a little dry for my taste... wouldnt recommend any appetizers..portions are small and they are expensive!
(3)Boss H.
This was good for a First date but La Ferme was La tooooo slow pace for me. However, I told a fib to my date and told her how much I really liked the food but if you had seen the dress that she glued on, them never ending legs and open toe 5" heels, you my friend would have lied about the food too. I ordered a steak that tasted like a Canadian moose with 3 legs that bathed in an onion patch (dont ask, just laugh) and my lite ice came back diet sprite. However, a very nice upscale classic styled restaraunt that I would personally, take my parents to for a sunday brunch....XoXo
(3)Foodie C.
Nice hidden French Restaurant Literally could drive by it if your not looking for it. Very old school. Fills up with snobby uptight clientele .... But hey it's French Food 3 Service 3.5 Cleanliness 4
(3)Stephen B.
Well passed its prime. sloww service, nothings sings on the menu. Whole inside needs a make over from Robert on restuarant impossible. My expensive for the quality. Good for the blue hairs of CC, go over to Bethesda for something interesting.
(2)Danae M.
Beautiful decor, usually decent food but not always.
(2)Anita P.
My father's steak au poivre, which he asked for medium rare, was grey throughout and tough. But our waiter disappeared for at least 15 minutes after delivering the entrees, and so my father ate enough to lose his appetite, and having it replaced was not in question, with the glacial pace of service. The waiter mumbled something about the check when we complained, but the check arrived with full charge ($35) for the steak. As it was my mother's 80th birthday, decided to keep the peace and left a significantly smaller tip than usual. Thoroughly unacceptable. A bad taste that lingers. Redolent of an aging French harlot.
(1)Leon N.
My husband and I came to La Ferme to hold our wedding celebration. We could not have been more pleased with everything Alain and the team at La Ferme did for us. When we first spoke with Alain about making plans, he said it was his job to make sure everything was done perfectly so we had nothing to worry about. He came through BIG TIME. The food and service were tremendous. Many, many guests expressed how impressed they were. The restaurant is a lovely atmosphere for a wedding as is the surrounding neighborhood - making for great photo opportunities. Another note about the food: we were able to create a custom menu featuring as many or as few choices as we wanted. We chose 4 appetizer and 5 entrée options. The efficiency and professionalism of the staff was impressive as was the timing of the kitchen. The true 'icing on the cake' was the wedding cake. We sent Alain a picture of a cake we liked and said 'dark chocolate with marzipan.' That was all he needed to make a spectacular cake. All in all, this was an extremely easy and memorable event.
(5)Gerri C.
Service was awful no one seemed to notice we had been sitting at our table 4 20 minutes. Finally someone took our order & we were served the wrong appetizer. After 1 1/2 hr no main course we called the owner to the table. He was rude and dismissive. He said he didn't care if we left so we did after paying for our appetizers and a glass of wine. We will never go back Thanks for helping us celebrate mothers day
(1)David M.
Exquisite French dining with live piano music, awesome decoration and wonderful service. Classy restaurant for fine dining.
(5)Sherri H.
Had a lovely meal there this evening. Relaxing atmosphere, gracious service, delicious food. Very enjoyable.
(5)MaJ C.
For Years and Years, I have heard this was the place to go. So we reserved a table for two, and at a decent hour, to have good, attentive service, as well as general talkative atmosphere. Service: Look, the waiter was good, yet too busy to be good. and he did not really listen. Reminiscent of some of the places we will not go back to in Paris. The back waiter was awesome! what kind of grind on the pepper, he asks, as well as just being very nice, attentive and caring. The Food: Salted to death , I thought the entire ensemble, from appetizers to entrees, was made from Bacalao. I mean, the amount of Salt was so, that the chef actually disrespected the life of the fish I ate. Very, very sad. For the price: 2 people, 1/2 btl nice wine 1 full bottle decent wine. 2 appetizers, 2 entrees. ( we only eat fish by the way ) 200$.. A real shame, as this is one of those 'Fairy Tales I had always wanted to experience. After years of build up, a colossal let down.. :(
(1)Joselito E.
I was invited for a dinner and I was surprised to listen to a very good piano player. I enjoyed my sea bass with my clam chowder soup. We ordered another wine to hear more music to end our wonderful night.
(4)Celeste M.
I visited my family in Maryland last month and I was stoked to find out that we were going to have a big family dinner at La Ferme Friday night. Each of us arrived... car by car, some in vans -- a total of 40 relatives (cousins, aunts, uncles, cousin's cousin, etc.). The place was packed, we headed towards the back of the restaurant up the stairs where our whole party was seated. I was starving. Started with warm bread and butter and before I even can finish my roll, the salad arrived -- mixed baby greens with tomato and mushrooms in a light vinaigrette dressing. For the main course, it was a free-range chicken breast -- braised and was served with morel sauce, wild rice and steamed vegetables. A very tasty dinner indeed and I gobbled it all up in no time. The dessert was okay, nothing special. I had the chocolate mousse cake, big portion, but way too sweet for my taste. Atmosphere is nice, felt like "home." Service wasn't bad, they could have been more attentive, but we were a big group so it made it difficult for the waiters to check up on every single one of us.
(3)John D.
You're going for the atmosphere. La Ferme anchors one end of a tiny, incongruous commercial strip on Brookville Road in residential Chevy Chase. There is no traffic, there are no crowds, and parking is easy. Indeed if you squint on your way in, you can almost make yourself believe that you're out in the country at some remote farmhouse inn (in fact not far off La Ferme's actual heritage). Anyhow, it's very sweet. Rustic decor, a live piano player - it's a nice, low-key place to enjoy a meal. I like it. The food is, to be candid, nothing special. More precisely, it's fine but it's not quite up to the look and feel of the place. I've never had a bad meal at La Ferme but I've never had a memorable one either. So for a nice evening, just rachet down your culinary expectations by one star, order something that's not too ambitious, and enjoy your cocktail(s). The piano player takes requests -- with a 10-spot in his tip jar, maybe he'd agree *not* to play "Happy Birthday" for an hour!
(3)Hillary D.
I went to La Ferme last Monday and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and food. The atmosphere was cozy and romantic. I imagine during the more pleasant months the outdoor seating is a great way to spend a meal. I ordered the wild mushroom ravioli, Vol au Vent de Fruits de Mer, and the chocolate souffle. All of it was fantastic. One thing to note when you go is that the portions are generous compared to other fine dining restaurants. I could have done without my ravioli and would have been plenty full. The Vol au Vent wasn't as full of flavor as I would have hoped but it was still very good. The service was also fantastic. We had a large group and they handled it without missing a step.
(4)D K.
My boyfriend and I went to La Ferme for restaurant week, and 3 courses for $30 was a good deal, including the service. If this review is simply based on food, then I'd have to dial down my rating to a 3, but the service tacks on a star. It's a bit unsettling, when you arrive at La Ferme because it looks like someone's house, which I think it probably was. As soon as we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the live piano player in the corner. Nice touch. The second thing I noticed was the number of elderly Caucasian diners. My boyfriend and I stuck out like a sore thumb. The food came out very quickly, and there was little downtime in between courses. However, when it was time for dessert, I think they forgot about us because not only did it take 3 times as long to get our desserts, but they also messed up our orders. To make up for it though, we got a free dessert, and the service was so good beforehand, that I couldn't hold it against them. Service is stellar, and the food is nothing to complain about. I'd have no problem returning to La Ferme, and it was a good choice for Restaurant Week. Food: (1) Crab Mousseline - VERY good. Texture was very pleasant, but it does get old half-way through. (2) Calamari - Not fried, but fresh. Refreshing, but I wouldn't order it again. (3) Seafood Risotto - Average. (4) Pork Chop - Mmm. I love meat. I haven't had pork chop in awhile, so it was tasty to me. I usually like my pork chop with fruit chutney, but the way they served was fine. The dish had seasoned carrots and green beans with some potato au gratin that went very well with the pork chop. (5) Bread Pudding - The best dish we ordered. HOT bread pudding with ice cream. Delicious. (6) Grand Marnier Frozen Souffle - Confusing because it was more like a cold creme brulee. It was just okay. (7) Complimentary Chocolate Mousse - I'm not a fan of mousse, but the streusel on top was delicious. I ate every crumb.
(4)Tim R.
This was my second time here. First time was a year ago for a lunch. I like it. Mushroom risoto. Scallops. Lamb. Souffle. They made pasta for the kids that they both really enjoyed. Food was good, service was good, decor is good.
(4)Pam W.
Just had Thanksgiving dinner here. Once we got past the huge traffic jam at the entrance and waited 20 minutes to be seated for our 5 pm reservation, we had a wonderful meal. Sat upstairs in the Attic Room along the banquette which was very nice. Staff was amazing given the volume of diners. All very professional under tough circumstances. The prix fixe menu moved things along nicely. We got our appetizers quickly along with our bottle of wine. My husband had a wonderful salad with beets, walnuts, endive, and spinach dressed with roquefort dressing....lovely. I had a tasty Roulade of smoked salmon with cucumber salad, horseradish sauce and toasted pumpernickel. After a nice pause between courses, we had the traditional turkey dinner for my husband and I had the scallops served with pumpkin ravioli and sage and smashed potatoes with brussels sprouts. Great presentation and delicious execution. Ken had an apple cinnamon creme brulee which was wonderful and I had traditional chocolate mousse made special with macadamia brittle. Wonderful evening.
(4)Mark M.
Nice environment, good food, but a little dated (sort of like a French Mrs. K's Tollhouse). Nice for special occasions.
(3)Michael M.
Went for brunch, and was very pleased. For a reasonable price you get a great selection from a prix fixe menu. They do almost all the little things right here, warm bread basket with a variety of breads,great drinks, great services and atmosphere.....but the ceiling fans are horrendously dusty... doesn't really take away from the experience, but things like that just shouldn't happen at a $20+ dollar brunch.
(4)Shieva R.
Went for restaurant week, not impressed. Let me start off by saying why on earth does everyone with a birthday want to celebrate it here??? Anyway, I ioved the location, out of the way, something unexpected. I loved the piano playing and private balconies, but the food I did not love. Our waiter was not very attentive in fact no one was until one of the busboys noticed that my friend and I were under fifty and not too shabby, after that he was unfortunately, very attentive. The food was also as disappointing. I expected more from entrees that were nearly $30. My friends pork was chewy and tough and my halibut came with a cold ratatouille that was so overwhelmed with sage it was inedible. I wasn't blown away with the appetizers or dessert either. The french onion soup wasn't even good here! I've had much better food an service at other french restaurants around town; I can assure you I won't be back.
(2)D D.
Below is a copy of a lette sent to La Ferme: BTW their wines are way overpriced. I wanted to point out my outrage at wanting to purchase a gift certificate from your restaurant over the phone. The nerve for your restaurant to charge $5.00 for a .44 cent stamp. Way to lose customers! I live in Florida and my family lives in Maryland and this is one of thier favorite restaurants. We had planned to dine there on our next visit but with so many choices and this poor treatment (there was no apology nor attempt to save the sale by anyone when we chose to cancel the gc), we will be choosing somewhere, anywhere else. Apparently you don't need the money, or the customers, or the repeat business.
(1)Alycia E.
I think a true test of a restaurant is its ability to handle groups both large and small. We took about 15 people from work for a holiday dinner and perhaps we taxed the limit of La Ferme's wait staff (basically, there's really no way to recover from a missing order of souffle); however, I cannot fault the quality of the food that did arrive as ordered. My plat of charcuterie, including a nice meaty country pate, was lovingly presented with petite cournichons and toasted bread. My sea bass over risotto was moist and flaky. I abstained from dessert and instead chose a ruby port. Overall, it was a very good meal in a deceptively rural setting. I'll certainly remember it the next time I have out-of-town guests.
(3)Sheila D.
The food was good, the wine list was good, the staff was good. My family and I went here for Thanksgiving dinner and the place was packed. A reviewer on here described the place to a 'T". The reviewer's name in Phillip L., he hit it right on the money :) The people there had there nose stuck up in the air. Don't get me wrong, I've lived in Beverly Hills, so I know how annoying stuck up people can be. Everyone around me was wearing some kind of gaudy fur coat. Lets just say, if I was a member of PETA, I'd probably come back to this restaurant with a couple color spray cans, and have a hay day spraying their fur coats. It was border line, upper class home for the elderly ambiance..lol! However, the fireplace and pianist next to it, was a nice touch. They did run out of high chairs, so my 1 year old daughter was forst to sit on the chair, her view being under the table (poor girl). The food and service was good, the ambiance, on the other hand, I could live without.
(3)christine c.
It's Bethesda restaurant week so time to try out places you normally might not have any special reason to go to. So La Ferme it was for this weekday evening. The restaurant's located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Chevy Chase which has the feel of a small village. Inside, the main dining room is attractive, large and spacious with high A-frame ceilings, brightly lit and lavishly decorated in the style of a classic French farmhouse. White table clothes, flowers everywhere, 50s background music (live piano at 6:30 pm), it's like a throw back in time. We were there between 6-8 pm, so dining room's mostly empty, and there was a disproportionately large number of somewhat strangely but well dressed little old ladies (one wore a large white fur hat throughout dinner) in their 80s (90s?) having a nice quiet evening out with what must be their middle aged children. Not sure if the demographic would be different on different days and times. We felt a bit underdressed, as all the men seemed to be wearing jacket and tie. But despite being a fancy restaurant, the atmosphere's still sufficiently casual we didn't feel too out of place despite not following the dress code. Anyway, we ordered off the restaurant week menu: chilled asparagus salad, French onion soup, salmon and tilapia, and for dessert, apple tart and eclaire with grand marnier. Food was fine, in a good old fashioned way - no strange or unusual flavors or artsy presentations - well prepared and tasty in fair sized portions. Service was not overly warm or exuberant but low key and efficient. Trendy this is not, although an adequate place to go for a quiet or romantic evening out (but maybe not for first dates), and given the low noise level and pleasant setting, a perfect place for taking older family members and relatives.
(3)Paul M.
La Ferme is a bit of a secret. It's in an out-of-the-way-spot, it's been there a long time. It has its fans ( including Warren Buffet I might add), but it is probably unknown to a lot of people. And quite frankly I suspect a lot of its regulars would prefer that it stays that way - I promise you few of them will add reviews here. It's good because: 1. History. James Madison and Dolly fled down this street to Brookville in 1812 when the Brits burned the Whitehouse. ( Bloody Brits). George Washington had a drink at the inn that was on site back in the day, FDR held a fund raiser here in the 30s ( they have the pictures to prove that one). 2. The food. It's French, it's upscale it's authentic - it's a little old-school . Exactly the sort of old school you would find in a Parisian Brasserie today. 3. The crowd. This is genuine bona fide camp authenticity at its finest. The Blue Rinse mob are there in force. All the Chevy Chase retirees love the place. The high school kids on a special date. The middle aged couple celebrating their anniversary on one of the Juliet balconies overlooking the main room. A holier-than-thou trendy couple hiding in the corner enjoying it, drinking it all in, and thinking they are slightly better than anyone else ( yip - that would be us - apologies). I say all this with reverence and love. The food and drink and service are all marvellous and it is definitely worth the time and money for you urban types to get out ( a whole mile outside the DC line ) to the Burbs to enjoy a dining experience like no other this city can offer. The only thing I don't like is that there is no bar - there should be a law against a restaurant not having a bar.
(4)Phillip L.
I agree with some of the other reviews made here. Service was excellent, food was top-notch and the ambiance was sublime. The wine list is very impressive, as was the dessert menu (always the hallmark of a keeper in my book). La Ferme would get much higher marks if it weren't for the excessively clubby feel. And I can do clubby, but really people? It just wasn't THAT good. In my book, pretension does not equal five stars, excellence in balance equals five stars. The clientelle are a bit chilly, like caricatures of old WASP ladies in Gwen Stefani and Eve's "Blow Your Mind" video or aged manifestations of Joan Crawford in "Mommy Dearest" -- except way, way more vanilla. We made the mistake of wearing polo shirts and seersucker (gasp!) shorts. A couple walking out of the restaurant said "how cute, even the help gets to eat tonight." How rude, actually. I guess our Prada sunglasses were too "racy" for this staid crew. Bottom line here is that as long as you wear loafers, something tweed, and accessories from Tiffany or Van Cleef and Arpels you'll love it. If you don't, well, don't get mixed up with the help.
(3)Eleanor B.
One of my favorites for quality and service.
(5)Sally C.
Food - 4 stars Service - 3 stars When we pulled up, the parking lot was crowded and we spotted two Bentleys and an Aston Martin. Yikes. Lovely atmosphere inside. I don't know why there were so many cars parked outside - there were only a few full tables inside. Service was average. Better at the beginning of the meal but by the end he didn't talk much. One of the waitstaff took my husband's plate just as he was putting the last morsel of food in his mouth. Geez! I had the lamb shank - YUM! I could have lived without the couscous though. Husband ordered the venison with sweet potato puree and string beans. His was yummy too.
(3)Jim P.
An SF transplant continues his quest for a damned decent restaurant, with high hopes for La Ferme, as it was highly personally recommended. We were told it was "worth the [45+ min] trip". I will now invalidate any future recommendations made by that source. Usually I go on and on, but this place doesn't deserve that. Let's just say: 1) "Risotto" is not Italian for "flavorless, overcooked Minute Rice," despite what La Ferme appears to think. That wasn't even a passable pilaf, ya' punters. 2) Fish should have texture. While a texture, "mushy and bland" is not one that should be served. 3) I have never - ever - had a server take my wine glass away without offering another drink... and this happened _before_my_entree_. WTF? I won't hold it against the place that it draws the Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd (seriously: Sang it at least 4 times), and it was probably my mistake for ordering seafood on any night but Friday or Saturday, but I sure won't be back, nor make any trips based on that particular source of suggestions. Skip. For the money (seriously, a $30 fish entree that *had* to be frozen... probably repeatedly frozen and thawed since Wednesday/Thursday), you can do much, much, MUCH better. Heck, a Filet 'o' Fish would have been better.... at least McD only freezes it once. Let's call it 1.5 stars. Definitely worse than "meh" but arguably better than "EEK". On the upside, no food poisoning and they have their own parking lot (beware, though, the aforementioned Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd ... some scary-ass parking maneuvers in that lot. You may want to use the street, come to think of it), so 2 stars. Barely. The bisque was passable. The quest continues....
(2)Joe G.
What is everyone here talking about???? I can't believe all the positive reviews this place has received. Having heard so many good things about the restaurant, I tried this for Valentine's Day this year. The staff were completely overwhelmed and unable to manage the service. It took them twenty minutes to bring menus to the table and it only continued from there. I would have been ok with waiting a little longer than average if the food had been anywhere close to fresh or authentic French. The Sea bass was probably the worst I've ever had. I could go on but I'll just stop at that. Avoid at all costs!!!
(1)Roger S.
Went here for Restaurant Week, $30 for 3 courses. We had come from work and were in jeans, so outside seating seemed appropiate for the way were dressed. Inside, many people were dressed up a little nicer. Everyone who worked at the restaurant was very friendly, and quite attentive to our needs throughout the meal. The quality of the food was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back. I'm never a dessert person, but they had a chocolate mousse with walnuts which was perfect. Overall great experience, would recommend to anyone. If you're worried about prices - look online at the menu first, they're all there. In my opinion, any price issue one may have is outweighed by the deliciousness of the food.
(5)Candace K.
We went for Bethesda/Chevy Chase Restaurant Week and normally one has to make allowances for this but not this time. We ended up selecting our meals from the regular menu but our friends chose the RW menu and their food looked great! I got the pork tenderloin medallions with cheese/spinach/sundried tomatoes and it was good. It came with this rissoto that made me believe in God! The hubby got the braised lamb shank and thought it was too fatty for his taste, not the restaurants fault he just haden't had that cut before. The bottle of wine we got was GREAT and we ordered a souffle and we liked it. Service was very attentive and atmosphere was SUPER! A good place to go for good food that isn't downtown! I'm sorry to see the other two reviewers didn't like it. But worth a try in my book, but bring $$$ its expensive!
(5)Kendra L.
Spent Valentine's Day dinner here. Prix fixe menu. I'd been once before and liked it. This time, not very impressed. We were seated upstairs so we didn't get to enjoy the real ambiance and I think we had the B-team for wait staff. Our waitress was not very attentive and hardly spoke to us at all. In fact, I wasn't sure she was familiar with the items on the prix fixe menu - she had to squint at the menu to verify our order. I got the feeling we were on an assembly line - here's the menu, what do you want, here it is. We both ordered the filet and crab cake entree and while it was decent, I've certainly had much better cuts of filet and far better crab cakes at other places in Maryland. The mini-dessert selections were okay but my decaf coffee tasted old and slightly scorched - and no offer on a refill or refresh. Once the mini-desserts were auto-served, its like we were dismissed. Assuming a busy dinner night like Valentine's is not the best time to go - I might be willing to try it once more but not convinced yet. For the price, I've had way better service and food at other restaurants in the DC area.
(2)T S.
I thought this restaurant was delicious and very cute as it is hard to find and quaint inside. My one concern was these little itty bitty fruit flies EVERYWHERE!!!! They were driving me bananas i couldnt even concentrate on the conversation. im not sure if it was the flowers in the center of the table and all around the restaurant. it was very uncomfortable. Food was great from what i remember though! Wine was divine! Service was excellent.
(4)Jono S.
First a short strand of nostril hair on my grilled chicken breast with wild mushroom risotto and then no sugar in the chocolate souffle' after the waiter initially forgot to put in the dessert order. My last two meals (out of five) at La Ferme not only made it feel like I was eating my last meal, it really ended up being my last meals there--unbecoming for an upscale French restaurant.
(3)Jim P.
An SF transplant continues his quest for a damned decent restaurant, with high hopes for La Ferme, as it was highly personally recommended. We were told it was "worth the [45+ min] trip". I will now invalidate any future recommendations made by that source. Usually I go on and on, but this place doesn't deserve that. Let's just say: 1) "Risotto" is not Italian for "flavorless, overcooked Minute Rice," despite what La Ferme appears to think. That wasn't even a passable pilaf, ya' punters. 2) Fish should have texture. While a texture, "mushy and bland" is not one that should be served. 3) I have never - ever - had a server take my wine glass away without offering another drink... and this happened _before_my_entree_. WTF? I won't hold it against the place that it draws the Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd (seriously: Sang it at least 4 times), and it was probably my mistake for ordering seafood on any night but Friday or Saturday, but I sure won't be back, nor make any trips based on that particular source of suggestions. Skip. For the money (seriously, a $30 fish entree that *had* to be frozen... probably repeatedly frozen and thawed since Wednesday/Thursday), you can do much, much, MUCH better. Heck, a Filet 'o' Fish would have been better.... at least McD only freezes it once. Let's call it 1.5 stars. Definitely worse than "meh" but arguably better than "EEK". On the upside, no food poisoning and they have their own parking lot (beware, though, the aforementioned Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd ... some scary-ass parking maneuvers in that lot. You may want to use the street, come to think of it), so 2 stars. Barely. The bisque was passable. The quest continues....
(2)Alycia E.
I think a true test of a restaurant is its ability to handle groups both large and small. We took about 15 people from work for a holiday dinner and perhaps we taxed the limit of La Ferme's wait staff (basically, there's really no way to recover from a missing order of souffle); however, I cannot fault the quality of the food that did arrive as ordered. My plat of charcuterie, including a nice meaty country pate, was lovingly presented with petite cournichons and toasted bread. My sea bass over risotto was moist and flaky. I abstained from dessert and instead chose a ruby port. Overall, it was a very good meal in a deceptively rural setting. I'll certainly remember it the next time I have out-of-town guests.
(3)Sheila D.
The food was good, the wine list was good, the staff was good. My family and I went here for Thanksgiving dinner and the place was packed. A reviewer on here described the place to a 'T". The reviewer's name in Phillip L., he hit it right on the money :) The people there had there nose stuck up in the air. Don't get me wrong, I've lived in Beverly Hills, so I know how annoying stuck up people can be. Everyone around me was wearing some kind of gaudy fur coat. Lets just say, if I was a member of PETA, I'd probably come back to this restaurant with a couple color spray cans, and have a hay day spraying their fur coats. It was border line, upper class home for the elderly ambiance..lol! However, the fireplace and pianist next to it, was a nice touch. They did run out of high chairs, so my 1 year old daughter was forst to sit on the chair, her view being under the table (poor girl). The food and service was good, the ambiance, on the other hand, I could live without.
(3)Candace K.
We went for Bethesda/Chevy Chase Restaurant Week and normally one has to make allowances for this but not this time. We ended up selecting our meals from the regular menu but our friends chose the RW menu and their food looked great! I got the pork tenderloin medallions with cheese/spinach/sundried tomatoes and it was good. It came with this rissoto that made me believe in God! The hubby got the braised lamb shank and thought it was too fatty for his taste, not the restaurants fault he just haden't had that cut before. The bottle of wine we got was GREAT and we ordered a souffle and we liked it. Service was very attentive and atmosphere was SUPER! A good place to go for good food that isn't downtown! I'm sorry to see the other two reviewers didn't like it. But worth a try in my book, but bring $$$ its expensive!
(5)Jogi S.
I went to the Resturant on Passover on Friday and arrived at 9:15. Asked the manger for table for two people. He replied ... Do you have reservations which we don't . He said ..... We are closed I asked him what time do you close and he replied at 9:30. I asked him yelp shows you guys closed at 10:00 and your web site no time. When I discuss the timing he got very upset and rude. He said don't come here if you don't have reservations. He said we decided to close early. I told him big resturant should not change time unless they post if they are going close early. The manager got more upset and got very aggressive. As I was walking out he started using racial remarks and using F words. If you are running class A Resturant should have people with class work there. If you are going there late and not from this country they will insult and discriminated you. Bethesda and Chevy chase has much better restaurant you can go dine and be treated nice. Stay away from this Resturant to teach them lesson.
(1)Lovebird S.
I took my hubby there for Father's Day & the service was perfect!! They checked in enough but let us have our space. The food is good but nothing spectacular. It's a nice dining experience but I wasn't wowed by anything on the menu. I ordered scallops & they were well cooked & delicious but they only gave you 3 with some basic risotto! My husband got the steak & that was delicious but the sides were kind of dry & very bland! We had an amazing chocolate soufflé that finished the meal really nicely! Overall it's good but if you're French don't come here & except French food but well done American food & a pleasant calm atmosphere!
(3)Spots W.
Group of 23 celebrated my mother's birthday at Sunday brunch. Private room, excellent service, first rate food. Fixed price brunch included one each appetizer, main, and dessert chosen from about 8 of each on the menu. At $30 was a good value in this market for a seated meal, 20% tip was added. Wine added about $15 per person to the bill. The brunch menu offered enough selection for all. Staff was discretely attentive, professional and cheerful. Highly recommended for brunch with a bunch!
(4)Ricky M.
Went here for restaurant week. Calf liver was amazing (per the waiter, it is not on the regular menu). Soft-shell crab had great taste, although texture was somewhat chewy. The restaurant is very stuffy and had an antique feel to it. It was very hot, no AC. The service was great
(4)T K.
We've gone there at least three times in the past 3 months. Each time has been outstanding. The filet mignon is superb and cooked to perfection. Scallops and duck appetizers and entree's were delicious. We've gone pretty early in the evening, so the restaurant was empty and service was great.
(5)Madeline w.
We celebrated our daughter's Bat Mitzvah here, and had a party of 36 in the attic room. Everything was amazing. People are still talking about how great the food was. The service was excellent. Prasad was wonderful to work with. The decor was beautiful and the space perfect. I cannot say enough about how perfect the evening was.
(5)christine c.
It's Bethesda restaurant week so time to try out places you normally might not have any special reason to go to. So La Ferme it was for this weekday evening. The restaurant's located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Chevy Chase which has the feel of a small village. Inside, the main dining room is attractive, large and spacious with high A-frame ceilings, brightly lit and lavishly decorated in the style of a classic French farmhouse. White table clothes, flowers everywhere, 50s background music (live piano at 6:30 pm), it's like a throw back in time. We were there between 6-8 pm, so dining room's mostly empty, and there was a disproportionately large number of somewhat strangely but well dressed little old ladies (one wore a large white fur hat throughout dinner) in their 80s (90s?) having a nice quiet evening out with what must be their middle aged children. Not sure if the demographic would be different on different days and times. We felt a bit underdressed, as all the men seemed to be wearing jacket and tie. But despite being a fancy restaurant, the atmosphere's still sufficiently casual we didn't feel too out of place despite not following the dress code. Anyway, we ordered off the restaurant week menu: chilled asparagus salad, French onion soup, salmon and tilapia, and for dessert, apple tart and eclaire with grand marnier. Food was fine, in a good old fashioned way - no strange or unusual flavors or artsy presentations - well prepared and tasty in fair sized portions. Service was not overly warm or exuberant but low key and efficient. Trendy this is not, although an adequate place to go for a quiet or romantic evening out (but maybe not for first dates), and given the low noise level and pleasant setting, a perfect place for taking older family members and relatives.
(3)Danae M.
Beautiful decor, usually decent food but not always.
(2)Kat A.
In sum: great food, great service, and an ambiance that's hard to come by in the DC area. Good place to go for special occasions. The only reason I didn't give 4 stars is because the high price for some menu items that you can get for less elsewhere that taste just as good. Nonetheless the food is good with a nice selection of wines. The staff are very knowledgeable about everything on the menu and the ingredients. A rare find for those of us with allergies and much appreciated.
(3)Jonathan C.
The service was quite nice but SUPER slow. They even took a long time to run my credit card after the meal...it felt like ten minutes or more. The venison was quite good. The steak (my date's) tasted kind of soapy. I know some people just LOVE this place and have it in their heads that La Ferme can do no wrong. In my critical opinion I think it's a bit lacking for the level they are trying to represent themselves at, and the prices they charge. Overall, a great place to take your older relatives, it's the kind of place old people just love. I went there to make my mom happy and she was happy with the evening. Mission accomplished.
(3)Roy S.
A nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Cant beat a piano player when going to a classy restaurant. However, the steak is fine but you can get a better one at Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring. Now if this place added more fries and maybe a sauce or pepper crust then they would have an excellent meal.
(3)Sharon W.
We have now been going to La Ferme on a more regular basis since being "re-introduced" in 2011. In that time, though not weekly regulars, we have gotten to know the staff, and the then 6 year-old, now 10 year-old, is now greeted with "you've grown so much!" Without announcing our reservation and giving our name, our server leads us right to are our table with "we have it all set up for you." The Caesar salad with chicken is consistently delicious, as are other entrees. And even though I'm not a huge dessert fan I'm drawn into their offerings. Today our granddaughter ordered a mousse (you do it when you place your entrée order) and husband I were tempted by a chocolate/Grand Marnier cake. We told our waiter we are going to share the cake so they served the cake in halves on separate plates, which was a nice touch. I usually am not a fan of eating outdoors but they have a porch with ceiling fans. When we heard that, on a late-August day, the temperature was going to be moderate, we made our reservations for the porch. It was a lovely lunch with beautiful weather; perfect service; good food; and two of my favorite people, husband and granddaughter.
(5)Patrick W.
The food was excellent. The wine was excellent. The server was excellent. I'm not sure why the ratings are so low on Yelp other than maybe people aren't familiar with French cuisine or expect a lot more because of the expense. We will come back for certain, it's really nice.
(5)Wanda Z.
I had enjoyed La Ferme years ago when they were in Downtown Bethesda. I decided to try them again. Loved the French country home charm feel of the place! We were seated promptly. Live piano music and we enjoy dinner! My husband and I ordered the French onion soup. The taste was very good, however it was served lukewarm at best. Maybe because in Paris they serve it piping hot with the cheese still bubbling? Yeah, I expect that every time I order french onion soup. I ordered the Scallops in cauli purée with pumpkin ravioli topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. Very delicious! I highly recommend that dish. Also shared the Grand Marnier soufflé and that hit it out of the part. No doubt dessert is one thing they do well. All in all a nice dining experience. Very French with even a bit of French snoodiness from the waiter, but that is French dining for you and it's part of the experience, I think.
(4)Wm H.
Known by the locals as Chevy Chase Club East, this is a nice place to go for a quiet lunch or dinner. Food is always good, and prices are not out of this world. It indeed is off the beaten path, but a nice little visit to the country.
(4)Nicole H.
We went there last weekend and had a delicious meal outside on the patio. I had the crab and avocado salad to start and then the soft shell crab for my entree. Both were delicious! We will definitely be going back.
(5)Charles R.
Delicious and classy french rustic cuisine! We liked it so much after a few visits, we eventually had our wedding reception here, and it was a wonderful experience! Classy, friendly, high quality food. Highly recommend.
(5)Ben K.
Went for thanksgiving with my family while on a visit home. We were sat by the stairs to the kitchen and the whole table shook. A few people in the party felt motion sick. What was really unfortunate was that the waiter nor the manager cared. Their attitude was simply that they were busy and couldn't do anything to move us or assist. I'd have thought asking wait staff to simply not run up and down the stairs would fix this issue. The food was good though. I can't really recall much of it because my family spent Thanksgiving complaining about feeling sea sick. Well thanks for the $400 family dinner of motion sickness. Next time we'll just go on a cruise. Its a shame the manager nor wait staff cared ... Happy Thanksgiving ..this place was so packed I'm sure they have plenty other reviews to be thankful for.
(2)Séamus C.
Almost 5-stars for food and service! Exceptionally well-prepped/presented Mother's Day prie fixe brunch. No complaints... except for the outrageous $55/meal price tag -- yikes! Additionally, mimosas were priced at nearly $10 PER glass! I fully understand charging per glass for beverages at dinner time, however, I firmly believe that Sunday brunch, particularly at these prices, should be an all-inclusive event. Overall a very pleasant dining experience, however, I can't help feeling a little gouged after looking at the check...!
(3)Leah F.
This has become our Christmas Eve dinner tradition. So delicious and the ambiance is perfect for a winter holiday dinner. Looking forward to doing it again this year.
(5)E F.
I took a girlfriend to this restaurant for a long overdue reconnection. Horrible experience. Food was well below average (my scallop dish was served tepid.) I lived in France for many years. There was nothing French about this food. Service was atrocious although the piano player was a sweetie. Our waitress was as surly as they come -- for being a young woman, this doesn't bode well for her future in the service industry. If I had a nickel for every time a staff person came over and said "Do you need anything else?" I would have been able to pay for the over priced meal. Well, almost. The message was "you people need to leave now." Seriously? It is 9pm and the place was almost empty. Then, the topper was that I got a bad case of food poisoning which I feel certain was caused by the tepid scallops. Note to self: no tepid scallops. Second note to self: don't go to La Ferme.
(1)Carson S.
My family and I went for this past Mother's Day and I couldn't be more blown away. The food was absolutely delicious and served in a great environment. La Ferme has the perfect setting for the picturesque Sunday brunch with the natural light that pours into the main dining area and the balcony seating. The service was friendly and relaxed as they try to set the mood of a calm French country-side. I don't know why everyone is up in arms about some of the service, but when you go to an up-scale restaurant the service wants to allow you to enjoy the meal. They aren't there to rush you through your food, they want you to savor it. Overall, great experience and I can't wait to go back.
(5)Liza A.
OMG.... FIVE STARS TO THEIR SOUFFLE.. ..CUS....SERVER'S SUCKED....we had a fish that had to be fillet and when the plate came to the table is was extremely dirty on the edges....my fish that had a delicious sauce on the bottom was dirty too.....a little under seasoned....duck liver awesome with figs.....but the star of the night souffle and wine!!!! Well la ferme is a bitter sweet restaurant for me....first date long ago with the hubby....but yet food has declined a lot in the past years....nit their souffle it is just as great as always!!!
(3)Samantha D.
We had Easter dinner at La Ferme with my boyfriend's family on Sunday and it was just lovely. From the authentic, rich, and beautifully prepared dishes to the warm ambiance with high ceilings/open beams, it was a wonderful dining experience. I had the opportunity to spend Easter in Provence a few years ago, and the French country decor and wine at La Ferme transported me back there. Food: Some of our group had the pork roast, which looked perfect (until their plates were clean), and I had a tasty buttery rockfish over risotto with red pepper and corn. The bread portions are huge, but I didn't want to get too full before the main course. The menu was prefixed, so for our first course I had the seafood chowder, which was perfectly creamy with ample servings of shrimp and scallops in a lobster base. I also had the crepes for dessert, but they were a little dry/"meh" and made me wish I had tried the creme brulee instead. This might be the only reason I removed a star. Feel: We had a glass of wine on the patio before the rest of our party arrived and I'd highly recommend sitting outside if it's not too hot as it was really charming. There was a nice breeze passing through and lots of greenery so you're not just overlooking the parking lot. Also, once we moved inside, we could still feel the breeze from the open doors. It's a slightly older crowd, hence the piano player in the back cranking out classics and show tunes, but again it felt warm and welcoming. I hope to visit La Ferme again soon as we are just down the road and am already looking forward to that second glass of wine on the patio!
(4)Laureen K.
La Ferme used to be one of our "special occasion" restaurants. No more. Last Mother's Day my husband and I brought my mother-in law, visiting from Los Angeles, and two children to La Ferme, having enjoyed our prior dinners here but the staff treated us so poorly that we have crossed this restaurant off our list. We had made a reservation and were seated but then no one came to our table for more than 15 minutes. We even saw friends who appeared to be receiving fine service but no one appeared at our table. We finally had to get up and hail a waiter. We ordered, and waited. We finally received appetizers (now we are more than 45 minutes in) and then proceeded to wait and wait . . . Finally my husband asked to speak to the manager. We expected some attention and a willingness to take care of us, apologize, etc. However, he basically shrugged his shoulders and displayed not one ounce of concern or contrition. We got the check and left without dinner and a sour taste in our mouth. Needless to say, we will not return. No one should reward a restaurant with such poor service and inconsiderate management with their business.
(1)Mike L.
The food and service were fantastic! Great French Country atmosphere. Their French Onion Soup is very good.
(5)JP S.
We were there a couple weeks ago with friends, having been there a few times before we wanted to introduce them to one of our favorite restaurants. I don't know what has happened there. The service was terrible and the food was fair at best. Someone needs to shake the place up a bit. For the amount you spend you should be dazzled by both food and service. They have let me down.
(2)Andrew B.
Went to La Ferme this past Saturday, 9/21/13 for my father-in-law's 80th birthday and felt compelled to write. La Ferme has well above average food and a waitstaff that is near excellent in both quality of service and attentiveness. We dined with folks aged 80-10 and everyone went away happy. Three persons (including myself) ordered the Filet Mignot Au Poivre and I personally found it to be fantastic and perfectly cooked medium. My 10-year old son also ordered it and asked for it to be a plain piece of meat (only salt and pepper) and cooked medium. They complied perfectly and even put his au poivre sauce on the side in case he wanted to experiment. They also accommodated his request for a salad with just lettuce leaves and nothing else. Again, they put all the salad ingredients on the side for his to pick and choose .... without us asking. My wife's dish (something with snails and risotto) was said to be delicious and my father-in-law also had something that he quite liked. I regret not ordering the Chocolate Souffle. I wasn't sure I'd have the room for it after a big meal, and after discovering I did, went with the Creme' Brulee instead, which was just great. Finally, we really appreciated the waitstaff waiting for my mother-in-law to finish her meal before taking away all the plates. I'm not exaggerating that in the time it takes her to eat 1 bite, most everyone at the table is near the end of their meal. The cons: 1. There is a kinda cheesy piano player taking requests all night. The man is clearly talented, but a little past his prime playing popular standards from the 1970's. It was actually a little embarrassing. The big tip jar on his piano was equally off-putting, but we put in our $10 which seemed to be the obligatory donation for hearing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (which I really didn't want to hear). 2. The price. Don't get me wrong, the food was really quite good. But not $450 good for 5 people ($90/person). Food - 4 stars Service - 5 stars Ambiance - 3 stars (would be 4 stars without the piano player) Value - 2 stars.
(4)L S.
La Ferme is in a charming building but as for the food, looks can be deceiving. The menu is tired french, uninspired so so preparation. Wife had the salmon which is was really not much of anything - a piece of salmon, not much else, not even much taste. I had a pork chop with a reduction sauce accompanied by some very tired winter veggies - almost reduced to mush. It is hard to kill a pork chop. At least it was not cooked to death. An appetizer salad was - not much - some lettuce with a few dried cranberries and nuts. As for pricing there is something blatantly disconcerting paying $25 - $35 for entrees for truly mediocre food. At $9, the uninspired salad must be a real profit center. In an area where there are so many good choices - La Ferme is not one of them.
(2)Joe H.
Pros: * The food is good. * The ambiance is nice, true to its French farmhouse appellation. * Wine prices are average. * Service is fairly attentive, until it comes time to present the check. Cons: * Portions are a little on the small side. Which is OK except for the next con: * Prices are high. Plan to spend quite a bit. Clientele is heavily skewed towards the upper range of the age spectrum--lots of grey hair in the dining rooms.
(3)John T.
Great French country atmosphere in a nice farmy looking building. it sets the mood well - an interesting contrast of elegance and informality. Nice pianist playing on a Sunday evening. The food was good, but not spectacular. The souffle at $10.00 strikes me as a must-have item. We got chocolate, but they had Grand Marnier and hazlenut too. My one big negative was the air conditioning. We went on a hot day, and I noticed all the men in the place who wore jackets, including myself, had to take them off. It was sweltering. One lady sat there fanning herself the entire time we were there. If you're going to charge that much for a meal, you have to maintain a great atmosphere... in all respects.... no excuses. This is a personal peeve, but there were so many different people bringing and taking things from my table that it got confusing and distracting. The guy who brought the entres got ours reversed. No big deal, but I really don't like an army of different servers mingling around. I guess that's part of the French fine-dining thing.
(3)Sheldon H.
Took my wife to La Ferme for dinner last night and had a very good meal. The ambience and piano were, as always, lovely. It is a very pleasant room to come into on a cold evening. The food was above average and the service was excellent. My wife had the sweetbreads and I had the pork chop. Both were above average. It is also nice not to have to fight for a parking space. This is a very nice place for dinner and still has a great deal of charm.
(4)AJ H.
I don't know how to say this nicely, so I will do my best to be objective. We had the pumpkin ravioli with scallops appetizer -- the scallops were cooked perfectly, but the ravioli were disappointing. The ravioli had clearly been frozen previously as the ends seemed dried out due to freezer burn and the pasta was very chewy. Toasted pumpkin seeds were a nice touch and it had a tasty butter sauce. As for entrees, the pork chop was ordered medium and came out very well done, with soggy veggies. The mixed seafood in puff pastry was not good with not house-made puff pastry; lobster and other seafood were dry and chewy with a congealed butter sauce. Both were lukewarm but had hot plates, so seemed to have been under heat lamps for some time. The wine was painfully marked up (about 200% from retail). We were largely ignored by waitstaff; service was slow and our unfinished meals sat in front of us for about ten minutes before being boxed after we were done eating. Service seemed to move more quickly for tables around us. All in all a disappointing experience, we will not return. Update: the mixed seafood puff pastry entree seems to have given my girlfriend food poisoning.
(1)Larry C.
I have to give credit where credit is due. We held a celebratory lunch for my mother and uncle: 13 adults, 5 kids. The adults were a combination of middle-aged and elderly. The reviews among our clan were uniformly positive, including the food, ambience, and service. We were well taken care of, both in the planning phase and at the actual lunch. For a large group such as hours, we were given a fixed menu (with individual choices for each of three courses) for a little under $30 per adult -- I thought it was a bargain for the quality of the experience. Would I go back on my own? Maybe not. Would I go there with friends or family with more traditional tastes? In a heartbeat.
(5)jennifer p.
almond souffle is the best here-tried the chocolate, hazelnut and almond...and almond is definitely the most flavorful and delicious! :) I think the dessert is the best part of the meal. i've been here twice just for the ambiance. they have live piano music which is nice. the pianist takes requests and is always very accommodating! Servers are nice as well...but food is just mediocre. Filet mignon is pretty good...pork shank is tender but is A LOT of meat...NY strip was a little dry for my taste... wouldnt recommend any appetizers..portions are small and they are expensive!
(3)Boss H.
This was good for a First date but La Ferme was La tooooo slow pace for me. However, I told a fib to my date and told her how much I really liked the food but if you had seen the dress that she glued on, them never ending legs and open toe 5" heels, you my friend would have lied about the food too. I ordered a steak that tasted like a Canadian moose with 3 legs that bathed in an onion patch (dont ask, just laugh) and my lite ice came back diet sprite. However, a very nice upscale classic styled restaraunt that I would personally, take my parents to for a sunday brunch....XoXo
(3)Foodie C.
Nice hidden French Restaurant Literally could drive by it if your not looking for it. Very old school. Fills up with snobby uptight clientele .... But hey it's French Food 3 Service 3.5 Cleanliness 4
(3)Stephen B.
Well passed its prime. sloww service, nothings sings on the menu. Whole inside needs a make over from Robert on restuarant impossible. My expensive for the quality. Good for the blue hairs of CC, go over to Bethesda for something interesting.
(2)Anita P.
My father's steak au poivre, which he asked for medium rare, was grey throughout and tough. But our waiter disappeared for at least 15 minutes after delivering the entrees, and so my father ate enough to lose his appetite, and having it replaced was not in question, with the glacial pace of service. The waiter mumbled something about the check when we complained, but the check arrived with full charge ($35) for the steak. As it was my mother's 80th birthday, decided to keep the peace and left a significantly smaller tip than usual. Thoroughly unacceptable. A bad taste that lingers. Redolent of an aging French harlot.
(1)Leon N.
My husband and I came to La Ferme to hold our wedding celebration. We could not have been more pleased with everything Alain and the team at La Ferme did for us. When we first spoke with Alain about making plans, he said it was his job to make sure everything was done perfectly so we had nothing to worry about. He came through BIG TIME. The food and service were tremendous. Many, many guests expressed how impressed they were. The restaurant is a lovely atmosphere for a wedding as is the surrounding neighborhood - making for great photo opportunities. Another note about the food: we were able to create a custom menu featuring as many or as few choices as we wanted. We chose 4 appetizer and 5 entrée options. The efficiency and professionalism of the staff was impressive as was the timing of the kitchen. The true 'icing on the cake' was the wedding cake. We sent Alain a picture of a cake we liked and said 'dark chocolate with marzipan.' That was all he needed to make a spectacular cake. All in all, this was an extremely easy and memorable event.
(5)Gerri C.
Service was awful no one seemed to notice we had been sitting at our table 4 20 minutes. Finally someone took our order & we were served the wrong appetizer. After 1 1/2 hr no main course we called the owner to the table. He was rude and dismissive. He said he didn't care if we left so we did after paying for our appetizers and a glass of wine. We will never go back Thanks for helping us celebrate mothers day
(1)David M.
Exquisite French dining with live piano music, awesome decoration and wonderful service. Classy restaurant for fine dining.
(5)Sherri H.
Had a lovely meal there this evening. Relaxing atmosphere, gracious service, delicious food. Very enjoyable.
(5)MaJ C.
For Years and Years, I have heard this was the place to go. So we reserved a table for two, and at a decent hour, to have good, attentive service, as well as general talkative atmosphere. Service: Look, the waiter was good, yet too busy to be good. and he did not really listen. Reminiscent of some of the places we will not go back to in Paris. The back waiter was awesome! what kind of grind on the pepper, he asks, as well as just being very nice, attentive and caring. The Food: Salted to death , I thought the entire ensemble, from appetizers to entrees, was made from Bacalao. I mean, the amount of Salt was so, that the chef actually disrespected the life of the fish I ate. Very, very sad. For the price: 2 people, 1/2 btl nice wine 1 full bottle decent wine. 2 appetizers, 2 entrees. ( we only eat fish by the way ) 200$.. A real shame, as this is one of those 'Fairy Tales I had always wanted to experience. After years of build up, a colossal let down.. :(
(1)Joselito E.
I was invited for a dinner and I was surprised to listen to a very good piano player. I enjoyed my sea bass with my clam chowder soup. We ordered another wine to hear more music to end our wonderful night.
(4)John D.
You're going for the atmosphere. La Ferme anchors one end of a tiny, incongruous commercial strip on Brookville Road in residential Chevy Chase. There is no traffic, there are no crowds, and parking is easy. Indeed if you squint on your way in, you can almost make yourself believe that you're out in the country at some remote farmhouse inn (in fact not far off La Ferme's actual heritage). Anyhow, it's very sweet. Rustic decor, a live piano player - it's a nice, low-key place to enjoy a meal. I like it. The food is, to be candid, nothing special. More precisely, it's fine but it's not quite up to the look and feel of the place. I've never had a bad meal at La Ferme but I've never had a memorable one either. So for a nice evening, just rachet down your culinary expectations by one star, order something that's not too ambitious, and enjoy your cocktail(s). The piano player takes requests -- with a 10-spot in his tip jar, maybe he'd agree *not* to play "Happy Birthday" for an hour!
(3)Hillary D.
I went to La Ferme last Monday and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and food. The atmosphere was cozy and romantic. I imagine during the more pleasant months the outdoor seating is a great way to spend a meal. I ordered the wild mushroom ravioli, Vol au Vent de Fruits de Mer, and the chocolate souffle. All of it was fantastic. One thing to note when you go is that the portions are generous compared to other fine dining restaurants. I could have done without my ravioli and would have been plenty full. The Vol au Vent wasn't as full of flavor as I would have hoped but it was still very good. The service was also fantastic. We had a large group and they handled it without missing a step.
(4)D K.
My boyfriend and I went to La Ferme for restaurant week, and 3 courses for $30 was a good deal, including the service. If this review is simply based on food, then I'd have to dial down my rating to a 3, but the service tacks on a star. It's a bit unsettling, when you arrive at La Ferme because it looks like someone's house, which I think it probably was. As soon as we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the live piano player in the corner. Nice touch. The second thing I noticed was the number of elderly Caucasian diners. My boyfriend and I stuck out like a sore thumb. The food came out very quickly, and there was little downtime in between courses. However, when it was time for dessert, I think they forgot about us because not only did it take 3 times as long to get our desserts, but they also messed up our orders. To make up for it though, we got a free dessert, and the service was so good beforehand, that I couldn't hold it against them. Service is stellar, and the food is nothing to complain about. I'd have no problem returning to La Ferme, and it was a good choice for Restaurant Week. Food: (1) Crab Mousseline - VERY good. Texture was very pleasant, but it does get old half-way through. (2) Calamari - Not fried, but fresh. Refreshing, but I wouldn't order it again. (3) Seafood Risotto - Average. (4) Pork Chop - Mmm. I love meat. I haven't had pork chop in awhile, so it was tasty to me. I usually like my pork chop with fruit chutney, but the way they served was fine. The dish had seasoned carrots and green beans with some potato au gratin that went very well with the pork chop. (5) Bread Pudding - The best dish we ordered. HOT bread pudding with ice cream. Delicious. (6) Grand Marnier Frozen Souffle - Confusing because it was more like a cold creme brulee. It was just okay. (7) Complimentary Chocolate Mousse - I'm not a fan of mousse, but the streusel on top was delicious. I ate every crumb.
(4)Celeste M.
I visited my family in Maryland last month and I was stoked to find out that we were going to have a big family dinner at La Ferme Friday night. Each of us arrived... car by car, some in vans -- a total of 40 relatives (cousins, aunts, uncles, cousin's cousin, etc.). The place was packed, we headed towards the back of the restaurant up the stairs where our whole party was seated. I was starving. Started with warm bread and butter and before I even can finish my roll, the salad arrived -- mixed baby greens with tomato and mushrooms in a light vinaigrette dressing. For the main course, it was a free-range chicken breast -- braised and was served with morel sauce, wild rice and steamed vegetables. A very tasty dinner indeed and I gobbled it all up in no time. The dessert was okay, nothing special. I had the chocolate mousse cake, big portion, but way too sweet for my taste. Atmosphere is nice, felt like "home." Service wasn't bad, they could have been more attentive, but we were a big group so it made it difficult for the waiters to check up on every single one of us.
(3)Pam W.
Just had Thanksgiving dinner here. Once we got past the huge traffic jam at the entrance and waited 20 minutes to be seated for our 5 pm reservation, we had a wonderful meal. Sat upstairs in the Attic Room along the banquette which was very nice. Staff was amazing given the volume of diners. All very professional under tough circumstances. The prix fixe menu moved things along nicely. We got our appetizers quickly along with our bottle of wine. My husband had a wonderful salad with beets, walnuts, endive, and spinach dressed with roquefort dressing....lovely. I had a tasty Roulade of smoked salmon with cucumber salad, horseradish sauce and toasted pumpernickel. After a nice pause between courses, we had the traditional turkey dinner for my husband and I had the scallops served with pumpkin ravioli and sage and smashed potatoes with brussels sprouts. Great presentation and delicious execution. Ken had an apple cinnamon creme brulee which was wonderful and I had traditional chocolate mousse made special with macadamia brittle. Wonderful evening.
(4)Mark M.
Nice environment, good food, but a little dated (sort of like a French Mrs. K's Tollhouse). Nice for special occasions.
(3)Michael M.
Went for brunch, and was very pleased. For a reasonable price you get a great selection from a prix fixe menu. They do almost all the little things right here, warm bread basket with a variety of breads,great drinks, great services and atmosphere.....but the ceiling fans are horrendously dusty... doesn't really take away from the experience, but things like that just shouldn't happen at a $20+ dollar brunch.
(4)Joe G.
What is everyone here talking about???? I can't believe all the positive reviews this place has received. Having heard so many good things about the restaurant, I tried this for Valentine's Day this year. The staff were completely overwhelmed and unable to manage the service. It took them twenty minutes to bring menus to the table and it only continued from there. I would have been ok with waiting a little longer than average if the food had been anywhere close to fresh or authentic French. The Sea bass was probably the worst I've ever had. I could go on but I'll just stop at that. Avoid at all costs!!!
(1)Shieva R.
Went for restaurant week, not impressed. Let me start off by saying why on earth does everyone with a birthday want to celebrate it here??? Anyway, I ioved the location, out of the way, something unexpected. I loved the piano playing and private balconies, but the food I did not love. Our waiter was not very attentive in fact no one was until one of the busboys noticed that my friend and I were under fifty and not too shabby, after that he was unfortunately, very attentive. The food was also as disappointing. I expected more from entrees that were nearly $30. My friends pork was chewy and tough and my halibut came with a cold ratatouille that was so overwhelmed with sage it was inedible. I wasn't blown away with the appetizers or dessert either. The french onion soup wasn't even good here! I've had much better food an service at other french restaurants around town; I can assure you I won't be back.
(2)D D.
Below is a copy of a lette sent to La Ferme: BTW their wines are way overpriced. I wanted to point out my outrage at wanting to purchase a gift certificate from your restaurant over the phone. The nerve for your restaurant to charge $5.00 for a .44 cent stamp. Way to lose customers! I live in Florida and my family lives in Maryland and this is one of thier favorite restaurants. We had planned to dine there on our next visit but with so many choices and this poor treatment (there was no apology nor attempt to save the sale by anyone when we chose to cancel the gc), we will be choosing somewhere, anywhere else. Apparently you don't need the money, or the customers, or the repeat business.
(1)Tim R.
This was my second time here. First time was a year ago for a lunch. I like it. Mushroom risoto. Scallops. Lamb. Souffle. They made pasta for the kids that they both really enjoyed. Food was good, service was good, decor is good.
(4)Paul M.
La Ferme is a bit of a secret. It's in an out-of-the-way-spot, it's been there a long time. It has its fans ( including Warren Buffet I might add), but it is probably unknown to a lot of people. And quite frankly I suspect a lot of its regulars would prefer that it stays that way - I promise you few of them will add reviews here. It's good because: 1. History. James Madison and Dolly fled down this street to Brookville in 1812 when the Brits burned the Whitehouse. ( Bloody Brits). George Washington had a drink at the inn that was on site back in the day, FDR held a fund raiser here in the 30s ( they have the pictures to prove that one). 2. The food. It's French, it's upscale it's authentic - it's a little old-school . Exactly the sort of old school you would find in a Parisian Brasserie today. 3. The crowd. This is genuine bona fide camp authenticity at its finest. The Blue Rinse mob are there in force. All the Chevy Chase retirees love the place. The high school kids on a special date. The middle aged couple celebrating their anniversary on one of the Juliet balconies overlooking the main room. A holier-than-thou trendy couple hiding in the corner enjoying it, drinking it all in, and thinking they are slightly better than anyone else ( yip - that would be us - apologies). I say all this with reverence and love. The food and drink and service are all marvellous and it is definitely worth the time and money for you urban types to get out ( a whole mile outside the DC line ) to the Burbs to enjoy a dining experience like no other this city can offer. The only thing I don't like is that there is no bar - there should be a law against a restaurant not having a bar.
(4)Phillip L.
I agree with some of the other reviews made here. Service was excellent, food was top-notch and the ambiance was sublime. The wine list is very impressive, as was the dessert menu (always the hallmark of a keeper in my book). La Ferme would get much higher marks if it weren't for the excessively clubby feel. And I can do clubby, but really people? It just wasn't THAT good. In my book, pretension does not equal five stars, excellence in balance equals five stars. The clientelle are a bit chilly, like caricatures of old WASP ladies in Gwen Stefani and Eve's "Blow Your Mind" video or aged manifestations of Joan Crawford in "Mommy Dearest" -- except way, way more vanilla. We made the mistake of wearing polo shirts and seersucker (gasp!) shorts. A couple walking out of the restaurant said "how cute, even the help gets to eat tonight." How rude, actually. I guess our Prada sunglasses were too "racy" for this staid crew. Bottom line here is that as long as you wear loafers, something tweed, and accessories from Tiffany or Van Cleef and Arpels you'll love it. If you don't, well, don't get mixed up with the help.
(3)Eleanor B.
One of my favorites for quality and service.
(5)Sally C.
Food - 4 stars Service - 3 stars When we pulled up, the parking lot was crowded and we spotted two Bentleys and an Aston Martin. Yikes. Lovely atmosphere inside. I don't know why there were so many cars parked outside - there were only a few full tables inside. Service was average. Better at the beginning of the meal but by the end he didn't talk much. One of the waitstaff took my husband's plate just as he was putting the last morsel of food in his mouth. Geez! I had the lamb shank - YUM! I could have lived without the couscous though. Husband ordered the venison with sweet potato puree and string beans. His was yummy too.
(3)Roger S.
Went here for Restaurant Week, $30 for 3 courses. We had come from work and were in jeans, so outside seating seemed appropiate for the way were dressed. Inside, many people were dressed up a little nicer. Everyone who worked at the restaurant was very friendly, and quite attentive to our needs throughout the meal. The quality of the food was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back. I'm never a dessert person, but they had a chocolate mousse with walnuts which was perfect. Overall great experience, would recommend to anyone. If you're worried about prices - look online at the menu first, they're all there. In my opinion, any price issue one may have is outweighed by the deliciousness of the food.
(5)Kendra L.
Spent Valentine's Day dinner here. Prix fixe menu. I'd been once before and liked it. This time, not very impressed. We were seated upstairs so we didn't get to enjoy the real ambiance and I think we had the B-team for wait staff. Our waitress was not very attentive and hardly spoke to us at all. In fact, I wasn't sure she was familiar with the items on the prix fixe menu - she had to squint at the menu to verify our order. I got the feeling we were on an assembly line - here's the menu, what do you want, here it is. We both ordered the filet and crab cake entree and while it was decent, I've certainly had much better cuts of filet and far better crab cakes at other places in Maryland. The mini-dessert selections were okay but my decaf coffee tasted old and slightly scorched - and no offer on a refill or refresh. Once the mini-desserts were auto-served, its like we were dismissed. Assuming a busy dinner night like Valentine's is not the best time to go - I might be willing to try it once more but not convinced yet. For the price, I've had way better service and food at other restaurants in the DC area.
(2)T S.
I thought this restaurant was delicious and very cute as it is hard to find and quaint inside. My one concern was these little itty bitty fruit flies EVERYWHERE!!!! They were driving me bananas i couldnt even concentrate on the conversation. im not sure if it was the flowers in the center of the table and all around the restaurant. it was very uncomfortable. Food was great from what i remember though! Wine was divine! Service was excellent.
(4)Jono S.
First a short strand of nostril hair on my grilled chicken breast with wild mushroom risotto and then no sugar in the chocolate souffle' after the waiter initially forgot to put in the dessert order. My last two meals (out of five) at La Ferme not only made it feel like I was eating my last meal, it really ended up being my last meals there--unbecoming for an upscale French restaurant.
(3)Spots W.
Group of 23 celebrated my mother's birthday at Sunday brunch. Private room, excellent service, first rate food. Fixed price brunch included one each appetizer, main, and dessert chosen from about 8 of each on the menu. At $30 was a good value in this market for a seated meal, 20% tip was added. Wine added about $15 per person to the bill. The brunch menu offered enough selection for all. Staff was discretely attentive, professional and cheerful. Highly recommended for brunch with a bunch!
(4)Ricky M.
Went here for restaurant week. Calf liver was amazing (per the waiter, it is not on the regular menu). Soft-shell crab had great taste, although texture was somewhat chewy. The restaurant is very stuffy and had an antique feel to it. It was very hot, no AC. The service was great
(4)Kat A.
In sum: great food, great service, and an ambiance that's hard to come by in the DC area. Good place to go for special occasions. The only reason I didn't give 4 stars is because the high price for some menu items that you can get for less elsewhere that taste just as good. Nonetheless the food is good with a nice selection of wines. The staff are very knowledgeable about everything on the menu and the ingredients. A rare find for those of us with allergies and much appreciated.
(3)Patrick W.
The food was excellent. The wine was excellent. The server was excellent. I'm not sure why the ratings are so low on Yelp other than maybe people aren't familiar with French cuisine or expect a lot more because of the expense. We will come back for certain, it's really nice.
(5)Sharon W.
We have now been going to La Ferme on a more regular basis since being "re-introduced" in 2011. In that time, though not weekly regulars, we have gotten to know the staff, and the then 6 year-old, now 10 year-old, is now greeted with "you've grown so much!" Without announcing our reservation and giving our name, our server leads us right to are our table with "we have it all set up for you." The Caesar salad with chicken is consistently delicious, as are other entrees. And even though I'm not a huge dessert fan I'm drawn into their offerings. Today our granddaughter ordered a mousse (you do it when you place your entrée order) and husband I were tempted by a chocolate/Grand Marnier cake. We told our waiter we are going to share the cake so they served the cake in halves on separate plates, which was a nice touch. I usually am not a fan of eating outdoors but they have a porch with ceiling fans. When we heard that, on a late-August day, the temperature was going to be moderate, we made our reservations for the porch. It was a lovely lunch with beautiful weather; perfect service; good food; and two of my favorite people, husband and granddaughter.
(5)E F.
I took a girlfriend to this restaurant for a long overdue reconnection. Horrible experience. Food was well below average (my scallop dish was served tepid.) I lived in France for many years. There was nothing French about this food. Service was atrocious although the piano player was a sweetie. Our waitress was as surly as they come -- for being a young woman, this doesn't bode well for her future in the service industry. If I had a nickel for every time a staff person came over and said "Do you need anything else?" I would have been able to pay for the over priced meal. Well, almost. The message was "you people need to leave now." Seriously? It is 9pm and the place was almost empty. Then, the topper was that I got a bad case of food poisoning which I feel certain was caused by the tepid scallops. Note to self: no tepid scallops. Second note to self: don't go to La Ferme.
(1)Carson S.
My family and I went for this past Mother's Day and I couldn't be more blown away. The food was absolutely delicious and served in a great environment. La Ferme has the perfect setting for the picturesque Sunday brunch with the natural light that pours into the main dining area and the balcony seating. The service was friendly and relaxed as they try to set the mood of a calm French country-side. I don't know why everyone is up in arms about some of the service, but when you go to an up-scale restaurant the service wants to allow you to enjoy the meal. They aren't there to rush you through your food, they want you to savor it. Overall, great experience and I can't wait to go back.
(5)Samantha D.
We had Easter dinner at La Ferme with my boyfriend's family on Sunday and it was just lovely. From the authentic, rich, and beautifully prepared dishes to the warm ambiance with high ceilings/open beams, it was a wonderful dining experience. I had the opportunity to spend Easter in Provence a few years ago, and the French country decor and wine at La Ferme transported me back there. Food: Some of our group had the pork roast, which looked perfect (until their plates were clean), and I had a tasty buttery rockfish over risotto with red pepper and corn. The bread portions are huge, but I didn't want to get too full before the main course. The menu was prefixed, so for our first course I had the seafood chowder, which was perfectly creamy with ample servings of shrimp and scallops in a lobster base. I also had the crepes for dessert, but they were a little dry/"meh" and made me wish I had tried the creme brulee instead. This might be the only reason I removed a star. Feel: We had a glass of wine on the patio before the rest of our party arrived and I'd highly recommend sitting outside if it's not too hot as it was really charming. There was a nice breeze passing through and lots of greenery so you're not just overlooking the parking lot. Also, once we moved inside, we could still feel the breeze from the open doors. It's a slightly older crowd, hence the piano player in the back cranking out classics and show tunes, but again it felt warm and welcoming. I hope to visit La Ferme again soon as we are just down the road and am already looking forward to that second glass of wine on the patio!
(4)Laureen K.
La Ferme used to be one of our "special occasion" restaurants. No more. Last Mother's Day my husband and I brought my mother-in law, visiting from Los Angeles, and two children to La Ferme, having enjoyed our prior dinners here but the staff treated us so poorly that we have crossed this restaurant off our list. We had made a reservation and were seated but then no one came to our table for more than 15 minutes. We even saw friends who appeared to be receiving fine service but no one appeared at our table. We finally had to get up and hail a waiter. We ordered, and waited. We finally received appetizers (now we are more than 45 minutes in) and then proceeded to wait and wait . . . Finally my husband asked to speak to the manager. We expected some attention and a willingness to take care of us, apologize, etc. However, he basically shrugged his shoulders and displayed not one ounce of concern or contrition. We got the check and left without dinner and a sour taste in our mouth. Needless to say, we will not return. No one should reward a restaurant with such poor service and inconsiderate management with their business.
(1)Mike L.
The food and service were fantastic! Great French Country atmosphere. Their French Onion Soup is very good.
(5)Joe H.
Pros: * The food is good. * The ambiance is nice, true to its French farmhouse appellation. * Wine prices are average. * Service is fairly attentive, until it comes time to present the check. Cons: * Portions are a little on the small side. Which is OK except for the next con: * Prices are high. Plan to spend quite a bit. Clientele is heavily skewed towards the upper range of the age spectrum--lots of grey hair in the dining rooms.
(3)Jogi S.
I went to the Resturant on Passover on Friday and arrived at 9:15. Asked the manger for table for two people. He replied ... Do you have reservations which we don't . He said ..... We are closed I asked him what time do you close and he replied at 9:30. I asked him yelp shows you guys closed at 10:00 and your web site no time. When I discuss the timing he got very upset and rude. He said don't come here if you don't have reservations. He said we decided to close early. I told him big resturant should not change time unless they post if they are going close early. The manager got more upset and got very aggressive. As I was walking out he started using racial remarks and using F words. If you are running class A Resturant should have people with class work there. If you are going there late and not from this country they will insult and discriminated you. Bethesda and Chevy chase has much better restaurant you can go dine and be treated nice. Stay away from this Resturant to teach them lesson.
(1)Lovebird S.
I took my hubby there for Father's Day & the service was perfect!! They checked in enough but let us have our space. The food is good but nothing spectacular. It's a nice dining experience but I wasn't wowed by anything on the menu. I ordered scallops & they were well cooked & delicious but they only gave you 3 with some basic risotto! My husband got the steak & that was delicious but the sides were kind of dry & very bland! We had an amazing chocolate soufflé that finished the meal really nicely! Overall it's good but if you're French don't come here & except French food but well done American food & a pleasant calm atmosphere!
(3)T K.
We've gone there at least three times in the past 3 months. Each time has been outstanding. The filet mignon is superb and cooked to perfection. Scallops and duck appetizers and entree's were delicious. We've gone pretty early in the evening, so the restaurant was empty and service was great.
(5)Madeline w.
We celebrated our daughter's Bat Mitzvah here, and had a party of 36 in the attic room. Everything was amazing. People are still talking about how great the food was. The service was excellent. Prasad was wonderful to work with. The decor was beautiful and the space perfect. I cannot say enough about how perfect the evening was.
(5)Liza A.
OMG.... FIVE STARS TO THEIR SOUFFLE.. ..CUS....SERVER'S SUCKED....we had a fish that had to be fillet and when the plate came to the table is was extremely dirty on the edges....my fish that had a delicious sauce on the bottom was dirty too.....a little under seasoned....duck liver awesome with figs.....but the star of the night souffle and wine!!!! Well la ferme is a bitter sweet restaurant for me....first date long ago with the hubby....but yet food has declined a lot in the past years....nit their souffle it is just as great as always!!!
(3)Andrew B.
Went to La Ferme this past Saturday, 9/21/13 for my father-in-law's 80th birthday and felt compelled to write. La Ferme has well above average food and a waitstaff that is near excellent in both quality of service and attentiveness. We dined with folks aged 80-10 and everyone went away happy. Three persons (including myself) ordered the Filet Mignot Au Poivre and I personally found it to be fantastic and perfectly cooked medium. My 10-year old son also ordered it and asked for it to be a plain piece of meat (only salt and pepper) and cooked medium. They complied perfectly and even put his au poivre sauce on the side in case he wanted to experiment. They also accommodated his request for a salad with just lettuce leaves and nothing else. Again, they put all the salad ingredients on the side for his to pick and choose .... without us asking. My wife's dish (something with snails and risotto) was said to be delicious and my father-in-law also had something that he quite liked. I regret not ordering the Chocolate Souffle. I wasn't sure I'd have the room for it after a big meal, and after discovering I did, went with the Creme' Brulee instead, which was just great. Finally, we really appreciated the waitstaff waiting for my mother-in-law to finish her meal before taking away all the plates. I'm not exaggerating that in the time it takes her to eat 1 bite, most everyone at the table is near the end of their meal. The cons: 1. There is a kinda cheesy piano player taking requests all night. The man is clearly talented, but a little past his prime playing popular standards from the 1970's. It was actually a little embarrassing. The big tip jar on his piano was equally off-putting, but we put in our $10 which seemed to be the obligatory donation for hearing Billy Joel's "Piano Man" (which I really didn't want to hear). 2. The price. Don't get me wrong, the food was really quite good. But not $450 good for 5 people ($90/person). Food - 4 stars Service - 5 stars Ambiance - 3 stars (would be 4 stars without the piano player) Value - 2 stars.
(4)L S.
La Ferme is in a charming building but as for the food, looks can be deceiving. The menu is tired french, uninspired so so preparation. Wife had the salmon which is was really not much of anything - a piece of salmon, not much else, not even much taste. I had a pork chop with a reduction sauce accompanied by some very tired winter veggies - almost reduced to mush. It is hard to kill a pork chop. At least it was not cooked to death. An appetizer salad was - not much - some lettuce with a few dried cranberries and nuts. As for pricing there is something blatantly disconcerting paying $25 - $35 for entrees for truly mediocre food. At $9, the uninspired salad must be a real profit center. In an area where there are so many good choices - La Ferme is not one of them.
(2)JP S.
We were there a couple weeks ago with friends, having been there a few times before we wanted to introduce them to one of our favorite restaurants. I don't know what has happened there. The service was terrible and the food was fair at best. Someone needs to shake the place up a bit. For the amount you spend you should be dazzled by both food and service. They have let me down.
(2)John T.
Great French country atmosphere in a nice farmy looking building. it sets the mood well - an interesting contrast of elegance and informality. Nice pianist playing on a Sunday evening. The food was good, but not spectacular. The souffle at $10.00 strikes me as a must-have item. We got chocolate, but they had Grand Marnier and hazlenut too. My one big negative was the air conditioning. We went on a hot day, and I noticed all the men in the place who wore jackets, including myself, had to take them off. It was sweltering. One lady sat there fanning herself the entire time we were there. If you're going to charge that much for a meal, you have to maintain a great atmosphere... in all respects.... no excuses. This is a personal peeve, but there were so many different people bringing and taking things from my table that it got confusing and distracting. The guy who brought the entres got ours reversed. No big deal, but I really don't like an army of different servers mingling around. I guess that's part of the French fine-dining thing.
(3)Sheldon H.
Took my wife to La Ferme for dinner last night and had a very good meal. The ambience and piano were, as always, lovely. It is a very pleasant room to come into on a cold evening. The food was above average and the service was excellent. My wife had the sweetbreads and I had the pork chop. Both were above average. It is also nice not to have to fight for a parking space. This is a very nice place for dinner and still has a great deal of charm.
(4)AJ H.
I don't know how to say this nicely, so I will do my best to be objective. We had the pumpkin ravioli with scallops appetizer -- the scallops were cooked perfectly, but the ravioli were disappointing. The ravioli had clearly been frozen previously as the ends seemed dried out due to freezer burn and the pasta was very chewy. Toasted pumpkin seeds were a nice touch and it had a tasty butter sauce. As for entrees, the pork chop was ordered medium and came out very well done, with soggy veggies. The mixed seafood in puff pastry was not good with not house-made puff pastry; lobster and other seafood were dry and chewy with a congealed butter sauce. Both were lukewarm but had hot plates, so seemed to have been under heat lamps for some time. The wine was painfully marked up (about 200% from retail). We were largely ignored by waitstaff; service was slow and our unfinished meals sat in front of us for about ten minutes before being boxed after we were done eating. Service seemed to move more quickly for tables around us. All in all a disappointing experience, we will not return. Update: the mixed seafood puff pastry entree seems to have given my girlfriend food poisoning.
(1)Larry C.
I have to give credit where credit is due. We held a celebratory lunch for my mother and uncle: 13 adults, 5 kids. The adults were a combination of middle-aged and elderly. The reviews among our clan were uniformly positive, including the food, ambience, and service. We were well taken care of, both in the planning phase and at the actual lunch. For a large group such as hours, we were given a fixed menu (with individual choices for each of three courses) for a little under $30 per adult -- I thought it was a bargain for the quality of the experience. Would I go back on my own? Maybe not. Would I go there with friends or family with more traditional tastes? In a heartbeat.
(5)Jonathan C.
The service was quite nice but SUPER slow. They even took a long time to run my credit card after the meal...it felt like ten minutes or more. The venison was quite good. The steak (my date's) tasted kind of soapy. I know some people just LOVE this place and have it in their heads that La Ferme can do no wrong. In my critical opinion I think it's a bit lacking for the level they are trying to represent themselves at, and the prices they charge. Overall, a great place to take your older relatives, it's the kind of place old people just love. I went there to make my mom happy and she was happy with the evening. Mission accomplished.
(3)Roy S.
A nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Cant beat a piano player when going to a classy restaurant. However, the steak is fine but you can get a better one at Ray's the Classics in Silver Spring. Now if this place added more fries and maybe a sauce or pepper crust then they would have an excellent meal.
(3)jennifer p.
almond souffle is the best here-tried the chocolate, hazelnut and almond...and almond is definitely the most flavorful and delicious! :) I think the dessert is the best part of the meal. i've been here twice just for the ambiance. they have live piano music which is nice. the pianist takes requests and is always very accommodating! Servers are nice as well...but food is just mediocre. Filet mignon is pretty good...pork shank is tender but is A LOT of meat...NY strip was a little dry for my taste... wouldnt recommend any appetizers..portions are small and they are expensive!
(3)Boss H.
This was good for a First date but La Ferme was La tooooo slow pace for me. However, I told a fib to my date and told her how much I really liked the food but if you had seen the dress that she glued on, them never ending legs and open toe 5" heels, you my friend would have lied about the food too. I ordered a steak that tasted like a Canadian moose with 3 legs that bathed in an onion patch (dont ask, just laugh) and my lite ice came back diet sprite. However, a very nice upscale classic styled restaraunt that I would personally, take my parents to for a sunday brunch....XoXo
(3)Foodie C.
Nice hidden French Restaurant Literally could drive by it if your not looking for it. Very old school. Fills up with snobby uptight clientele .... But hey it's French Food 3 Service 3.5 Cleanliness 4
(3)Stephen B.
Well passed its prime. sloww service, nothings sings on the menu. Whole inside needs a make over from Robert on restuarant impossible. My expensive for the quality. Good for the blue hairs of CC, go over to Bethesda for something interesting.
(2)Anita P.
My father's steak au poivre, which he asked for medium rare, was grey throughout and tough. But our waiter disappeared for at least 15 minutes after delivering the entrees, and so my father ate enough to lose his appetite, and having it replaced was not in question, with the glacial pace of service. The waiter mumbled something about the check when we complained, but the check arrived with full charge ($35) for the steak. As it was my mother's 80th birthday, decided to keep the peace and left a significantly smaller tip than usual. Thoroughly unacceptable. A bad taste that lingers. Redolent of an aging French harlot.
(1)Leon N.
My husband and I came to La Ferme to hold our wedding celebration. We could not have been more pleased with everything Alain and the team at La Ferme did for us. When we first spoke with Alain about making plans, he said it was his job to make sure everything was done perfectly so we had nothing to worry about. He came through BIG TIME. The food and service were tremendous. Many, many guests expressed how impressed they were. The restaurant is a lovely atmosphere for a wedding as is the surrounding neighborhood - making for great photo opportunities. Another note about the food: we were able to create a custom menu featuring as many or as few choices as we wanted. We chose 4 appetizer and 5 entrée options. The efficiency and professionalism of the staff was impressive as was the timing of the kitchen. The true 'icing on the cake' was the wedding cake. We sent Alain a picture of a cake we liked and said 'dark chocolate with marzipan.' That was all he needed to make a spectacular cake. All in all, this was an extremely easy and memorable event.
(5)Gerri C.
Service was awful no one seemed to notice we had been sitting at our table 4 20 minutes. Finally someone took our order & we were served the wrong appetizer. After 1 1/2 hr no main course we called the owner to the table. He was rude and dismissive. He said he didn't care if we left so we did after paying for our appetizers and a glass of wine. We will never go back Thanks for helping us celebrate mothers day
(1)Jim P.
An SF transplant continues his quest for a damned decent restaurant, with high hopes for La Ferme, as it was highly personally recommended. We were told it was "worth the [45+ min] trip". I will now invalidate any future recommendations made by that source. Usually I go on and on, but this place doesn't deserve that. Let's just say: 1) "Risotto" is not Italian for "flavorless, overcooked Minute Rice," despite what La Ferme appears to think. That wasn't even a passable pilaf, ya' punters. 2) Fish should have texture. While a texture, "mushy and bland" is not one that should be served. 3) I have never - ever - had a server take my wine glass away without offering another drink... and this happened _before_my_entree_. WTF? I won't hold it against the place that it draws the Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd (seriously: Sang it at least 4 times), and it was probably my mistake for ordering seafood on any night but Friday or Saturday, but I sure won't be back, nor make any trips based on that particular source of suggestions. Skip. For the money (seriously, a $30 fish entree that *had* to be frozen... probably repeatedly frozen and thawed since Wednesday/Thursday), you can do much, much, MUCH better. Heck, a Filet 'o' Fish would have been better.... at least McD only freezes it once. Let's call it 1.5 stars. Definitely worse than "meh" but arguably better than "EEK". On the upside, no food poisoning and they have their own parking lot (beware, though, the aforementioned Snooty Octogenarian Birthday Crowd ... some scary-ass parking maneuvers in that lot. You may want to use the street, come to think of it), so 2 stars. Barely. The bisque was passable. The quest continues....
(2)Joe G.
What is everyone here talking about???? I can't believe all the positive reviews this place has received. Having heard so many good things about the restaurant, I tried this for Valentine's Day this year. The staff were completely overwhelmed and unable to manage the service. It took them twenty minutes to bring menus to the table and it only continued from there. I would have been ok with waiting a little longer than average if the food had been anywhere close to fresh or authentic French. The Sea bass was probably the worst I've ever had. I could go on but I'll just stop at that. Avoid at all costs!!!
(1)Roger S.
Went here for Restaurant Week, $30 for 3 courses. We had come from work and were in jeans, so outside seating seemed appropiate for the way were dressed. Inside, many people were dressed up a little nicer. Everyone who worked at the restaurant was very friendly, and quite attentive to our needs throughout the meal. The quality of the food was amazing, and I cannot wait to go back. I'm never a dessert person, but they had a chocolate mousse with walnuts which was perfect. Overall great experience, would recommend to anyone. If you're worried about prices - look online at the menu first, they're all there. In my opinion, any price issue one may have is outweighed by the deliciousness of the food.
(5)Kendra L.
Spent Valentine's Day dinner here. Prix fixe menu. I'd been once before and liked it. This time, not very impressed. We were seated upstairs so we didn't get to enjoy the real ambiance and I think we had the B-team for wait staff. Our waitress was not very attentive and hardly spoke to us at all. In fact, I wasn't sure she was familiar with the items on the prix fixe menu - she had to squint at the menu to verify our order. I got the feeling we were on an assembly line - here's the menu, what do you want, here it is. We both ordered the filet and crab cake entree and while it was decent, I've certainly had much better cuts of filet and far better crab cakes at other places in Maryland. The mini-dessert selections were okay but my decaf coffee tasted old and slightly scorched - and no offer on a refill or refresh. Once the mini-desserts were auto-served, its like we were dismissed. Assuming a busy dinner night like Valentine's is not the best time to go - I might be willing to try it once more but not convinced yet. For the price, I've had way better service and food at other restaurants in the DC area.
(2)T S.
I thought this restaurant was delicious and very cute as it is hard to find and quaint inside. My one concern was these little itty bitty fruit flies EVERYWHERE!!!! They were driving me bananas i couldnt even concentrate on the conversation. im not sure if it was the flowers in the center of the table and all around the restaurant. it was very uncomfortable. Food was great from what i remember though! Wine was divine! Service was excellent.
(4)Jono S.
First a short strand of nostril hair on my grilled chicken breast with wild mushroom risotto and then no sugar in the chocolate souffle' after the waiter initially forgot to put in the dessert order. My last two meals (out of five) at La Ferme not only made it feel like I was eating my last meal, it really ended up being my last meals there--unbecoming for an upscale French restaurant.
(3)Wanda Z.
I had enjoyed La Ferme years ago when they were in Downtown Bethesda. I decided to try them again. Loved the French country home charm feel of the place! We were seated promptly. Live piano music and we enjoy dinner! My husband and I ordered the French onion soup. The taste was very good, however it was served lukewarm at best. Maybe because in Paris they serve it piping hot with the cheese still bubbling? Yeah, I expect that every time I order french onion soup. I ordered the Scallops in cauli purée with pumpkin ravioli topped with toasted pumpkin seeds. Very delicious! I highly recommend that dish. Also shared the Grand Marnier soufflé and that hit it out of the part. No doubt dessert is one thing they do well. All in all a nice dining experience. Very French with even a bit of French snoodiness from the waiter, but that is French dining for you and it's part of the experience, I think.
(4)Wm H.
Known by the locals as Chevy Chase Club East, this is a nice place to go for a quiet lunch or dinner. Food is always good, and prices are not out of this world. It indeed is off the beaten path, but a nice little visit to the country.
(4)Nicole H.
We went there last weekend and had a delicious meal outside on the patio. I had the crab and avocado salad to start and then the soft shell crab for my entree. Both were delicious! We will definitely be going back.
(5)Charles R.
Delicious and classy french rustic cuisine! We liked it so much after a few visits, we eventually had our wedding reception here, and it was a wonderful experience! Classy, friendly, high quality food. Highly recommend.
(5)Ben K.
Went for thanksgiving with my family while on a visit home. We were sat by the stairs to the kitchen and the whole table shook. A few people in the party felt motion sick. What was really unfortunate was that the waiter nor the manager cared. Their attitude was simply that they were busy and couldn't do anything to move us or assist. I'd have thought asking wait staff to simply not run up and down the stairs would fix this issue. The food was good though. I can't really recall much of it because my family spent Thanksgiving complaining about feeling sea sick. Well thanks for the $400 family dinner of motion sickness. Next time we'll just go on a cruise. Its a shame the manager nor wait staff cared ... Happy Thanksgiving ..this place was so packed I'm sure they have plenty other reviews to be thankful for.
(2)Séamus C.
Almost 5-stars for food and service! Exceptionally well-prepped/presented Mother's Day prie fixe brunch. No complaints... except for the outrageous $55/meal price tag -- yikes! Additionally, mimosas were priced at nearly $10 PER glass! I fully understand charging per glass for beverages at dinner time, however, I firmly believe that Sunday brunch, particularly at these prices, should be an all-inclusive event. Overall a very pleasant dining experience, however, I can't help feeling a little gouged after looking at the check...!
(3)Leah F.
This has become our Christmas Eve dinner tradition. So delicious and the ambiance is perfect for a winter holiday dinner. Looking forward to doing it again this year.
(5)Alycia E.
I think a true test of a restaurant is its ability to handle groups both large and small. We took about 15 people from work for a holiday dinner and perhaps we taxed the limit of La Ferme's wait staff (basically, there's really no way to recover from a missing order of souffle); however, I cannot fault the quality of the food that did arrive as ordered. My plat of charcuterie, including a nice meaty country pate, was lovingly presented with petite cournichons and toasted bread. My sea bass over risotto was moist and flaky. I abstained from dessert and instead chose a ruby port. Overall, it was a very good meal in a deceptively rural setting. I'll certainly remember it the next time I have out-of-town guests.
(3)Sheila D.
The food was good, the wine list was good, the staff was good. My family and I went here for Thanksgiving dinner and the place was packed. A reviewer on here described the place to a 'T". The reviewer's name in Phillip L., he hit it right on the money :) The people there had there nose stuck up in the air. Don't get me wrong, I've lived in Beverly Hills, so I know how annoying stuck up people can be. Everyone around me was wearing some kind of gaudy fur coat. Lets just say, if I was a member of PETA, I'd probably come back to this restaurant with a couple color spray cans, and have a hay day spraying their fur coats. It was border line, upper class home for the elderly ambiance..lol! However, the fireplace and pianist next to it, was a nice touch. They did run out of high chairs, so my 1 year old daughter was forst to sit on the chair, her view being under the table (poor girl). The food and service was good, the ambiance, on the other hand, I could live without.
(3)Candace K.
We went for Bethesda/Chevy Chase Restaurant Week and normally one has to make allowances for this but not this time. We ended up selecting our meals from the regular menu but our friends chose the RW menu and their food looked great! I got the pork tenderloin medallions with cheese/spinach/sundried tomatoes and it was good. It came with this rissoto that made me believe in God! The hubby got the braised lamb shank and thought it was too fatty for his taste, not the restaurants fault he just haden't had that cut before. The bottle of wine we got was GREAT and we ordered a souffle and we liked it. Service was very attentive and atmosphere was SUPER! A good place to go for good food that isn't downtown! I'm sorry to see the other two reviewers didn't like it. But worth a try in my book, but bring $$$ its expensive!
(5)David M.
Exquisite French dining with live piano music, awesome decoration and wonderful service. Classy restaurant for fine dining.
(5)Sherri H.
Had a lovely meal there this evening. Relaxing atmosphere, gracious service, delicious food. Very enjoyable.
(5)MaJ C.
For Years and Years, I have heard this was the place to go. So we reserved a table for two, and at a decent hour, to have good, attentive service, as well as general talkative atmosphere. Service: Look, the waiter was good, yet too busy to be good. and he did not really listen. Reminiscent of some of the places we will not go back to in Paris. The back waiter was awesome! what kind of grind on the pepper, he asks, as well as just being very nice, attentive and caring. The Food: Salted to death , I thought the entire ensemble, from appetizers to entrees, was made from Bacalao. I mean, the amount of Salt was so, that the chef actually disrespected the life of the fish I ate. Very, very sad. For the price: 2 people, 1/2 btl nice wine 1 full bottle decent wine. 2 appetizers, 2 entrees. ( we only eat fish by the way ) 200$.. A real shame, as this is one of those 'Fairy Tales I had always wanted to experience. After years of build up, a colossal let down.. :(
(1)Joselito E.
I was invited for a dinner and I was surprised to listen to a very good piano player. I enjoyed my sea bass with my clam chowder soup. We ordered another wine to hear more music to end our wonderful night.
(4)John D.
You're going for the atmosphere. La Ferme anchors one end of a tiny, incongruous commercial strip on Brookville Road in residential Chevy Chase. There is no traffic, there are no crowds, and parking is easy. Indeed if you squint on your way in, you can almost make yourself believe that you're out in the country at some remote farmhouse inn (in fact not far off La Ferme's actual heritage). Anyhow, it's very sweet. Rustic decor, a live piano player - it's a nice, low-key place to enjoy a meal. I like it. The food is, to be candid, nothing special. More precisely, it's fine but it's not quite up to the look and feel of the place. I've never had a bad meal at La Ferme but I've never had a memorable one either. So for a nice evening, just rachet down your culinary expectations by one star, order something that's not too ambitious, and enjoy your cocktail(s). The piano player takes requests -- with a 10-spot in his tip jar, maybe he'd agree *not* to play "Happy Birthday" for an hour!
(3)Hillary D.
I went to La Ferme last Monday and I really enjoyed the atmosphere and food. The atmosphere was cozy and romantic. I imagine during the more pleasant months the outdoor seating is a great way to spend a meal. I ordered the wild mushroom ravioli, Vol au Vent de Fruits de Mer, and the chocolate souffle. All of it was fantastic. One thing to note when you go is that the portions are generous compared to other fine dining restaurants. I could have done without my ravioli and would have been plenty full. The Vol au Vent wasn't as full of flavor as I would have hoped but it was still very good. The service was also fantastic. We had a large group and they handled it without missing a step.
(4)D K.
My boyfriend and I went to La Ferme for restaurant week, and 3 courses for $30 was a good deal, including the service. If this review is simply based on food, then I'd have to dial down my rating to a 3, but the service tacks on a star. It's a bit unsettling, when you arrive at La Ferme because it looks like someone's house, which I think it probably was. As soon as we walked in, the first thing I noticed was the live piano player in the corner. Nice touch. The second thing I noticed was the number of elderly Caucasian diners. My boyfriend and I stuck out like a sore thumb. The food came out very quickly, and there was little downtime in between courses. However, when it was time for dessert, I think they forgot about us because not only did it take 3 times as long to get our desserts, but they also messed up our orders. To make up for it though, we got a free dessert, and the service was so good beforehand, that I couldn't hold it against them. Service is stellar, and the food is nothing to complain about. I'd have no problem returning to La Ferme, and it was a good choice for Restaurant Week. Food: (1) Crab Mousseline - VERY good. Texture was very pleasant, but it does get old half-way through. (2) Calamari - Not fried, but fresh. Refreshing, but I wouldn't order it again. (3) Seafood Risotto - Average. (4) Pork Chop - Mmm. I love meat. I haven't had pork chop in awhile, so it was tasty to me. I usually like my pork chop with fruit chutney, but the way they served was fine. The dish had seasoned carrots and green beans with some potato au gratin that went very well with the pork chop. (5) Bread Pudding - The best dish we ordered. HOT bread pudding with ice cream. Delicious. (6) Grand Marnier Frozen Souffle - Confusing because it was more like a cold creme brulee. It was just okay. (7) Complimentary Chocolate Mousse - I'm not a fan of mousse, but the streusel on top was delicious. I ate every crumb.
(4)Celeste M.
I visited my family in Maryland last month and I was stoked to find out that we were going to have a big family dinner at La Ferme Friday night. Each of us arrived... car by car, some in vans -- a total of 40 relatives (cousins, aunts, uncles, cousin's cousin, etc.). The place was packed, we headed towards the back of the restaurant up the stairs where our whole party was seated. I was starving. Started with warm bread and butter and before I even can finish my roll, the salad arrived -- mixed baby greens with tomato and mushrooms in a light vinaigrette dressing. For the main course, it was a free-range chicken breast -- braised and was served with morel sauce, wild rice and steamed vegetables. A very tasty dinner indeed and I gobbled it all up in no time. The dessert was okay, nothing special. I had the chocolate mousse cake, big portion, but way too sweet for my taste. Atmosphere is nice, felt like "home." Service wasn't bad, they could have been more attentive, but we were a big group so it made it difficult for the waiters to check up on every single one of us.
(3)Pam W.
Just had Thanksgiving dinner here. Once we got past the huge traffic jam at the entrance and waited 20 minutes to be seated for our 5 pm reservation, we had a wonderful meal. Sat upstairs in the Attic Room along the banquette which was very nice. Staff was amazing given the volume of diners. All very professional under tough circumstances. The prix fixe menu moved things along nicely. We got our appetizers quickly along with our bottle of wine. My husband had a wonderful salad with beets, walnuts, endive, and spinach dressed with roquefort dressing....lovely. I had a tasty Roulade of smoked salmon with cucumber salad, horseradish sauce and toasted pumpernickel. After a nice pause between courses, we had the traditional turkey dinner for my husband and I had the scallops served with pumpkin ravioli and sage and smashed potatoes with brussels sprouts. Great presentation and delicious execution. Ken had an apple cinnamon creme brulee which was wonderful and I had traditional chocolate mousse made special with macadamia brittle. Wonderful evening.
(4)Mark M.
Nice environment, good food, but a little dated (sort of like a French Mrs. K's Tollhouse). Nice for special occasions.
(3)Michael M.
Went for brunch, and was very pleased. For a reasonable price you get a great selection from a prix fixe menu. They do almost all the little things right here, warm bread basket with a variety of breads,great drinks, great services and atmosphere.....but the ceiling fans are horrendously dusty... doesn't really take away from the experience, but things like that just shouldn't happen at a $20+ dollar brunch.
(4)Shieva R.
Went for restaurant week, not impressed. Let me start off by saying why on earth does everyone with a birthday want to celebrate it here??? Anyway, I ioved the location, out of the way, something unexpected. I loved the piano playing and private balconies, but the food I did not love. Our waiter was not very attentive in fact no one was until one of the busboys noticed that my friend and I were under fifty and not too shabby, after that he was unfortunately, very attentive. The food was also as disappointing. I expected more from entrees that were nearly $30. My friends pork was chewy and tough and my halibut came with a cold ratatouille that was so overwhelmed with sage it was inedible. I wasn't blown away with the appetizers or dessert either. The french onion soup wasn't even good here! I've had much better food an service at other french restaurants around town; I can assure you I won't be back.
(2)D D.
Below is a copy of a lette sent to La Ferme: BTW their wines are way overpriced. I wanted to point out my outrage at wanting to purchase a gift certificate from your restaurant over the phone. The nerve for your restaurant to charge $5.00 for a .44 cent stamp. Way to lose customers! I live in Florida and my family lives in Maryland and this is one of thier favorite restaurants. We had planned to dine there on our next visit but with so many choices and this poor treatment (there was no apology nor attempt to save the sale by anyone when we chose to cancel the gc), we will be choosing somewhere, anywhere else. Apparently you don't need the money, or the customers, or the repeat business.
(1)Tim R.
This was my second time here. First time was a year ago for a lunch. I like it. Mushroom risoto. Scallops. Lamb. Souffle. They made pasta for the kids that they both really enjoyed. Food was good, service was good, decor is good.
(4)christine c.
It's Bethesda restaurant week so time to try out places you normally might not have any special reason to go to. So La Ferme it was for this weekday evening. The restaurant's located in a quiet residential neighborhood in Chevy Chase which has the feel of a small village. Inside, the main dining room is attractive, large and spacious with high A-frame ceilings, brightly lit and lavishly decorated in the style of a classic French farmhouse. White table clothes, flowers everywhere, 50s background music (live piano at 6:30 pm), it's like a throw back in time. We were there between 6-8 pm, so dining room's mostly empty, and there was a disproportionately large number of somewhat strangely but well dressed little old ladies (one wore a large white fur hat throughout dinner) in their 80s (90s?) having a nice quiet evening out with what must be their middle aged children. Not sure if the demographic would be different on different days and times. We felt a bit underdressed, as all the men seemed to be wearing jacket and tie. But despite being a fancy restaurant, the atmosphere's still sufficiently casual we didn't feel too out of place despite not following the dress code. Anyway, we ordered off the restaurant week menu: chilled asparagus salad, French onion soup, salmon and tilapia, and for dessert, apple tart and eclaire with grand marnier. Food was fine, in a good old fashioned way - no strange or unusual flavors or artsy presentations - well prepared and tasty in fair sized portions. Service was not overly warm or exuberant but low key and efficient. Trendy this is not, although an adequate place to go for a quiet or romantic evening out (but maybe not for first dates), and given the low noise level and pleasant setting, a perfect place for taking older family members and relatives.
(3)Paul M.
La Ferme is a bit of a secret. It's in an out-of-the-way-spot, it's been there a long time. It has its fans ( including Warren Buffet I might add), but it is probably unknown to a lot of people. And quite frankly I suspect a lot of its regulars would prefer that it stays that way - I promise you few of them will add reviews here. It's good because: 1. History. James Madison and Dolly fled down this street to Brookville in 1812 when the Brits burned the Whitehouse. ( Bloody Brits). George Washington had a drink at the inn that was on site back in the day, FDR held a fund raiser here in the 30s ( they have the pictures to prove that one). 2. The food. It's French, it's upscale it's authentic - it's a little old-school . Exactly the sort of old school you would find in a Parisian Brasserie today. 3. The crowd. This is genuine bona fide camp authenticity at its finest. The Blue Rinse mob are there in force. All the Chevy Chase retirees love the place. The high school kids on a special date. The middle aged couple celebrating their anniversary on one of the Juliet balconies overlooking the main room. A holier-than-thou trendy couple hiding in the corner enjoying it, drinking it all in, and thinking they are slightly better than anyone else ( yip - that would be us - apologies). I say all this with reverence and love. The food and drink and service are all marvellous and it is definitely worth the time and money for you urban types to get out ( a whole mile outside the DC line ) to the Burbs to enjoy a dining experience like no other this city can offer. The only thing I don't like is that there is no bar - there should be a law against a restaurant not having a bar.
(4)Phillip L.
I agree with some of the other reviews made here. Service was excellent, food was top-notch and the ambiance was sublime. The wine list is very impressive, as was the dessert menu (always the hallmark of a keeper in my book). La Ferme would get much higher marks if it weren't for the excessively clubby feel. And I can do clubby, but really people? It just wasn't THAT good. In my book, pretension does not equal five stars, excellence in balance equals five stars. The clientelle are a bit chilly, like caricatures of old WASP ladies in Gwen Stefani and Eve's "Blow Your Mind" video or aged manifestations of Joan Crawford in "Mommy Dearest" -- except way, way more vanilla. We made the mistake of wearing polo shirts and seersucker (gasp!) shorts. A couple walking out of the restaurant said "how cute, even the help gets to eat tonight." How rude, actually. I guess our Prada sunglasses were too "racy" for this staid crew. Bottom line here is that as long as you wear loafers, something tweed, and accessories from Tiffany or Van Cleef and Arpels you'll love it. If you don't, well, don't get mixed up with the help.
(3)Eleanor B.
One of my favorites for quality and service.
(5)Sally C.
Food - 4 stars Service - 3 stars When we pulled up, the parking lot was crowded and we spotted two Bentleys and an Aston Martin. Yikes. Lovely atmosphere inside. I don't know why there were so many cars parked outside - there were only a few full tables inside. Service was average. Better at the beginning of the meal but by the end he didn't talk much. One of the waitstaff took my husband's plate just as he was putting the last morsel of food in his mouth. Geez! I had the lamb shank - YUM! I could have lived without the couscous though. Husband ordered the venison with sweet potato puree and string beans. His was yummy too.
(3)