"Each plate at The Dabney is a reimagining of a regional folk dish, like oyster pie, or a modern elevation of a local ingredient, like hen of the woods mushrooms. And while you can try those things in the eight-course, $235 tasting menu, our favorite way to do a meal here is a la carte. That’s only offered in the bar area, but you’re not missing out—The Dabney’s bar has a great rustic-meets-industrial vibe and a more informal service that matches the Mid-Atlantic comfort food on the menu. While it’s a little more limited, you’ll still experience the open-hearth cooking the restaurant is known for in dishes like grilled carrots served with ricotta, or a locally-sourced steak. And the staff will still give you the backstory on the ingredients for each dish, like the oysters, which are farmed by a former employee who moved to Chincoteague Island. photo credit: Nina Palazzolo photo credit: Nina Palazzolo photo credit: Nina Palazzolo photo credit: Nina Palazzolo photo credit: Nina Palazzolo If you do spring for the tasting, you’ll get an array of small plates that are all delicious and interesting, if not as mind-blowing as the price tag might suggest. For instance, a wafer-thin sweet potato crisp stuffed with whipped lemon and raspberry jam was a fun play on a Pirouette cookie. Similarly, the mini Maryland blue crab cake was served with black truffles in a sherry-forward bisque and tasted like a decadent version of cream of crab soup. If you do want multi-courses but don’t want all eight of them, smaller prix fixe options are available at the bar and on the patio. Food Rundown The Dabney offers a an eight-course tasting menu in the dining room, a three-course prix fixe in the bar area, and a four-course prix fixe on the patio, as well as a la carte in the bar area. All of the menus change frequently, but here’s an idea of what you’ll find. Metompkin Bay Oyster Pie This is The Dabney at its best: a somewhat-forgotten Mid-Atlantic staple brought back into the mainstream and improved upon with a rich beurre blanc and a dollop of caviar. Grilled Autumn Olive Farms Pork Loin This fatty pork loin cooked over a wood fire and served with a smoky jus, radicchio salad, and stuffed squash was our favorite part of the tasting menu during our last visit. Considering the price, we wish the meal included a couple more proteins like this. Quaker Valley Quince Sorbet This sorbet is citrusy, tart, crisp, and reminds us of a fancy Italian ice. Dabnog At least in the winter, no one should end a meal at The Dabney without trying the eggnog. With bourbon, rye, rum, and Madeira, this drink is serious business." - Tess Shiras
