Ebbitt Room — Restaurant in Cape May

This restaurant was recommended to my fiancée- and, by extension, myself- by a coworker of hers who has repeatedly vacationed in Cape May with his family and his wife's. He urged us to try this restaurant and, as it seemed to be a high-quality restaurant, we made a reservation for dinner last Wednesday evening.

Words cannot describe the quality of service and fare at The Ebbitt Room. Even "exemplary" and "exceptional" seem woefully insufficient.

Even from the outside, this restaurant appealed to me as a lover of history. (It is situated in the Virginia Hotel in downtown Cape May, an area known for stunning Victorian architecture.) The interior was equally stunning. The sitting room was vibrant, yet still welcoming, and the dining space, despite being slightly packed in regards to table spacing, was exquisitely designed and decorated.

The food continued our amazement and sincere appreciation of this restaurant.

For our appetizer, we chose a seasonal favorite: the Beach Plum Farm Deviled Eggs. The fact that there were three eggs per portion was not a bother to me, even before I tasted them. The presentation alone provided the dish with an aura of excellent taste and high quality.

And, soon after, it was time for dinner.

My fiancée selected the Twelve-Ounce Prime New York Strip steak. Every morsel was succulent and moist, perfectly cooked, and impeccably seasoned. The accompanying sides- a portion each of sprouting cauliflower and roasted potatoes- each added exquisite flavor after exquisite flavor to the meal as a whole.

As I enjoy seafood far more than my fiancée, I was ambitious and ordered the Cape May Scallops, which promises six ounces of scallops, resting atop a summer corn risotto containing bacon and peas.

Those who know food well, as well as those who have seen "Hell's Kitchen", will be extremely aware that scallops are difficult to cook, and that risotto must be carefully balanced in order to not be bland or overcooked. (That is, if Chef Gordon Ramsay's expletive-laden tirades against those who err in the cooking of either or both foods is to be believed.)

I wholeheartedly assure you that The Ebbitt Room's chefs are far from amateurs, in terms of scallop and risotto preparation skills.

Each scallop was perfectly seared, consistently cooked, and had a consistent, proper internal color. They were, by far, better than any scallops I had previously eaten. While a small number of these were well-cooked (albeit not to this institution's high quality), many fell to the opposite extremes of being rubbery (undercooked) or chewy (overcooked), with an improper searing occurring in both aberrant directions.

The risotto, true to form, was bursting with flavor. It, much like the scallops, was also perfectly cooked. The subtle flavoring of the bacon, as well as the peas' flavor, mixed perfectly with the risotto itself, forming a divine combination of flavors.

I strongly believe that every component of my meal- and even my fiancée's- would have made even Gordon Ramsay weep ten times over, even amid his highest point of consternation at chefs who prepared meat, risotto, or seafood poorly.

I highly anticipate my next visit to Cape May, and certainly intend to make another reservation at The Ebbitt Room well in advance. If you are looking for an establishment that perfectly mixes incredible food, stunning service, and excellent ambiance, I urge you to look no further than The Ebbitt Room- I assure you that you will...

They decided to give me food poisoning by covering my dinner in castor oil. I paid over $200 for two people to be purposely poisoned on Christmas. I never write reviews. This review is because this event continues to haunt me and intrude my mind. There is never a good excuse to hurt someone and all because I simply asked the man who was our server what was floating in my drink. I’m a young, soft spoken woman who never had mulled wine before and simply wondered if the small, fibrous mass was not supposed to be there. It was my second and the drink seemed clear the first time, although both glasses were incredibly sticky to the touch all around the outside of the glass, it a part of the reason I wondered if the mass was from a dirty glass. The waiter took the glass and came back with the same one (added a few fresh cranberries) to inform me it’s customary for mulled wine. My partner and I embarrassingly thanked him and explained how we didn’t know as we accepted the wine back. When dinner arrived, my fish was visibly covered in a dark colored oil. I assumed it was olive oil. The dish did not taste good, The oil had a bad taste but I did not was to speak up again. Just be a thankful, gracious woman who traveled two hours just to try and have a peaceful holiday. I wanted to cultivate a semblance of a good Christmas when my family life was in shambles, all to have a waiter looking at my dish ever time he passed. Being a server myself I know to check on tables and pacing. But to have the lack of customer service know how to not only realize the glass your giving me is sticky everywhere, to pouring castor oil on my food as I later found out is despicable. After dessert and paying, my partner & I went into the next room to sit by the fireplace. We felt very unwelcome as the waitress over there took our candle from the small table in front of us and blew it out! Were they all aware and trying to get us to leave before I start vomiting? Why would they do such a horrible thing on a holiday all about good will toward men? Was it because I was a white woman with a black man? We received a lot of looks on our way out, & it’s not like we were underdressed either. Very elegant and hoping to enjoy our first time at the Ebbitt Room. While it was clearly a busy holiday for this restaurant, our holiday suffered because the staff decided to make us feel outcast and even inflicted trauma on me and a trip to the ER for Christmas....

UPDATE: 09-27-2024

A quick update on our week at the Virginia. Everything has been wonderful; except for the weather! We have mentioned that the highlight of our stay at the Virginia is Kenny the piano player in the Ebbitt room. However, on our last night the piano seemed a little off. Sort of “tinny” and not natural. That full sound we were used to was missing. We told Kenny that maybe the instrument needed a good tuning. Much to our surprise, Kenny told us the piano was brand new? Unfortunately, the old real piano was replaced with a new-fangled electric version! My opinion and a $100 will get you a small bag of groceries these days. However, I think a classy upscale room such as the Ebbitt and a super talented artist such as Kenny deserves a real piano.

It is hard to believe another year has gone by and here we are in September 2024 at The Virginia Resort in Cape May once again. This establishment never fails to impress us. From check in to check out, the staff is off the charts super friendly and helpful. We love eating breakfast and drinking, what should be, world famous Bloody Mary’s in the morning. These were delivered by a delightful young lady, Jenna! She went above and beyond getting us a second sunny side up egg after we misread the menu! We ate dinner at The Ebbitt room bar last evening. The food was outstanding and the drinks were perfectly mixed. Leo, our bartender remembered us from previous trips and greeted us as if we were old friends.

The highlight of The Virginia is Kenny, the piano player in The Ebbitt Room bar area. We actually plan much of our trip around his schedule. A night cap and a couple of tunes before bed with him is mandatory! This man is amazing! There does not seem to be a song he cannot play. From the soundtrack of Phantom to Luke Bryan and beyond! Whether you are staying at The Virginia or not, Kenny is a must see attraction...