The Orangery — Restaurant in Downingtown

Wow... was expecting something great, was sorely disappointed. Where to begin. The atmosphere was nice pulling into the driveway, not far from the commuter train. There were ruins of old foundations from buildings of days past that were interesting. That was the last interesting thing we encountered. The prefix menu included an appetizer, of some sort of cold frittata that was just a weird cold egg dish with an equally cold sage “flat bread” with raw sage leaves. We had an “add on” that was something akin to a piece of toast, cold of course, with some warm, salty, marinara on top with prosciutto mixed in. Then onto the main dishes! Off the shelf penne pasta with mushrooms that had been chopped into oblivion and not cleaned (they were gritty) in seemingly store bought alfredo. It was at this point in the meal, my wife went to the restroom, although it was nicely decorated, it was not clean, in every nook and cranny there were cobwebs. Not what you would expect when a place has just reopening after a six month shutdown. The next part of the main course was supposed to be chicken scallopini, but they served chicken piccata (it had capers in a “lemon butter sauce”). It was poorly cooked chicken tenders in a virtually tasteless sauce. This was juxtaposed with cold asparagus and arugula. The desert was a heavy pound cake, that was as dense as polenta and out of season strawberries (and canned whipped topping). Oh, there was a super rich chocolate truffle that came with this. Sadly, we were never asked for feedback nor offered coffee or tea with desert. I really felt like I was being served someone’s final dish’s in a home economics class review. We waited a month for our reservation, only to be sorely disappointed. To charge $50 a person should be criminal, save your hard earned money. We couldn’t wait to leave, even considered exiting before the final course. However, we couldn’t exit fast enough, the table next to us left in a puff of smoke. This place is clearly a pet project,...

Labor of love. That is what this place is. Every time I have been here there have been additions to the menu because she is trying something new. Bring your favorite wine and enjoy her passion to create, experiment and try new things. Be welcomed into a home where you can relax to a home cooked meal and not have to worry about time since there is only one sitting each night they are open. Use it as a place to gather with friends and family to share a love of food and...

I would give many more stars,.. My wife and I went there for our 20th anniversary. There was a Jazz Band that night, the ambiance was absolutely perfect. The food was prepared and served to perfection. Those sage infused butter crostinis were out of this world. We had an amazing night and we will...