Kōle Chophouse — Restaurant in Lititz

So I came away with very mixed feelings after visiting Blackworth for the first time. My husband and I had reservations with another couple...friends who we get together with annually for dinner. Walking into the Blackworth is impressive. They have created a beautiful, inviting space out of this historic factory building. We were also greeted warmly by the hostesses and taken immediately to our table.

It does appear there are several different types of seating options. There are high top tables facing the grill area. And on the other side of that is a long banquette with smaller tables lining it. Our seating was in an area with regular standalone tables, for which I was grateful. I'm not particularly a fan of high tops or banquette seating where you have other people seated right next to you. But our table area was comfortable and was private enough for us enjoy conversation with our friends.

Our server greeted us shortly after we were seated. And when we asked for water while we were deciding on our other drinks, he brought us a glass bottle of water so that we could refresh our own waters as needed. (And he brought us a second bottle of water when our first had run out). Our server was fairly matter of fact, not particularly chatty....but he was attentive and timely throughout the evening.

We decided on sharing a bottle of red wine. And we also order the seafood tower as an appetizer. The tower was a lovely presentation... although it didn't take long for the 4 of us to finish the 6 oysters and 6 shrimp.

Here is where our visit took a slightly downward turn. We understood before going that the Blackworth is fairly pricey. I had also read some reviews online so I knew what to expect as far as the menu. None of the meals come with sides. Everything is ala carte.

I had originally been considering the Boeuf Bourguignon. It's a dish I make fairly often at home and I was curious what it would be like at a nice restaurant. And, it was one of the more affordable meals on the menu. But as the rest of the group started looking at some of the steaks for their meals, I thought maybe I'd splurge as well and try something that the Blackworth is known for.

Our friends each ordered the filet mignon ($55). My husband ordered the ribeye($58) and I ordered the top sirloin ($48). In addition we ordered the LG fries, broccolini, and mushrooms to share. I mention the prices because. A.They are a splurge for us. And B.At those prices my expectation is something pretty phenomenal and memorable.

The description for the top sirloin is 16 oz. sliced thin, browned butter, rosemary. I guess I was expecting a plate with the sliced steak and browned butter and rosemary drizzled over top. And I was surprised when our server didn't ask how I'd like it prepared. I normally like medium rare. That should have clued me in. Instead it came out sizzling on a cast iron plate....which means that the meat continued to cook and much of it was brown through and curling by the time I got to it. Also, I thought it was sitting in oil. But apparently that was the browned butter. Nothing about my meal suggested browned butter had been used with it. Overall it lacked much flavor at all. And I kept wishing there was salt at the table.

My husband was also disappointed with his steak and also said that it lacked much flavor. In fact he thought mine had more flavor than his. Our friends said their filets were ok, but nothing jaw dropping.

And I guess that's what I was expecting for the amount of money we were spending....I wanted jaw dropping.

I will say that our sides were delicious. I especially enjoyed the fries and the mushrooms.

I was torn between giving 3 or 4 stars as my overall rating. The service and the atmosphere are wonderful. But I wasn't impressed with the food (for the price) at all. Ultimately I gave and overall 4 stars. But I don't know that we'll be going back anytime soon. And, if we do, we'll probably steer away from the steaks and try something else...

I wanted to share with the owners and Anyone who wants to visit this restaurant about our experience with Jessamine (trust me, if you’re walking in the door or making reservations, Ask for Jessamine’s section, you’ll be glad you did, Her value As a server is Priceless and This establishment as well as any guest’s table she ever visits is Lucky to Have Her, I know we were, and we’ll ask for Her every single time!!!!) I have to admit, We’re shocked this is still owned by the same owners, in fact, we only came today because we thought it wasn’t, we were there once, tried basically Two appetizers, two dinners, and two desserts and every single thing was irredeemably bad about six years ago, Today was the exact opposite…..it couldn’t have been better!!!! The best, most memorable and worthwhile part of all was Our server, its funny to think how one goes out for food, ambiance, service, a combination of many things, But Jessamine’s performance today for our table was far above and beyond anything anywhere or anyone Has ever made for us in Lititz, If I were the business owners I would do every single thing I could to keep, foster, promote, incentivize, and applaud Jessamine for such an outstanding experience for our guests, and we’re only one table you’re lucky enough to Hear from, I have no doubt in my mind every single table she’s ever had she’s given Her equal best to, and Wow? Just wow, is every one of them Very Lucky to have Had Her because you don’t typically come across such Honest, Helpful, Kind, attentive and Genuinely Good Natured Servers around, being “new” we had no idea about the menu, options, possible substitutions, And Her recommendations for every one of us was spot on, she knew the menu inside and out front and back and was the biggest fan of the establishment, You almost never find someone who is so much of a team player for both, the establishment as much as she is the guests, I just can’t even begin to tell you how I hope you applaud Her and Promote Her any way you can, and I’m someone who has owned award winning Restaurants and am a very well known food blogger and my spouse is also top of their game in the medical field, we’ve owned several businesses and I can tell you the lunch was very, very good (I would keep those “House Chips” as a staple and signature menu item) and Jessamine I would give every opportunity for advancement, raise, promotion, shift, section or amount of good things she wanted or could possibly earn there because she’ll do nothing but impress and not just meet but far exceed any expectations on behalf of the business and the guests, she did for us and we hope you’ll thank Her Handsomely for such a job well done!!!!

-Today’s Table...

I was with a group of 7 women and we were all eating at Blackworth's for the first time. Our experience was a mix of good and bad. First the bad....I ordered a special cocktail at the bar when I arrived and although it was delicious, the cost of mixed drinks are comparable to NYC prices at $12 and $13. My glass was only filled less than halfway and when my friends arrived and ordered similar mixed drinks, their glasses were filled to the top. For the price, drinks should be generous and consistent! I saw a special cocktail on the website before I arrived and asked for it, but was told they no longer had available. We were seated at a long table opposite the kitchen and the heat coming from the kitchen was unbearable. We were all sweating and uncomfortably hot throughout our entire meal. This is definitely something that needs to be addressed! I ordered the flat iron steak medium rare and although it was delicious, it was cooked VERY rare. (I ate it anyway) Even my friends commented about how rare it was and I was surprised that the kitchen thought it was acceptable to send it out. For the price, everyone felt that their meals were good, but not great. The wait time for our food was long....our reservation was at 6:30pm and we did not leave until 9:30pm. We ordered shortly after we sat down, and we did have appetizers and dessert, and although the company and conversation was great, 3 hours is a long time for dinner! The good....the service was wonderful and our waitress was friendly and attentive. The bar staff was also friendly and apologized for not having the drink that is listed on the website. The atmosphere was nice, (aside from it being WAY too hot) but the lights over our table could have been dimmed to match the lighting in the dining area. (we were at the long table by the kitchen) The food was good....especially the pork belly and octopus appetizer, along with chocolate creme brulee, and although our entrees were good, they were not exceptional. We all agreed that for the price, everything should be cooked perfectly and above and beyond what you can get at any good restaurant in downtown Lancaster. I know it takes a while to work out the kinks of a new restaurant and I hope Blackworth's can do just that because it's nice having another dining option in Lititz. I just hope they haven't over-priced themselves for the area and when the novelty of a new restaurant wears off, they find themselves not nearly as busy as the beloved...