Off the Grid — Restaurant in Luray

Keeping in mind that 1=hate it, 5=love it, 3=it's ok. If I could give 1/2, I'd be @ 2.5. This was our 1st time. We arrived hour before closing on a Saturday, beginning of June. For 2 meals, 2 mixed drinks + 20% tip came to about $65. It's counter svc style, you walk in, grab your menu, order at the counter, seat yourself. We sat for a sec to review the menu while we were doing so, (PRO)the staff walked thru carrying fresh eggs they literally got from the hens onsite so some items are SUPER fresh, which was neat. I saw they had coffee so tried to see if they could make a specialty mixed cocktail, which they said they couldn't bcz they didn't have all the ingredients, so we got 2 of their specialty drinks off the menu. (PRO)Cashier was super friendly, gave us a wood block to have @ our table so they could identify what order goes where & we went outside to sit by the river. There were bugs everywhere but you're outside next to a bubbling river & farm animals so it's neither pro nor con, just an observation if you are bug averse. The cashier/server came out & said something we already paid for(CON, remember counter svc style) was actually out of stock & they could make us something else. I said I'd just have a coffee since none of the other drink menu items was something I wanted (CON)so I essentially paid $10-$12 dollars for 1 mixed drink to get turned into a mug of OK coffee. Didn't refund the difference (cause how could she) so we figured we'd just work something out as we left, I.E. another cup of coffee in our to-go mugs or the $ difference in a bottle soda, etc). We got our food. 1 item had beans in it, I think they were made from dried i/o canned (yay!) but a few beans had the texture of being slightly undercooked (boo!) so that would have been stellar if it was cooked thru. Sausage was really good, vegetarian chorizo, really good, eggs again, super fresh, (PRO)both styles (scrambled & over easy) perfectly cooked & seasoned, (CON)the crispy crunches that came w/huevos weren't super crisp & the taco shell bowl the beans came in was sort of flaccid as well so it's just gave a weird texture. Ordered a salad as a side w/1 of the dishes: it's SO nice to see fresh vegetables (& they had fruit) as an option for breakfast sides but (CON)the raspberry vinaigrette was lacking in something. No salt on the outdoor tables (bcz that would probably be terrible for the bugs & moisture) every thing else was just sort of ok. We bussed our own tables bcz that's what this place is, cafeteria/counter service style & they did have places for where to put your recyclable bottles/cans, dirty dishes, bucket for you to put your used silverware, then a place to dump everything else. No section to compost your food scraps or a place for you to put your wheatgrass straws, paper napkins, etc. We went to the counter to try to get some of our $ back for the mixed drink turned coffee thing & bring back our wood block, there was 1 person in line in front of us so we waited & the cashier that helped us was occupied, there was the staff member who brought in the farm fresh eggs also running food! & a lady who was helping the person in front of us. She finished w/the person & walked away, no eye contact, no how was everything, nothing, so we put our little number wood block on the counter & left, slightly disappointed. We didn't feel like this place, for the amount of "work" we did, & the quality of food/service/value we got on this single trip was worth it. We did see they had specialty chefs & maybe we got them on a bad "end of day" so it's near enough & we may try them again & will update our review if we feel things have changed. We did stop at a few little stands/shops in town & they asked how we were & when we said we had just left OTG they sort of cringed & said "how'd you like that..." so I'm not sure this place has the best rep w/the locals but I do know that environmentally aware, farm to table is a desirable niche. Edit: JUST LOOKED AT TEXT RECIEPT & they fixed it digitally. SO THAT'S A PRO!!! 3*s is fine...

We found this gorgeous little spot after hiking White Oak Canyon.

Location: so picturesque, picnic tables by a babbling brook (no indoor seating currently, but the bathrooms are available to use), and they have individual seat heaters they will bring out for you after you pick your seats! In the middle of November, with the sun shining and our seat heaters on, it was lovely. Options are limited out that way, and finding this was such a joy.

Food: they offer an impressive (mid-range prices) selection featuring a variety of sandwiches, but also including more unique fare like cauliflower pizza and panang curry (which is what I chose). Their drink menu was varied, and included a variety of teas (which was nice for me, since I don’t drink coffee), I got the English breakfast and they brought out a generous (16 or 18 oz) mug, with loose leaf tea, including a straining basket and a topper for steeping, local fresh honey and milk (by request). I typically won’t try Thai food if it’s not from a Thai restaurant, but it seemed like a nice option for a chilly day, so I went for it. My friend got the cauliflower pizza. Neither of us were disappointed. I loved the variety of veggies (carrots, squash, snap peas, eggplant, etc) in the curry, in addition to the fresh pulled chicken, and the roasted peanuts gave it a warm smoky flair.

All in all, it was lovely. I hope they figure out a warmer seating option for the winter months, because I’d love to go back. But if I had to, I’d order and eat in my car. Can’t wait to explore the rest...

My group stopped in while en route back to Northern VA from Shenandoah. I actually liked this place. The food was good. The house made bagel was phenomenal. The pancakes were great. The shrimp bahn mi was good, it just lacked flavor. Overall, my group was pleased with the food. It was fresh. I like that it was locally sourced. The restaurant was quaint and charming.

The one star is really to bring attention to an incident that occurred when dining in. The water is self serve. There was a cup of bamboo straws next to the water dispenser. I got a cup of water for my partner. When she drank from the straw an earwig that was about an inch long dislodged into her mouth. She spit it out and was literally shaking from the shock of almost having swallowed it. I brought it to the staffs attention. The servers seemed concerned but the manager was rather dismissive saying “oh, she found a little bug in her water.” It was far from little. I wasn’t expecting anything out of the exchange. The food was paid for. There was just an overall lack of empathy. I told her she may want to check the water and definitely check/maybe dispose of the straws, as usually earwigs gravitate towards moisture and there may be more. The issue went unresolved. We were there close to an hour. When we left, same water, same straws on...