Alma Bea — Restaurant in Shepherdstown

Been wanting to try this place out for awhile now and overall I am pretty happy and will at least give it another shot. Service was EXCELLENT! (Server was Kristin) Atmosphere was great as well. We loved Town Run for an entirely different vibe, but this was a change for the better. All the pies and items that you could get from the refrigerators were neat and I might grab a few things in the future if I want to mix up dinner at home or grab something for a party. As for the food....

Small plates :

Free table bread/cheese - 8/10 Nice variety and the pimento cheese was very tasty.

Fried Pickles - 9/10 super crisp, thick, nice mustard sauce paired with them

Oysters - 8/10 garlicky, buttery, corn and crumbled cornbread with greens were very nice. Cooked but still connected to the shell made it a little of a pain, but worth trying.

Pepperoni Roll - 6.5/10 Huge, but mostly a big peice of bread with two little pepperoni sticks inside. The marinara sauce was just OK, a little watery.

Entrees:

Smoked Half Chicken - 8/10 Juicy, flavorful and good portion size. Macaroni Balls were excellent. (Reviewed by my 9 year old but I tried and very much enjoyed it)

Crispy Shrimp Creole - 7/10 Not what you are expecting from a genuine creole, but still good. Shrimp were properly cooked with a nice batter. The creole sauce had a kick that would be suitable for just about anyone, but not enough for spice lovers. Good dish.

Duck - 8.5/10 Perfectly cooked with a nice sweet smokey flavor. Definitely would get this again if it is a regular item.

Prime Rib - 7.5/10 A little overcooked but just a little. Good rub and crust. The sauce paired nicely. The potatoes were a little dry but the juicy prime rib brought them back alive enough.

Sides :

Creamed Spinach/ramps - 9/10 Very creamy, garlicky, earthy.... So very nice!

Potlicker Greens - 9.5/10 I am SUPER picky with greens. Damn fine work on these. Nothing was out of balance. Vinegar, salt, spice.... perfect texture. Just a little bite and not mushy. I like mine a little more spicy... but no restaurant should be making it that way for the masses. Great job on these! I could eat them as a meal on their own!

Rosemary Grits - 1/10 I rarely go perfect and rarely go full 0.. These were close. Imagine grits with no butter... cream.. hardly any salt.. dry as the desert. Crumbly is not a term that should EVER be used to describe grits. These were fall apart crumbly. If I served these to my family I would be disowned. Do better!

Dessert :

Hot Honey Cinnamon Ice Cream - 8.5/10 You need to know what you are ordering... My wife ordered it. Her and my kid did not like it at all because it was spicy... I laughed. It is very good and would probably go good with a peice of cake.

Bread Pudding - 3/10 We are going back to grit land on this one... It was more like bread with a tiny drizzle of sauce. SUPER dry and not bread pudding.

Chocolate Cream Pie - 10/10 rated by my kid. I didn't try because he woofed it down too fast

Paw Paw pound cake - 7/10 good pound cake with coconut.. but that's all I tasted. Nice, but just OK.

Drinks were good. Prices for the area were just a little high, but understandable. The fee on a substantial bill to pay with a credit card was posted as an option.. but who is carrying hundreds in cash? I think it was around a 4% fee.... I've seen this in convenience stores with food, small deli type places, etc.. but not at a place with items and prices like these.. not a good look. I'll give them another shot or two. Definitely worth trying out if you...

I visit Shepherdstown about every month or so, and I've been dying to try this place out. Unfortunately I typically go earlier in the day, and they were only open for dinner. Fortunately they began opening for lunch, so I took advantage of the opportunity and stopped by. I went with the brisket platter, which was served with roasted root vegetables, coleslaw, mashed potatoes, and brown butter corn bread. The brisket was the perfect combination of smokey, tender, and juicy, and sliced thinly, which I've never had before but loved! The root vegetables had me wanting more, as they were caramelized and tasted amazing. The coleslaw wasn't overdressed, it was simply perfect - tangy with a hint of spicy. The corn bread was simply amazing! Tasted like something Paula Deen or Martha Stewart herself would make! Buttery, a little sweet, and SO good! The dessert cases made it impossible to leave without first trying something, so we went with the baker's recommendation of the seasonal fruit crisp, one of my favorite desserts. The tangy blend of berries and seasonal fruit were the perfect match to the big chunks of crispy, crunchy, and sweet crisp. Overall it was the perfect grand finale to such an amazing meal. Our server was super friendly, and took the time to answer our questions, recommend items, and chat with us, so we never felt rushed, just complete comfort. There's a nice outdoor area and spacious interior with a large bar. I truly cannot wait to go back and try more menu items. I am so happy to have finally tried them out, and they're certainly one of my new favorites in...

We had dinner here while vacationing in the area and if you are in close proximity, you can't miss the smells. The owner of the bed and breakfast (Jacob Rohrbach Inn) we stayed recommended it and boy were they right. Hands down one of the best experiences we've had in our travels. One review mentions the portion size and while it is Appalachian inspired, it is also Tapas inspired which is small dishes. So the self described “Tapa-lachian” is appropriate.

We didn't have reservations but it wasn't necessary for the time of day. The staff was all very nice and we were seated quickly. We mentioned to our very nice and very well menu educated server we had heard about the breads so she suggested we start with a mini skillet of herb and corn bread and butter. It was very good! She came back for our order and we decided to start off with the crab cakes and fried green tomatoes with tabasco butter sauce. No joke, the best of both either of us can remember. Fantastic! We also decided to split the brisket with black-eyed pea cola sauce and mac and cheese. Again, another knockout! We have lived and traveled in Texas and find it hard to find brisket that can measure up, but this was a whole other level. Lastly we went with seasonal crumble with vanilla ice cream for desert. It was utterly amazing.

So yes, it is Appalachian inspired small dishes but if you leave hungry, you are doing something wrong. (sorry no picture of the brisket...we completely forgot once it got...