The Stone Barn — Restaurant in West Marlborough Township

I took my adult family to dine here yesterday evening (Wednesday 5/17/2023), for a delayed mother's day celebration. There were six of us.

This was my first time at Foxfire at the Stone Barn. Mid-week dining is apparently the time to go. There was only two other tables occupied in the restaurant, so it was very intimate and felt like we had the place to ourselves.

I will start with the ambiance:

This place is beautiful and rustic. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and there were flowers in boom that smelled amazing as you walked from the ample parking lot to the entrance. You have the option to dine outside in an adorable seating area overlooking the sprawling beautifully maintained lawn and garden.

We chose the inside dining room and it was cozy. The place settings were beautiful, the décor was cozy and inviting with a classic rustic charm.

Service:

We had the best waitress anyone could have asked for. She was attentive and totally got the vibe of our group. She joked around with us but was also professional and completely charming. Everyone in our group adored her and she made a great night even more extraordinary. She kept drinks filled, checked on us periodically, and brought out the food quickly. She let us know which items were the best and offered suggestions for those undecided. I wish I could remember her name, because when we return, we definitely want to be seated in her section.

Food:

The food is pretty darn amazing and the menu is rather eclectic. For a starter, I had the POACHED PEAR HONEY GOAT CHEESE SALAD, which is Cabernet Poached Local Anjou Pear Topped with Whipped Honey Goat Cheese & Spiced Candied Pecans over Baby Spinach & Mustard Greens Tossed in Shallot Vinaigrette with Poaching Reduction Drizzle.

You have the option of adding proteins to the salad for a small upcharge and that would easily turn this decently-sized salad into a meal for those wanting lighter fare for their meal.

For my main, I had the CHERRY DUCK CONFIT, which is Confit Duck Leg Topped with Tart Cherry Demi Glace Served over Japanese Purple Sweet Potatoes.

In this instance, it appears they used a regular sweet potato mash versus the advertised purple sweets, but it was still amazingly decadent.

The other diners enjoyed the steak, black garlic shrimp scampi, and Pork Bulgogi. Everyone cleared their plates.

We also got a basket of bread with an herb butter that was fantastic.

Overall Value: This restaurant seems to be toeing the line of fine dining. The food is definitely amazing and the dress code is rather casual. Jeans and polos for the guys seemed to be perfect attire. The prices lean more toward fine dining though, but for the quality of food it is not exorbitante. For four starters and six mains with beverages, it came to 255 dollars. You can definitely make it out of there spending much less, or more, depending on what you want. They even have a casual fare offering with things like burgers, flatbreads, and tacos, if you are looking to dine without hurting your bank account.

Notes: They have several options available for vegetarian diners This is BYOB, they do not have a bar or alcohol service. You can bring your own wine and they do not charge a corkage fee.

All that to say, we will...

We attended a wedding at the Stone Barn, and the place was absolutely terrible. The place had a bit of a smell to it when you enter, and the affair quickly went downhill from there. The appetizer hour was probably the best part of the reception, but it was bad. The best part of the appetizer round was some cheese and crackers, which tasted like what you would get at your local supermarket. Do not take the fired shrimp, they tasted soft and mealy, and were overly breaded. Definitely did not taste like fresh shrimp, and was room temperature when served. The beef on a stick was better, but not by much.

The main meals were worse. The best part was the cream of mushroom soup, but frankly Campbell's cream of mushroom soup is better. The salad, while looking OK, was bitter and the dressing was just plain weird. I had one bite, and wished that I didn't.

I had the stuffed flounder in burre blanc sauce. It arrived to the table not even warm (as did all of the meals at our table). The sauce had an overpowering lemon taste, which may have been a good thing because it partially disguised the fish. The fish did not taste fresh, and was seriously overcooked. It was totally lacking in any flavor, and the texture was dry and tough. The stuffing was still cold, and the little amount of crab meat in the stuffing still had a metallic taste from the can it must have came in. Rather than being fresh and delicate, the stuffing was overpowered with some seasoning. The green beans and carrots were edible, but the beans tasted like they were frozen green beans like you would get from Birdseye. The mashed potatoes, while apparently made from real potatoes, arrived cold and pasty. The chicken saltimbocca was just as disgusting as the fish. The chicken was rubbery, had no taste, and was cold in the center. The prosciutto in the chicken was reminiscent of shoe leather. The pork tenderloin was no better, overcooked but cold in the center, tough and lacking in flavor. Whatever you do, do not get an entre that comes with French fires. They were greasy, soggy, and as limp as overcooked spaghetti. My wife took one bite, and spit it out right away.

The desserts were no better. The pastries were soft and soggy, and had no flavor. At least the coffee was pretty good.

When you see the bad reviews here, believe...

We ate at the Foxfire Restaurant for our wedding anniversary in late September. It was very cozy for a cold day, and not overly crowded. We had the calamari and mussels appetizers. Both were very generous portions, especially for seafood, and delicious. One disappointment was that the mussels only had one small piece of bread/crostini served with them. There was tons of broth leftover and as soon as the plate was cleared, we were brought a serving of bread for the table. Normally I would expect table bread before apps, and my husband wished he could've enjoyed more of the broth but we weren't expecting the additional bread.

I do think for any table that isn't doing BYOB, the water carafe should be brought to the table without asking as the glasses are quite small and service can get busy.

My entrée was a Branzino Almondine, but the chef was nice enough to agree to do without the almonds at my request. It was a very large portion for the price and quite filling. This was not an allergy situation, just a preference, so I was very happy to be able to enjoy a less common fish with a presentation I loved.

My husband had the Korean Sticky Short Ribs. Although the short ribs were not the presentation we were expecting as they came with the whole bone inside, the flavor was nice despite being a little difficult to manage. I don't think we'd order this dish again, but it was a good meal still.

For dessert, we shared the apple fritter a la mode. Flavor was great but I would not get again for the price. It was a very small portion compared to the other dishes.

Overall though, the price was beyond reasonable for apps, dinner, and dessert for two, and the ambiance and delicious food made it one of the best anniversaries we've ever had. This is a little gem we'd never been to before, but we can't wait to...