The drink menu gets the best execution, with homemade sodas, fresh-squeezed juices, custom-made rye, house-made elixirs, infusions and syrups, unusual cocktails, an interesting beer selection and more.
That rye has a smoky, earthy taste; the grapefruit and orange sodas are subtle and not too sweet; a beer cocktail with house-made apple cider, cinnamon maple syrup and Flying Dog in Heat wheat beer was smooth and lovely, as was a seasonal cocktail called Ciderhouse Rules, a successful concoction that included apple cider, black rum, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, Angostura Bitters and freshly grated nutmeg.
And a few starters make for lively accompaniments. Take the Farmers Pitchfork, which holds bacon “lollis”—rashers of thick roasted bacon skewered and brushed with cinnamon and brown sugar—plus skewers of Tater Tot-type potatoes served with homemade mustard seed ketchup. The presentation and the taste are terrific.
The downtown location’s Devil-ish Eggs, featured last year by Robert Irvine on the Food Network’s The Best Thing I Ever Ate, are likewise served in Potomac. I won’t go so far as to say they’re the best thing I ever ate, but the combo platter of classic, crab, salmon and lobster deviled eggs is a must-try, with its distinctive and fresh-tasting fillings.
I also liked the pickled vegetable appetizer. On one of the nights I dined there, it was a mix of green beans and fennel with slices of jalapenos, which gave the vinegary duo a spicy kick.
Side dishes are pleasant enough, whether they be red-skinned mashed potatoes, baked beans, house-made potato chips, or a mix of carrots and green beans. And the pastry chef makes a homey biscuit to accompany some of the dishes and top the commendable chicken pot pie. (If anybody has room, her massive carrot cake with bourbon caramel pecan ice cream is a good bet, and can be shared by four.)
But other than the aforementioned, I can’t say I got excited about much else. You get a lot of food for the money (most of the entrées are under $20, and come with side dishes), yet too many of the 10 main courses and assorted appetizers I tried were clunky, blah or overly sweet (e.g., the tomato jam on the goat cheese flatbread and the barbecue sauces).
A restaurant like this should make top-notch fried chicken, but I’d opt for Popeye’s anytime over Potomac’s Founding Farmers’, with its barely crisp and uneven coating. The spatchcock chicken, cooked at 800 degrees, tasted like run-of-the-mill roast chicken, with a heavy maple-mustard glaze that seemed to have left the promised crispy skin sodden instead.
And the two pasta dishes I tried were bizarre. The Poto (short for Potomac) Mac ’n Cheese is described as having seven kinds of cheese, but I could barely taste any; the noodles were leaden and the cheese, congealed. The gnocchi over braised beef ragu was equally odd, consisting mostly of shredded beef with a circle of heavy dumplings plopped on top.
Rockfish meunière, South Carolina barbecue, baby cheeseburgers, the chili dog, pork ribs, pancakes, red flannel hash and homemade sausage were all OK, but nothing I’d make a special trip up I-270 to eat.
