La Ferme Restaurant

Located in,7101 Brookville Rd Chevy Chase, MD 20815. The facade of this cozy location is one that really makes you feel like this should be a regular place to haunt..

I dined with a client this past Friday the 26th of March, at this location. Lunch had just began and we were some of the first to arrive. The place was quickly bustling with customers though.  The place takes me back to a time in the 1980's where this type of Heavy French style cooking was at the peak of it's popularity. The waiters were mostly older men whom have likely worked at this place forever. The crowd is generally a 50's aged an up crowd.

The locals likely dine here frequently, seeing as this is located in a very affluent section of Chevy Chase MD.  For starters my salad was pretty good but nothing memorable. The wait service was on time, and pleasant. My Pate appetizer was what killed this place for me. The taste and look was definitely  of something store bought, and my opinion quickly went south from here. After a brief wait in between appetizers, the entrees were served hot, however I do believe they had sat for awhile before being delivered.

I had the Grilled chicken with Mushroom risotto entree. the Risotto was a paste lined with strips of pimiento (very poor presentation) and the chicken was basically dry and over cooked. I could not even get through a 1/3rd of it.  Given the china, silverware service and atmosphere, one would expect nothing but the finest french cuisine, but nothing could be further from the truth. 

The Chocolate souffle I had split with the client was by far the best thing they had there, and was timed ok too. It was very light and flavorful. By far one of the better souffle's I had, eaten in some time. 

Restaurants like these have their place, but cooking and presenting food correctly regardless of price is a must. Outside of the chocolate souffle, La Ferme failed miserably this day. If you are going to charge top dollar, you gotta serve top dollar food that is "up to date" as well.

It appears that they rely too much on their history and looks, to pay good enough attention to the food.  The place is a very quaint location, and cozy all the way around. I would like to try again, but on this visit, a let down.

At best, 2 out of 5 stars.