Front Porch Market & Grill

Our lunch here today was wonderful! My husband & I shared the mussels and the veggie pizza! This was our 1^st visit and we are looking forward to many more!

We went here one Saturday night at 9:00 pm. It looked like the town had closed down, but not Front Porch. We ate in the cozy bar and instead of limiting our late evening dinner choice to their pizzas (which is their practice), the chef, who was standing nearby, told us we could choose from the full menu. We had the salmon special and the grilled Caesar salad and everything was delicious. Everyone was friendly and honestly cared about making our dining experience top notch. The rose wine and the cosmo were delicious – thanks to a great bartender. We’ll definitely be back again!

I’m giving this a 2 for the food. I really want to like the place because it’s so close to where we live. The remodel looks very nice and the beverages at the bar were really good and creative. I will say that it is a bit pricey for food that’s just ok and needs work. The pizzas were doughy and lacked flavor. I wanted to love the taco trio, but it just missed the mark. The chicken taco was over powered by the celery and was missing some kick to it. May have been trying for a buffalo chicken play, but there wasn’t enough buffalo sauce or anything that made it stand out over the local Mexican restaurant. Shrimp would be great with a siracha mayo and Vietnamese pickled daikon and carrot with cilantro. The shrimp was cooked well, it just lacked flavor. The pork was the most flavorful, but didn’t quite hit the mark. A play on a Hawaiian pork taco or maybe a banh mi but it needs work. Maybe I’ve been been spoiled by the street taco trucks in DC and high end pizza joints. I have had the grilled caesar which is pretty on point. Maybe they need more time to figure out the direction of the menu.

First time I went, a gentleman I believe was the owner was really rude to staff and it was quite off-​putting. I also ordered my pizza to go without onions and thankfully I looked at it before I left because it had loads of onions! Second time was much better. The pizzas are unique and tasty. I wish the beverage selection were broader.

Great Food, Ambience and awesome Bloody Marys!

A great first experience! Comfortable, reasonably priced, tasty food, good service! Very good value for money here! The décor is tastefully done, colorful and suitable with pastels and fabrics tossed in.
Food was spot on, fresh and local when available. Filet Mignon was a perfect medium cook, soft, tender, juicy. Grilled romaine Caesar salad with local Wiffletree Farm chicken was amazing too.
Definitely going to be a «go-​to» spot for our weekly date night get always!

The cocktail I had was delicious, the service was ok, and the décor was lovely. The food was pretty average, and kind of bad if you consider the price. I guess I was just expecting a little more, in the wake of Forlanos. The truffle mac and cheese was soggy and overwhelmed with truffle oil. Lamb chops were ok but a little tough and nothing special, the sauce was ok. Salmon on a salad was mediocre but I guess that’s what you get when you order salmon on a salad. Crème Brule was good but $ 8 for a few tablespoons of milk sugar and eggs is a little much. Was never told there were specials, but overheard them after eating and wonder if those might have been better. I won’t go back, mostly because I’m sad we spent so much money on weak food. Always happy to spend money on excellent, thoughtful food, but this was neither for me.

Just had dinner there this evening, November 14, 2015. This was our third choice after two nearby eateries were closed or out-​of-​business; it should have been our first choice and will be from now on when in the VA wine country. Everything from the coffee and house cocktails, mussels, tacos, chicken and waffles (yes, chicken and waffles – the best chicken we’ve ever had), and even the chocolate cake for dessert (just like mom used to make) were as delectable as possible. Even though the Front Porch is a long way from home for us, we will definitely be back very soon.

The ambience and decorations were very classy but the service was the worst I had experienced in quite some time. We sat upstairs for 10 minutes before we practically begged a waitress to take our drink order. After waiting another several minutes to get our drinks we actually gave up and walked out!

Great atmosphere! I’ve been there twice sat on the back porch once and upstairs the second time for brunch. I had one of the pizzas the first time great flavor! Brunch I had a very tasty chicken Caesar salad! I loved the grilled flavor of the salad great twist on the recipe! Had a group with me and none of us ordered the French toast but will be back to as it looked delicious on other tables! Servers friendly and remodel is outstanding! Loved the pictures especially the black and white horse one downstairs! Can’t wait to be back to the the dinner menu!

Stopped in here for snacks on a sunny Sunday afternoon. The vegetable pizza was delicious (loved the cherry tomatoes and caramelized onions) and the chicken/​cauliflower pizza was unexpectedly tasty. That — and a glass of wine — is all we had, so I can’t vouch for the full menu. But it was a super-​cute spot.

The redone restaurant looks good but the food was disappointing. The chef needs to find a consistent theme. Most of the appetizers were Mexican in origin but none of the entrées were. Further, if you are trying to create a mid to upper level experience, the chef should compose the whole dish including the sides. Mixing and matching is what you want to do at a buffet not a good restaurant. There were some good notes. The pork taco appetizer was tasty and my wife enjoyed the balsamic lamb. However, most of the food was under seasoned. My pork tenderloin was cooked well but lacked flavor, my wife’s twice baked potato was insipid looking, the mac and cheese was overcooked and salty and my asparagus was cold. This restaurant crtainly has a long way to go in trying to replace Forlano’s.

I thought Forlano’s was neat but Front Porch has totally transformed the place, interior is super cute. Looks like they have a lot of nifty treats and things. My bf and I met with three other friends & we were seated upstairs. Servers were nice, seems like they’re still learning– which is no problem to me :) we all start fresh somewhere. I had a glass of malbec and I was really pleased with it, food is quite pleasant. My boyfriend and I split a veggie pizza (like 10″ or so) we had a cup of tomato basil (delicious!) And we also split the swordfish special, thumbs up! For those who don’t drink alcohol, front porch offers a few tasty non alcoholic cocktails ;)
*Oh also, gotta love a place that offers complimentary bread and butter*

Great place! We have been there 3 times, so far… The food is awesome and the small bar area & servers are friendly and very welcoming. We look forward to our next visit.

I have been delaying in writing a review here until I gave The Front Porch a second try.
First experience: Nice renovation, very clean, neat layout, creative menu, and bustling atmosphere. Upon my arrival (I was late meeting my group) I was informed by the rest of my party to take my time looking at the menu because things were off to a rocky start. Having worked in food service off and on for over a decade I was willing to throw them a bone since it only just opened. There are bound to be some kinks. No biggie. Sure enough, we waited, and waited, aaaaand waited not just for food but even to see the server. Bless his heart, he did his best with a smile but I fear his claim of working as a waiter for 12 years seems a bit far fetched. We were without water for most of our meal. I would have loved a second cocktail (The Blue Ridge is to die for!!) but he was so scattered he couldn’t take more than one request at a time from our table. The meal came after who knows how long (a good 40min) and parts of our orders never even came. We threw in the towel and just ate what we got and planned to cook some eggs when we got home. As I said, I was willing to throw them a bone on that visit. It was a bit busy and the place hadn’t been open long (maybe a week or two?).
Second experience: Thought enough time had passed but was sorely disappointed. In fact, after the second chance I don’t think any amount of time will help. The brunch menu was comprised of 4 items. I appreciate a small menu, I really do, but 4 items for brunch!?! Whatever. I ordered The Blue Ridge cocktail again and my guy followed suit. We realized there wasn’t anything that looked too appealing to us so we went ahead and ordered the French Toast (which we were told came with bacon) for our daughter and a side of bacon (in addition to what was supposed to come with the French toast according to our ill-​informed and curt waitress) for us to nibble on. Can’t go wrong with bacon, right? Wrong. So terribly terribly wrong. The «Market Fresh» French toast was disgusting! It was like an undercooked bread pudding… it looked like Texas Toast soaked in egg and thrown on the pan for 10 seconds each side… no joke. You cut it and it poured. The bacon… oh lord… it wasn’t cooked! I’m pretty sure they threw it on a pan and stuck it under the broiler for one minute. LITERALLY. The top of the pieces was warm and golden. Pick it up and it wiggled. We ate it… why? not sure. Hungry I guess. It did have a great flavor! It really did. You just had to get past the raw bacon/​raw fat texture and choke it down.
The waitress, who was never around even though the place was practically barren, was suddenly very available to drop off and pick up the check. (The $ 40 check.) Frankly, that crap burns me more than anything. Don’t be a coward waitress! She had to have seen that the French toast was barely touched and asked if there was anything wrong! Nope. Had she paid attention she would have sold two more cocktails and convinced me to come back. On the note of the bacon, the French Toast didn’t come with any and we were charged $ 3 for 2 slices of raw meat. That whole experience took one hour. ONE HOUR to get undercooked crap food and lousy service. Yea. Not going back. Sorry.

What a charming rustic place to go. We went for dinner last Friday night and had a great time. Very welcoming! The upstairs dining was cozy and quaint and the waiter was super friendly and knowledgeable. The grilled Caesar Salad was so delicious-we’re going back tonight-​I have to have it. French Onion soup was awesome too! Totally enjoyed browsing in the gourmet market. I highly recommend this place.

Stopped in last night while in the area. Never been before. Had a wonderful experience. Charming waiter, great food and the cocktail was terrific. I had the best peach pie I’ve ever had, it was «groan worthy». I felt completely «taken care of» here. I’ll be back soon.

What a completely disappointing visit to the new Front Porch Market and Grill last night.
Arrived early — about 5:15 PM and were the first to be seated in the upstairs dining room.
First up: when ordering from the limited list of «house wine» we were informed that they were «out of» the only Chardonnay on the list. How can a new restaurant (open just one week) be out of the most popular white wine at the beginning of dinner service? We were, however, informed that there were «2 glasses of Riesling left.»
We needed to ask our server for info on the specials, which we had noticed were written on a chalkboard in the market. We also needed to ask for bread, which arrived with the butter hidden deep inside the basket.
French Onion Soup was lukewarm, had little if any Gruyère cheese. Puff pastry topping is a poor substitute for a nice slice of French bread usually found under heaps of melted Gruyère.
Chicken & Waffle was not as listed on the menu — which says it is «Bone in Chicken on top of a Cheddar Waffle» It actually is boneless chicken breasts with no taste served with a plain waffle sprinkled with grated cheddar cheese.
Salmon was overcooked. Sweet potato was under cooked.
Service was beyond awful.
We were offered boxes for all of the uneaten food on our plates, which we quickly turned down.

This is a really enjoyable and relaxed restaurant bar in The Plains. The menu looks expertly designed with simple and bold flavor a. The bartenders on the second floor are knowledgeable about local wines and beers that they offer. I’m looking forward to my next visit.

Today marks the opening of the Front Porch in the quaint town of The Plains. The location was previously a restaurant and the new owners have gone all out to redesign the space. It went from being a cramped tiny first floor restaurant to a two floor place with a new porch in the back that has a ramp for handicapped access. The main dining room and bar are on the second floor. The first floor is a gourmet store offering take out. There is a parking lot behind the building and free limited street parking. I stopped in early and tried their all day breakfast of eggs, bacon and fried potatoes. The cooked my order of eggs over hard perfectly! Can’t remember the last time this has happened. Delicious and generous serving of fried potatoes with a coating of spice. Two slices of quality bacon. Toast was made on the grill had and had grill black marks. Not too my taste but the waiter replaced it with some warm bread slices to keep me happy. They didn’t have ketchup but they did have Siracha sauce! They were playing Blues music at a good level. They served the breakfast dish I got all day and night. I am looking forward to coming back with company and dining al fresco. I highly recommend trying this new spot. They do not take reservations.