I was in Olney, Maryland to see a play. Needing to eat dinner beforehand, I was looking for restaurants. One place stood out in my search results: The Manor at Silo Falls, an upscale restaurant in an historic mansion in nearby Brookeville. Enjoying the fantastic scenery and loving the food, I had a great meal.

The restaurant has a long of history. The manor that gives it its name is over 100 years old. Back then, the property was a dairy farm. I don’t know when the farm closed, but the restaurant opened in the year 2000 with the name The Inn at Brookeville Farms.

New management came in 2018, along with a new name: The Manor at Silo Falls. I have not found out much about the new owners, but one of them is Paul Saiz, who also owns Bolder in Mt. Airy. The venue is popular for weddings, but Silo Farms is open 7 days a week for dining. It serves modern American cuisine.

The Menu

The sections of the menu are called Starters, Greens, Entrees, and Sandwiches. It has a wide variety of starters, seven in total. They range from soup to chicken wings. Highlights are Bacon Wrapped Pork Belly and Corn Tamale Bites.

The Entrees consist of classic meat dishes — chicken, crab cakes, ribeye steak, and fish — but all have a unique twist to them. For instance, there is the Bucatini & Herb Crusted Crispy Chicken. The Chicken is crusted with pasta (Bucatini) and served with a wild mushroom cream. And the Crab Cake Platter comes with Bay seasoned zucchini and Parmesan tomatoes.

The Greens section include not just green leaf salads ( Farmhouse Greens Salad and Fork & Knife Caesar), but also a Fresh Melon Salad, a Creamy Dill Cucumber Salad, and a Warm Maryland Salad. The Maryland salad has fresh corn, tomatoes, and green beans. A variety of meats or fish can be added to any salad.

The Sandwiches section includes several burgers, a vegetarian Wild Mushroom French Dip and an Ahi Tuna Sandwich. Overall, there is plenty of variety to the menu, with several gluten free and vegetarian options.

My Meal

For both my appetizer and my entree, I went with suggestions from my waitress. For the appetizer, she recommended both the Short Rib Bites and the Cream of Crab Soup. As I had Short Ribs earlier in the week, I decided on the crab soup.

The soup was rich and creamy and a deep, rich flavor. It was not lacking in the crab department either. The bowl was filled with big chunks of fresh crab. A great start to the meal.

For my entree, I had the Wok Spiced Salmon. This is a glazed salmon dish served on a bed of mashed potatoes and alongside some braised vegetables. The dish is Asian inspired as the salmon is glazed with a soy mustard sauce, and the primary vegetable is Bok Choy.

The salmon was delicious, cooked to flaky perfection, with the glaze provide just enough seasoning to enliven the mild fish. A minor complaint is that the thin part of the salmon was a little over cooked. The Bok Choy was also well prepared. Cooked al dente and lightly flavored with the soy broth, it was a great counter point to the salmon and the potatoes. The mashed potatoes tasted homemade. They were whipped quite a bit, making them lighter than I was expecting. Overall, this was a great dish.

Dessert

The choices for dessert were: Valrhona Brownie Sundae, Creme Brulee, Creme Brulee Cheescake, or a Chocolate Mosaic Cake. I went with the sundae. (I presume Valrhona refers to the chocolate in the brownie and/or sauce.)

I loved this dessert. The brownie was dense and fudge like, while the ice cream was smooth and creamy. A great contrast to the richness of the chocolate. Another positive: the whipped cream was freshly made. The chocolate sauce had good flavor, but I wished there was more of it. With just a drizzling of it, more sauce was needed. Despite this small complaint, the sundae was excellent.

Cocktails

Silo Falls has a moderate sized cocktail menu. Alas, I neglected to make note of the options. But I mention it because I loved the cocktail I got.

It was an Old Fashioned, a classic drink made with bourbon or whisky and bitters. Silo’s version uses maple flavored bourbon. It has a strong maple taste that makes it quite unique. A nice addition to the flavors of the cocktail. I do have one criticism, and that is the cherry in the drink was whole; I prefer the cherry to be crushed.

Atmosphere

The setting in an historic manor house on an old farm is fabulous and makes for a memorable dining experience. Dining tables are situated in a variety of rooms spread throughout the house. Many are on the small side, making for an intimate setting. I was situated in what I thought was a large room, although I later found out that they have rooms than can seat hundreds. The room I was in was not that big, more like a large family room. I think it was the Meadow Room.

I arrived in the early evening and, while there were diners in other rooms, I was seated by myself. Other patrons arrived towards end of my dinner, but I had a mostly private meal. Although I did not make a reservation beforehand, I was promptly seated. It was a Friday evening, but it also was during the off season.

The waitress was prompt and very helpful. She provided good descriptions of the menu options along with several suggestions. (She was also dressed up for Halloween.) I was surprised out how quickly my food came out. My appetizer was served in under 15 minutes.

But as wonderful the Manor is on the inside, the grounds are even more so. There’s lots of open space and plenty of outdoor seating. I can see why it is a popular event space. But you don’t need to go there for a big event. It’s a great place for an evening dinner.