The Other Critics

Farm-to-Table Is More Than a ‘Buzz-Phrase’ at Fair Hill Inn; Jasmine Rice Is an ‘All-Around Winner’

• Craig LaBan roadtrips to Elkton, MD for a visit at Fair Hill Inn, where farm-to-table isn’t merely a “buzz-phrase,” but a daily practice and “longtime passion.” House-cured salumi, which ranges “from excellent Tuscan fennel salami to air-dried bresaola, and a citrusy ‘agrumi’ made with peppercorns and goose,” is “certainly the best place here to begin.” Newbs are encouraged to check out the Sunday Suppers, which are “are a great value for the first-time visitor, even if the menus are limited.” Though “there’s no denying the quality of flavors and ingredients, and compositions that are a little more complex than Sunday’s fare,” prices on the standard menu “are on the high side for portions that might seem modest to a hungry equestrian fresh from exercising her racehorse at the training center across the street.” [Inquirer]

• Redstone American Grill, the “happening Marlton haunt,” serves a “skillet of Lodge Cornbread” that is “definitely as good as it looks.” The “spicy chicken, bunch of plump purple grapes and central reservoir of molten smoked gouda” “had its merits,” but the house signature roasted chicken, served “straight from the wood-burning rotisserie,” “lacked the crispiness that’s the hallmark of great rotisserie chicken, and the jus could use some added acid (vinegar, lemon) to not be such a thick, fatty distraction.” [Courier-Post]

• The “flavor of the seafood” in newly opened Jasmine Rice’s Crab Nuggets, “held its own,” Two eat Philly writes. “Late heat” in each bite of the Ginger Garlic Stir Fry added “an extra pop of flavor.” All tolled, the meal was “an all-around winner.” [Two Eat Philly]

Farm-to-Table Is More Than a ‘Buzz-Phrase’ at Fair Hill Inn; Jasmine