The Wine Kitchen On The Creek

Excellent food and wine! Tuesday wine flight Night is worth it. $ 9:for any flight! Mushroom bisque is fantastic as well as buttermilk fried calamari! Love this place!

Enjoyed dinner here last night for Valentine’s Day. Food was excellent and our server was very sweet! My husband had the lamb and I had the vegetable gnocchi. Both were delish! He also had the goat cheese tater tots and said they were great. Drink wise we had the house red flight, Frederick mule and local flight. All were good!
My only reason for giving ⁴⁄₅ is because we had to wait a while to get our table and food… We had reservations at 7 and didn’t end up being seated until close to 7:30. However; they did bring us complimentary champagne and apologized. This was our first time here so I’m going to assume that the wait time and slow turn around on food is attributed to it being super crowded for Valentine’s Day.
Looking forward to checking it out for brunch in the near future!

Had another great visit for a Valentines day Brunch. All the food items were awesome to look at and awesome tasting. The service was great. Everyone was friendly and fun.

This will be a difficult review to write. It feels like this was a very good restaurant experience sunk by one poor and untrained server.
This visit was one extreme or the other. Our first server, Patrick, was excellent. Our second seemed like she didn’t want to be there at all. She didn’t know the difference between a filet and sirloin but felt the need to argue with me about it anyway. Yes, she actually got an attitude when I politely pointed out that one meal was incorrect. When the chef pointed out that it WAS wrong, she then said she knew nothing about steaks anyway. Too bad a big chunk of the menu is… you guessed it, steaks.
The food was fabulous. But our second meal WAS incorrect. (It happens) The mix up plus the server’s attitude and lack of training was the reason I gave them three stars.
The manager, John, was also excellent. He immediately got involved to fix anything and everything. The second meal was comped and he was very gracious. We’ll definitely be back to try it again. Also, the manager gave me his card and asked me to call before the next visit which was much appreciated.

We love the wine kitchen! It is our go to restaurant for many of our family celebrations. We enjoy the more upscale menu, but appreciate that they also accommodate kids. Lunch outside along the creek is always a treat. Fried Green Tomatoes and the Spicy BLT rank among our favorite menu items.

My gf and I had a great lunch experience here! Jason was an amazing server! His honest and sincere demeanor made my gf and me feel welcome and comfortable. I definitely recommend the wild mushroom strudel and the mussels soaked in savory coconut curry. Oh and the coconut rice pudding for dessert. Definitely something Ive never experienced. The food, atmosphere, and hospitality was amazing!

Update — I contacted the manager 2 weeks before New Years asking if the chef could create a 5 course prix-​fixe vegan menu for me and I was thrilled when they said yes! It was incredible. I love when restaurants can try new things and accommodate special requests :)

My husband and I Just got out of the restaurant feeling something was wrong with one order we did not enjoy. It was a Seared Diver’s Scallop, which was a main course. The dish came with just 3 pieces of scallops — medium sized. Some grilled cut green onions came with it, looking as if there were more than 3 pieces of scallops. All these were topped by some fresh watercress. The cost of this was $ 27.
From the way it was served, this cannot be a main course. No starches, nor adequate vegetables. This place does not serve breads. We had to request for them.
If the price of the scallops is too high, why not mixing them with some other seafood and make it like a real main dish? Otherwise, serve it as a starter, at a lower price, of course!
We were happy with a burger which tasted excellent.

I came here with my family for brunch, and they were able to seat us really quickly! Here’s what I ordered:
–Goat cheese tots
–Pastrami Benedict
–Chocolate Terrine
So they have a 3 for $ 26 deal for brunch, which I did, and it was worth it money wise. Anyways.
The goat cheese tots I ordered as my appetizer, but was really disappointed. There isn’t a description for the appetizers, so I just figured goat cheese would be nicely plated goat cheese. Wrong! I’m sure these fried potato balls had some goat cheese in them, but I couldn’t taste it at all. It was served with a red horseradish-​type sauce, along with these 6 balls.
Next I got the pastrami Benedict, pictured. It came with two eggs, brioche, and hollandaise sauce that tasted faintly of orange. It was tasty, with heaps of pastrami! Would recommend.
Finally, the chocolate terrine. So the actual layered-​cake was delicious! But the side of «chocolate tapioca balls» was out of place and honestly unappetizing. I understand their philosophy of wanting to be innovative, but I was unimpressed except by the nice presentations.

Just went there this past weekend with friends after hearing how good it was. It’s a lot bigger on the inside than I expected, and in a nice spot on the Carroll Creek. It’s a shame that there is a lot of empty businesses nearby. They had a cool outdoor setting with an awesome cauldron/​kettle firepit burning.
All of the employees there were very friendly, professional, and articulate. Their menu, while pretty ‘simple’ had a lot of options and it was hard to choose something.
Overall the food quality seems top notch, and their presentation is fantastic. You can tell they put pride into their work.
Their Cheesesteak Fries were good, but not great. The meat and toppings on the fries were good, but the fries themselves were a little too hard and overcooked (but not terribly so). I might give these another chance.
Their mini tuna tacos were fantastic, almost like a sushi tuna in them. Great flavor, but you get 3 TINY tacos on a plate. The waiter did warn me that they are really tiny, but it was my appetizer.
Their gluten free vegetable lasagna was fantastic. Amazing flavor, a little bit of spice, decent portion size. Would definitely get this again.
While I didn’t get any wine, I did get «The Saint’s Vice» cocktail, which was strong and delicious, another thing I’d get again.
Overall, great restaurant, but the portions can be small for people used to larger portions, and the price definitely seems on the higher scale. For the two of us, it was right at $ 150 after tip, which included 2 entrees, 2 starters, 2 appetizers, the cocktail, and a wine flight.

General: This is my girlfriend and my favorite place to go on dates. They have the best steak I have ever had. We both love going here for a great steak meal and wonderful wine. With fantastic food, wine, and ambiance this place makes for a great date night, but also can serve as a wonderful after work Happy Hour spot, with a relaxing bar area.
Ambiance/​Service: The ambiance is one of our very favorite aspects of this restaurant. It is low key, yet classy. It is extremely unpretentious, while maintaining a high-​class level of service, cleanliness, and décor. The waitstaff and décor gives a nice rural feel, but clearly this is no country buffet. The waitstaff is always extremely friendly, and helpful with suggestions, but well trained and never overbearing. They have that rare quality of attentiveness without being intrusive. We love how The Wine Kitchen is able to serve as both a nice date spot, but also as a relaxing happy hour spot.
Food: We have tried many of the appetizers, but are not especially fond of any of them, this is not to say they are bad, just not our type of food. We mainly come for the wonderful steak options. They are seasoned to perfection and grilled to our exact specifications. The sides are just as good as the steak. My favorite being the mashed potatoes. Sadly, we are always too full/​satisfied to try any of their dessert menu, but one day we hope to sample it.
Wine: We are both fairly picky with our wines and have always found their selection to be more than ample. We love the diversity and quality of The Wine Kitchen’s selection of wines. We often have 2 or 3 flights each, and are never disappointed with any of the wines. The flights are well put together and give a nice variety to go with your meal. We also love reading the extremely creative and humorous descriptions of the wine, which come with the flights.
Overall, I would highly recommend The Wine Kitchen as one of the best dinning options in Fredrick, if not all of Maryland. We travel up from Bethesda to come here and would take it over any of the best restaurants in Bethesda.

I love the fact that this place is in no where land and yet the food is so delicious! The mixed drinks were very unique and wine selection is so abundant.
Wait staff was top notch!

Another great restaurant in quaint DTF!
The Wine Kitchen has been on my list of «places to eat at» for a while and I finally got around to it! First off, the location is lovely; right on Carroll Creek, off the street and outdoor seating is a major win (also very close to the parking garage.)
I made a reservation for 2 at 8 on a Wednesday evening, came in and we were greeted and seated by a very friendly hostess.
The outdoor seating area is lovely, so romantic, so quaint, and so Frederick.
I’m not a huge fan of wine so with the option of taste testing I thought to myself, «what the heck, why not? What if I find something I love?!» So our server was friendly enough to start me with the Triple Bubble Flight (Rosé, Riesling and something I can’t remember) they were all delicious, I could see myself being one of those «I’ll have a glass of wine» types very soon.
For starters my sister and I ordered the Cheesesteak Fries and Oysters.
Cheesesteak Fries: delicious, crunchy hot fries, thick cheese sauce, thinly sliced meat garnished with sautéed tomatoes and green onions. Well rounded dish, but I would’ve preferred more meat on the plate and a little less salt on the fries and more in the cheese sauce (is that weird? Am I weird?)
Oysters: AMAZING! My sister doesn’t even like raw oysters but she truly enjoyed The Wine Kitchen’s oysters. Something about the cocktail sauce (not the bottled kind) or whatever citrus they put on top worked very well together. You got the ocean brine of fresh oysters, the tang of the citrus and then the nice bite from the cocktail, mellowed out by the pickled red onions– highly recommend. (Oysters were small, to my preference — if you like bigger oysters. Idk)
I had the cola marinaded steak and it was DELICIOUS! The mashed potatoes served with it were creamy and smooth. The infused salts they have are awesome; I vaguely remember one being an orange and dill infused salt and it was beautiful.
The wine choices our server picked were GREAT: I’m a wine advert now. ;)
All in all, this is a solid Restro. I would recommend this spot for a nice lunch, a romantic date or even just a super fancy weekend shin dig.

Calamari and Mushroom strudel was AMAZING.
Yes, portions are small but that is my preference since I don’t like to feel too full.
Slightly pricey but ‘you get what you pay for’.
Highly recommend

«Transitional menu»!? Where are these «transitional hours» posted?! Thanks for time wasted, Wine Kitchen. As a restaurant owner, I get it… but the the blogger buddies will have fun with this one

Food was delicious and the service was very good. The portions are on the small side and the prices are pretty high. I hate the gigantic portions that most restaurants serve, but I had 4 – 5 bites of swordfish for my $ 24 entrée and that is not right! And it only came with 2 ravioli on the side. No vegetables. So I ordered the $ 14 romaine salad. It was very good too, but that made my meal $ 38! My husband enjoyed his short ribs, mashed potatoes and green beans.
I don’t drink wine (I Know!!), but my husband had 2 different glasses and enjoyed them both. We shared the fried green tomatoes for an appetizer and they were very good. The Wake & Cake dessert was quite tasty and actually enough for 2 people.
I will go back to try a steak or perhaps the scallops, but it won’t be soon since it is a pricey meal.

STELLAR food. AMAZING service. GORGEOUS surroundings. While the prices are a little on the high side, it’s worth the penny. The food is simply amazing — we enjoyed Sunday brunch with a group of friends. We tend to be pretty nit-​picky about our food experiences after taking a class on food and identity as an elective for our masters’ program.
The «Pick 3» is a great deal — you get to choose 3 items from the brunch menu for $ 26…DO IT. I’m still having little dreams about the cornmeal pancakes. Can’t wait to have them again!
Presentation is something that they don’t take lightly — and service was perfect. Your server is there when you need them, but not in your face. Just impeccable.
The ONLY disappointment we had was that the bacon cheddar biscuits were not going to be ready until 2p. Really? But it’s brunch?! But no worries — we’ll be back for those, too!

Just me here, raving again about WK! Had brunch for the first time here this past Sunday and it was delicious! The 3 for $ 26 deal is awesome and totally worth it. I had the Chefs Quiche and fried green tomatoes. It was cooked perfectly and the portions were more than generous. I left happy and stuffed! Highly recommend for any meal any time of day! And ask for Will on Sundays, he was fantastic! Seahorse Heller thanks you! Haha

A restaurant has to be something special, to be worth driving an hour to from Baltimore or DC just to eat there. The Wine Kitchen is most certainly worth the drive.
My beloved and I have eaten there a number of times since we were first introduced to the restaurant by other friends who insisted (absolutely correctly) that this one restaurant was worth the long drive. Every dish we’ve had there has been wonderfully tasty (the steak there is one of the best I’ve had anywhere in DC /​Baltimore). The combinations they come up with from season to season are clever, while even the old standbys (something as simple as mashed potatoes) are rich and pleasurable. The service is of course top-​notch, and in better weather, having the whole experience on the riverfront is just that much more wonderful.
The vast majority of my reviews (~80%) are three star. The Wine Kitchen is one of the restaurants against which all the rest are measured. The Wine Kitchen isn’t merely a great restaurant to go to, if you happen to be passing through Frederick. It’s reason enough to make the long drive west on 70 or north on 270, all by itself. Bravo!

I really want to like it, I really do: It’s a lovely location. A beautiful setting on Carroll Creek (especially in nice weather). A great building. A great concept. But over multiple visits, it’s been decidedly meh and the last visit was the most meh.
On this visit:
* Pinot Evil flight was terrible. One wine tasted skunked like it had been open too long, the Willamette Valley pinot (one of the best places to get Pinot) didn’t much taste like anything I’ve had from that region, and third was also meh. Also the Pinot pours were very small (1−2oz), meaning $ 12 got you less than a glass.
* Hearty Reds flight was so-​so, my friend found the choices poorly represented the grapes. Pours were heftier than my Pinot, but $ 17 for the equivalent of a hearty glass of wine.
* Calamari: small portion which is fine, but it was flavorless and dry like it had been made earlier. Thumbs down for calamari «crumbs».
* Duck egg-​rolls: tiny portion as expected, but the rolls were so small they might as well have been flavorless bits of the rice paper wrapper.
Service was acceptable and they kept the water filled.
I love small plates. I love good wine. I’ve been to multiple wine bars in the region many times. The idea and the concept are great. But every recent visit has left me disappointed. Maybe the Leesburg location is better? But this place is just executing poorly. Don’t bother.