Milton Inn: Sparks, MD

Mrs. mjcewl and I had the pleasure of being guests here recently. This really isn't in the middle of nowhere but it was at least an hour north of Baltimore located in Sparks, MD. The dining room was very elegant, the waiter professional and the food exquisite. Might I recommend the Smoked Salmon Rose to start (a slight zing to a well cooked fish), Apple Saturene and Pork Chop (Almost the best pork chops I've ever had), and don't forget the Wild Mushroom Risotto ^

I might add that we easily spent $150 on the both of us. We asked the waiter to surprise us with a red wine selection and while it was spot on, it was about $20.

What are some of your excellent restaurants in the middle of nowhere?

The Brie Marie Inn in Sayre, PA (Sayre is sorta half way between Elmira and Binghamton, NY...but on the PA side of the border). The Brie Marie is a nice B&B. There are two sides to the restaurant...a 'formal' side and the 'bar' side. I prefer the bar side since it's more casual and comfortable. But the food is quite unexpected.

I wouldn't hesitate to eat there. (I love the pork chops here too)

While I don't have a fancy link, mine and MrsPhilly's would be "Spring Valley Inn", in center valley,pa!

This is an old tavern (from 1700's, IIRC) that specializes in 2 areas. First is oyster stew, and the second is ANYTHING trout. They have a fresh trout pond, and serve trout any way you would like it, with about 15 different ways on the menu. They also have an extensive seafood list on the menu.

Wine list is ok (MrsP likes inexpensive wine anyway) with the normal bottles in the $12-$30 range. Now that all of pennsylvania is NONsmoking, the experience is even better!!!

Dinner for two-main plate, soup, salad, bread, bottle of wine-including tip is around $70! Location is 1:15 north of philly, 25 min south of allentown, in a VERY scenic and rural setting.

i think the majority of the michelin starred restaurants in france are in the middle of no where. lot of them in italy also.

the Milton Inn is frequented by Robert Parker. the area around sparks is probably the wealthiest in the baltimore area.

a bunch of the Inns in VA are held in quite high regard.

Simply put: that is quite the understatement @:-)

Jimmy is a big-city chef who returned home and opened a diner on Rt. 404 featuring regional 'home cooking'. Bridgeville is in "slower lower Delaware", the middle of a major chicken production region, so both the fried chicken and chicken and dumplings here are superb. It's near Chesapeake Bay so check out the crab dishes on the menu as well. If you're there around breakfast time, try the pancakes.

And if they serve lemon pie in heaven, it's catered by Jimmy's.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/164548

Curtis All American BBQ , Exit 4 off I-91 in Putney, Vermont


.......just 'down the road' , Top of the Hill Grill, Rt-5, Brattleboro, VT

middle of nowhere = El Paso

There are some very good restaurants around here

El Bulli (outside Barcelona), French Laundry (Yountville, CA), and The Fat Duck (Bray, outside London)--do these count?

A couple come to mind:

The Bluberry Hill Inn - Goshen, VT

A & M Cafe (no website) - Interior, SD (this town has a population of 67) This is a tiny "town" on the borders of the Badlands, but is really well known for the flatbread that's made at the A&M Cafe. It's been featured on The Food Network as the country's best flatbread...been there a number of times myself (family relocated out there a number of years ago), and I can attest it's quite tasty.

Bobcat Bite Cafe - Santa Fe, NM (technically, but it's outside of town in the desert) These guys are known for their hamburger - which is widely considered one of, if not the best in the country. Been highlighted by GQ, New York Times, Gourmet, Travel Channel, Food Network, etc. Make sure to call ahead if you're going, they will sometimes close without much notice...I've stopped by 3x now when they've had "vacations".

You would have to be driving really slow for it to take an hour to get to Sparks.

Station Break Cafe in Wilmerding, PA. Extensive beer selection, a farm raised game appetizer and your name on the matchbook if you phone ahead for ressies.

Hell's Backbone Grill: Boulder, Utah

Sammy's New Cowboy Bistrot: Talent, Oregon

Middendorf's is in Manchac, LA. Unfortunately they were hit with flooding during Ike.

http://www.middendorfsrestaurant.com/

I'm going to have to try it some weekend... I've never even heard of it and I drive through Wilmerding occasionally.