Sanitation a Problem?
My husband and I took a Sunday drive out to Mount Vernon and stopped here for dinner and their popular sangria.

We arrived roughly 30 minutes before they actually opened for dinner and the maitre d' restaurant was kind enough to offer us a lovely table and a pitcher of sangria while waiting for the kitchen to open.

We were having a lovely time until we noticed tiny ants floating in my glass and the bottom of my husband's glass also full ants! Upon inspection, we found the pitcher full of ants as well.

Needless to say, we left quietly and went elsewhere for dinner.    [25 Nov 2002 09:35:58]

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     ­'Belle   

We had our reception at Cedar Knoll Inn in 2001 and our anniversary dinner there again in 2002. Both occassions were exceptional! Although the food is a bit fancy for me, it was tasty. We will be going there again today for our 2nd year anniversary and can only hope that nothing has changed. The historic atmosphere was and still is what we love about this place.    [14 Sep 2003 06:16:39]

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     ­Vance Wasson   wassonv at wassonv dot com

Very Pleasant Lunch!
First time at Cedar Knoll in 2002. Met a friend for lunch the week before Christmas. We were able to spend a leisurely 3 hours catching up without being pestered by wait staff (a rarity nowadays). They seemed to know when to check on us without being intrusive or demanding to know "How is everything?" while interrupting your train of thought in mid-sentence!

The food was good. The lobster bisque was tasty, and the veggies sauteed to a nice turn. As for the main courses, we've both had better crabcakes (the ones at Sweet Water Tavern are usually excellent and exorbitantly priced) and Cuban sandwiches (at Cafe Havana and in Miami), but we've also had much worse. I'd rate the food a "B." No ants found in our food or beverages. The view of the Potomac River was splendid. We'd both return anytime. Highly recommende    [01 Jan 2004 19:31:54]

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Recommended Dishes: Lobster Bisque

     ­Anonymous   

Despite the review regarding the ants, my husband and I ventured to the Cedar Knoll Restaurant for dinner the other evening. We went with great expectations since from the outside the restaurant seems reasonably quaint and the other two reviews were rather good.

Well, we were very disappointed. The bread at the beginning of the meal was nice and warm but the butter had a decidedly 'refrigerator' aftertaste. Everything we ordered -- my husband had the bisque and I had the French onion soup plus the two chicken dishes (we both ordered a chicken dish) -- on the menu was quite salty. Even the veggies, although crisp tender, were also salty. My entree was to be accompanied by Rice Pilaf; it was a plain white rice (I presume a substitution had been made since the sauce also contained mushrooms not mentioned in the menu description and the meal also came w/veggies not mentioned in menu description). Both entrees were mediocre. The chicken was a little on the 'overdone' side. The portions were adequate (nothing worse than getting nouvelle sized portions or oversized portions). We were not 'over fed' which was pleasant. However, for the quality of the food we feel it was overpriced. The wine we had with dinner was quite pleasant and served well chilled. We opted not to bother to try the desserts.

We are new to VA, from the Los Angeles area, and are trying to find nice eateries with good cuisine. Cedar Knoll was nothing to rave about. Adequate service. Quality of food was a bit upscale of Applebee's. We were disappointed.    [22 Jan 2004 12:54:24]

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     ­disappointed customer   

Overpriced??
My date and I went there for an early evening meal.... mostly just to meet with good views of the river. We ordered a bottle of wine which came properly chilled and the waiter popped the cork and immediately poured a little bit into both our glasses.... Forgive me if I'm wrong but I thought.... that the waiter was supposed to pour the man's drink first.... he is supposed to taste it and say whether it's acceptable or not? not both glasses? But be that as it may.... we ordered two appetizers because neither of us were very hungry, but couldn't help but notice the prices were a bit upscale? :( Maybe not overpriced when you consider the wonderful view of the Potomac ...    [29 Aug 2005 19:02:31]

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     ­Anonymous   

Nice view, but...
Multigenerational family group of 12 for Mothers Day lunch. Nice view overlooking the Potomac River. Limited menu options for Mothers Day - three entrees. Two were okay, but most of the party ordered the third, prime rib, and everyone's was overdone and tough - took three tries to find a piece close to pinkish middle for my mom - everyone else took their well done pieces in relative silence. The side dishes and desserts were good. Service varied - prompt with drinks and more bread, but "forget" to bring steak knives for the prime rib, had to ask twice, and the children (ages 6 to 14) were a sight trying to cut a tough piece of meat without them. I won't go back - too bad, there are so few places in the DC area with a nice view    [15 May 2006 11:49:21]

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     ­Anonymous   

Good Food
The food is very good. There are lots of choices for everyone. The view is gorgeous.    [02 Aug 2006 19:44:46]

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     ­Anonymous   

We went to Cedar Knoll for Mother's Day and had Prime Rib. It was terrible. The salad was very small. The bread was good and the cheese cake for dessert was great.

I have been there before and the food was good. The best thing about today was the view of the river!!!    [13 May 2007 13:45:40]

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     ­Anonymous   

Poor Food - Fair Service - Great View
We also went with high expectations base don the lovely scenery and the waiter was good. The appetizers were fare but my dinner - salmon had an extremely strong (old?) taste to it and my wife's pasta seemed to have been doused in tomato soup not sauce.
Unfortunate since we wanted to return for brunch but not after that.    [18 Jun 2007 16:22:18]

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     ­Anonymous   

Please Replace the Chef
We were hoping to find better food to match the wonderful view here but that was not to be. I was considering this restuarant for my wedding reception but I'm glad we visited first.
We found the Shrimp Cocktail appetizer was very overpriced and too sweet, the salads were drenched in dressing and the tomatoes were rancid so we couldn't finish them. We sent the steak back to the kitchen since it was too salty, full of fat and gristle and the sauce tasted like it came out of a package. The entrees are very salty and my salmon dish was drenched in Old Bay seasoning, as if to cover the flavor of the fish, which tasted old. One of the younger waiters cleared all of our silverware after he cleared our salads and brought us a dessert menu before we had our meal. Though both managers were in the house, they seemed oblivious to the poor quality of the food being prepared by their kitchen staff. The only menu item to recommend was the coffee,which at $2.50 was the only item on the menu worth the price.
I don't know why this place doesn't hire a true chef - they can't be getting much return business with the one they have now. I hope Washingtonian Magazine comes out for a taste to save future guests a bad experience.    [29 Jul 2007 12:57:16]

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     ­Mary Beth