The Admiral

"I'm going a bit against the grain with our review. My husband and I ate here last night, and after some consideration of our review, we likely won't return, but we're glad we tried it out. I heard of the Admiral when someone on a Facebook group recently was requesting nice dinner locations, and someone recommended The Admiral. I added it to my list of restaurants to try because I'm always looking for new restaurants that are nice/fine dining. For starters, the caption "Finer dining" should be noted, because this location is essentially a bar with tablecloths; we noted that most individuals coming in were in casual clothes (some in sweat pants and cargos), which wasn't quite the environment I was hoping for on a fancier date night out. Our service was good: the hostess was very friendly upon our arrival; our server was pleasant; the bussers were attentive and polite; food came out in a mostly adequate time frame. My husband had a bar drink, and I ordered a blueberry mocktail. We both enjoyed our drinks, though, I was kind of surprised a mocktail was pretty much the same cost as a cocktail, considering I've gotten mocktails recently other places that weren't $12 - seems a little steep for a soda with syrup and a few fruit garnishes. The food itself was really not much to write home about. I'm perfectly okay with paying $40 for a fine meal and am originally from central Maryland, so no stranger to quality seafood dishes, but overall, my husband and I were a bit less than satisfied here. My husband started with a French onion soup, which had a great flavor but it was basically a cup of cheese with some broth (it was VERY cheesy). He also had the crab cakes, which he enjoyed and said were mostly crab meat without much filler, so that was good, though they were just slightly smaller than expected. I had the rockfish with crab imperial; unfortunately, the fish I had was ~50% brown with some red, so, while generally brown spots are not inedible, I was not comfortable eating most of my fish; the white flesh tasted fine, but wasn't excellent. The crab imperial was very good tasting, though slightly cold. To say I was disappointed for a $37 plate is an understatement. We were also surprised that there was no bread served as we first sat down or any other opening dish (which is still pretty common in fine dining and most restaurants). We also probably should have inferred there were no sides accompanied with the entrées when the menu did not list any, but we assumed most places even still have some type of small vegetable side (e.g., 2 asparagus stalks with a tablespoon of whipped potatoes, etc). The sides are 'shareables' only, so it really seems to be a family style seafood restaurant. The turtle cheesecake, however, was fantastic. It was a great ending to our visit. This is definitely something we can recommend. Unfortunately, not knowing how to approach the menu a little better (i.e., getting sides to help fill us up), we still went home and had to eat again because entrees alone weren't very filling, yet we still had a >$100 bill. TLDR: Overall, service was pleasant; food was adequate but not spectacular and did not impress us at the prices of the menu. We can't recommend this restaurant with the current style layout (no starting bread, sides are all sold separately as shared dishes, etc)."

"Possibly the best filet I've ever had. The rock fish was also amazing. We tried ever side and loved each one of them. They have creative cocktails as well. We loved every aspect of our experience."

"Worth every penny and the drive, living in historic Frederick, MD. The crab cakes were the best I've had in many years. All lump meat, no filler. The crab and lobster deviled eggs were delicious. Spritz some lemon on them for an elevated flavor profile. You won't be disappointed. The meal was paced beautifully. Owner and chef came out to greet us and ensure our meal was top notch. Martinis were made perfectly. I recommend the pomegranate. Creme brulee was amazing. Save room for dessert. Five-star experience in the small town of Boonsboro. I've worked for a multiple Michelin star chef and have many years of experience with fine dining, domestically, and abroad. Come with small town expectations, and you should be more than satisfied. A must try!"

"First let me say that I can’t recommend The Admiral enough to discerning diners. There’s no place even remotely in the same level of dining anywhere in the south county. But, OK, let’s be frank and completely honest about The Admiral. They opened just over a week ago in mid December 2023. Most restaurants understandably need time to fine tune their operations. The coordination necessary between the staff, kitchen, and bar is intricate and doesn’t always come easily. The Admiral is the exception to this. In a very short period of time they have mastered each phase, and you get a very clear picture of a coordinated staff that understands the importance of communicating with each other, and making sure dining guests are always kept informed. So let’s get to the good stuff: the menu is another gem, and again, there’s nothing to compare to it within 40-50 miles. We’re talking a menu full of high end dining options and choices you won’t find in abundance at any local restaurants. For foodies, this is a veritable cornucopia of incredible selections. And there’s even more. You can tell whoever set up the menu made sure the beverage options are intended to reach the same stratospheric levels as the apps and entrees. You’ll find higher end selections from beers to wines and liquors far above rail selections. All matched and suitable to pair with your dinner selections. And I’ve saved the best for last: this staff understands what fine dining is supposed to be. From the moment you enter, to being seated, to the table service and through to delivery of the check, this staff knows how to deliver an amazing dining experience. Training like this takes time, but by now you understand The Admiral doesn’t expect you to be patient while they ramp up. This staff is ready now, they are well trained and understanding of diners expectations and needs. With fine dining, normally you get what you pay for. In the case of The Admiral, you get even more. Try The Admiral."

"The Admiral has just opened in Boonsboro. It's nice to have another restaurant in town. The food was good, the service was excellent and the atmosphere was pleasant. In my opinion the prices were a bit high for Boonsboro but the experience was good."