We saved you a bite: The Franklin House Tavern (Lebanon Valley Food Critics)

Editor’s Note: Michael and Nicole Borrell review Lebanon Valley’s restaurants and eating attractions as the Lebanon Valley Food Critics. The couple aims to offer unbiased reviews of the eating and drinking establishments the Lebanon Valley has to offer. LebTown is pleased to partner with LVFC to share these reviews with our readers. Bon appétit!

It was a pre-overhyped blizzard miracle; the critic crew got an unplanned date night. Without the little critic we decided to have a fancier dinner this evening. So we traveled south on State Route 897 and found ourselves in the village of Schaefferstown at The Franklin House Tavern.

This historic tavern is now under new ownership and boasts the same charm on the inside as it had in the past. There is the front bar room with high top tables as well as a few dining rooms off the main corridor.

For dinner this evening, we began with the Franklin Fritters ($9.50). For the entrées we got the Seared Salmon ($26) and the Braised Short Ribs ($34). We each got a side salad to go along with our meal. And can we say, some great ranch and blue cheese dressing here!

The fritters are house hush puppies accompanied by poblano crème. You get plenty of them in an order and the spicy poblano makes for a great start to the meal.

The seared salmon comes with spicy mango jasmine rice, edamame, and lime ponzu sauce. The first thing we notice is the Franklin House cares about presentation. The even sear on the salmon added that nice crunch to the flavorful salmon bite. The lime flavor in the ponzu was nice to have rather than the usual lemon served with most salmon dishes. But I would have liked some more of that sauce on the plate.

The short ribs come with fennel, mushroom, cipollini, carrots, and garlic mashed potato. The short ribs fall apart as you dive in. A fancy dish that has a down home comfort feel. The gravy is delectably savory. More than enough to take home as a second meal for another day.

Our take: This place wants to operate as a fancier restaurant focusing quality main dishes, which they succeed at. There are plenty of options on the menu. The plate presentation is backed up by the high quality of the food. We did not feel rushed as we had plenty of time to enjoy our appetizer, salad, and dinner with no overlapping of either. The staff is friendly and as we saw this night, plenty of people will be there to enjoy a meal.

We give this place .

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