Stone Bar Inn

So damn expensive.  I've had the good and the bad here.  Mostly good over the last 12 years, and I agree that Mr. Moore is a nice guy and hardworking and a solid chef.  No doubt.  My problem is, when paying mid 30s for an entree, I want it to knock my socks off.  That just doesn't happen here.  So, there's a little bit too much of a profit motive at play with this place.  I'm surprised that most people aren't scared away by these insane prices - but then again, I'm also thinking that people go only for special occasions wherein price is not an issue.  I remember when the filet mignon was 21.95.  Now it's like 40+ and sometimes not so good.  That's absurd steakhouse prices, and I would venture that the beef isn't even prime beef.  No thanks.

My family and I went to Stone Bar to celebrate my 25th birthday. It is fairly easy to get to off of the Snydersville exit, and the venue itself was smaller than expected, however very cozy, comfortable, and not crammed.

There is a real wood fireplace in the dining room, a semi circle bar offering many delicious concoctions, and the bartender was extremely competent, outgoing and polite. The drinks are strong and well crafted. Our reservation at the Chef's Table was ready an hour in advance, however we opted to stay at the bar to take in the scene. We were very glad we did, the dishes we caught a glimpse of going to the bar patrons were nothing short of a picture in Bon Apetit. I like how they have a bar menu as well as a formal dinner menu, too. Now, off to the main event.

The Chef's Table is literally in the kitchen, situated in the far corner, next to the pastry station and behind a wall of dishes, non-perishables, etc. is the actual cooking station. Upon reaching our seats, we were told they can accommodate up to 15 persons at the Chef's Table, which was good to know, and my reasoning follows.

Andrew Moore is one of the most sincere, talented, and accommodating chefs I have ever come across, though this experience was amplified by being in direct contact with him. Still, you can't hide the truth the food was nothing short of exquisite. Plenty of options to choose from, all staff is very knowledgeable about ingredients, cooking styles and country/places of origin for the dishes. Before placing our dinner orders, Andrew came over and asked if we had any special requirements or questions, and we spent about 5 minutes going over options.

Once our orders were in, we went through another round of drinks, which I must add at this point their service is top notch, addressing you by name and remembering drinks, asking if you would like it tweaked and so forth. I, myself love food, and I also love taking pictures of food. Being in the kitchen, I asked if I could snap a few photos of the guys in action at their cooking stations. This was welcomed with open arms.

Now on to the food. We ordered a crab stuffed mushroom appetizer, which was piping hot served on a skillet. Delicious. Salads were very light, crisp and refreshing.

Main courses:

Cowboy Ribeye - 20 oz. served rare. This was exceptional, well marbled, and cooked to perfection.

Argentinian Flank Steak Chimichuri style - this was also very good, the complex flavors were an inviting twist on a somewhat simple cut of beef.

Filet Mignon - my sister was astonished a medium-well cooked steak can "melt in your mouth".

However, I believe my dad ordered the real gem of the night, which was a Pacifico Chilean Sea Bass, topped with marinated cucumbers in a citrus zest. This was also my favorite, although I only had a bite.

Once our main courses were finished and cleared out, we were presented with a dessert menu. Having been seated close to the pastry station, we knew we were in for a treat. The use of blow torches and other instruments seemed mandatory if you ordered anything but a bowl of ice cream. I chose banana foster, others that came around were chocolate lava cake, cheesecake and apple crisp. All were exceptional. The lights in the kitchen were turned off, a Happy Birthday tune sung, and the rest is history.

At the end, we received the check, and were astonished they comped us 3 of the 4 desserts on account it was our first time and my birthday. I guess a little of it had to do with we were pretty fun to be around too :).

Pictures with the chef were taken again, and we were out the door and heading to The Crossings.

All in all, Andrew's restaurant is one of the best in our area. It truly deserves 5 stars, and we will be back again. This wasn't a regular dinner, it was a dining experience. Everyone working at Stone Bar really made my birthday that much more special. Thanks, guys.

I will begin this review by saying that I don't often review restaurants. Most places we patronize are either longtime favorites, or have been researched as to minimize potential disappointment and money wasted. It's been a very long time since I have felt compelled to write a review, but felt Stone Bar needed to be addressed.

My mother had decided on Stone Bar as the place to celebrate our fathers birthday, it is his favorite restaurant in the area.  Excited to have a fun night, we all hopped into our cars and headed over to Stone Bar for a 6pm Saturday night reservation.

As previous posters have noted, if you aren't from around here, call for directions. It is in the middle of nowhere (pretty much everything is in the Pocono's) and the bridge that must be crossed to get there is currently closed. So, even if you have GPS, the odds of you finding this place is low.

The building and surrounding grounds are nice. A very rustic feel, and very quiet. I had high hopes as we walked through the front door. Our table was ready for us upon arrival, no additional waiting was needed. The bar was pretty busy, and it seemed like about half the restaurant was filled. Our table for 8 was nestled in an alcove down a few stairs and around a corner. It was almost like a semi private room, with only another table for 5 on the other side of the room, well out of ear shot. Dimly lit throughout, the ambiance was relaxed and cozy.

Our 2 servers arrived, a nice touch for a larger party like ours. Our drink orders were placed, and they arrived promptly. The mixed drinks were prepared well, with top shelf spirits. My bloody Mary was spicy and smooth. We were handed our menus, and given some time to look over the selections.

My first thought was, wow, this place is pricey. Very pricey. Appetizers were between 10-15, with all main courses over 30, most almost 40. We are talking about NYC prices here, 3-4 star NYC prices. I ordered the pan seared steak, with peppercorn sauce. It arrived with a few root vegetables, a small scoop of mashed potatoes, and the steak itself. The steak was undercooked by 2 temp ranges, and under seasoned.  15 minutes later it was returned, still undercooked (I order medium) and horribly under seasoned. It was pretty tough, and basically flavor less.

I kept quiet as to not ruin any ones time or my dads birthday. Deserts took almost 30 min to arrive and were OK. For the money spent here I expect a perfect cooked steak (hell Outback was better) and flawless execution. Maybe to folks who live up here think this is fine dining, but they would be wrong. Prices need to reflect where they are located and they quality of the food they put out. IMHO the prices need to be dialed back about 10 dollars per entire, and 5 per appy. If that were to happen, maybe I would give Stone Bar another chance. But at the current pricing, no way.