There are three restaurants serving dinner at the Greenbrier; the formal Main Dining Room, the new Prime 44 West steakhouse and the casual Sam Snead’s at the Golf Club. The wine list is the same throughout the resort.

The Main Dining Room is the most elegant and formal of the resort’s restaurants. Dining in this cavernous space is what it must be like at a state dinner in the White House. Huge chandeliers hang from the high ceiling and towering pillars are scattered throughout the room. Illuminated oil paintings and huge mirrors hang on the walls and soft piano and violin music is provided by live performers. Captains are in tuxedos, waiters in white jackets with black epaulets and ties and servers in black dresses with white lace collars.

Tables are set with heavy china, monogrammed silverware, a vase of red roses and a candle with a shade. Dark period furniture is used throughout the dining room.

The menu changes daily, but on our trip we started with a wild mushroom and chicken terrine with proscuitto, baby tomatoes and a tomato caper coulis that was very tasty and an even better salad of baby greens, a spiced pecan crusted goat cheese, oven roasted tomatoes and Virginia ham.

As entrees, we had a soy tamarind glazed duck breast served with a jasmine rice cake, sautéed sesame sugar snap peas and a ginger aioli. It was also served with tempura fried shrimp. I thoroughly enjoyed the duck which as tender and not fatty and delicious with the glaze and the rice cake and peas. Shrimp and duck didn’t seem right to me, so I passed on that part. The other entrée was a crispy seared grouper which was delicate under the outer layer served with pan fried gnocchi with truffle butter that had a wonderful earthly flavor to it. It was also accompanied by mussels and Nantucket bay scallops in a light fennel cream.

Dress is jacket and tie for the gentlemen, dress or suit for women.
Dinner in the Main Dining Room is included in the room rate.

Prime 44 West. Prime 44 West is a classic masculine steakhouse decorated in dark and natural woods and burgundy walls with leather and suede fabrics. The result is both elegant and intimate. Chef de Cuisine Michael Treanor, formerly of Ritz-Carlton has created a delicious menu featuring prime, dry aged angus beef as you might expect, but with some interesting twists. Fresh Dover Sole is flown in daily and served tableside with lemon and brown butter. Kumomoto Oysters are served with fresh wasabi, pink champagne and caviar. Great sides include: sweet potato casserole, with a pecan crust, 44 fries, with rosemary salt, lobster whipped potatoes and Guinness beer batter onion rings. Try the chocolate souffle with mint ice cream for dessert. Jackets recommended. Appetizers: $12-$25, entrees: $36-$65, desserts: $10-$14.

Sam Snead’s at the Golf Club is the most casual of the dining rooms and the one with the best view, overlooking the golf course.

It is a clubby room with an open kitchen, oak furniture and moldings, beamed ceilings, dark green carpeting and yellow walls adorned with Sam Snead memorabilia.

The menu is limited, but very good, with a kind of bistro bent to it. Corn and crayfish chowder and chilled poached shrimp and crab with avocado, grapefruit and horseradish aioli headline the appetizer list.

The rotisserie chicken with cipollini onions, the grilled pork porterhouse and the mixed grill with a lamb chop, petite filet and rosemary and garlic sausage were entrée favorites.

This restaurant is included in the base room price.