Chef’s Counter at Burnt Hill Farm in Clarksburg has been named Maryland’s Best New Restaurant of 2026 by Tasting Table, adding another national honor to a growing list of accolades for the Montgomery County dining destination. A video of the experience can be seen below.
The recognition comes as part of Tasting Table’s selection of the best new restaurants in every state for 2026. The publication considered several factors in making its selections, including chefs with award-winning reputations, successful restaurateurs launching new concepts, and restaurants offering distinctive dining experiences.
In highlighting Chef’s Counter, Tasting Table pointed to its intimate setting, culinary offerings and location within Burnt Hill Farm’s 177-acre winery and vineyard. “You’ll find the 12-seat Chef’s Counter nestled inside the grounds of the 177-acre winery and farm known as Burnt Hill Farm,” the publication wrote, noting that the restaurant has already attracted attention from the James Beard Foundation and The New York Times. Tasting Table also highlighted the property’s wines, charcuterie, focaccia pizza and roasted vegetables, describing the setting as “magical.”
The recognition is the latest in a series of national honors for Burnt Hill Farm. Earlier this year, Chef’s Counter was named one of The New York Times’ 50 favorite restaurants in America for 2026, while Observer included Burnt Hill among its “17 Best Wineries and Vineyards on the East Coast.”
Located at 25001 Burnt Hill Road in Clarksburg, Chef’s Counter offers an intimate, reservation-only dining experience led by Chef-Partner Tae Strain. The 12-seat restaurant features a multi-course tasting menu centered around seasonal ingredients, many sourced directly from Burnt Hill Farm, with influences from Strain’s perspective on Asian American cuisine.
Guests have a front-row seat as Strain prepares and presents dishes inspired by the farm and the broader Chesapeake Bay foodshed. During an earlier preview, the menu featured shokupan with sesame honey, carrots with sambal, striped bass with kani miso, dry-aged duck with mandarinquat, Mangalitsa pork shoulder ssam, the ggoma snowball and sweet potato toffee cake.
Strain, a Maryland native with 16 years of culinary experience, previously worked at Michelin-starred restaurants including Momofuku in Washington, D.C., The Progress in San Francisco and PUBLIC in New York City. He later founded ggoma Supper Club, a tasting-menu pop-up focused on highlighting Mid-Atlantic farmers and artisans.
Burnt Hill Farm opened its tasting room in September 2025 and is operated by the team behind Old Westminster Winery. The property is led by siblings Lisa Hinton, Ashli Johnson and Drew Baker. It previously received national recognition when Food & Wine named it among America’s most beautiful vineyards. Chef’s Counter at Burnt Hill Farm is located at 25001 Burnt Hill Road in Clarksburg. Reservations and additional information are available at burnthill.farm.
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