who knew?!. my husband and i were blown away by lancaster. we went expecting quiet, serene countryside with quaint restaurants and shops along the roadways. this existed, but was trumped by the downtown areas. after reading their online menu, our first night in town led us to john j. jeffries. we arrived, and couldn't even find a spot at the bar, it was so full! despite that, the bartender saw us and attended to us quickly and without a problem. we were seated at our reservation time, and subsequently had 2 fantastic servers. we ordered 2 of thesmallplates as appetizers, the pork belly and mac and cheese, and the "surf n' turf." check out their menu for great descriptions that really are as good as they sound. we collectively agreed that the pork belly was the single best "appetizer" we'd ever had. delicious. we were treated to an amuse of goat cheese and mushroom custard, which is just such a great gesture at any restaurant, and moved onto our entrees. i had the scallops and butternut squash risotto, and my husband had the pork confit. both were delicious, though we were already so satisfied from our appetizers, we could have probably done with anothersmallplate to share. the chef came to our table, and spent some time talking about their philosophy of cooking and restaurant ownership, which really, is a pure example of farm to table. almost all of their ingredients are sourced locally, and if not, are sourced in a sustainable manner. we finished with the ice cream sampler, which had a homemade vanilla bean icecream, a stout icecream, and a maple bacon icecream. that, plus the french press of coffee made for a great finish to an already awesome meal. the chef even went so far as to pour us a complimentary glass of dessert ice wine in celebration of our anniversary. all in all, this restaurant gave us a different picture of "amish country" than we'd even expected. 5 stars and many thanks.