Monday, February 9, 2009

Help Me: Fancy Dining

I know that high end dining in Howard County starts with Tersiguel's, but I haven't been there yet.  Fancy spots are a blind spot for me.  My budget doesn't rise to French food often, and we often driving into the city when we splurge.

What is your local place for a super-special night out?  Tersiguels?  King's Contrivance?  Iron Bridge?  Why?  What makes it worth the check -- and worth passing up great places in Harbor Place or downtown DC?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

My favorite is Jordan's steakhouse in Ellicott City. I like the atmosphere and the service is excellent. I don't know exactly how the steaks compare to other high end steakhouses, but I really enjoyed my steak and sides. The downtown Ellicott City location is a plus too...

Mama said...

Elkridge Furnace Inn in Elkridge. It is a wonderful setting in a restored historic home and the food is fantastic. Some traditional French country food and always delicious. This is a meal to linger over and try that one dish that you have always been a little hesitant to try.

BeerGuy said...

Greystone Grill, just off the 100

Big wine place, wine vault, steaks and seafood.

Deblynne said...

Our whole family loves Aida's. We discovered it a few years ago through an internet search. The first time we went there our sons and a friend (they were about 16 and 18 then) accompanied us after a long day of cleaning out our basement.

It's my husband's favorite restaurant and we have never had anything that we didnt like there. The food is fresh and delicious. One time we took my cousin, who was visiting from out of town, to Aida's She said that their olive oil was comparable to some very fine oil that she had when she visited Italy.

Anonymous said...

Jordans - Had a horrible experience there one time due to very, very poor service. So upset that I even wrote a letter to the manager and it fell on deaf ears. I personally will take my money elsewhere, but I hope anyone who tries it has a better experience than we did.

Tersiguels - I used to love this place and spent many hundreds of dollars when I went there. I came to find out that some people decided to protest his establishment because he served foie gras so he stopped serving it. Tersiguel has no problem serving lobster or veal but decided to knuckle under to people who are not his customers which upsets me the most. Its almost as bad an Italian chef who refuses to serve mozzarella cheese on principle - foie is a classic french staple. On principle, I canceled a large party for a birthday and refuse to go there again. I do email him from time to time about how other cities (Chicago for one) have realized how silly and pointless these foie gras bans are. I also have never tried - and will avoid - the Iron Bridge Wine Company for the same reason.

Anonymous said...

P.S. For price and food quality, the O.Z. Chophouse has better food, hands down. I have had poor service there too, but at least the owner made it right.