I have mixed feelings about restaurant weeks. I know they are designed to bring people into the independently owned restaurants but why do we need an incentive to avoid the chain restaurants and their prepackaged reheated meals.
I love our local small restaurants. Our three favorites these days include Bistro Blanc, Iron Bridge and Elkridge Furnace. All locally owned. All making things using the local farms and cooking from scratch.
I wandered up to Bistro Blanc tonight all by my lonesome as my husband had a club dinner in Frederick. I sit at the bar and talk to Andy or Warren, whoever is bartending. I also get to converse with the locals who frequent the bar as a very casual place to enjoy a meal.
Don’t come here if you are in a hurry. Food here is cooked from scratch. Your burgers are made to order from fresh local meats and nothing beats fresh lamb cooked medium rare, juicy and served on a brioche bun.
The lamb burger was amazing, but so are the frites. Garlicky, with whole roasted cloves of garlic hidden in the bowl. Sprinkled with parmigiano and rosemary. Served with an aioli that is also rich and garlicky. I love my burgers medium rare and it drives me nuts to go to a place that will only incinerate and dry out a burger. But, they usually have premade patties of questionable origin, so maybe incineration is a good thing for them.
I paired the burger with a lovely Domaine Chandon Pinot Meunier. Tuesday is half price wine night. This is a good deal for wines. I brought half of it home for my husband to savor with some cheese later this evening.
Their restaurant week menu looks great. We will be there some night next week for it.
Check out your local Howard County restaurants for their special menus, but more importantly, support them all year long.
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AnnieRie Unplugged 