highland inn – Baltimore Magazine https://www.baltimoremagazine.com The Best of Baltimore Since 1907 Thu, 13 Aug 2020 19:37:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/cropped-favicon-32x32.png highland inn – Baltimore Magazine https://www.baltimoremagazine.com 32 32 ​Open & Shut: Abbey Burger Bistro; Play Café; Highland Inn https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/open-shut-abbey-burger-bistro-expands-play-cafe-opens-highland-inn-closes/ Mon, 29 Jun 2015 10:00:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=68845 Continued]]> From recently debuted eateries to promising projects that are in the works, here’s the latest in restaurant news.

OPEN:

Corfu: Federal Hill saw a new addition in mid-June as this Mediterranean tapas restaurant opened in the former Crazy Lil’s space on Cross St. Executive chef Darren Maas’ culinary repertoire includes stints throughout Washington D.C. Most recently, he served as the executive chef at Café Troia in Towson. With a focus on colorful cocktails and meant-for-sharing dishes—like pan-seared rockfish with lemon-crushed potatoes and lamb meatballs with tomato sauce and feta—Corfu offers trendy dining options in a ’hood best known for its pub grub. 27 E. Cross St., 410-617-0391

Play Café: In efforts to alleviate the struggles that parents face when dining with little ones attached to their hips, Hampden locals Kathy Kent Schott and Ryan Sterner, who each have toddlers of their own, came up with the idea to open this family-friendly eatery on Chestnut Avenue. The spot, which celebrated its grand opening earlier this month, boasts a designated kid’s area complete with a puppet theatre station, a play kitchen set, blocks, toy cars, and books. The menu lists sandwiches, salads, and endless kid-friendly combos like ants on a log, hummus and carrots, and apples with peanut butter or Nutella. 3400 Chestnut Ave., 410-469-9784

Poets: Since opening earlier this month, bartender John Hartzell has been slinging pints of local beer and pouring inventive cocktails at this new spot on the first floor of the Hotel Indigo in Mt. Vernon. The swanky bar also offers a full menu featuring light fare like quinoa and kale salad, Asian lettuce wraps, tofu tacos, and a variety of flatbreads. 24 W. Franklin St., 410-625-6200

Sugarvale: This underground space, best-known as a revolving door for local pop-ups like Dylan’s Oyster Cellar, has found a permanent inhabitant in Sugarvale, a wine and charcuterie bar conceived by the building’s owner, Phil Han of Dooby’s. The 35-seat haunt opened earlier this week, offering 18 wines by the glass, a seasonal cocktail menu, and house-made charcuterie. 4 W. Madison St.

COMING SOON:

Abbey Burger Bistro: From bacon and peanut butter to bison and bleu cheese, the offerings at this mainstay burger joint have made it a Federal Hill favorite for years. Husband-and-wife owners Russ and Marigot Miller have recently confirmed plans to expand by bringing a new Abbey Burger location to Fells Point in September. The eatery will set up shop in the former home of Willow on the 800 block of South Broadway. 811 S. Broadway

Citron: Longtime local caterer Charles Levine recently announced plans to open a 230-seat New American restaurant at Quarry Lakes at Greenspring. Slated to make its debut in summer 2016, Citron will offer fresh fish and grilled meats, while also accommodating vegan and vegetarian palates.

McCabe’s: While putting the finishing touches on Huck’s, his Brewer’s Hill brainchild, which is slated to open in early July, Charlie Gjerde has taken on yet another new project. Gjerde and his partners, his wife Lori and sister-in-law Carrie Podles, have announced plans to take over the former McCabe’s space in Hampden. The team plans to revamp the Falls Road restaurant, which was severely damaged in a fire last year, and transform it into a casual tavern. 3845 Falls Road, 410-467-1000

Sammy’s Enoteca: Fans of Sammy’s Trattoria on N. Charles Street will be happy to hear that owner Samuel Curreri’s plans to open a new Italian concept are in full swing. Curreri was granted a liquor license for his new venture, Sammy’s Enoteca, which will sit on the 600 block of S. Broadway in Fells Point. Slated to open in September, the restaurant will offer a menu full of Boot Country specialties such as squid-ink pasta and Chilean sea bass. 621-625 S. Broadway

SHUT:

Highland Inn: After a brief 18-month run, this revamped Howard County farmhouse closed its doors last week. It’s been reported that one of the reasons for the closure was due to owner Brian Boston’s struggles in devoting his energies to both the Highland Inn and its sister-restaurant the Milton Inn. Although no new projects are on the horizon for Boston as of yet, major renovations are slated to take place at the Milton Inn later this year.

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]]> Best Bites of 2014 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/best-bites-of-2014-1/ Mon, 22 Dec 2014 06:30:00 +0000 https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/?p=66866 Continued]]> If there’s anything I can say for sure about 2014, it’s that I was very well fed. Whether reviewing for our Local Flavor dining section, heading up cover stories on crabs or places to get a cheap eat, or eating my way through five counties for our upcoming
50 Best Restaurants cover (stay tuned), I’ve made endless trips to the table.

From kale pizza at
Hersh’s to Maryland crab soup at The Milton Inn, much of what I ate this year was very good—but several dishes were just great. Here are a few of the highlights:

Beer-Steamed Manila clams at Pen & Quill with garlic, shallots, and butter, above. Hands down, the best thing I’ve ingested all year. I’ll leave it at this: If I could have eaten the shells, I would. #fastestdisappearingactever

Scottish salmon at Charleston: After the first bite, this artfully arranged dish was no longer too pretty to eat, and I dove in with abandon. Salmon plus onions. Onions, egg yolk, and salmon. Each bite was perfect on its own or in harmony.

Lobster mac-and-cheese at The Highland Inn: Ordinarily, it seems a waste to bury lobster beneath a layer of cheese, but this satisfying dish—with huge chunks of sweet lobster meat, penne pasta, and a thick crust—was a true comfort food treat. On a rainy day, I sat at the bar alone and didn’t share with a soul. This is my definition of contentment.

Bon Burger at Le Garage with caramelized onions and Bucheron: With so many great burgers in town, it’s hard to pick just one, but this well-executed iteration was the standout.

Burrata at Parts & Labor: Burrata was the cheese of the moment this year. Caputo Bros. handcrafted version served at P & L stole the show. The I.P.A. was a great compliment, too.

Charcuterie at Cinghiale: Charcuterie is all the rage, but Cinghiale gets it just right with thin slivers of speck and mortadella. I left it to the chef to bring a selection—and it did not disappoint, especially since I washed it all down with a half-price bottle of wine on a Tuesday night.

Age tofu at Azumi: Truth be told, it’s hard to coax tofu into anything memorable, but Azumi’s bowl of hot, silken age tofu in tentsuyu broth has left me wanting more.

Ceviche Clasico at Puerto 511: Two words for chef Jose Victorio’s ceviche bathed in “leche de tigre,” with cilantro, red onion, sweet potato, and Andean corn: fish bliss.

Charred octopus at Aggio: Top Chef Bryan Voltaggio’s take on this ubiquitous menu item—in this version perfumed with lemon oil, nestled on a bed of fregola, and paired with a smoked raisin compote—was the best cephalopod mollusk in the sea.

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]]> Review: Highland Inn https://www.baltimoremagazine.com/section/fooddrink/we-review-the-highland-inn/ Mon, 21 Jul 2014 08:30:00 +0000 http://server2.local/BIT-SPRING/baltimoremagazine.com/html/?post_type=article&p=8300

Eager diners in Howard County must have breathed a sigh of relief when Brian Boston’s Highland Inn finally opened in January, and Boston, co-owner and executive chef of the highly successful The Milton Inn, must have been pretty gratified, too. It’s been five years since Boston conceived of opening an upscale, but casual, dining destination in restaurant-starved southern Howard County. Numerous bureaucratic hurdles, two canceled openings, and $4 million in renovations later, the restaurant, housed in a lovingly restored 1890s farmhouse on a rural corner, is up and running at last. So . . . was it worth the wait? Highland Inn’s pastoral setting and historic look are certainly a plus. On a chilly Saturday evening in late April, the outdoor dining terrace overlooking an idyllic meadow wasn’t open yet, but the handsomely appointed upstairs dining room (with a second one on the terrace level) was buzzing with equally well-turned-out diners. Boston, an accomplished equestrian, has chosen an array of hunt-country themed paintings by Owings Mills artist Sam Robinson to decorate the walls, while brightly colored murals of jockeys on horseback by the same artist grace the far end of the room. The mural lends a fun, casual vibe to the white-tablecloth formality of the space, a mix the menu strives to achieve as well. 

Boston aimed to create a venue that, unlike The Milton Inn, won’t be reserved mostly for special occasions. Although the price point is higher than what you might expect for everyday dining, the offerings are less elaborate here in order to showcase the pure flavors of local, seasonal ingredients. Chef Mark C. Davis, who was there on our first visit but has since left the inn, created a roster of approachable entrees, with some inventive appetizers thrown in for good measure. Wilbur Cox Jr. of B&O American Brasserie was at the helm on our second go-round and did not disappoint, though we’re told he will add his own touches to the table. The menu is designed to appeal to a fairly wide swath of diners, and mostly, it works quite well. 

The menu is designed to appeal to a fairly wide swath of diners, and mostly, it works quite well.

There were so many appealing choices on the list of appetizers that decision-making was the most arduous task of the evening. Should we pick a classic like the clams casino (a Milton Inn standard) or go for something novel like the avocado-green pea-asparagus dip? In the end, we chose well. A plate of seared scallops was a deliciously gorgeous contrast of colors and flavors, the fat scallops atop translucent pink rounds of beet “carpaccio,” the plate streaked with ruby red beet “mustard” and contrasting wilted greens. The crispy pork belly with PB&J was, frankly, spectacular. What’s not to like about peanut-crusted pork belly, its unctuous richness leavened by the sweetness of spiced apple butter and earthy pistachio butter? The Hudson Valley foie gras was slightly less successful. A luxury item like this needs to be treated gently, but ours had been seared a bit too much, lending a bitter edge to the delicate morsel. 

dish-and-chef-july-14
Left to right: The crispy-skinned trout; owner/executive chef Brian Boston. - Photography by Ryan Lavine

Among the entrees, there really wasn’t a false note. Entrees are an assortment of standard offerings—dry-aged pork chops, corn-dusted rockfish, and rack of lamb—dressed up with nicely prepared sides and sauces. The kitchen is focused on execution rather than flash, as with the herb-brined roast chicken, which was a crisp-skinned bird cooked to juicy perfection and excellent braised kale served on the side. Perfectly cooked, too, was the New York strip, medium-rare, as specified, and sided with a layered square of pavé potatoes and grilled asparagus. It’s always nice to see seriously large shrimp in a dish of shrimp and grits, and Highland Inn’s were not only jumbo, but also generously portioned. The grits almost outshone them, though, with their bits of pork belly and creamy texture. We couldn’t discern any of the advertised lobster within, but they were addictive anyway. Other menu highlights include crispy-skinned Irish trout on a bed of English pea emulsion.

You won’t find any elaborate or fancy creations on the dessert menu here. On offer are usual suspects like crème brûlée, carrot cake, a chocolate torte, and several flavors of Häagen Dazs ice cream. (We’re always curious as to why anyone would choose an $8 dish of ice cream you can buy by the pint at half the price.) Our party—weight watchers all—split the vanilla crème brûlée, properly creamy beneath its crackling top, and called it a night.

All in all, everything is in place for Highland Inn’s success. We were pleased to see reasonably priced wines on the extensive wine list, and our friendly waitress was helpful throughout the meal, recommending her favorites dishes. The only impediment we can see to the inn’s status as a mainstay of Howard County casual dining is that less-than-casual price point. Dinner here is expensive, albeit not as pricey as Brian Boston’s The Milton Inn. That said, there are more than enough solid qualities here to reward diners seeking a pleasant evening out, special occasion or not. 

HIGHLAND INN 12857 Highland Road, Highland, 443-276-3202. 
HOURS Dinner: 5:30 p.m.-9 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 5-9:30 p.m. Sat., 4-8 p.m. Sun. 
CUISINE Contemporary American. 
PRICE Appetizers: $7-21; entrees: $18-48; desserts: $8-15. 
ATMOSPHERE Upscale, yet laid-back dining in an appealing 1890s Howard County farmhouse.

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