Crossroads Pub

In the mood for crabs? Fresh fried seafood? A killer crab soup? The Crossroads Pub, tucked way out of the way in Western Howard County, could be the spot for you. It's another one of those places I've driven by for years and finally stopped in, only to find something quite different than what I'd thought.

Seafood, specifically crab, is the name of the game at the Crossroads Pub. You can order fresh steamed crabs and start pounding and picking like you were at the Eastern Shore. Or you can order off a menu filled with fried seafood entrees and sandwiches, along with a few traditional landlubber options. The soups, either Maryland Crab or Cream of Crab, are hearty, rich and tasty. The crab cake platter or sandwich stands up with the best in the area. The fried clam strips were fresh and meaty. The shrimp salad is also listed as a specialty, but I haven't tried it yet. Whatever you get, you're not likely to leave hungry.

The Crossroads Pub is small, but with a back room of picnic tables is a little bigger than it appears from the street. It's not fancy, and the crowd and service can feel like a trip back to an older time in Maryland that may not appeal so much to the trendy set. But the Crossroads Pub seems to be proud to serve a down home meal to those that seek it out.

Reviews

• Restaurantdb.net rates the Crossroads Pub 8.7/10 for food, based on 9 reviews as of 5/1/09.
  

Location

4809 Ten Oaks Road

Dayton, MD 21036

Phone: 410-531-7485

Website: (none)

The Crossroads Pub is just west of Route 32 on Ten Oaks Road where it intersects Howard Road and Green Bridge Road. Exit Route 32 at Linden Church Road West, then turn right on Ten Oaks Road.

Bistro Blanc - Dining Update

I've had the pleasure of dining with friends at Bistro Blanc several times in the past few weeks and thought I'd give a report. The news is good. The restaurant's been busy each of the weekday and weekend evenings we've been there. Reservations are certainly suggested for the weekend.

The food is consistently very fine, with Chef Marc Dixon's menu selections varying slightly depending on the fresh ingredients he finds each day. The menus online are indicative of what's served, but not necessarily what you'll find any given night. And even though restaurant week is just starting, Bistro Blanc has been offering a $30.95 prix fixe menu for several weeks now.

Among the starters, the flatbreads (either mushroom or prosciutto) are definitely winners, and we thoroughly enjoyed the grilled shrimp with grits, "pork 'n beans", and mussels with a very light curry sauce. We just wish it was easier to get extra bread to soak up the curry sauce; the bread is evidently finished in the oven for each order and takes a little time. Soups and salads have been good, but not as memorable as the other starters.

The slow cooked, or sous vide, salmon is still a standout entree. Most recently it came topped with a little red caviar or roe that added an interesting crunch to contrast with the pillow-soft salmon. There's also a slow cooked chicken, which was fine, but the salmon seems to really respond to the cooking method. A scallop risotto entree was tremendous, with enormous fresh grilled scallops. Steaks were grilled just right, though the accompanying potato galette was a little too dense.

We've learned to save room for desserts at Bistro Blanc. The chocolate ganache with vanilla gelato is a warm and cool treat. The peach strudel in phyllo looks massive but seems to quickly disappear. And you can't go wrong with a cheese plate or sorbets. They're both handled nicely.

I think I've finally figured out the Enomatic wine machine, which dispenses a taste, half glass or whole glass of various red or white selections. It's still a bit of a gimmick, good for tastings and conversation, but you can do just as well from the full wine list, or choose a bottle from the retail shelves and add a $10 corkage fee. Friends have also loved the extensive beer selection.

Bistro Blanc is also open for lunch and Sunday Brunch. I haven't tried those menus yet, but I'm happy to face the challenge. It's a treat having this restaurant in the area. If you haven't been yet, come on out.


See my previous dining review and capsule description of Bistro Blanc.

Bistro Blanc is on our list of Nearly Best Restaurants in Howard County.

Bistro Blanc regularly holds special dining events, including cooking classes. Check for them in our Monthly Restaurant Events listings.

Ten Oaks Tavern

The Ten Oaks Tavern is now officially up and running, removing all vestiges of M.D.'s Country Pub it replaced. The website shows their full menu and has some pictures. The menu is geared toward bar food favorites likes burgers, wings, ribs and sandwiches. There are weekly specials of lobsters on Tuesday, crab cakes Wednesdays and prime rib on Thursdays. There are also some additional printed specials nightly like jambalaya.

We stopped in the other night and found the place busy with lots of M.D.'s regulars. It took a while for us to get service, but once we did, the food was quick and plentiful. We didn't find any real standouts on the menu -- it's your basic American bar food and plenty of it -- but it seems to be done competently and with a friendly dash of local spirit. Speaking of spirits, the bar itself appears popular in a Cheers-ey kind of way.

M.D.'s Country Pub Becomes Ten Oaks Tavern

A fixture in western Howard County since 1990, M.D.'s Country Pub has changed hands. It is now the Ten Oaks Tavern. The restaurant and bar have been redecorated a bit, but for the time being is still serving M.D.'s menu of burgers and pub food. Some of the staff has stayed as well, and say the menu will change soon to reflect the new ownership. M.D.'s had a lot of regulars and was a local hangout. We'll keep an eye on the transition and see what happens.

Bistro Blanc - Dining Review

Bistro Blanc is a newcomer in the wilds of western Howard County offering fine wines and food. At dinner recently we experienced some of the delights of local ownership, a young staff and ambitious chef working to carve their own space.

The restaurant is in an unlikely little strip off Ten Oaks Road near the construction of new roundabouts and a bridge over Route 32. You may get lost in the roundabouts before you find it, but have patience. Once you do, the interior is attractive, with two seating areas slightly separated from the wine bar and store. You can browse the wines and liquor for sale while you wait, or sample wines from the automated wine tasting dispenser.

Chef Marc Dixon's menu at Bistro Blanc is seasonal and already ahead of what's currently posted on the website. It's New American cuisine with a focus on fresh ingredients and sometimes complicated sauces. There's a welcome emphasis on presentation and texture as much as taste. When all three come together, it's a real treat.

Highlights of our recent visit included a grilled flatbread appetizer with portobello mushrooms, gruyere cheese and caramelized onions that was pizza-sized and ample for sharing. An entree of slow cooked salmon paired with a lobster reduction was exquisite -- it simply melted in my mouth while the flavors were rich and complex. Other diners raved about their entrees of lamb chops and wild rockfish.

Not every dish is a knockout. The clam chowder, grilled shrimp and scallop appetizers have each looked wonderful when they arrived at the table, but were merely good, not great. None of the dishes were misses, exactly, but they didn't quite match up with our expectations.

The desserts made in-house and cheese plates appeared nearly as ambitious as the starters and entrees. We honestly didn't have room for them after this visit, but we'll give them a try in the future, for sure.

On some visits, the servers at Bistro Blanc were impressively professional and well informed about the menu and wines. On others, we seemed to hit the rookie squad. In time, I expect they will become more consistent.

Bistro Blanc is a young restaurant that is still getting its feet on the ground. If you come in with high expectations, you may find some disappointments, but you'll also find some dishes that really hit the spot and offer a solid foundation for growth. It's wonderful to see a restaurant of this quality in western Howard County. It's not yet one of the very best in the county, but it's already getting close. We're eager to see it mature and find success.

Starters at Bistro Blanc run between $10-15, while entrees are between $17-23. An extensive list of wines by the glass are available between $7-25, with most in the $10-14 range. The wine tasting machine works off a $20 card available for purchase, with pours of a taste, half glass or whole glass.

See our capsule description of Bistro Blanc.

Update: Also see our Bistro Blanc - Dining Update posting.

Update: Bistro Blanc regularly holds special dining events. Check for them in our Monthly Restaurant Events listings.

Bistro Blanc

A newcomer in 2008, Bistro Blanc is a wine bar, shop, and dining establishment a little along the lines of Iron Bridge Wine Company. In fact, Chef Marc Dixon was the original chef at Iron Bridge. We've been impressed with the menus and preparation at Bistro Blanc. The starters work nicely as appetizers or a small plates meal. The entrees are mouth watering. The Enomatic dispenser in the wine bar lets you sample wines at the click of a button, but it's a bit of a gimmick. I tend to prefer ordering a bottle or a glass, and the selection at Bistro Blanc is outstanding. It's great to have a quality restaurant in Western Howard County. It's worth the drive.

Reviews:

• We've written two detailed reviews of Bistro Blanc: see our Dining Review of Bistro Blanc and our Bistro Blanc - Dining Update posting.
• Bistro Blanc is on our list of Nearly Best Restaurants in Howard County.
  
• Urbanspoon readers give Bistro Blanc 91/100 based on 24 votes and has 3 user reviews as of 4/30/09.
• Yelp gives Bistro Blanc 4/5 stars based on 3 reviews as of 4/30/09.
• TripAdvisor gives Bistro Blanc 4/5 stars based on 2 reviews as of 4/30/09.
• The Business Review "Noshing with the Nagles" column reviewed Bistro Blanc in January 2009.

Location:
3800 Ten Oaks Rd
Glenelg, MD 21737
Phone: (410) 489-7907
Website: www.bistroblancmd.com

Specials and Other Details:

• Bistro Blanc is open for brunch Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 am - 2:00 pm.
• Bistro Blanc hosts monthly Wine Dinners featuring guest experts and wineries.
  
• Bistro Blanc has live entertainment most Saturday and Sunday evenings.