View From the Porch
It was a beautiful spring day, and where better to have
lunch than the porch of the Harryman House at 340 Main St.,
Reisterstown?
The tables were decked out with crisp white
linen, even outdoors at lunch, and there was a fine view of
the blossoming tulip trees
across the street. The
restaurant's overstuffed deli sandwiches seemed a bit prosaic
for the occasion, but a lunch special of quiche and fruit for
$9.00 struck the right note. The delicate custard in its
golden crust was studded with bits of shrimp and sun-dried
tomatoes. Best of all was the fresh fruit. Juicy slices of
pineapple, three kinds of melon, blueberries, raspberries,
strawberries, and blackberries spilled over the plate.
Three stars.
Baltimore Sun, Elizabeth Large, April 15,
1999.
Zagat Rating of Excellence
1998, 1999, 2000
Wine Spectator Award of Excellence:
1997, 1998, 1999
A meal here may start with tender, lightly battered
calamari, served with ramekin of tomato coulis and a handful
of lemon wedges.
Another successful appetizer is barbecued
shrimp, stuffed with Swiss cheese, wrapped in bacon, and
served on an intriguing
black bean pancake.
Entrees range from simple broiled crab cakes, served in a
pool of zesty marinara sauce, to eggplant pistachio-encrusted
lamb chops accompanied by a pineapple-mango chutney. The young
and personable service staff will gladly help with selections
from the wine and dessert lists.
You could call the Harryman House old-fashioned. After all,
the log cabin that forms part of the restaurant is 200 years
old. And the kitchen has never had a reputation for producing
cutting-edge
food. Good, but traditional. Dependable but
not exciting. That's the Harryman House.
Only it's not. Start with the changing looks of the place.
In 1993 the restaurant was heavily damaged by fire. It was
rebuilt within a few months; but since then there have been
additions, the latest finished just a few weeks ago. If you
want lots of action, stop by the new bar.
There are a couple of small dining rooms near it, but when
the bar is in full swing, I wouldn't recommend them. The noise
level is
deafening.
Instead, make your way back to the original log cabin room
or the enclosed porch surrounding it. Here, for a complete
change of pace, families and serious eaters are conversing
quietly. It's a pleasant room, with a sense of history, but
it's not fancy except for the white linen and candles on the
tables.
What makes the Harryman House seem really up to date is the
menu. Not that there's a lot of over-the-top food on it, but
the concepts are
now.
