Top Ten Places to Eat Lunch Outdoors
Gertrude's at the BMA is the place that comes to mind for most folks looking for a nice place to have lunch outdoors. I wanted to make up a list of other restaurants you might not have thought of that have scenic spaces beyond a few tables on the sidewalk. I'm avoiding Harborplace and the restaurants around the lake in Columbia; everyone knows about them.
I couldn't come up with 10 that no one would think of, but at least this will give you some alternatives for a good lunch in an attractive outdoor setting: ...
* The shady back garden of the 4 East Madison Inn
* The Ambassador Dining Room's hidden terrace with flower garden and water feature
* Canton Dockside's outside seating isn't as charming as some of these others, but it's as pleasant as you'll find for a crab house.
* The patio at Grille & Pub at Mountain Branch, which also has a good view
* The enclosed courtyard in front of Kali's Court
* The bluestone patio at the Oregon Grille, with lots of areas for dining among with plants and flowers
* The beautiful garden at Red Canoe with trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables (!)
* The Stone Mill Bakery's shady patio overlooking a grassy area where kids can play
* The well-landscaped courtyard at Green Spring Station, which is now the Tark's Grill outdoor space
* The Wild Orchid's pretty patio, which is nice because it seems very residential
(Photo of the Oregon Grille's patio by Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)
Comments
Since I've received nothing but horrible service at Gertrudes the last three times we've tried to dine there, I'm always amazed at how they repeatedly make their way into Sun and Baltimore Magazine lists. I guess I've been getting the wrong waiter?
Posted by: Mike | July 8, 2008 8:39 AM
Or maybe you're not reading the actual list?
Posted by: Brian | July 8, 2008 8:56 AM
What's a "water feature?"
That's an excellent question. As I remember, it's a fountain, but I chickened out because I haven't been in a while, so I just quoted Matt Hudock (without attribution; bad Elizabeth) under Looking for Lunch. EL
Posted by: Retired in Elkridge ex Mr. Old Fart | July 8, 2008 9:29 AM
The Wine Market on Fort Ave.
Good one that I forgot about. Thanks. EL
Posted by: MB | July 8, 2008 9:57 AM
A water feature is a design element in a garden that involves running or flowing water...a stream, pool, fountain, waterfall.
They bring serenity to a garden, along with mosquitoes. Properly constructed they also give you a never-ending urge to go pee.
Posted by: Bucky | July 8, 2008 10:20 AM
Thanks for clearing that up, Bucky. I always thought a water feature was a lemon wedge.
Posted by: jl | July 8, 2008 10:58 AM
Sanders Corner by the Loch Raven Reservoir. They have a great deck overlooking the water!
Posted by: Kathleen | July 8, 2008 11:50 AM
That's a perfectly reasonable assumption for a foodie, jl.
In that regard, I suppose ice could also be a water feature, a conclusion that makes my head hurt.
Posted by: Bucky | July 8, 2008 12:19 PM
Geeezzzz. i must be really old. I remember when 4 East Madison was the orthopaedic doctors offices.
Posted by: Pigtown | July 8, 2008 12:22 PM
The decks at La Palapa and CoCo Lane in historic Ellicott City are good spots. I also like Baldwin Station even though you sometimes have to deal with a train coming by about 30 feet away from you but that's actually part of the charm about it.
Posted by: Ronnie | July 8, 2008 1:45 PM
O’Lordans Irish Pub in Westminster on outside deck.
Posted by: SH | July 8, 2008 1:57 PM
Arcos (Mexican) in Fells Point has a really neat courtyard.
Posted by: locust point man | July 8, 2008 5:23 PM
O’Lordans Irish Pub? SH- where is this place? One I've never heard of before - review please!
Posted by: Joyce W. | July 8, 2008 7:24 PM
Joyce, I second SH on O'Lordan's in downtown Westminster. Though I've found the service bi-polar, I rate it worth a visit for the space: old stone and old-looking (at least) wood with a sort of celtic cum medieval (to the casual observer) cast. Quotes on the walls in the bar/lower level would make Bucky feel he'd arrived.
At the intersection of Main and Hwy. 27. While you're there, if you're in the mood for wine, check out (just up Main) "Wine Me Up" a new wine bar. I've been in it, but not yet done a sampling. Expect to soon. (EL -- pix, I almost promise.)
Posted by: jl | July 8, 2008 10:27 PM
Thanx, jl (&SH for mentioning it)! I hope to check it out soon - and the wine bar too - I have to get out more often, I had no idea such places were just up the road a bit! :)
Posted by: Joyce W. | July 9, 2008 5:31 AM
This is a little late...and a little off-topic, because I know the question refers to restaurants with outdoor eating spaces...but does anyone ever go on a picnic any more?
You know, a fry-up-some-chicken, pack up the family and head to the (pick one: mountains, shore, park), spread out a table cloth on the ground and eat kind of picnic? Maybe toss some horseshoes or play a little softball? Or build a small fire and make real S'mores?
Posted by: Bucky | July 9, 2008 10:14 AM
Bucky what a great idea. I can not tell you the last time I went on an honest to God picnic. I have resolved to do just that the next nice weekend we have. Fried chicken, potato salad, dinner rolls, watermelon slices and coconut cake.....thanks for the memory and the reminder of a slower and more mellow time.
Posted by: Regina | July 9, 2008 11:08 AM
You used to be able to go picnic at the BSO summer concerts at Oregon Ridge Park. They would open at Noon. When the kids were still at home, and much younger, we would pack a lunch, get there early to get a good viewing spot, and have a nice lunch in the outdoors. The kids could run around. There was a caterer selling salads, sandwiches, burgers, dringks, and the like. Then, after the sun went down you would listen to the music and watch fireworks on some of the special nights.
Last I heard, they stopped opening early, so you can't spend much time picnicing.
Posted by: Retired in Elkridge | July 9, 2008 1:03 PM
I found this outdoor eating tip among the political commentary ... no sense of whether Charlie Brown's, 4912 Hazelwood Ave., is open for lunch, but the back room of this bar is the first Kenyan food option I'd heard of outside of DC.
"About 4,700 Kenyans called Maryland home in 2006, according to the Migration Police Institute. Mugo and others say jokingly that nearly all of them hang out at the patio of Charlie Brown's.
They come for NyamaChoma, which translates to "grilled meat" in Swahili, a hugely popular Kenyan specialty served in heaping piles on styrofoam plates. The smoky scent of goat ribs wafts between the crowded tables of the dimly lit back patio. Meanwhile, in the front room of the bar - popular with a diverse bunch of native Baltimoreans and Kenyans alike - hip-hop music thumps through speakers."
Posted by: Liz Kay | July 9, 2008 2:04 PM
Just thought about Nick's on the beautiful Middle Branck. It's not just for crabs...
Posted by: fairfax | July 9, 2008 10:12 PM
Saw a different kind of Top Ten on the USA Today Travel page: Top Ten Food Trucks. I wouldn't mind having any of them stop by my area.
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/10great/2008-07-10-food-trucks_N.htm
Posted by: Retired in Elkridge | July 12, 2008 4:12 PM