06-29-2023 Howard Magazine - Flipbook - Page 28
Best restaurants
Best Ambience,
Fine dining, Place to take
out-of-towners, Steak
The Elkridge
Furnace Inn
5745 Furnace Ave., Elkridge, 410-379-9336,
elkridgefurnaceinn.com
The Elkridge Furnace Inn, a French-inspired
farm-to-table restaurant that has been in business
for nearly three decades, is nestled somewhere
special — within the walls of a tavern dating
back to approximately 1744, carefully restored
by co-owners Dan and Donna Wecker.
“The dining rooms are intimate but well
appointed,” Dan Wecker, 64, said. Dining also
extends into an adjoining 1810 manor house. “It’s
a very different feel than a lot of modern restaurants,” Wecker added.
Carpets and table linens dampen noise and
the building’s 53 windows make it so that “in the
evening, it just glows,” Wecker said. The historic
complex was at one point under threat of demolition.
Now, the property sets the scene for an
ever-changing menu that’s influenced by the
restaurant’s locale.
The Weckers farm an acre of their land and
feature ingredients on their menu that have been
foraged, like wild mushrooms and stinging nettle.
“It’s a true farm-to-table approach,” said
Wecker. “It’s not just a little snippet of microgreens.”
What sets the restaurant apart — aside from
its atmospheric charm and unique menu — is a
spirit of persistence and creativity.
“We never stop trying,” Wecker said. “We have
been very consistent over many, many years.”
The interior of The Elkridge Furnace Inn.
PHOTO BY KENNETH K. LAM
THE LIST
Ambience
THE ELKRIDGE FURNACE INN
Bar food
Bartender
THE WHITE OAK TAVERN
AMANDA CURTIS, THE IRON
BRIDGE WINE CO.
Honorable mentions:
Honorable mentions:
Hudson Coastal Raw Bar & Grill
Cured | 18th & 21st
The Food Market
Hudson Coastal Raw Bar & Grill
The Food Market
Cured | 18th & 21st
Bakery
Barbecue
DECADENT, A COFFEE AND
DESSERT BAR
MISSION BBQ
Beer list
Honorable mentions:
THE WHITE OAK TAVERN
Honorable mentions:
AppleCore’s Bake Shoppe
Touche Touchet Bakery and Pastry Shoppe
The Elkridge Furnace Inn
28
| Summer 2023 | howardmagazine.com
Kloby’s Smokehouse
The White OakTavern
Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que
Honorable mentions:
Jose Gomez, The Iron Bridge Wine Co.
Phill Fassel, Hudson Coastal Raw Bar & Grill
Cat Reed, Cured | 18th and 21st
Honorable mentions:
Cured | 18th & 21st
The Food Market
Jailbreak Brewing Co.