20220630-HOWARDMAGAZINE - Flipbook - Page 26
Best restaurants
Best Ambiance, Best overall,
Chef, Fine dining, Server,
Steak, Wine list
THE IRON BRIDGE WINE CO.
10435 MD-108, Columbia, 410-997-3456,
ironbridgewines.com
Wine-driven, the place may be — the walls are
stacked with bottles — but don’t discount the grub.
Take the signature steak, a 16-ounce slab dubbed
by readers as the best around. Or the seared duck
breast with a blackberry glaze. Or the catch of the
day, which is so popular that it’s listed on the menu
as “fish of the moment.”
“We defy classic dining rules,” said Rob Wecker
who, with his brother, Steve, opened Iron Bridge 19
years ago. “It’s like dining in the middle of a wine
store. It’s warm, cozy and casual. We want people
to feel comfortable here, whether they are wearing
a tuxedo or a track suit.”
Most produce hails from local farms, and pork
comes from a farm across the road. The wines, 400 in
all, are an international lot, some bearing whimsical
names like “Hit The Rhone, Jack” and “How Merlot
Can You Go?”
Routinely, Iron Bridge trots out unique medleys,
such as a pork belly-and-watermelon salad, and a
grilled Caesar salad made of grilled greens, Spanish
anchovies and Parmesan crisps. All in a pastoral
setting, if you deign to look past the walls of spirits
to the rolling hills outside.
“The view is great,” said Wecker. “Of course, you’re
surrounded by wine, which is serene in and of itself.”
THE LIST
Ambiance
CURED | 18TH & 21ST (TIE)
THE IRON BRIDGE WINE CO.
Bar food
CURED | 18TH & 21ST
Honorable mentions:
Xenia Greek Kouzina
Hudson Coastal
Walker’s Tap & Table
Frisco Taphouse
Ten Oaks Tavern
Bakery
Barbecue
Honorable mentions:
DECADENT, A COFFEE
AND DESSERT BAR
Honorable mentions:
Roggenart European Bakery, Bistro &
Bakery
Kupcakes & Co.
Touche Touchet Bakery and Pastry Shoppe
26 | SUMMER 2022 | howardmagazine.com
MISSION BBQ
Honorable mentions:
Kloby’s Smokehouse
Famous Dave’s Bar-B-Que
Stanford Grill
Bartender
CAT REED, HUDSON
COASTAL
Honorable mentions:
Meredith Wilson, The White Oak Tavern
Jose Gomez, The Iron Bridge Wine Co.
Rachel Valentine, Frisco Taphouse
Beer list
THE WHITE OAK TAVERN
Honorable mentions:
Cured | 18th & 21st
Frisco Taphouse
Hudson Coastal