I found myself pleasantly seated, served and sated at last week’s soft opening of the Stanford Grill in Columbia, Md. See, I was part of a blogger posse that had been invited, along with The Traditional Press (caps playfully used), to experience — and hopefully write about — this new restaurant.
I want to give a shout-out here to Andrew of Bonnie Heneson Communications who contacted me, as a blogger in Howard County, about attending the event. Now, I’ve been contacted many a time by businesses and individuals who somehow have got it in their twisted heads that because I blog I’m suddenly some sort of channel for their message.
To which I say, “Huh? Do I look like a newspaper? A magazine? Do you see advertisements and a list of staff who work to support my blog? No, you don’t. Ahhh, that’s because I’m not “a channel.” I’m a person. Want me to cover your news? Engage in your message? Then engage me as a person, first. Please.”
Andrew’s approach and style was human. He was a gentleman, neither assuming nor expecting, but inviting and courteous. And his request was relevant: I do live in Columbia, Md., where Stanford Grill is located; I do blog, here and there, about local issues; and I have written about restaurants, openings and the vibe (that lacking, desired and happening) in my hometown.
OK, so on to the actual restaurant. It’s big and seats 250, yet has cozy, defined spaces for eating. It’s upscale, yet warm and inviting. It’s locally owned by a company with some serious roots in restaurant management. It has a large outdoor patio, though — and alas — it does overlook a highway, but that seems to be an odd curse striking pretty much every restaurant in Columbia, save the Second Chance Saloon and a few others. And, singing my song, the place has no walk-in freezer for long-term storage of supplies; they’re committed to making their food from fresh ingredients and shipments of fresh fish, meats and veggies arrive daily.
You’ll notice I’ve yet to talk about the food. I’m not not talking about the food because it wasn’t yummy. (How’s that for a lot of double negatives.) See, there were quite a few serious food and wine writers at the event, so I decided that I’d leave the food story to them. May I direct you to a great review of Stanford Grill, replete with photos — and even video coverage. It’s from Kenny Rhee of the top-notch Kenny and Anne Eat Everything blog. As well, you’ll find write-ups at Baltimore Eats, Tales of Two Cities and Examiner.com.
So, while I intentionally left the food write-ups to those more focused and capable of such things, I will say this: Never in my life have I had such exquisite key lime pie as I had at Stanford Grill. Normally not much of one for dessert, I will certainly make sure, next time I’m there, to leave room for their melt-in-your-mouth, gift-from-the-gods key lime pie. Yum! Double yum. And then some more yum.
A bit of advice if you’re headed there: do not attempt to find Stanford Grill by driving around. Mapquest/Google/GPS your way there. You’ll be glad you did. Oh, and, men, wear a nice shirt. The kind with buttons. Ladies, no sweats, please, even if they do hug your butt and make you look hot. The owners spent over a million bucks to get this place to look the way they want it. Choose civility and show them some appreciation and respect by looking like a million bucks yourself when you come on by. 🙂
