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Guide to Good Dining

Veal Chesapeake-tender veal medallions topped with jumbo lump crab, laced in a creamy tomato sauce with fresh mushrooms. "It was a perfect dish." (Photo by Steve Buchanan)

Café Mezzanotte
760 Ritchie Highway
Severna Park, MD 21146
www.cafemezz.com
(410) 647-1100
By Gilles and Cathy Syglowski

Natives of Naples, Italy-two brothers and a cousin, who came here about 15 years ago and got their start with Squisito's pizzeria-own Café Mezzanotte. It is a wonderful family restaurant, yet also elegant, decorated in a nice, airy contemporary style. For the more casual, there is a large, comfortable bar area adjacent to the dining room. The owners' partnership also includes Domenicas (formerly La Mona Lisa in Annapolis) and the Four Seasons Grille at Waugh Chapel. The reason for their success is quite simple: great food and excellent service.

Accompanied by a wonderful bunch-relatives from overseas, Has and Cathy, and our daughter Kate-we found Cafe Mezzanotte to be the ideal place to celebrate Kathy's birthday. James, our server, greeted us with excitement, informing us the evening's specials. The menu is well proportioned but not too long and you will find just about everything to suit your taste offered there.

Since we were a nice-sized group, we were able to select a few of our favorites and share. We started with the fried calamari and marinara sauce-lightly fried, very tender, with a flavorful, nonacidic marinara sauce-which was a hit and actually impressed my Italian mother. The bistro salad was crispy, refreshing, and rich in Mediterranean flavors. Has's favorite was the stuffed Oysters Rockefeller; broiled with a creamy and scrumptious spinach blend, with the oysters still moist. Kate raved about the cream of crab soup, and since a couple of us had a taste as well, we came to the consensus that she was right- delicious with a tear of sherry wine.

Our entrees were just as impressive. The birthday girl and my mother were hungry for imperial stuffed shrimp: a generous portion (five shrimp) with an excellent and delicate traditional crab stuffing. From experience, I have to agree with the chef's decision to serve a slightly smaller shrimp size, but with perhaps one or two more on the plate, due to the toughness and longer cooking time of larger shrimp, which may result in a drier finished product.

Kate devoured a perfectly cooked petite filet with a port wine reduction. Cathy enjoyed the delicious veal Mezzanotte with mushroom, in a slightly tangy brown sauce, while Has and I splurged on the veal Chesapeake-tender veal medallions topped with jumbo lump crab, laced in a creamy tomato sauce with fresh mushrooms. It was a perfect dish. All of our entrées were accompanied by a fresh medley of vegetables and scrumptious garlic and gorgonzola mashed potato gratiné.

The wine for the evening was a flavorful Fry Brothers Chardonnay. Desserts were a nice topoff: a candle in the crème brulee with the Happy Birthday song for Kathy was good, strawberry tiramisu was homemade and different, the chocolate cake was rich and moist, and the peach sorbets were perfect for the less gluttonous.

The pricing was reasonable, an average of around $55 per person, tip and tax included. Monday through Wednesday the main special is a three-course "build your surf and turf" special. Overall, Mezzanotte is a comfortable, friendly restaurant that you will leave feeling satisfied.

Buone appetitto!

Gilles Syglowski is a chef, culinary instructor, and food service consultant. He is a graduate of the Lycee d'Enseignement Professional Hotelier in Metz, France. He and his wife, Kathy, a member of the International Wine Society, have more than 50 years' experience in the restaurant industry.

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Chef Steven Wright has been a part of the O'Loughlin's restaurant family for 10 years. (Photo by Kimi Raspa)

What's The DISH?
O'Loughlin's Restaurant
1258 Bay Dale Drive, Arnold, MD
(410) 349-0200
By Conal Darcy

Tom Crawford opened O'Loughlin's Restaurant in 1986 with one goal: "I wanted to bring casual family dining at an affordable price to the Broadneck Peninsula," he says. In the past 20 years, O'Loughlin's has grown from a small pub to a popular family restaurant with an extensive and distinct menu.

Crawford, who has been in the restaurant business since college, named the restaurant after his mother's family. The original location was in a converted home on Shore Acres Road. Despite having limited space, the restaurant was a hit among locals. As the restaurant outgrew its original housing, Crawford moved it to its current location in Bay Hills Shopping Center in Arnold.

The restaurant is tucked away out of view of the main road, making it a secret that its patrons, mostly regulars, want to keep to themselves. But Crawford says that any Annapolitans who want a break from downtown are welcome to come by and enjoy a relaxing evening and casual atmosphere.

When it moved, O'Loughlin's expanded to serve more customers but kept its original cozy charm. Two dining areas separated by a large foggy-glass window break up its large footprint, giving an inviting and private dining experience. Green wainscot along the walls, wooden booths, and a large fireplace add to the homey ambience.

The menu is a delightful surprise in selection and size. Chef Steven Wright has been with the restaurant for 10 years and has expanded its offerings beyond the original Irish pub dishes. The menu now offers strip steak, kabobs, prime rib, pasta, and some of the heartiest salads you can find in the area.

A true Broadneck restaurant has a superb seafood selection, and O'Loughlin's is no exception. Alaskan snow crab legs, stuffed flounder, and shrimp scampi are just some of the fruit-of-the-sea items that go above and beyond. New twists on old favorites make each dish a new experience for every diner.

Not that hungry? O'Loughlin's also offers lighter choices, such as soups, classic hot and cold sandwiches, and healthy wraps that go far beyond ordinary.

Their newest offering is a classic Sunday brunch, which features a custom omelet and Belgian waffle station, bacon, sausage, and the full complement of the traditional American breakfast.

But the restaurant stays true to its roots. Wednesday night remains "Irish night," with corned beef and cabbage, shepherd's pie, and all of the other traditional Irish staples that made this restaurant great.

Crawford is proud of his menu, but is most happy about keeping O'Loughlin's a family-friendly restaurant with reasonable prices. Most dishes run from $8 to $22. But the affordable menu does not come at the expense of service. "We strive to excel," says Crawford, describing a staff dedication to making sure your meal is the best.

Crawford has selected a new and popular fish dish as an example of some of his restaurant's delightful seafood choices. This recipe, one of the chef's own creations, is simple to make and offers a complex flavor you won't find anywhere else.

Conal Darcy is an editorial assistant at What's Up? Annapolis and is Irish-American.

Onion-Encrusted Orange Roughy Serves 6 Ingredients: 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1 cup buttermilk 1 tablespoon garlic 1 tablespoon parsley 1/2 cup flour 1 cup onion, cut julienne style and diced 6 8-10 ounce orange roughy filets White pepper Mix the mayonnaise, buttermilk, garlic, and parsley together. Dredge filets in mixture, then coat with flour and then onion slices. Season with white pepper to taste. Bake the filet at 400°F for 12-15 minutes or until onion is golden brown. Serve with lemon alongside baked potato and sautéed vegetables.

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(Photo by Kimi Raspa)

Taste
Kerri Out
544 Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard
Severna Park, Md.
(410) 544-2660
(fax) (410) 544-0160

A large blackboard dominates one wall of Kerri Out Food in Severna Park. It is covered with pastel chalk descriptions of the daily specials for the month. My mouth starts to water as I just imagine the sensation of eating pork tenderloin with cranberry and feta stuffing or coconut chicken breast with pineapple Thai chili sauce. The combinations are intriguing.

"I like to do different things," explains owner and chef Kerri Rowe, who coined the name of her restaurant as a play on her first name. "That's why we change our specials daily and change the entire menu of specials on a monthly basis." If you find something you like, never fear, the past menus are available in the shop and listed on the Web site. Often customers who purchase a take-out meal for lunch or dinner decide they'd like a particular dish for a special dinner party. "Approximately half of our business is catering," says Rowe. "Everything is fresh and homemade. We roast our turkey for our turkey sandwich rather than using commercial deli turkey," she proudly explains.

The attention to detail is apparent in the burst of flavors that assails your taste buds as you sample their cuisine. On a hectic Monday, I made a visit to purchase an array of items for supper. As recommended on the Web site, I ordered my items in advance earlier that day. My order was quickly placed in a large shopping bag, complete with instructions for serving.

"It's really helpful when people call ahead," says Rowe, "because we do cook in small batches and we don't want to prepare more than we are going to sell. Your call and the orders of a few other customers alerted us to make more Pasta by the Sea or we'd have run out."

Billed as the Orange Bowl Special, Pasta by the Sea contains seashell pasta, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh greens tossed with champagne vinegar. The flavors are strong and satisfying. I ate my pasta cold; my teenage daughter heated hers on a plate.

Every day there is one item on the menu geared to individuals trying to lose weight. On this day The Skinny was a mango and apple salad on a bed of fresh romaine topped with jumbo lump crab. I could taste the fresh cilantro and the lettuce was cold and crisp.

In contrast to The Skinny, one of the featured entrees was shrimp enchilada casserole. Flavored with tomato, chili, and cilantro, it was rich and satisfying-one serving was enough for three to share. On the lighter side was The Smith wedge with chicken Chimichurri-pieces of grilled chicken with bits of bacon and blue cheese served on a wedge of iceburg lettuce.

All items, even sandwiches, come in their own heavy plastic containers for ease in transport and reheating. Sides come in a variety of sizes; the two for Monday were Go Nuts for Green Beans, with shallots and toasted walnuts, and grilled peaches served in a light brown syrup.

"We often sell food for dinner parties of eight to ten people," says Rowe. "The price can range from $15 to $60 a person, depending on the ingredients. Lunches run $7-$12."

The ambiance combines the interior of a small shop in the south of France with 2lst century shabby chic. Several walls are covered with old doors painted in a variety of pastel colors-apricot, sky blue, pale yellow. A wrought-iron glass-top table and two chairs provide a location for a quick place to eat or sit and look over the blackboard offerings. A braided rug sits on the floor in front of stainless steel deli cases. Look up and you'll see a bright tin ceiling.

"One of the customers' favorites is our walnut chicken salad," says Rowe, who originally hails from Marlboro, Massachusetts, and was trained at the Texas Culinary Institute in Austin, Texas. Now a resident of Annapolis, she is pleased to be able to reside on the East Coast. She opened her business approximately 1 year ago and is gearing up for the Thanksgiving season with plans to prepare butternut squash soup, wild rice casserole, and pumpkin ricotta spinach tart, along with the traditional roasted turkey.

Kerri Out Food is open Monday through Friday 11-7 p.m. and Saturday 11-3 p.m. It is closed on Mondays.

--Nadja Maril