There's a certain feeling you get when you sit in an old and historic building and look around at the marks of craftsmanship of times gone by.
Dining at Baldwin's Station, which dates from 1883 and operated for many years as Sykesville's railroad station on the Baltimore and Ohio's Old Main Line, evokes that feeling.
You don't need to know that the building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is in the Queen Anne-style to appreciate the original jewel-toned, stained-glass windows, exposed brick, 20-foot ceilings and Victorian appointments.
The Baldwin's Station menu features "New American Cuisine" and includes creations of seafood and freshwater fish, beef and specialty wild game designed by executive chef Thor Breden.
Appetizers and salads include smoked Bermuda onion salad (mesquite-smoked onions, spinach, tomatoes, and gorgonzola cheese with a red wine vinaigrette), crab puff (crab meat, gorgonzola cheese and spinach in a sherry cream sauce), and alder-smoked and jerked beef strips (served in Portuguese bread filled with a Swiss fondue and finished with a caramelized onion jus).
Entrees include coriander-crusted king salmon (delicately crusted in cracked coriander and pink peppercorns, grilled, accompanied with Minnesota wild rice and a charred citrus creme fraiche vinaigrette); roasted garlic shrimp (sauteed with roasted garlic cloves, pearl onions and cold smoked grape tomatoes, served over gemmeli pasta and finished with a cream herbed butter sauce); Colorado lamb loin chops (cast-iron seared, served with garlic mashed potatoes, mint pesto and a blackstrap molasses demi-glace)
And Baldwin's signature dish, tenderloin of Angus beef (cast-iron seared with garlic mashed potatoes and a forest mushroom tarragon demi-glace).
Stewart Dearie, the restaurant's owner, notes that special luncheon entrees are offered each day in conjunction with a menu filled with appetizers, such as wild mushroom ratatouille and sambuca oysters, an array of salads, sandwiches and entrees such as Mediterranean chicken salad, smoked turkey wrap with sweet marinaded onions or the classic grilled Reuben.
"I'd put our pastries and lunches up against any restaurant's in the D.C. region," he said.
Sykesville, like the restaurant, is "far removed from the chain syndrome," Dearie said. "It's cozy, quaint and clean. People are either looking for that or the glitz of the city."
Baldwin's Station also offers the charm of a scenic drive into the country, although most will appreciate that its location, near Route 32 and not far from Interstate 70, makes it easy to find. "We're highly accessible to D.C., Baltimore and Annapolis," Dearie said. "Route 32 ties you to everything."
While reservations are highly recommended, Dearie said he will not turn anyone away who decides to come on the spur of the moment.
"If you show up at my door, we'll find you a table," he said.
Still, to be on the safe side, call several days ahead to ensure a table during the coveted 7 p.m. hour on a Saturday. And the Wednesday evening concert series, Friday evening wine tastings and Sunday Children's Theatre quickly fill the restaurant on those days.
Baldwin's Station's patrons tend to dress nicely (business casual will keep you from feeling self-conscious), but Dearie said there is no need to worry about such things.
"People call all the time asking if there's a dress code," he said. "There's not, although I have one requirement: to come and enjoy yourself."
Information about Baldwin's Station, the menus, its concert series and other events, and directions: www.baldwinstation.com.
Baldwin's Station
Where: 7618 Main St., Sykesville; 410-795-1041.
Hours: Lunch, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday; brunch, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday; dinner, 4 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 3 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday.
Prices: $15 to $26.
Credit cards: American Express, Visa, MasterCard, Discover