Even a serious fire can have a silver lining. In the case of the Manor Tavern, it gave owner Mark Greene a chance to renovate more than the physical space. The fire happened in August; the Monkton restaurant opened for business again two months later with a new chef, Henry Doyle, and an updated menu.
It's still not the hippest place around, but so what? Now that the weather has turned cold, the Manor Tavern has the only thing that matters: a roaring fire in the fireplace. I do think more could have been done with the newly renovated formal dining room -- it's basically brown, with no art on the walls, at least not as of our visit, and a dropped ceiling.
Apparently, most of the furniture had to be replaced because of smoke and water damage. If so, it's surprising that our table teetered whenever we put our elbows on it. (Our waiter moved us.) But reserve a spot near the fireplace, and none of that will matter.
I figured if we were driving all the way from Baltimore, we might as well eat in the formal dining room. After 45 minutes in the car, I want more than a dinner salad or a sandwich -- although the Manor Tavern does have a busy casual dining area with a separate menu. Scoff at continental cuisine all you want (as writer Calvin Trillin once asked, What continent?), but its meat-heavy dishes and rich sauces can start to sound pretty good on a winter's evening.
Perhaps the biggest news about the food is that soon the Manor Tavern is going to introduce a health-conscious menu developed with the help of the Maryland Athletic Club. How trendy is that? Once upon a time, a health-conscious menu would have been developed with the help of a dietitian. I like the new concept.
Right now, though, appetizers tend to include no fewer than five ingredients, while entrees have all that, a rich sauce, and more. Plates are elaborately decorated, and portions are large. What makes the Manor Tavern menu a little more up-to-date than it used to be are the Asian accents -- a hoisin glaze here, a sesame beurre blanc there, even rare ahi tuna at a restaurant whose clientele a decade ago didn't know what sashimi was and wouldn't have eaten rare fish any more than they would have eaten nightingale tongues. But for the most part, the dishes have none of the spareness of Asian cuisine, nor does anyone expect them to.
For example, a large piece of rockfish was sauteed, topped with spinach, winter tomato and crabmeat, and served on julienned zucchini and pasta. The dish had not one but two sauces: a beurre blanc with cheese and a lobster sauce with champagne. The ingredients didn't exactly fight with each other, but this was a lot to do to the very fresh fillet.
The kitchen is at its best with something like the veal tenderloin au poivre. The veal was pink and tender, and the madeira demiglace enhanced its juicy flavor. Yes, there were grilled apples and wild mushrooms, asparagus and mashed sweet potatoes, but they waited in the wings. The veal had the starring role.
Those who like roast duck but don't like the current fashion of serving it rare will be happy with the Manor Tavern's version, which paired Asian seasonings and vegetables with the moist meat. But rack of lamb had too strong a lamb flavor. It couldn't be disguised even by the coating of mustard and bread crumbs.
First courses are seafood unless you want soup or a salad. These are elaborate concoctions -- more mini-meal than appetizer -- but most of the combinations, like oysters topped with crabmeat, worked pretty well. Large, handsomely cooked scallops and vegetables arrived in a shredded phyllo bird's nest and a beurre blanc sparked with ginger. Shrimp had a Pacific Rim spin with shiitake mushrooms, wontons and a sesame beurre blanc. I'd get any of these over the soup, a lobster-spinach bisque that had a lovely texture but was oversalted.
Desserts actually seemed simple compared with some of the entrees, but that's not a complaint. Some-times you want a creme brulee that's just a creme brulee, quivery and smooth, or an apple crumb tart or a tiramisu that follows in the classic tradition.
Service here was very pleasant, but our waiter did leave us alone for long stretches -- maybe because the formal dining room was almost empty, while the more casual area was hopping. So it was an uneven meal at the new Manor Tavern, ameliorated by eating by candlelight and the light of the fire.
Manor Tavern
Food: * * 1/2
Service: * * 1/2
Atmosphere: * * 1/2
Where: 15819 Old York Road, Monkton
Hours: Open for lunch and dinner daily, brunch on Sunday
Prices: Appetizers, $6.50-$8.25; main courses, $18.95-$25.95
Call: 410-771-8155
Outstanding: * * * *; Good: * * *; Fair or uneven: * *; Poor: *