Moon Petal

Columbia, Maryland Has Hidden Treasures

Columbia, MD, is not where I wanted to be at this moment, but the weather conditions dictated otherwise. I was on my way to Washington D.C. when an unexpected winter storm hit, rather I should say, unexpected to me, since I don’t follow the news. I managed to find a local hotel , which was extremely accommodating since I had no reservations. I asked the front desk how long do they expect the snow storm to last, and they smiled and said that it could last for a day or two according to the weather report. But, they did inform me that Columbia maintains their roads with a constant vigilance of snow-plows and salt, so if my plans require that I be in D.C. at a certain time, I should have no issues with driving on I-95.

I appreciated their information concerning road conditions, so I told them to book me for tonight only. I also asked them if there was a good place to have dinner, preferably some place catering to my french palate. They first told me about their on-site restaurant ‘The Great American Grill’, but for French cuisine I should try the Cafe de Paris , which was only a mile down the road. I also asked if there was a gym anywhere nearby where I could workout before dinner. I was very happy to hear that they have their own facilities and an indoor swimming pool! I went to my room and put on my swimsuit and went down to the indoor swimming pool to do several laps before I worked on the machines.

After about an hour, I went back to my hotel room, took a shower and dressed for dinner. The staff was correct about the road conditions in town, the roads were very well maintained, so I did not have difficulty driving to the Cafe de Paris. When I arrived, I was pleasantly surprised with free valet parking. When I walked inside, the atmosphere was that of casual and of a neighborhood restaurant. Luckily, I didn’t over-dress. I was seated and was treated to a complimentary glass of wine from the owner who was trying out on his new found wine on his guests. It was very light and not overbearing, which Rieslings have a tendency to do. So I ordered a bottle (what I don’t finish here, I will finish back in my hotel room).

Cafe de Paris’s menu offered French cuisine that covered many regions of France and a few dishes from Alsace and the Mediterranean. As I relaxed with looking over the menu, drinking a nice Riesling, I found myself feeling very much at home here. The staff was attentive and friendly and most of the patrons were jovial. My server told me to not rush, because the owner prefers everyone to savor every moment. For starters, I ordered the Terrine Du Chef Maison, which is Pate’ served with a small salad and cornichons. For my main course I ordered the chef’s special – Assiette De Poisson, which is pan seared salmon, shrimp prawns, crab cake, scallops with red peppercorn cream sauce served with Spanish rice and mixed vegetables. Each bite was a deliberate taste adventure. My palate was stimulated to the point of salivating. I was in heaven. After my meal, I sat back finishing my 3rd glass of wine and made a toast to bad winter weather.

No related posts.