THE KING'S CONTRIVANCE

After more than 30 years of providing Howard County with excellent food in a tranquil and elegant setting, there is something new at King’s Contrivance.  It is a large brick patio covered by a tent, and it is just a few steps from the northwest side of the building.  The new patio will allow for dining al fresco as well as parties, banquets and even weddings.  It makes a delightful setting for all such occasions.

In the words of Maître d', Richard Ackman (who has worked for this restaurant over 30 years!), patrons entering King’s Contrivance are “experiencing a walk back in time” when they enter the grand foyer of the inn.  The inn has decades of history beginning in 1730 when 370 acres were granted to the Reverend James McGill (Christ Episcopal Church) by the King of England.  The original building was burned to the ground in 1870’s and in 1900 the McGill Family used the same foundation to build upon.  It has had many owners throughout the years,  including the Rouse Company at one time, but was only purchased by the proprietors of the restaurant, Stuart Teper and Richard Pirone, in 2002 after having leased it for the quarter century before.  The charm of the old world is alive in this upscale establishment, which makes for an ambience of  refined relaxation.

The Restaurant Weeks Menu is a 3-course dinner with appetizer, entrée and dessert for $40.09.  Lunches are $20.09.  This is a great opportunity to taste the creative and delicious meals prepared by Executive Chef Sugunya Lunz.  We had the pleasure of meeting her and asked her what her kitchen secrets were and she told us “I cook with my heart and I keep the dishes simple so you can taste the main ingredient(s).”  She shared her Salmon with Cucumber Salad recipe (see below) and as you can see, the ingredients are minimal.  We’re hoping that the simplicity of the recipe will enable us to achieve the same great results at home. 

With 5 choices for appetizers, it was hard to pick just two, but we did, after much agony, decide on the Grilled Portabella Mushroom w/Roasted Sweet Peppers and Mozzarella Cheese.  The presentation of this dish started the mouth watering and was just as good as it looked – maybe even better.  The ingredients were fresh, savory and flavorful.  We also shared a Jumbo Lump Crab Meat Salad with asparagus, lemon and olive oil.  This was served chilled and was refreshing on a summers evening  with a nice glass of white wine.

Chef “Su” as everyone in the kitchen calls her, also sent out a dish that is on the lunch menu, which was orgasmic  (yes, we did just say that word because we couldn’t think of another word that best described this dish).  It was the Baked Brie wrapped in phyllo and fried, then set atop a bed of spinach and strawberry salad with toasted almonds and port wine balsamic reduction.  OMG!!!

At this point, we could have wrapped it up and gone home quite content, but, ever-mindful of our sworn duties to Howard County Tourism and Promotion, we went on to eat more—and were secretly happy to do so.  For an entrée, Debbie had the petite filet mignon with crabmeat, artichokes and béarnaise sauce. The filet was tender and the accompaniments were a perfect match.  Michael enjoyed (and we do mean enjoyed) the pan-seared rockfish with sautéed spinach, corn cake and lemon-thyme butter sauce.  We highly recommend both of these dishes.

Richard emphasized that the goal of this restaurant is to provide a high quality meal at a relatively affordable price (compared to D.C. standards and prices) while providing professional, efficient and friendly service so that all experience that welcoming feeling that encourages one to come back again and again.  Their goal is to have you so happy when you leave, you tell 10 people who will themselves tell 10 people, etc.  It is a philosophy to which all the staff subscribe, so excellence is predictable.

Wine (both by the glass and the bottle) is half price all day and evening on Friday.  They also provide a $29.00 pre fixe dinner as an early bird special from Monday through Thursday (5:30 to 6:00 p.m.), Friday & Saturday (5:00 to 5:30 p.m.) and all day Sunday.  This makes Sunday is a very popular day for families, so keep that in mind the next time you want to take the in-laws someplace that will impress them but not break the bank.

For dessert we shared a Chocolate Truffle Tort (chocolate cake with a warm dark chocolate Grenache center) and a Vanilla Bean Crème Brule.  Both were flavorful, rich and oh, so satisfying.

So, we encourage you to visit King’s Contrivance soon and see what is new and exciting at one of Columbia’s oldest eateries.

Grilled Salmon w/ Cucumber Salad

2 salmon filets (about 6 oz. each)

2 tablespoons Olive oil

Salt

Fresh Ground Pepper

For cucumber salad:

1 lg. cucumber, peeled, seeded and sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chili pepper

2 oz. olive oil

2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar

Salt & white pepper

Garnish w/tomatoes and lemon wedges