The Willows
Lenoardtown, MD
Price:$$$	Decor: Family style rib house
Summary: A quaint and delicate, if sporadic, taste of Baltimore under the natural ambiance of Southern Maryland.
(4 crabs out of 5)

Karen-Soloman's island may be full of regional tourist delights and there are always the fine packaged dining opportunities in fast food and Applebee's that herald the coming of the universal superstore millenium. Perhaps the best kept secret of St. Mary's County dining, however, is the quaint little restaurant down Rt. 5 called "The Willows." Within lies a beautifully constructed colonial motif, complete with soft elegant burgundy and white table clothes and period-typical signs for the bathrooms. This date-perfect elegance has all the sophistication of the period but none of the stodginess, as the gregarious, loud waitresses and bar in the back attest to. Even a set of televisions works amazingly well into the hybrid of colonial mystique and friendly chatter. One can recline and relax as tender, soft hot rolls are brought to the table, each big enough to hold in both hands. And that's only the prelude to what can be a many-coursed meal of much variety.

On my own excursion Thursday night the waitress (who was, as stated previously, highly interactive) was kind enough to give myself and my companion a hearty recommendation filled with superlatives for mushrooms stuffed with cheese and crab. Ever the culinary explorers, we agreed to pay 9 dollars for 6 mushrooms and waited for a cheddar crab soup that upon arriving defied all laws of soup that I have ever encountered. It may be that any soup's first spoonful tantalizes the tongue, but with this soup the explosion of cheesy crab goodness lasted from first spoon to last. Each slurp was just the right consistency (none too thin, and not too thick as cheese soups can be) and had lumps and chunks of crab meat. By this time our stomachs were about reaching capacity (such BAT-accustomed organs can be sensitive to overstimulation), but we were still invigorated by the arrival of six pat little mushrooms, each chock full of creaminess and butter sauce dripping round the edges. Not much one for fungus in general I had a bit of trepidation at the prospect, but nonetheless bit in with vigor. Described as a "crab cream puff," the mushroom combined two very different and intriguing kinds of smooth. The first sensation the teeth encounter is the creamy flavor of the cheese and crab, which might otherwise be simply good, until the second layer of smooth is encountered: a slimy hot sheer tanginess of mushroom flavor that when combined with the former creates a novel mix of stimulus for the tastebuds. It may sound odd, but the most apt description for the image left in one's head after these mushroom is that of a greased weasel. Although I wouldn't quite say that this taste was worthy of the money, the texture was satisfying and each was big enough to fill the mouth entirely.

After this, as the reader may well imagine, the effect of all of this filling food was keenly felt. It was at this point that the entrees arrived, which were not as appreciated as they might have been. Always one with the philosophical mindset that more fat can only be a good thing, I had ordered a New York steak on a hamburger roll with cheese and bacon, and french fries of course. It was good but pretty much what one would expect from such a mixture. A liquidy potent cole slaw accompanied it, adding variety. My companion's herbal chicken was definitely herbal in odor and herbal in taste. A notable and well-done time delay apparently was built into this dish, allowing for the juicy impact of the herbs to hit followed just at the right moment by a burst of spices.

Thus ended the food component of the restaurant, and while we waited perhaps too long than one might want for the check to come, the best quality of the restuarant more than compensated for it, that extra bit which brought the experience from mere dinner to a memorable restaurant adventure, that element being of course the little yellow plastic historically-accurate sword found impaling the steak sandwich. I heartily recommend trying out "the Willows," but make sure your checkbook and your appetite are ready and up to the task.