Restaurants in Owings Mills

Housed in the polychromatic former mansion of the Jolly Rancher family, Brasserie 10's food is as tongue-stainingly colorful as any sweet, blue watermelon treat. Keep it local with a starter of hot Maryland crab dip ($10), or hopscotch back and forth over the Mason-Dixon line with each bite of the Southern fried-chicken salad with bacon and honey-Dijon vinaigrette ($10). Other favorites include the vitriol-dampening shrimp and grits with parmesan and herbs ($16) and the barbecue salmon ($15).

Much like artfully arranged crepe paper, edible crêpes add elegant taste to the thoughtful gifts they conceal. The family-owned-and-operated Mt. Washington crêperie serves up fresh French fare for lunch and dinner daily and brunch on the weekends. The backbone of the bistro's menu is the crêpes, and the lunch and brunch menus offer a variety of hot sandwiches to accompany the sweet and savory concoctions. Nosh on a midday smoked salmon panini ($9) with tomatoes and pesto sauce or a croque niçois ($8), a toasted ham and swiss sandwich with tomatoes and anchovies. The eatery's savory crêpes promise to satisfy even the most discerning connoisseur of the thin pancake delights with dishes such as crêpe Lorraine ($11) with fresh asparagus, brie, and prosciutto, or the seaward crêpe Normande ($16) stuffed with sautéed calamari and shrimp, veggies, garlic, and goat cheese. For a dinner delicacy, try an order of escargots ($9.99) cooked in a butter and white-wine sauce before moving on to the Carrée D'agneau grille ($25.99), grilled lamb chops served over a red-wine sauce with sautéed spinach and the starch of the day, or tilapia florentine ($18.99) with basmati rice, sautéed spinach, goat cheese, and capers in a vin blanc sauce.

As co-owners of The Dogwood, Galen and Bridget Sampson follow a simple mission of community involvement. Hiring and training people who are transitioning out of addiction, incarceration, and homelessness, the duo works to empower each toward self-sustainment through careers in the culinary arts. They also extend this local focus to their ingredients, sourcing meal components from sustainable, artisanal, and organic producers such as Liberty Delight Farms whenever possible. Chefs transform these into a menu of American and international recipes, which, like a snowman’s outlook on life, changes with the seasons. Local dishes such as crab-stuffed oysters buddy up with classic American meals such as bacon-wrapped pork chops and vegetarian dishes such as curry and moussaka. Servers pair many of these plates with eclectic cocktails and a seasonal wine list that highlights bottles from the Pacific Northwest.

Blue Agave's menu features upscale, authentic Mexican cuisine that rotates to include fresh, seasonal ingredients common to the region. Take off your shoes and glide across the floor to your tile-top table encased in exposed brick walls decorated with relics of turquoise and terra-cotta affectations.

Milan's chef blends traditional Italian recipes with creative flair when grilling marinated rib-eye steaks and hand-rolling fresh pastas. Grilled swordfish, spinach pasta, filet mignon, and a braised lamb take separate spotlights on dinner plates, guarded by sidekicks such as butternut squash and roasted fingerling potatoes. Sunday-brunch spreads treat taste buds to gourmet entrees such as lump-crab omelets and belgian waffles with cannoli filling, plus mimosas mixed with only the tears of overjoyed oranges.

Milan's three levels and 12,000 square feet fill with jovial chatter, and an opulent white dining area lets patrons bask in futuristic style without sneaking into an astronaut's nest. The restaurant maintains a fashion-centric ethos, meaning proper dining attire is required.

The Red Star Bar & Grill boasts a refined menu of bar fare for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. Dive into an order of mussels and garlic fries ($12), and enjoy the butter-topped bivalve cooked in a white wine and basil broth. Spice-seekers can explore the jalapeno mac and cheese ($10), loaded with bacon and jalapenos and topped with panko bread crumbs. Red Star's enticing entree selection boasts eight savory salads (full sizes start at $7), gourmet personal pizzas (starting at $10), and artfully constructed hand-helds, such as the blackened tuna wrap ($13), which includes sushi-grade ahi tuna, fresh veggies, and Creole remoulade sauce, or the bison burger ($12), topped with sautéed onions, pepper jack cheese, and a roasted garlic aioli. Ensure dinner has as sweet a conclusion as Othello with the daily-changing bread pudding ($5) or seasonal cheesecake ($5).