Service is poor except for Mary who I just learned is no longer there. Be forewarned that the service is beyond slow and gets worse each time we have been. Most of the servers there now seem young and inexperienced. I would not recommend this restaurant.
(2)
Maggi R.
My sisters and I came for lunch and were very pleased. Your lunch menu offered many creative dishes. We all tried something different - the calamari were fried to perfection and tasty, the pear salad and wedge salad very crisp and flavorful. The fried green tomato sandwich was a burst of many flavors. Mary, our server, was a delight. Thank you so much for participating in Restaurant Week.
(5)
Dave S.
There was a time, years ago, when this restaurant was thought of as one of the County's best, and it appeared on "Best of" lists for the entire metro area. It certainly has fallen far from that perch. My last three visits left a lot to be desired. The service and food are sub-par, and the dining rooms are in serious need of a facelift. What's happened to this place?
(2)
Gee-Lo G.
This is not my first visit to Christopher Daniel, but it will be my last. There was a mouse in the dining room, ran right under our feet, continued running around the room. We chose to move to the bar and eat, (sitting at high top table), used our Groupon, and got the hell out of there. Our waitress, who has served us beautifully in the past, told us that they do have an ongoing mouse problem there that they are attempting to take care of. They should close the restaurant, clear up their rodent problem, and then re-open when the problem is cleared up. I'm not even going to comment on the food because it doesn't matter. I will add, though, that if I owned a restaurant and a customer saw a rodent running around right under their feet, I would comp their meal......or an appetizer......or complimentary booze. Didn't happen.
(1)
Keejoo L.
Im not sure what to write about this place ...growing up right near it I had always heard great things about the restaurant but its lackluster job today makes me think otherwise. I came here today for lunch with my parents mainly for their menu for Baltimore county restaurant week. They serve a three course meal for the price of $25. Looking over the menu you really arnt saving money, perhaps you are getting the desert for free...I opted out of the pre fixe since there wasnt even a desert that I wanted in the end. In the end I got the calamari app, which was really just a portion for one person... ( yes I know I can eat large portions of things, but really for $10 this was a really really small app size) then ordered the prime rib french dip sandwich for the main. Bread was burnt on the sides and the meat to onion ration was quite off. I think in total there was maybe five or six shavings of prime rib on the whole sandwich.. Lots of onions...and just lots of bread. This just wasnt the type of french dip Im used to . The fries were good, crisp and served hot, though Im not sure I would call them shoestring style. My mother had the crabcake and ceasar salad...the salad came out without dressing so we had to wait to flag down a waiter and ask for a side of dressing.... my father had the salmon and soup du jour. No complaints on his end. All in all for its reputation and pricey dinner opts. Its just quite lackluster. I dont think I will be back here.
(2)
Michaek S.
Mediocre to gross. Cream of asparagus soup so salty could have been canned. Same for lobster bisque. Ceasar salad same as everywhere else - boring. Focaccia bread on table kind of stale with flavorless cheap olive oil as dip. My steak was OK, nothing special- my sons was undercooked. My wife's fried lobster was actually good- one bright spot in sea of gross to indifferent. Steamed asparagus crisp and straightforward. My grilled potatoes were dry, tasteless, and only choked down with my wife's drawn butter. Wife and sons whipped potatoes boring, green beans fresh but plain. Overall- not coming back. Boring boring boring- and service was slow, prices expensive- 168.00 bucks. Jeez- better off at an Applebee's. ( Crowd was very very elderly- funeral home may have been just around the corner for a reason)
(1)
Teresa F.
I've had a few great meals here. The feng shui seems off somehow, but the food was good.
(3)
Jessica N.
Christopher Daniel offers an impressive upscale menu with excellent descriptions that makes it difficult to choose. Our group decided to share a sandwich & each pick a salad. We also went through at least 2 baskets of their bread, it was delicious - perfect combination of a crispy crust & soft inside that when dipped in the olive oil served with it made it difficult to not fill up on bread alone before our meals arrived! Their Bloody Mary's were great - nice & spicy (you could see & taste the fresh horseradish) with perfect amount of tomato juice! The sandwich - cornmeal crusted fried green tomato BLT - was the star of our lunch! The fried green tomato was perfectly fried, the bacon was super crispy and the avocado & melted mozzarella cheese added a great creaminess to the sandwich! It was a bit messy to eat, but well worth it! The french fries were perfectly crispy & nicely seasoned. Our salads included a chicken, tuna & shrimp salads combo - each were tasty. The dill tuna salad packed the most flavor. The shrimp salad had larger sized shrimp than you typically find in most shrimp salads & they were great. Both the shrimp & chicken salads could have used more seasoning (as well as the coleslaw served on the side), but adding some salt & pepper helped. The poached pear salad was the best out of our choices - the raspberry hazelnut dressing was awesome!! Unfortunately the seafood "uncobb" salad (shrimp, crab & lobster w/greens & tomatoes) was our least favorite (and most expensive!) - while the presentation was impressive, the salad was very bland & really lacked flavor. I noticed that salad is no longer on the lunch menu online The service was decent, but with a near empty dining room (we went for lunch on a Saturday) it was still quite slow for some reason. When we asked our server about any specials he told us what specials they'd offered the day before, which was odd... He ended up coming back to our table & let us know that we could get those specials if we were interested though. The dining room ambiance is quite formal, but they offer a more casual atmosphere in the bar. Overall we had a really good lunch & most of the food I'd order again. There were many other dishes on the menu I would've loved to try as well. Looking forward to returning soon!
(4)
Jennifer S.
Second chances, as my husband said. I said never again since we dined there in 2005 and the bread was stale when we arrived. We gave them a second chance on Christmas Eve. Unless you enjoy alcohol, this is not the restaurant for you. I ordered the fried lobster with string beans, of which the 5 string beans were tasty and the fried lobster was fine. The horrific alleged mashed potatoes tasted like they came out of a box and were inedible. My son's steak, their alleged specialty item, was raw, and my husband's steak was as tough as shoe leather. This restaurant is very expensive and should be avoided.
(1)
Chris V.
Terrible terrible terrible! Waited during a weeknight for 19 minutes for a waiter to come to our table in an empty restaurant just to say he'll be with us in a few minutes! What a J-O-K-E! NEVER going back there again. Not ever.
(1)
Rachel C.
My husband and I bought the Groupon and went here on a Friday night. We made an early reservation as we were seeing a movie after (6:30) but we weren't finished our meal until 8:30, so keep time in mind. I had requested a booth per other's reviews on Yelp, but we got seated directly in front of the front door, so I would have probably preferred a table in a corner as opposed to in directly in front of the door. The positives: we had a great server. She was running around between at least 5 other tables but was very attentive. The table behind us of two elderly women complained no less than 3 times about their food, the manager had to come over, and our server had to give them a lot of extra attention, so given all that we felt that she did a great job juggling all her tables. Also, the bread is to-die for! It is not too salty as previous reviewers said, in my opinion. Why only a 2 star review? Pre-Groupon, our dinner for 2 with no alcohol was over $90. I didn't feel like it was that caliber of food. My salmon was super dry. I only ate 1/3 of it, but didn't say anything because of the table behind us complaining and because we had ordered so much food. She asked if it was okay and I just said I didn't really care for salmon that dry (the bottom of the piece of fish was literally hard), so she gave us a free dessert without us even asking. That was nice! The pear salad was really yummy, but I didn't care for the asparagus or the crab macaroni and cheese, and as mentioned my salmon was not good. In all, I enjoyed my salad and the bread. The service was good. Next time I want to spend over $75 on dinner out though, I'll go elsewhere.
(2)
Lei R.
Wine selection is on point. Ignores the big name crappy wine (though the big names that make good wine are here!) but bring in the delicious small scale wine. (Give you the wine spectator scores on the menu) This is outside of the food. I have a friend who orders medium steak (I'm a rare medium rare), the first restaurant that I've seen who does steak right. Medium came out juicy, no juice pouring out. Brooke was incredibly approachable and knowledgable and the food (four courses) and wine were amazing!!! We had the steak, scallops, duck, lamb, calamari, tuna, pear salad, caprese with heirlooms, gluten free chocolate cake and peanut butter cookies with ice cream!!!! Everything was amazing!!!
(5)
J B.
We started off on a bad note when the bread was INSANELY salty. Yuck. Luckily, the ahi tuna tartar starter was good and my meal was very good. I enjoyed the pork chop with cheddar grits...there was a cherry chutney on top that was very tasty. Unfortunately, my husband did not enjoy one of the duck preparations that came with his meal. It was also too salty. Not sure if we will be back, but it was worth a try with a Groupon.
(3)
J S.
I went for the Sunday brunch and was amazed at the poor quality and selection for an over $20 price tag. The omelet station was the only redeeming option. For breakfast foods, there was soggy bacon, sausage, over cooked potatoes, dry French toast, and the omelette bar. I left hungry and nearly $30 poorer.
(2)
Jen W.
Though tucked into a strip mall, this is a gem. I have been here several times for dinner and this was my first time for lunch. It was a great lunch experience. The service was professional and well timed. The salad I ordered was a nice balance of crisp greens and crispy buffalo chicken. The confetti of corn, black beans, cheese, etc. balanced the salad nicely and gave it great color. Presentation was quite impressive with a tall mast of a crispy wonton. My friend enjoyed the chopped salad which was fresh and tasty. This restaurant consistently performs with each dish expertly prepared. They do everything well from seafood to steak. I love the tuna tartare appetizer - a martini glass full of spicy tuna on a bed of seaweed and served with crispy flat bread. Portion sizes are ample, too. The service is always professional and well executed. For me, a restaurant has to be clean and fresh looking (tight bench seats and clean upholstery). Christopher Daniel meets that criteria, too. Lighting is soft and about the brightness of candle light. Perfect for a special night out, birthday celebration or date night.
(4)
Allison L.
Came back here for Baltimore County Restaurant Week lunch with some coworkers, and it was really good. Their cream of crab soup is the absolute best I've ever had. The bread is awesome. The lunch choices were steak, trout, roasted chicken (and maybe something else, can't remember) and they all looked really good. I had the steak, which was really good, but had a little bit of entree envy when I saw my coworkers fish. The dessert choices were white chocolate cheesecake or flourless chocolate cake. We got them to go because lunch was definitely taking more than an hour and it probably would've pushed it to 2 hours if we'd stayed. I thought the cheesecake was pretty good but some of my coworkers said the chocolate cake was "good but not great." I really don't even have any minor complaints, I'd definitely come back again.
(4)
Kem W.
A three-and-a-half star restaurant. I had the braised short ribs for dinner, which were flavorful and tender. Pan-seared scallops were also very good. The grilled chicken breast looked good, too. I had the southern fried oysters as an appetizer. Perfectly fine but nothing special. Dessert menu was acceptable. The mixed berry cobbler was warm and satisfying. The only knock I can give was for service. It seemed slow at times. And for those of you who need "atmosphere" you may not find what you're looking for here. But for those of us who don't, the dining room was fine. Casual attire is A-OK. Recommend.
(4)
Ellen A.
Went on a Sunday and waited 20 minutes for a server to come to our table to get our drink order. When she did finally stop by she said "I'll be with you in a minute" and immediately went to the next table, which had been seated after us, to take their drink order, a blatant discrimination move. Not realizing only brunch was being served, we moved to the bar to order a regular lunch. Once we sat down, the bartender left the bar. We usually do not have this kind of issue at Christopher Daniels, and our company usually has large meetings there, but, we won't be returning after this. The service was horrible.
(1)
Michael T.
The foods quality was mediocre and unworthy of its price. Not sure why it got 4 stars on Yelp.
(2)
Kara W.
Triply disappointed. I made a reservation via OpenTable for 12:30pm on a Sunday. I know that they serve brunch from 10am to 2pm on Sundays which is a buffet. But, my intention was to eat lunch here. Online, the lunch menu features items like a poached pear salad with mesclun greens and spicy pecans, a cornmeal fried tomato sandwich, and a half fried lobster tail. Yum! #1: However, when I asked the server for lunch menus, I was informed that brunch was buffet only, but there was a full menu in the bar/lounge area. I'm not a fan of buffets, so my friend and I headed to the bar. As a result, the host cancelled my OpenTable reservation, so no points for me that day. Oh, well... # 2: Full menu, indeed! Most of the items listed online in the lunch menu were not on the bar menu. The bar menu features flatbreads, wings, salads and sandwiches. The food is better than average than average bar food. The veggie flatbread was quite good, my friend enjoyed his buffalo and asian sesame wings, and his French dip was tender. #3: My salmon BLT, however, arrived without B. The server was very sweet and apologetic when I brought it to her attention. She promptly went into the "kitchen to retrieve it. Less than two minutes later, she emerged with three slices of limp, fatty, cold, and greasy bacon that she obviously retrieved from the buffet. Really? Rhetorically speaking: How long does it take to cook a piece of bacon? I can feel my face twisting just thinking about it...
(2)
Kathy N.
Delicious meal and great service! Will ask for Jessica next time we're there. Sorry they got rid of all the steak sauces - miss the bernaise. Portions are smaller now too. Miss the plate of fries we used to get. But regardless, our meal was delicious!!!
(4)
Kyaw M.
This place has taken a slow decline over the past 6 years. It was a 4 star restaurant back then but my last 2 visits here has been very disappointing. Service is atrocious or slow or both. Dishes are hits or misses. Best ones are 4 star but there are many more dishes that fall short of their noble aspirations. I would give this a 2.5 star for the really slow service but I am going to round up for the Tuna appetizer.
(3)
Erica S.
Lunch was good but dessert was better!
(3)
Anna Maria E.
Recently attended with family and friends to celebrate my Mom's birthday. The food and wait staff were excellent. The lobster Mac n' Cheese is a must!
(5)
Matthew V.
Come here for a special occasion. It's a classy place with delicious food. Been 3 times and have always been impressed.. But come here to often and you'll break the bank. Definitely worth the money though.
(4)
Tom W.
We were in town and my wife likes to plan our trips ahead of time. This was the place she decided on based on Yelp reviews. I'm glad she did. First, the bread and oil combo is delicious. We were actually still full from an appetizer excursion at another local restaurant prior to coming to Chris Dan's. We just couldn't resist the bread, even though we weren't that hungry. It was amazing. I ordered the Short Ribs. It came with horseradish mash and broccoli. The ribs were perfectly done, the mash were excellent, and the broccoli was crisp and just slighly underdone, which is perfect for me. I ordered a side of lobster mac n cheese, just for curiousity. It was ok but I'm still having a hard time figuring out the hype around lobster. My wife ordered the Diver Scallops. They came with truffle mash. She said everything was excellent. The truffle mash didn't have much truffle taste buy my wife loves mashed potatoes so she didn't care. This was a superb meal. The decor is great. The service was great. Our server's name was Brooke. She did everything right as far as I was concerned. One note, when my Ribs were delivered, there wasn't a steak knife. Brooke brought it seconds later and apologized. I told her the apology was not necessary because the Ribs were so tender you could flake them with a fork. I needed the steak knife for the broccoli, not the ribs.
(5)
Jenn M.
The food was top notch - 5 stars all the way. Lots of options to chose from, everything was cooked and seasoned perfectly... and 3$ Bellini's can't be beat! However, I'm giving three stars for this restaurant - the service/atmosphere were both a bit lacking. The restaurant was comfortable when we were seated but the place got incredibly HOT. It got to be fairly uncomfortable and there wasn't a server to be found when we wanted to request to have the heat turned down.
(3)
Tim R.
When you walk in you can see the linen tablecloths, a good sign. The waitstaff is dressed in all black with black aprons and ours waitress was excellent - patient with our early indecision. Interesting specials tonight, a Saturday. I was trying to decide between a pepper crusted venison steak and grouper on crab risotto... I went with the seafood and was not disappointed. Tender, flaky, flavorful - not overcooked but nicely seared buttery top from the broiler. The risotto had enough crab to make it tasty without being too fishy and overpowering. My wife went with a salad with sliced beef and they were happy to substitute the green salad with a hearts of palm salad for her. The beef was tenderloin, medium rare to rare, with a decent portion for the price. We shared a slice of banana cream pie that had real bananas in it, with a coconut top and a nice presentation on a raspberry sauce swirl. Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was $98 - so plan accordingly. Will definitely be back.
(4)
Alyce D.
Went here for the first time for dinner this weekend. Had the shrimp and grits, pear salad, and ahi tuna. Hubby had the scallops and we shared the lava cake for dessert. Service was okay for a Friday night. Server didn't have much in the way of suggestions which was a bit disappointing. The tuna was very good--great portion size. I had to ask for extra wasabi dressing and made sure I had extra for the doggie bag. Nothing was outstanding, but just solid and good. A great standby place where you can always get reservations last minute in the burbs and have a good meal.
(3)
Jan T.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in the Baltimore suburbs, both for a celebratory and weekend dinners. The quality and presentation of the food are consistently top notch and the service is generally excellent, with just a little dip on very busy nights. As for the menu, I can only recommend the martinis, both in drink and tuna form, as well as the trip of tartare appetizer on the dinner menu. Very well made, high-quality meat and fish. Steaks and fish are generally excellent for entrees.I would also recommend coming during restaurant week. We have been for lunch twice, and have had an excellent experience each time. One item to note is seating. The tables are little tight together, so if you make a reservation make sure to select a booth. You will be quite happy you did.
(5)
Melissa W.
We sat over on the bar side with friends Saturday night. Place was hopping! Excellent service. Filets were great! Crab dip was good. Not a five star experience but definately a solid four star. I find that the service and food are better at Five than the main dining room for some unknown reason.
(4)
Jonathan G.
Consistently great food and service. I would say that this is Bluestone's main competitor, but they have their own specialties. Christopher Daniel has some Southern influences mixed in which are always tasty. Definitely recommend, just try to beat the crowd, before they hoveround on in ;)
(4)
Gina J.
This is probably one of my favorite restaurants in all of Baltimore County. The service is outstanding, the martinis are excellent and the food is superb. We have dined here at least every other month for the past year or so, and everything is consistent... I also came here with a friend for drinks and apps at the restaurant's adjoining bar, Five, and we had a great time - they had an awesome acoustic 90's cover band playing (loved that they played songs that we knew and enjoyed). Apparently, they have live music on most Saturday nights. Overall, I highly recommend Christopher Daniel.
(5)
Kristina F.
Yes, it's in a strip mall. But I must admit, the food is delicious. I've had dinner here because my sister went to school in Towson. Their steaks are great with some nice sides. Their wait staff is very accommodating, especially when we went, which was graduation weekend. It was in a strip mall, so weird, but good. Granted there aren't many fantastic choices to compare it to, but their menu was interesting and delicious. I got the lamb and shared with my cousin who got a steak with a fried oyster on top. My dad got the soft shell crab which looked great. Lobster mac and cheese and lobster mash potatoes were a big hit. Would definitely come back if I'm ever back in the area, but the chances are slim.
(4)
Alicia V.
Came here for dinner on Tuesday evening, 7:45. Had made a reservation through open table, and had a confirmation, but the restaurant said they didn't have it, and since then, open table has cancelled the reservation. Wierd...have to follow up. Besides that, very pleasant. Ordered the dark chocolate martini ($12). Tasted like Baileys Irish Cream, but lighter. Yummy. Had the rack of lamb which was also wonderful. Creamy potatoes and asparagus. I do have to say, though, you could really taste a raw dijon mustard in the crusting on the lamb, which I didn't care for. Also ordered 6 malpeque oysters. Very nice. My husband ordered the grouper, which was dry and overdone. His salad (CD chop salad) was very good. He also enjoyed the craft beer. Here are out totals: martini $12, craft beer $5, salad $8, oysters $12, grouper $28 and lamb $38. If you went without the specials - grouper and lamb, the prices would have been pretty reasonable. I feel that $28 and $38 were too much. Would come back here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Leaving, the bar looked pretty cool.
(3)
J L.
There were four of us on a Saturday night. Prime time. Things should be at their best. We ordered a variety of dishes that would have been similar to the range of offerings that we like and have ordered at other restaurants. The service was slow, distracted and certainly inattentive. The onion soup was mediocre to poor. While the presentation of the soup was fine, the rich onion flavor was missing. It could have been canned! The ahi tuna tartare ("spicy ahi tuna tartar with mango cucumber and wasabi sauce"), highly rated by others, was boring, with little zest. There was no flavorful mango taste in the tartare and the wasabi flavor was absent. A real disappointment! The "seafood uncobb salad with lemon sesame vinaigrette" was also poorly seasoned but did improve with the addition of lemon. The Ahi tuna sesame seared rare ("with fresh avocado, cucumber daikon radish salad, soy truffle vinaigrette) was also severely lacking in flavor. The avocado was not tasty, the salad did not sparkle with the flavor of daikon and did not reflect the nice balance of a soy truffle vinaigrette. Even the sesame flavor was blunted. In brief this dish was boring and did not reflect any of the great possibilities of the dish. The dish sounded so much better than it tasted! The portion size was fine and it was not overcooked. Two other dishes we ordered were OK but not great: the pan seared salmon and the jumbo gulf shrimp. On a positive note, the setting was reasonable and comfortable and our water was nicely replenished. The price was not unreasonable if the food had been better. In brief, we chose to have dinner at Christopher Daniel because of the other reviews on Yelp and Zagat. But both the service and food did not live up to the reviews of others and we were very disappointed. It was as if those who wrote the other reviews went to a different restaurant. We are not likely to return.
(2)
JO' G.
Although the name is somewhat high falutin' and the signage quite froo froo, the food and service at Christopher Daniel better resemble the oddly-situated strip mall this restaurant inhabits. The menu is a mess of high-concept, low-appeal selections. The grouper special came to me overcooked and oversalted. The side of lobster shepherd's pie tasted different with each bite -- and not in a good way. Even my hubby's hamburger arrived rare when ordered medium well. Hmmmm. With prices what they were, we opted to head home for dessert instead of feeding the "success" of this place. The restaurant was absolutely packed at 8:30 p.m. on a recent Friday night (with tables only a few inches apart, we truly felt the squeeze...ick), which makes me wonder...did we just hit on a bad night? Or, with only Applebee's and other assorted chains to choose from in the northern Bmore burbs, are people's expectations simply super low?
(1)
CJ W.
Wonderful, amazing food! Service leaves a bitter taste though, very very slow.
(4)
Dana L.
I came here with my family when I went to visit - this is apparently a hip place in the Baltimore suburbs. I though that the the decor was fairly nice, and the service was friendly. I ordered the salmon - it was a decent piece of fish cooked reasonably well. Nothing superb, but definitely tasty. It included an egg roll-like thing stuffed with mashed potatoes, which was also quite good. Overall, a solid meal.
(3)
Ginny B.
We got a Groupon for this place and absolutely loved it! The food was fantastic...not at all what I expected when pulling into the strip mall place where it is located. It is connected to the Five Martini bar so we enjoyed a few of those too. Delicious but pricey....can't wait for another special occasion to return!
(5)
Jeff Q.
Went here Valentine's Day. Our salads and entrees were great as was the dessert special they only offer on Feb. 14.
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : No Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Intimate Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Full Bar Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes
RALPH W.
Service is poor except for Mary who I just learned is no longer there. Be forewarned that the service is beyond slow and gets worse each time we have been. Most of the servers there now seem young and inexperienced. I would not recommend this restaurant.
(2)Maggi R.
My sisters and I came for lunch and were very pleased. Your lunch menu offered many creative dishes. We all tried something different - the calamari were fried to perfection and tasty, the pear salad and wedge salad very crisp and flavorful. The fried green tomato sandwich was a burst of many flavors. Mary, our server, was a delight. Thank you so much for participating in Restaurant Week.
(5)Dave S.
There was a time, years ago, when this restaurant was thought of as one of the County's best, and it appeared on "Best of" lists for the entire metro area. It certainly has fallen far from that perch. My last three visits left a lot to be desired. The service and food are sub-par, and the dining rooms are in serious need of a facelift. What's happened to this place?
(2)Gee-Lo G.
This is not my first visit to Christopher Daniel, but it will be my last. There was a mouse in the dining room, ran right under our feet, continued running around the room. We chose to move to the bar and eat, (sitting at high top table), used our Groupon, and got the hell out of there. Our waitress, who has served us beautifully in the past, told us that they do have an ongoing mouse problem there that they are attempting to take care of. They should close the restaurant, clear up their rodent problem, and then re-open when the problem is cleared up. I'm not even going to comment on the food because it doesn't matter. I will add, though, that if I owned a restaurant and a customer saw a rodent running around right under their feet, I would comp their meal......or an appetizer......or complimentary booze. Didn't happen.
(1)Keejoo L.
Im not sure what to write about this place ...growing up right near it I had always heard great things about the restaurant but its lackluster job today makes me think otherwise. I came here today for lunch with my parents mainly for their menu for Baltimore county restaurant week. They serve a three course meal for the price of $25. Looking over the menu you really arnt saving money, perhaps you are getting the desert for free...I opted out of the pre fixe since there wasnt even a desert that I wanted in the end. In the end I got the calamari app, which was really just a portion for one person... ( yes I know I can eat large portions of things, but really for $10 this was a really really small app size) then ordered the prime rib french dip sandwich for the main. Bread was burnt on the sides and the meat to onion ration was quite off. I think in total there was maybe five or six shavings of prime rib on the whole sandwich.. Lots of onions...and just lots of bread. This just wasnt the type of french dip Im used to . The fries were good, crisp and served hot, though Im not sure I would call them shoestring style. My mother had the crabcake and ceasar salad...the salad came out without dressing so we had to wait to flag down a waiter and ask for a side of dressing.... my father had the salmon and soup du jour. No complaints on his end. All in all for its reputation and pricey dinner opts. Its just quite lackluster. I dont think I will be back here.
(2)Michaek S.
Mediocre to gross. Cream of asparagus soup so salty could have been canned. Same for lobster bisque. Ceasar salad same as everywhere else - boring. Focaccia bread on table kind of stale with flavorless cheap olive oil as dip. My steak was OK, nothing special- my sons was undercooked. My wife's fried lobster was actually good- one bright spot in sea of gross to indifferent. Steamed asparagus crisp and straightforward. My grilled potatoes were dry, tasteless, and only choked down with my wife's drawn butter. Wife and sons whipped potatoes boring, green beans fresh but plain. Overall- not coming back. Boring boring boring- and service was slow, prices expensive- 168.00 bucks. Jeez- better off at an Applebee's. ( Crowd was very very elderly- funeral home may have been just around the corner for a reason)
(1)Teresa F.
I've had a few great meals here. The feng shui seems off somehow, but the food was good.
(3)Jessica N.
Christopher Daniel offers an impressive upscale menu with excellent descriptions that makes it difficult to choose. Our group decided to share a sandwich & each pick a salad. We also went through at least 2 baskets of their bread, it was delicious - perfect combination of a crispy crust & soft inside that when dipped in the olive oil served with it made it difficult to not fill up on bread alone before our meals arrived! Their Bloody Mary's were great - nice & spicy (you could see & taste the fresh horseradish) with perfect amount of tomato juice! The sandwich - cornmeal crusted fried green tomato BLT - was the star of our lunch! The fried green tomato was perfectly fried, the bacon was super crispy and the avocado & melted mozzarella cheese added a great creaminess to the sandwich! It was a bit messy to eat, but well worth it! The french fries were perfectly crispy & nicely seasoned. Our salads included a chicken, tuna & shrimp salads combo - each were tasty. The dill tuna salad packed the most flavor. The shrimp salad had larger sized shrimp than you typically find in most shrimp salads & they were great. Both the shrimp & chicken salads could have used more seasoning (as well as the coleslaw served on the side), but adding some salt & pepper helped. The poached pear salad was the best out of our choices - the raspberry hazelnut dressing was awesome!! Unfortunately the seafood "uncobb" salad (shrimp, crab & lobster w/greens & tomatoes) was our least favorite (and most expensive!) - while the presentation was impressive, the salad was very bland & really lacked flavor. I noticed that salad is no longer on the lunch menu online The service was decent, but with a near empty dining room (we went for lunch on a Saturday) it was still quite slow for some reason. When we asked our server about any specials he told us what specials they'd offered the day before, which was odd... He ended up coming back to our table & let us know that we could get those specials if we were interested though. The dining room ambiance is quite formal, but they offer a more casual atmosphere in the bar. Overall we had a really good lunch & most of the food I'd order again. There were many other dishes on the menu I would've loved to try as well. Looking forward to returning soon!
(4)Jennifer S.
Second chances, as my husband said. I said never again since we dined there in 2005 and the bread was stale when we arrived. We gave them a second chance on Christmas Eve. Unless you enjoy alcohol, this is not the restaurant for you. I ordered the fried lobster with string beans, of which the 5 string beans were tasty and the fried lobster was fine. The horrific alleged mashed potatoes tasted like they came out of a box and were inedible. My son's steak, their alleged specialty item, was raw, and my husband's steak was as tough as shoe leather. This restaurant is very expensive and should be avoided.
(1)Chris V.
Terrible terrible terrible! Waited during a weeknight for 19 minutes for a waiter to come to our table in an empty restaurant just to say he'll be with us in a few minutes! What a J-O-K-E! NEVER going back there again. Not ever.
(1)Rachel C.
My husband and I bought the Groupon and went here on a Friday night. We made an early reservation as we were seeing a movie after (6:30) but we weren't finished our meal until 8:30, so keep time in mind. I had requested a booth per other's reviews on Yelp, but we got seated directly in front of the front door, so I would have probably preferred a table in a corner as opposed to in directly in front of the door. The positives: we had a great server. She was running around between at least 5 other tables but was very attentive. The table behind us of two elderly women complained no less than 3 times about their food, the manager had to come over, and our server had to give them a lot of extra attention, so given all that we felt that she did a great job juggling all her tables. Also, the bread is to-die for! It is not too salty as previous reviewers said, in my opinion. Why only a 2 star review? Pre-Groupon, our dinner for 2 with no alcohol was over $90. I didn't feel like it was that caliber of food. My salmon was super dry. I only ate 1/3 of it, but didn't say anything because of the table behind us complaining and because we had ordered so much food. She asked if it was okay and I just said I didn't really care for salmon that dry (the bottom of the piece of fish was literally hard), so she gave us a free dessert without us even asking. That was nice! The pear salad was really yummy, but I didn't care for the asparagus or the crab macaroni and cheese, and as mentioned my salmon was not good. In all, I enjoyed my salad and the bread. The service was good. Next time I want to spend over $75 on dinner out though, I'll go elsewhere.
(2)Lei R.
Wine selection is on point. Ignores the big name crappy wine (though the big names that make good wine are here!) but bring in the delicious small scale wine. (Give you the wine spectator scores on the menu) This is outside of the food. I have a friend who orders medium steak (I'm a rare medium rare), the first restaurant that I've seen who does steak right. Medium came out juicy, no juice pouring out. Brooke was incredibly approachable and knowledgable and the food (four courses) and wine were amazing!!! We had the steak, scallops, duck, lamb, calamari, tuna, pear salad, caprese with heirlooms, gluten free chocolate cake and peanut butter cookies with ice cream!!!! Everything was amazing!!!
(5)J B.
We started off on a bad note when the bread was INSANELY salty. Yuck. Luckily, the ahi tuna tartar starter was good and my meal was very good. I enjoyed the pork chop with cheddar grits...there was a cherry chutney on top that was very tasty. Unfortunately, my husband did not enjoy one of the duck preparations that came with his meal. It was also too salty. Not sure if we will be back, but it was worth a try with a Groupon.
(3)J S.
I went for the Sunday brunch and was amazed at the poor quality and selection for an over $20 price tag. The omelet station was the only redeeming option. For breakfast foods, there was soggy bacon, sausage, over cooked potatoes, dry French toast, and the omelette bar. I left hungry and nearly $30 poorer.
(2)Jen W.
Though tucked into a strip mall, this is a gem. I have been here several times for dinner and this was my first time for lunch. It was a great lunch experience. The service was professional and well timed. The salad I ordered was a nice balance of crisp greens and crispy buffalo chicken. The confetti of corn, black beans, cheese, etc. balanced the salad nicely and gave it great color. Presentation was quite impressive with a tall mast of a crispy wonton. My friend enjoyed the chopped salad which was fresh and tasty. This restaurant consistently performs with each dish expertly prepared. They do everything well from seafood to steak. I love the tuna tartare appetizer - a martini glass full of spicy tuna on a bed of seaweed and served with crispy flat bread. Portion sizes are ample, too. The service is always professional and well executed. For me, a restaurant has to be clean and fresh looking (tight bench seats and clean upholstery). Christopher Daniel meets that criteria, too. Lighting is soft and about the brightness of candle light. Perfect for a special night out, birthday celebration or date night.
(4)Allison L.
Came back here for Baltimore County Restaurant Week lunch with some coworkers, and it was really good. Their cream of crab soup is the absolute best I've ever had. The bread is awesome. The lunch choices were steak, trout, roasted chicken (and maybe something else, can't remember) and they all looked really good. I had the steak, which was really good, but had a little bit of entree envy when I saw my coworkers fish. The dessert choices were white chocolate cheesecake or flourless chocolate cake. We got them to go because lunch was definitely taking more than an hour and it probably would've pushed it to 2 hours if we'd stayed. I thought the cheesecake was pretty good but some of my coworkers said the chocolate cake was "good but not great." I really don't even have any minor complaints, I'd definitely come back again.
(4)Kem W.
A three-and-a-half star restaurant. I had the braised short ribs for dinner, which were flavorful and tender. Pan-seared scallops were also very good. The grilled chicken breast looked good, too. I had the southern fried oysters as an appetizer. Perfectly fine but nothing special. Dessert menu was acceptable. The mixed berry cobbler was warm and satisfying. The only knock I can give was for service. It seemed slow at times. And for those of you who need "atmosphere" you may not find what you're looking for here. But for those of us who don't, the dining room was fine. Casual attire is A-OK. Recommend.
(4)Ellen A.
Went on a Sunday and waited 20 minutes for a server to come to our table to get our drink order. When she did finally stop by she said "I'll be with you in a minute" and immediately went to the next table, which had been seated after us, to take their drink order, a blatant discrimination move. Not realizing only brunch was being served, we moved to the bar to order a regular lunch. Once we sat down, the bartender left the bar. We usually do not have this kind of issue at Christopher Daniels, and our company usually has large meetings there, but, we won't be returning after this. The service was horrible.
(1)Michael T.
The foods quality was mediocre and unworthy of its price. Not sure why it got 4 stars on Yelp.
(2)Kara W.
Triply disappointed. I made a reservation via OpenTable for 12:30pm on a Sunday. I know that they serve brunch from 10am to 2pm on Sundays which is a buffet. But, my intention was to eat lunch here. Online, the lunch menu features items like a poached pear salad with mesclun greens and spicy pecans, a cornmeal fried tomato sandwich, and a half fried lobster tail. Yum! #1: However, when I asked the server for lunch menus, I was informed that brunch was buffet only, but there was a full menu in the bar/lounge area. I'm not a fan of buffets, so my friend and I headed to the bar. As a result, the host cancelled my OpenTable reservation, so no points for me that day. Oh, well... # 2: Full menu, indeed! Most of the items listed online in the lunch menu were not on the bar menu. The bar menu features flatbreads, wings, salads and sandwiches. The food is better than average than average bar food. The veggie flatbread was quite good, my friend enjoyed his buffalo and asian sesame wings, and his French dip was tender. #3: My salmon BLT, however, arrived without B. The server was very sweet and apologetic when I brought it to her attention. She promptly went into the "kitchen to retrieve it. Less than two minutes later, she emerged with three slices of limp, fatty, cold, and greasy bacon that she obviously retrieved from the buffet. Really? Rhetorically speaking: How long does it take to cook a piece of bacon? I can feel my face twisting just thinking about it...
(2)Kathy N.
Delicious meal and great service! Will ask for Jessica next time we're there. Sorry they got rid of all the steak sauces - miss the bernaise. Portions are smaller now too. Miss the plate of fries we used to get. But regardless, our meal was delicious!!!
(4)Kyaw M.
This place has taken a slow decline over the past 6 years. It was a 4 star restaurant back then but my last 2 visits here has been very disappointing. Service is atrocious or slow or both. Dishes are hits or misses. Best ones are 4 star but there are many more dishes that fall short of their noble aspirations. I would give this a 2.5 star for the really slow service but I am going to round up for the Tuna appetizer.
(3)Erica S.
Lunch was good but dessert was better!
(3)Anna Maria E.
Recently attended with family and friends to celebrate my Mom's birthday. The food and wait staff were excellent. The lobster Mac n' Cheese is a must!
(5)Matthew V.
Come here for a special occasion. It's a classy place with delicious food. Been 3 times and have always been impressed.. But come here to often and you'll break the bank. Definitely worth the money though.
(4)Tom W.
We were in town and my wife likes to plan our trips ahead of time. This was the place she decided on based on Yelp reviews. I'm glad she did. First, the bread and oil combo is delicious. We were actually still full from an appetizer excursion at another local restaurant prior to coming to Chris Dan's. We just couldn't resist the bread, even though we weren't that hungry. It was amazing. I ordered the Short Ribs. It came with horseradish mash and broccoli. The ribs were perfectly done, the mash were excellent, and the broccoli was crisp and just slighly underdone, which is perfect for me. I ordered a side of lobster mac n cheese, just for curiousity. It was ok but I'm still having a hard time figuring out the hype around lobster. My wife ordered the Diver Scallops. They came with truffle mash. She said everything was excellent. The truffle mash didn't have much truffle taste buy my wife loves mashed potatoes so she didn't care. This was a superb meal. The decor is great. The service was great. Our server's name was Brooke. She did everything right as far as I was concerned. One note, when my Ribs were delivered, there wasn't a steak knife. Brooke brought it seconds later and apologized. I told her the apology was not necessary because the Ribs were so tender you could flake them with a fork. I needed the steak knife for the broccoli, not the ribs.
(5)Jenn M.
The food was top notch - 5 stars all the way. Lots of options to chose from, everything was cooked and seasoned perfectly... and 3$ Bellini's can't be beat! However, I'm giving three stars for this restaurant - the service/atmosphere were both a bit lacking. The restaurant was comfortable when we were seated but the place got incredibly HOT. It got to be fairly uncomfortable and there wasn't a server to be found when we wanted to request to have the heat turned down.
(3)Tim R.
When you walk in you can see the linen tablecloths, a good sign. The waitstaff is dressed in all black with black aprons and ours waitress was excellent - patient with our early indecision. Interesting specials tonight, a Saturday. I was trying to decide between a pepper crusted venison steak and grouper on crab risotto... I went with the seafood and was not disappointed. Tender, flaky, flavorful - not overcooked but nicely seared buttery top from the broiler. The risotto had enough crab to make it tasty without being too fishy and overpowering. My wife went with a salad with sliced beef and they were happy to substitute the green salad with a hearts of palm salad for her. The beef was tenderloin, medium rare to rare, with a decent portion for the price. We shared a slice of banana cream pie that had real bananas in it, with a coconut top and a nice presentation on a raspberry sauce swirl. Dinner for two with a bottle of wine was $98 - so plan accordingly. Will definitely be back.
(4)Alyce D.
Went here for the first time for dinner this weekend. Had the shrimp and grits, pear salad, and ahi tuna. Hubby had the scallops and we shared the lava cake for dessert. Service was okay for a Friday night. Server didn't have much in the way of suggestions which was a bit disappointing. The tuna was very good--great portion size. I had to ask for extra wasabi dressing and made sure I had extra for the doggie bag. Nothing was outstanding, but just solid and good. A great standby place where you can always get reservations last minute in the burbs and have a good meal.
(3)Jan T.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in the Baltimore suburbs, both for a celebratory and weekend dinners. The quality and presentation of the food are consistently top notch and the service is generally excellent, with just a little dip on very busy nights. As for the menu, I can only recommend the martinis, both in drink and tuna form, as well as the trip of tartare appetizer on the dinner menu. Very well made, high-quality meat and fish. Steaks and fish are generally excellent for entrees.I would also recommend coming during restaurant week. We have been for lunch twice, and have had an excellent experience each time. One item to note is seating. The tables are little tight together, so if you make a reservation make sure to select a booth. You will be quite happy you did.
(5)Melissa W.
We sat over on the bar side with friends Saturday night. Place was hopping! Excellent service. Filets were great! Crab dip was good. Not a five star experience but definately a solid four star. I find that the service and food are better at Five than the main dining room for some unknown reason.
(4)Jonathan G.
Consistently great food and service. I would say that this is Bluestone's main competitor, but they have their own specialties. Christopher Daniel has some Southern influences mixed in which are always tasty. Definitely recommend, just try to beat the crowd, before they hoveround on in ;)
(4)Gina J.
This is probably one of my favorite restaurants in all of Baltimore County. The service is outstanding, the martinis are excellent and the food is superb. We have dined here at least every other month for the past year or so, and everything is consistent... I also came here with a friend for drinks and apps at the restaurant's adjoining bar, Five, and we had a great time - they had an awesome acoustic 90's cover band playing (loved that they played songs that we knew and enjoyed). Apparently, they have live music on most Saturday nights. Overall, I highly recommend Christopher Daniel.
(5)Kristina F.
Yes, it's in a strip mall. But I must admit, the food is delicious. I've had dinner here because my sister went to school in Towson. Their steaks are great with some nice sides. Their wait staff is very accommodating, especially when we went, which was graduation weekend. It was in a strip mall, so weird, but good. Granted there aren't many fantastic choices to compare it to, but their menu was interesting and delicious. I got the lamb and shared with my cousin who got a steak with a fried oyster on top. My dad got the soft shell crab which looked great. Lobster mac and cheese and lobster mash potatoes were a big hit. Would definitely come back if I'm ever back in the area, but the chances are slim.
(4)Alicia V.
Came here for dinner on Tuesday evening, 7:45. Had made a reservation through open table, and had a confirmation, but the restaurant said they didn't have it, and since then, open table has cancelled the reservation. Wierd...have to follow up. Besides that, very pleasant. Ordered the dark chocolate martini ($12). Tasted like Baileys Irish Cream, but lighter. Yummy. Had the rack of lamb which was also wonderful. Creamy potatoes and asparagus. I do have to say, though, you could really taste a raw dijon mustard in the crusting on the lamb, which I didn't care for. Also ordered 6 malpeque oysters. Very nice. My husband ordered the grouper, which was dry and overdone. His salad (CD chop salad) was very good. He also enjoyed the craft beer. Here are out totals: martini $12, craft beer $5, salad $8, oysters $12, grouper $28 and lamb $38. If you went without the specials - grouper and lamb, the prices would have been pretty reasonable. I feel that $28 and $38 were too much. Would come back here again, but it wouldn't be my first choice. Leaving, the bar looked pretty cool.
(3)J L.
There were four of us on a Saturday night. Prime time. Things should be at their best. We ordered a variety of dishes that would have been similar to the range of offerings that we like and have ordered at other restaurants. The service was slow, distracted and certainly inattentive. The onion soup was mediocre to poor. While the presentation of the soup was fine, the rich onion flavor was missing. It could have been canned! The ahi tuna tartare ("spicy ahi tuna tartar with mango cucumber and wasabi sauce"), highly rated by others, was boring, with little zest. There was no flavorful mango taste in the tartare and the wasabi flavor was absent. A real disappointment! The "seafood uncobb salad with lemon sesame vinaigrette" was also poorly seasoned but did improve with the addition of lemon. The Ahi tuna sesame seared rare ("with fresh avocado, cucumber daikon radish salad, soy truffle vinaigrette) was also severely lacking in flavor. The avocado was not tasty, the salad did not sparkle with the flavor of daikon and did not reflect the nice balance of a soy truffle vinaigrette. Even the sesame flavor was blunted. In brief this dish was boring and did not reflect any of the great possibilities of the dish. The dish sounded so much better than it tasted! The portion size was fine and it was not overcooked. Two other dishes we ordered were OK but not great: the pan seared salmon and the jumbo gulf shrimp. On a positive note, the setting was reasonable and comfortable and our water was nicely replenished. The price was not unreasonable if the food had been better. In brief, we chose to have dinner at Christopher Daniel because of the other reviews on Yelp and Zagat. But both the service and food did not live up to the reviews of others and we were very disappointed. It was as if those who wrote the other reviews went to a different restaurant. We are not likely to return.
(2)JO' G.
Although the name is somewhat high falutin' and the signage quite froo froo, the food and service at Christopher Daniel better resemble the oddly-situated strip mall this restaurant inhabits. The menu is a mess of high-concept, low-appeal selections. The grouper special came to me overcooked and oversalted. The side of lobster shepherd's pie tasted different with each bite -- and not in a good way. Even my hubby's hamburger arrived rare when ordered medium well. Hmmmm. With prices what they were, we opted to head home for dessert instead of feeding the "success" of this place. The restaurant was absolutely packed at 8:30 p.m. on a recent Friday night (with tables only a few inches apart, we truly felt the squeeze...ick), which makes me wonder...did we just hit on a bad night? Or, with only Applebee's and other assorted chains to choose from in the northern Bmore burbs, are people's expectations simply super low?
(1)CJ W.
Wonderful, amazing food! Service leaves a bitter taste though, very very slow.
(4)Dana L.
I came here with my family when I went to visit - this is apparently a hip place in the Baltimore suburbs. I though that the the decor was fairly nice, and the service was friendly. I ordered the salmon - it was a decent piece of fish cooked reasonably well. Nothing superb, but definitely tasty. It included an egg roll-like thing stuffed with mashed potatoes, which was also quite good. Overall, a solid meal.
(3)Ginny B.
We got a Groupon for this place and absolutely loved it! The food was fantastic...not at all what I expected when pulling into the strip mall place where it is located. It is connected to the Five Martini bar so we enjoyed a few of those too. Delicious but pricey....can't wait for another special occasion to return!
(5)Jeff Q.
Went here Valentine's Day. Our salads and entrees were great as was the dessert special they only offer on Feb. 14.
(5)