10 Best Restaurants in Maryland, USA

Chef-owner Cindy Wolf's cuisine has a South Carolina Low Country accent with French roots—and the results are unparalleled. Inside the glowingly lit dining room, classics like she-crab soup and shrimp and grits complement more elegant fare, such as a lobster bisque spiced with curry or wild salmon with avocado.

The signature restaurant of the Gaylord National Resort, Old Hickory is perfect for a romantic meal watching the sun set over the harbor or for an expense-account evening of cocktails and fine cigars out on the terrace. The signature 24-ounce porterhouse comes with four sauce choices: béarnaise, bordelaise, green peppercorn, and blue cheese. Fish and chicken options are available, but the real draw is the expensive steak.

This might be the only local Italian restaurant that doesn't offer pizza or spaghetti. Instead, Osteria serves seafood from all over the world, meat, and pasta made on the premises. Northern Italian owner and chef Arturo Ottaviano offers authentic regional cuisine like grilled branzino filleted table-side and beef tenderloin with a cognac-and-green-peppercorn sauce.

Surrounded by shops, lodging, and other eateries so very American, sophisticated Scossa almost seems out of place. From its sidewalk patio with wall-mounted fountains to its superb menus, Scossa Café is unmistakably northern Italian. The well-trained co-owners create lunch and dinner dishes with an Italian influence that does not overwhelm the fine ingredients. Samples of daily specials include braised lamp shank with artichokes, short ribs with Borolo wine sauce, roast rabbit campagnola, and soft-shell crabs alla provinciale. Brunch is available on weekends. Jackets are not required, but the cosmopolitan style of Scossa definitely attracts a well-dressed clientele who reserve ahead.

Consistently rated the top restaurant in Easton, The Bartlett Pear Inn Restaurant calls itself an "upscale Amerian Bistro." However, its roots are European and the menu features truffle butter paparadelle, braised snails, and paella. The decor and service are impeccable, as is the inn.

In one of the last tollhouses in Montgomery County, Mrs. K's has welcomed diners since 1930 and continues to please both those in search of comfort food and those with adventurous palates. Designed to resemble a country inn, the restaurant is filled with antique furniture, "Historic Old Blue" Staffordshire plates, and Nicholas Lutz glass. Try the New Zealand lamb chops, marinated in juniper berries, garlic, and rosemary. Both the menu and the decorations change seasonally. The restaurant serves a popular brunch on Sunday.

The inn, where Civil War soldiers from the North and South found respite and Teddy Roosevelt stopped after hunting and fishing, was restored in 1957 when it began its foray into fine dining. It was then updated in 2008. Diners like the cozy fireplace and menu favorites like the Maryland crab cake appetizer with sesame seaweed salad. Everything is made fresh seasonally—the inn even makes its own ice cream and sorbet. For a more laid-back vibe, head to the beer garden for hot dogs and shrimp kabobs with live music (in good weather).

Since 1732, this sturdy bluish gray stone home has welcomed travelers along a road called by turns the National Trail, the National Road, the Old National Pike, and (least romantically) Route 40. Historic figures Daniel Webster and Henry Clay stopped here, and during the Civil War, John Brown's followers seized control of the building for a day. Just prior to the Battle of Antietam, it served as the headquarters for a Confederate general. The menu is as elegant as the setting: highlights include fillet Mona Lisa, a seared filet mignon with a cabernet sauvignon demi-glace, served over crispy fried leeks. The extensive dessert list includes peanut butter, fresh apple, and bourbon pecan pies; Godiva chocolate cake; and ice cream sundaes.

Bustling and crowded, this luxuriously dark dining room is just north of Mount Vernon Square and a five-minute drive from the Inner Harbor. The leopard-print carpet and live pianist lend a swanky 1960s feel to a place that seems untouched by time, including the meat-heavy menu of steak-house classics.