Johnny’s Bistro on Main
8167 Main St
Ellicott City
410-461-8210
The simple sandwiches/salads/pizzas menu and order-at-the-counter service make a deceptively lackluster first impression, but each offering is carefully thought out and more than the sum of its parts. The Bistro ($9.99), for example, starts with dense, herb-flecked ciabatta bread, toasted to crunchy light-brownness. It is topped with strips of grilled, marinated flank steak, cut thick but still so tender that the layers are easy to bite through and chew. The richness of the meat is then balanced with a thin smear of horseradish aioli, a few rings of grilled onion, and roasted red peppers. It’s served with a sour pickle spear and house-made coleslaw with crunchy cabbage and vinegar dressing instead of overly sweet mayo or shoestring fries. Perfect.
Baltimore Magazine
October, 2008
The Lunch Encounter 