The Kings Contrivance 10150 Shaker Drive, Columbia, MD 21046

"Very pleasant atmosphere. The host was wonderful, and the wait staff was attentive. Food was cooked well to exact specifications. Highly recommend spending an evening soaking up the splendor of Kings Contrivance."

"I really loved the food. However, my mother did not get what she ordered. When my mom mentioned politely to the waitress the error, the waitress told her that that is what she ordered and did not offer to correct the mistake. The waitress proceeded to show her the notepad w what she wrote, which I found a bit rude. She was very short with her. I even heard my mom's order and mentioned that was not the order. My mom was very disapointed but did not want to make a fuse since she was with friends. I felt bad since I know this was a special occasion and expensive for her. I don't think it would have taken much effort to apologize and provide the correct meal."

"Very historic colonial estate that was converted into a restaurant. Really loved the paintings of the horses on the walls"

"Terrific place for an anniversary (or other special occasion) dinner! The restaurant is inside a charming old manor house. We sat in the end room with tons of windows to view outside while dining. Service was perfect. All staff that we interacted with were very friendly and did a great job anticipating our needs. The food was excellent. We started with a bread basket that was crunchy on the outside and pillowy soft in the middle, just as a good loaf should be. Baked brie in a puff pastry was a chef's special and I highly recommend it if offered again. The crabcake entree was superb with plenty of meat and not too much filler. 10/10 would get again! We had tiramisu for dessert, which usually isn't my favorite because I'm not a coffee fan, but theirs was delicious and not overpowering with the coffee notes. Overall this was a terrific fine dining experience and I would recommend it to others!"

"PURE EXCELLENCE! If only I could eat here everyday. The escargot are a garlic buttery perfection and they give you this fresh bread to sop up every bit of garlic butter sauce. The Seafood Bisque is thick and delicious and included shrimp, crab, scallops and even had a bit of rice which was a pleasant surprise. This is one of the best bisques I have ever had. I was too full but because every dish I saw come from the kitchen looked like pure heaven I decided to be greedy and get the Scallop and Shrimp Angel hair pasta. It was pure deliciousness. The seafood and pasta were perfectly prepared and every bite made me want another. I came back during Howard County Restaurant week and ordered the identical meal and it was exactly as delicious as the first visit. Pure heaven in the form of delicious food!"