Onion Soup

Beloved for its restorative properties, onion soup is to France what chicken soup is to America."Onion soup is . . . rich without expense, savory without complication, and, best of all, comforting," wrote John Thorne in his 1979 "Treatise on Onion Soup."The French have cherished onion soup for centuries, but, according to food authority Waverly Root, "apparently no region lays claim to it."Or perhaps every region. Chef Laurent Champalle recently reeled off eight regional variations, from Alsatian onion soup with beer and sour cream to onion soup Champenoise, which uses a whole bottle of champagne.

The July 26 Dining Out column in the Sun Magazine reported that Ruth's Chris Steak House is not wheelchair-accessible. In fact, it is.The Sun regrets the error.Ruth's Chris Steak House, the Brokerage, 600 Water St., (410) 783-0033. Open for dinner every day. No-smoking area: yes. Wheelchair access: no.Ruth's Chris Steak House is like no other chain steakhouse you've ever experienced. I use the word "experienced" deliberately, because it's not just a matter of the food you'll eat. If you're thinking Ponderosa, or even Sizzler, think again.

There's no reason to go hungry at the A-1 Crab Haven. The portions are hefty, the courses numerous, the prices reasonable and the selection, especially of seafood and the namesake crab, extensive.Unfortunately, the food didn't always taste as good as it looked -- or sounded.But that didn't seem to deter the Saturday night crowd that filled the comfortable dining room of this Essex restaurant. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, especially the folks in the adjacent bar who were carrying on -- loudly -- as Duke beat Kentucky in the NCAA basketball tournament.

Virginia S. Hodges of Baltimore says this sauce was one of her mother's favorites. The recipe is for Dolores M. Barnes. Don't let the light color of this from-scratch sauce fool you, the lemony flavor is quite strong.Lemon Sauce1/2 cup sugar1 tablespoon cornstarch1 cup water1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice1/8 teaspoon salt2 tablespoons butterCombine sugar, cornstarch and water in saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly until thickened, not quite the consistency of mayonnaise.

One night several years ago, my husband and I stopped in at The Golden Arm for a drink on the way home.We found the Golden Arm, which used to belong to Johnny Unitas, a pleasant place for a night cap and wondered about the food. The dining room, separated only by latticework from the bar, was bustling with people who seemed to be having a good time.But we never returned -- until a recent Monday when we decided to test our intuition.It was better than we had hoped for.From the outside, The Golden Arm on York Road, just above Northern Parkway, looks like most other strip shopping center restaurants: nondescript.

The BowmanThe Bowman, 9306 Harford Road, (410) 665-8600. The Bowman, just outside the Beltway in Parkville, seems to enjoy a good reputation and a loyal clientele. It's an inviting, attractive restaurant with a warm dining room and a comfortable atmosphere. We found the service and the food a little less accomplished than on earlier visits, but still enjoyed our meal, especially the French onion soup ($3.25), with its rich, buttery edge, and a nicely done strip steak ($16.95). $$moderate.

The Bowman has a big parking lot. Two of them, in fact. Yet, on a recent Monday, as my husband prowled around for a space, another driver stopped next to our car and motioned for my husband to roll down his window.''What's going on tonight? Something special?'' the other driver asked.It turned out that the full lots were a result of the three private parties in The Bowman that night -- and a nearly full dining room.Full parking lots probably aren't special at The Bowman, which is just outside The Beltway on Harford Road.

The view from Michael's Riviera Grill is soothingly spectacular. Some would say the Inner Harbor, a block away and many stories below, never looked better, as noiseless crowds stream along its sidewalks and boats of all sizes float through the early evening shadows.From atop the Brookshire Hotel, at Calvert and Lombard streets, even the traffic is quiet; it takes an ambulance to mar the serenity.And it takes superb food to top this view. That is exactly what we enjoyed there recently -- high quality food, carefully prepared.

English hunting scenes on the walls of a new Frenc restaurant? Our waiter explained: Tersiguel's is Fernand Tersiguel's last venture, and his wife, Odette, always wanted an English hunting room. The motif is for her. Across the hall, in a room dedicated to Fernand's native Brittany, there are Quimper plates and Breton scenes; upstairs rooms take as their focus the Tersiguels' churches, the restaurants in their lives, and regions of France. While a "one-last-time" exercise could become overblown, Tersiguel's feels dignified, serious, charming and destined for a long and healthy life.

The Inn at Blackford's CrossingWhere: Route 34 between Sharpsburg, Md., and Martinsburg, W.Va.Hours: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m., dinner from 5:30 p.m., Tuesdays to Sundays.Credit Cards: AE, MC, V.Features: American and Continental cuisine.Non-smoking section? No, but staff will try to accommodate non-smokers' needs; in some cases an extra room can be opened with advance notice.Call: (301) 432-8200.*** Word of mouth? "The Civil War" on PBS? For whatever reason, the Inn at Blackford's Crossing has been "discovered."