Table Talk

Steve Osmond says he'd love to have a 15-page menu at his new Thirsty Dog Public House (20 E. Cross St.), but he knows his limitations. "I'd rather have 15 great pizzas." He's satisfied doing one thing and doing it well, so his pub serves a few appetizers - individual pizzas like the Old Yeller (vegetables, chicken and three cheeses) and gourmet salads. Don't, in other words, come here expecting to order a cheeseburger. Draft micro-beers are also a specialty. The two-story space, which was once Lush's, has been renovated from head to toe, with a fireplace, cozy booths, a mahogany bar and an open kitchen upstairs.

The phone number for the new Milltown Tavern in Ellicott City was incorrect in yesterday's Table Talk column. The correct number is 410-480-0894.The Sun regrets the error.Last week, the Country Fare Inn in Reisterstown closed without fanfare. This was the restaurant that started the consortium that at one time or another included the Brass Elephant, City Lights, Fiori and King's Contrivance.One of the owners, Richard Pirone, says the group is considering attractive offer" for the restaurant.

An item in Friday's Maryland Live section contained an incorrect address for the new Akbar restaurant in Columbia. The correct address is 9400 Snowden River Parkway.The Sun regrets the errors.A headline in yesterday's Table Talk in The Sun's Maryland Live section contained incorrect information. The Bread Place bakery in Annapolis remains open, and a new restaurant, Cafe Rendezvous, has been added to the bakery at 1410 Forest Drive.The Sun regrets the errors.The new Cafe Rendezvous in Annapolis has specialties like salmon on a citrus salsa and a veal chop with grilled vegetables and a wild mushroom demi-glace -- not what you'd expect from a cafe that opened in a bakery.

You'd never know the new Classic to Go Cafe Express in the Village of Cross Keys was set up in 48 hours. Classic Catering People hasn't been able to work out a lease with the Rouse Co.; but the Cross Keys merchants were anxious to have an eating place for holiday shoppers, so the company agreed to open temporarily.The food is prepared ahead because the space (where the Village Market used to be) doesn't have a full kitchen. You can get homemade soups, six or seven sandwiches, salads and baked goods.

East European coffee house meets chic espresso bar in the charming new Le Mean Bean Cafe at 1741 Fleet St. Besides specialty coffee drinks, sandwiches and elaborate desserts, the cafe features borscht, stuffed cabbage rolls and other Slavic specialties. Little did I think when I ordered a "Far East veggie sandwich" that it would come with excellent pirogi (potato dumplings) on the side.* Starbucks, the coffee company based in Seattle, has an almost magical reputation as having started the specialty coffee craze in the United States.

I, frankly, didn't believe it when I heard last March that Baltimore developer Patrick Turner wanted to open a chain of restaurants called the Crash Cafe - the theme being plane wrecks, car crashes and other disasters. But now the city liquor board is considering the transfer of the Globe Brewing Co.'s license to, yes, the Crash Cafe. (This would be at 1321 Key Highway.) I don't have any more details yet, but stay tuned.Indian-Pakistani-AfghanCatonsville has a new Indian-Pakistani-Afghan restaurant, Royal Cuisine, located in the Days Inn across from the Westview Mall.

The closing of Lennys Chop House last Saturday has gotten all the press because it was so high profile, but we've lost several other restaurants in the area.The Tuscany Grill, which opened last summer in Timonium, is dark now, and the phone has been disconnected. I can't say I'm surprised -- the competition was stiff. And even though the food was upscale and good, the place looked like a chain eatery on the outside.Appetite, which opened in October, has also closed. It was Billy Himmelrich's restaurant in the Stone Mill Bakery in Green Spring Station (formerly Ecole)

Savory simplicity* Have you noticed that things are a little simpler when you eat out? "I'm seeing a lot more fresh food left alone," says local restaurant consultant Diane Neas, "and interesting meats without sauce." For example, the mixed grill at the Brass Elephant.Ms. Neas' other top trends on local menus include "chicken, chicken, chicken"; a renewed interest in pork as the American Pork Council gets the word out; and a greater acceptance of farm-raised fish because seafood is getting more and more expensive.

Think globally, drink coffee locally. Specifically, at the new Planet on the Corner, which just opened at 2229 Fleet St. in Canton. Naturally, it has all those good things that go with specialty coffee drinks-scones, muffins and the like. But it also offers light meals for $8 or less, such as enchiladas, quiches and casseroles with salad and bread. The coffee shop's global sandwiches range from a Middle Eastern with hummus and sprouts on pita to a French baguette with Brie and apples. Hours are 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays to Fridays, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.

A little more than a year ago, the York Road billiard parlor that had been the old Towson Theatre became a concert hall. The Recher Theatre has done so well that the brothers who own it bought the building next door and are planning to open a bar-restaurant at 514 York Road next month. The Rec Room will have leather sofas, cocktail tables, three pool tables and 14 televisions. As for the menu, says co-owner Brian Recher, look for crab cakes, blackened tuna, pork chops and meat loaf as well as the usual bar food.