Johnny's Bistro on Main

Friendly service and okay food. I got the bistro sandwich which was recommended by the hostess but the steak was very tough and hard to chew. I also ordered the clam chowder which was okay. I'm not sure if there was something in the soup that made it taste like soap, but my last bite tasted very soapy as if there was soap on the bottom of the bowl when they put the soup in.

Had some really red wine (Malbec) here. A little pricey at 9 a glass, but you know I thought it was worth it once I left. Nevertheless, it was a great ambience, I'd come back for sure.

My wife and I were walking thru historic Ellicott City's Main St and stumbled upon Johnny's Bistro and decided to give it a shot today. 1st overall impression: the laid back atmosphere fit us well, the smiling server who knew the specials off the top of her head as though she were reading it from a pad and the very tasty soup, entrees and dessert as well as the wine. My only complaint was that for every order we made, you were required to pay up front and close out that check even though you weren't done at the table. If you wanted a 2nd drink or a dessert, they cut you another check for you to pay that one. It made me think of me being at a fast food establishment where you'd go to the counter, order your food and pay for same. The inherent problem with this business wise is that it's just a bad business practice. After the server bringing me a 3rd check, I asked them is it possible that I could just leave the tab open so I could pay at the end. She agreed and allowed me to do this. I've dined in cities up & down the East Coast, in the Midwest and on the West Coast and this is the 1st time I've ever seen a business operated in this fashion. In conclusion, I would go again for the food but at the very beginning I would ask that they keep my tab open and see where that gets me.

Food was, overall, good to excellent. But the waitress didn't come by very often. And the biggest annoyance: she mentioned one of the specials included celery. Since my son enjoys celery, we asked for a couple of celery sticks along with his kid's meal. "Sure," she said, "but there'll probably be a fifty cent charge." OK, fine. Five minutes later: "Sorry, Johnny doesn't want to do that, but we can arrange a veggie plate for $5". Seriously? Was throwing a celery stick on his plate really so offensive to his culinary upbringing?