FOOD REVIEW: The Corner Stable

When a restaurant has been around for nearly 40 years it usually means one of two things, either the food is downright excellent, or the location is great and the menu is altogether non-threatening. 

Well, this week as I researched Cockeysville’s longstanding establishment , I crossed my fingers and hoped the former would be true.  Unfortunately, as it happens from time to time, my fingers let me down.

When I arrived at The Corner Stable I must admit I was encouraged by the stripped down, plain, barn like exterior.  After all The Corner Stable advertises itself as a baby back rib and crabcake joint, and why throw up bells and whistles when the bread and butter products are simple comfort foods right? 

Once inside it was obvious that the folks at the Corner Stable were looking to tear a page out of just about every chain restaurant’s manual as the interior was lined with lighted wreaths, tacky chandeliers and as many booths as could be cramped into the space.  

To be fair I am a handful of inches taller than your average gent, and sure I may be a belt hole or two beyond my prime, but after being forced to practice some impromptu yoga just to fold myself into a booth I feel it’s worth it to point out that the restaurant could do with a little more attention to it’s table layout.

My sore joints aside, once the menu arrived I am sad to say my original fears came true.  As I looked over the menu I found myself just sort of passively turning pages as nothing really struck me as interesting. 

That’s not to say that this menu didn’t have tasty sounding choices, it just simply doesn’t bother taking any risks.  Even the more unusual items such as mini corndogs or the Monte Carlo sandwich are really nothing more than proven crowd pleasers that are sprinkled among the big ticket items such as the crabcakes or ribs.  

As I always say, the cure for a boring menu is as simple as great food, however that was not the case for me at Corner Stable.  While I’ll admit my pit beef sandwich was tender it had little of that great smoky flavor you’d expect from Baltimore pit beef. But that's where my fortune ended at The Corner Stable.

Naturally, I had to sample the ribs and crabcakes as well.

The ribs were cooked properly, however, I honestly have had better barbecue sauce from grocery stores, and the crabcakes while relatively meaty offered nothing in terms of flavor to distinguish themselves from other local eateries. 

When you do simple food it often comes down to the little things that set apart great restaurants from the rest, but again I was let down by small touches such as the soggy French fries or the overly sweet sauce on my side of baked beans.  The more I dug for the redeeming qualities the more I found myself wanting for the meal to be over quickly.

As a reviewer you quickly learn that it is really fun to write about places you hate, and really easy to write about places that you love.  What I consider a much harder task is to write about the places that you are sort of indifferent to. 

At face value, Corner Stable is good enough to satisfy a customer base and has been for a long time.  The food is fine, the atmosphere is decent, the prices aren’t bad, but for me fine and good is just not enough.  So if you’re driving past the corner of York Road and Church Lane look for The Corner Stable — you can’t miss it. But if you do, well I wouldn’t sweat it.

What do you think of The Corner Stable? Do you agree or disagree with the reviewer? TELL US IN THE COMMENTS!