Spanning across acres of pure natural wonder, with an 18 hole golf course on its grounds, the Turf Valley Golf & Spa Resort is a great family getaway when you’re next in the greater Baltimore area. Less than an hour’s drive from Baltimore, this resort is a great weekend escape, ideal with kids in tow for a myriad of reasons, from on-site sports activities and their indoor and outdoor pools to its gym and spacious rooms. Its on-site restaurant Alexandra’s is where we hung our hat a few times during our stay including at their Sunday all you can eat buffet brunch and for dinner one night.
We decided to test out the meat platter before diving into our mains, which was a great choice given my high protein low carb diet of late. Delicious and beautifully presented!
Executive Chef Chris Vocci is behind Alexandra’s American Fusion style food, which ranges from reinventions of dishes from around the country to traditional favorites. You can dine in their atrium-style restaurant or book a private or semi-private event or simply opt for outdoor dining on the patio so you can take in the views. The other side of the spectrum of course is the Seafood Cocktail, which is chilled jumbo shrimp, lobster knuckle, lump crab and spicy cocktail sauce. YUM!
We had to try their Wagyu sliders, since they’re made from grilled Wagyu beef, truffled mushrooms and sharp provolone cheese with a roasted garlic aioli sauce. I would have been happy all night long with only sliders, a salad and a delicious glass of Cabernet.
For mains, while they have plenty of steak options from 5 ounces to 16 ounces, we decided to go a little lighter so we ordered fish instead. They had a fabulous Pan-Seared Chesapeake Rockfish with sweet potato Andouille corn hash, caper-fennel cream and arugula oil and crab cakes (worth noting and ordering even though we didn’t — they’re served with fries, slaw and housemade tartar). Below is the Hoisin-Glazed salmon with white bean miso puree, haricot verts, black wasabi and hoisin sauce. Oh so delish!
For desserts, there are plenty of options that will keep the kids happy as well. From Molten Lava Cake with raspberry sauce and Mango Sticky Rice to Triple-Berry Crumb Cake to peanut butter cheesecake (talk about decadent), housemade ice cream, key lime pie and Lemon-Strawberry Tiramisu with strawberry mascarpone cream, you won’t leave disappointed. Note that while it may seem like they do have a lot of classic traditional dishes, they do boast plenty of gluten free options as well.
Below are shots from the scrumptious Sunday buffet brunch, which is not all you can eat morning options, but also Champagne, Bloody Mary’s, Mimosas, and non-alcoholic beverages and they have live music as well.
Consider Turf Valley when heading to Maryland for a corporate retreat, business stay or weekend getaway. They have a luxury spa on-site which frankly exceeded my expectations, both from the treatment itself to the ambiance. Be sure to read my write-up on their spa as well as my write-up on the resort itself.
DETAILS:
Alexandra’s Restaurant at Turf Valley
2700 Turf Valley Road
Ellicott City, MD 21042
(410) 465-1500
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
