Pairings Bistro

We LOVE Pairings! Every time we go the food is amazing! The atmosphere is great! We always have great service! The cream of crab soup is the best around!

From Start to finish the meals were fantastic and the wine pairings were spot on! The three of us each got separate things so we could taste a variety of items on the menu. Short Ribs, Duck, and Free Range Chicken for main meals, Caesar, Beet and Burgundy Salads, French Onion and Cream of Crab soup were our choices. With the exception of the French Onion soup which I found to be different tasting than most I’ve had (different doesn’t mean bad, it was just different) we all agreed that the food was outstanding.
Everything was prepared properly and came out just right in terms of timing. Service was impeccable. Yes, it is expensive but, finally, I found a restaurant in Harford County that delivers on the hype.

I chose to follow the wine pairing suggestions with the foods on the menu, the descriptions were all correct and really brought out the flavors in the meals.
I started with the cream of crab soup and the paired wine, which was good but needed more crab meat and less shells.
We also got the truffle fries, which I do not recommend. we could not even taste the truffle oil and they were very dry.
The space is very confined and the tables are very close to one another, so it’s not a great place for a private date.
The service was impeccable, he really knew he menu and had great suggestions.

Regularly come here and have never been disappointed. I make it a point to order something different every time, and am always impressed. Service is great, food is great. The prices are expensive, but that is what you signed up for when going to a nice wine bar.

It’s a great place! Servers were all knowledgeable and courteous. It’s the type of restaurant you would want to come back to over and over, just to try everything. One of the nicest outdoor seating areas you’ll find considering it’s in a strip mall. We did the Prix Fixe menu with pairings. Cream of Crab soup was outstanding and comes with a warm french roll and a pitcher of sherry for extra punch. If you don’t like a wine, send it back for something different. Who’s counting? Garden salads were fresh and inventive. We had Rainbow trout enhanced with fennel, mushrooms. Crème brule for dessert, two varieties, all great with custard so thick we couldn’t finish them (unfortunately).

Delicious food and an excellent experience overall. Anthony was our server and he was attentive and had a great personality. The cream of crab soup was definitely the highlight of my 4 courses, but everything was delicious. I had the caprese salad, seabass and peach crepes as well. My husband had the NY Strip, cream of crab, oysters app and whatever cake Anthony recommended for dessert. We both loved everything. The wine pairings were also very good, but we aren’t wine snobs.
The only thing I’d change is to have the tables for two less cramped. Luckily, we didn’t have anyone sitting on either side of us for most of the meal. They tried to seat a couple next to us when we were starting our last course, but the couple asked to be moved outside (and then apologized to us and said it wasn’t us, they just didn’t want to sit that close to anyone — which we completely understood). You can definitely hear everyone’s conversations in the row of two-​tops.

The food here is on point, but the atmosphere and service are a little lacking for me to give them five stars. The front lounge is so pretty and a huge space, but the dining room is so cramped. The tables for two are so close together it might as well be one communal table. Why not make the front lounge smaller to give diners more room? My second gripe is with the service. While our waiter was friendly and knowledgeable, I expect that when I go to a nicer place, I get a different table setting for every course, I get my table scraped for crumbs. Instead, I tried to give back my knife and fork and the waiter asked if I wanted to keep them… Honestly, no, I’d like a new one. I also had to look at lettuce leaves from my first course that had spilled out of my salad the entire meal. Now that I have gotten my complaints out if the way (and really they’re minor, we had a lovely evening and a great meal), let’s talk about the food. It was amazing; no missteps. The mussels and frites were perfect, cooked perfectly and well-​seasoned. The crime brûlée duo of pineapple and vanilla was perfectly caramelized, yet creamy on the inside. I tasted my husband’s cream of crab soup which was delicious, and his fried cheese (my poor husband feels the need to eat fried cheese wherever you go, what can you do?), and it made my eyes roll back in my head. Their menu changes at least seasonally, so I’m looking forward to fall!

I am so glad my husband and I got to share a wonderful dining experience here. Every course we had was delicious. I would recommend the beet salad and the cream of crab as starters. For the crab, you get extra spoonful of lump crab and sherry wine to mix in! That has never been something additional with most cream of crab soups I have ordered at other restaurants. Get the crème brule– you can have 2 of the 4 flavors: vanilla, expresso, red wine, or pineapple. Even though this place was also a wine cellar, they have a great selection of beers too! Definitely plan on coming back!

Amazing food… Very lovely inside, now with patio seating. Everything is delish! Great service too!

Great service and food. The portions were surprisingly on the large side for the four course prix fixe. The service was great, and our server was very attentive and knowledgeable. All of my courses were delicious and were wonderfully paired with a corresponding wine.
The atmosphere was nice, except we were directly across from the kitchen, and the staff had some crude conversations and had put a UFC fight on the TV closest to us. While that type of humor is right up my alley, it would has easily offended some. The stool I was seated at was a bit uncomfortable as well.
Overall a very positive experience, I will definitely be back.

My husband and I have been to Pairings Bistro twice, and can’t wait to go back for a third. Our first trip was on Valentine’s Day, while very busy it did not reflect on the service or the food. The waitress was extremely attentive without feeling rushed, very helpful, and pleasant. Everything we have had is delicious however the cream of crab is some of the best I’ve had. Also, the pork belly is incredible however the sides, puréed cornbread and creamed spinach, are the stars of the dish. Only giving four stars due to dessert, while I have gotten then cheese platter both times, due to unappealing options– when trying my husbands not overly impressed. Looking forward to our next trip.

Short and sweet review. I am picky. With that in mind, the food tasted great, the service was excellent and the décor very modern. Terrific experience.

Fantastic prix fixed menu at unbelievable prices!, 4 courses for $ 41. Happy hour 4 – 7 with half priced 6 Oz wines! Never had anything bad here… cream of crab outstanding!

I have been to Pairings numerous times. I proposed to my wife here (it’s that great of a place). I almost speechless for how good this place is.

Can we talk about how fantastic this place is? Omg 42 dollars for a four course meal! Cream of crab, salad, duck and crème brûlée. amazing. You can’t leave this place without feeling full. My friends did the wine course and we’re supposed to get 2oz per meal but they greatly over pour!!!

Food is great– no question about that. The service was a bit slow in the end though. It seemed the waiter got caught up with other, bigger tables. The waiter assumed that we wanted the ‘Prie Fix’ sized meal instead of the entrée sized serving although we didn’t order from the PF menu itself, just two entrees. So, when the meal came out, the portions were rather small. Rather disappointing as the food was very tasty. The dining room was very loud as well, not good for a quiet dinner. The room’s ceiling is made to look like a wine barrel, so I suspect the wood screws with the acoustics. Recommend that you sit in the original dining room, it seems quieter.
Overall, if we weren’t moving away from the area, we’d continue eating there. One of the best places in the Bel Air area.

I’ve only been to Pairings once, but am looking forward to going back sometime! I got the 3 course lunch prix fixe, which also comes with a wine pairing for each course. For my appetizer, I got the cream of crab soup which was delicious and even had a lump of crab meat on the spoon. My main course was a sandwich — it wasn’t my favorite, but I’ve also had worse. And for my dessert, I got the crepes which were delicious. My favorite wine pairing was the Villa Jolanda Brachetta, which was surprising because I am not a huge fan of red wine. However, this wine was delicious and I’m hoping I can go back soon to purchase a bottle for myself! They also have a wide selection of wines and some beer that you can purchase for yourself at the front. The service I received here was great! The server was very nice, friendly, and knowledgable about the menu and also about wine and which wines would go great with which course. It wasn’t very crowded here either, which was nice and overall, the environment was very nice. I’m hoping to go back once the weather gets warmer and you have the option to eat outside!

We’ve eaten at, no dined (much better, more descriptive word) at Pairings many times; three this December alone and have been quite remiss because we’ve not written a review until now.
We decided to celebrate 2014 New Years Eve here for a late night dinner and New Year’s toast. Unlike the normal menu which has à la carte selections as well as the 4 and 5 course prix fixe with or without wine pairings, the New Year’s Eve menu was only a 5 course dining experience with wine pairing (see pic).
Our reservation was for 10:15pm and we arrived at 10. The hostess checked on our table and returned promptly very apologetically stating that the couple there was just starting their dessert course. She offered us each complimentary flutes of champaign and asked us if we minded waiting a little bit. When the hostess came to seat us, she again apologized stating that they planned 2 hours for each seating. From our point of view, Pairings managed the customer flow excellently as there were only 3 parties waiting on seating at 10:30 despite being totally full, which means they didn’t over book or underestimate dining time. Some people just take longer to eat than others.
The entire staff was polite, worked well together, and the flow was like a well oiled precision machine.
The food is a masterpiece of art, stimulating your senses of sight, smell, and taste; last night was no different. Our 1^st course we both had the sausage lentil soup, our 2^nd Sheri had the Charred Tomato and Mozzarella salad, and I had the Orange and Cranberry salad; our 3^rd, we both had the mushroom gnocchi (which was divine, but left me wanting for more mushrooms), for our main course Sheri had the Beef Medallion on polenta, and I had the succulent Quail on potatoes, and for desert Sheri had the Flourless chocolate torte, and I had the Blood orange sorbet.
My review is based on their dinner service over multiple experiences, and sure there were a couple of bloopers, but our wait staff and the chef have always made it right! You don’t don’t eat here for a quick meal, but you dine here for the experience to tantalize your senses. Pairings is an example of a unique dining experience you will want to enjoy many times over.
They do not disappoint, and we’ll continue to come back tone and again!!!

So, I came to Pairings Bistro with my wife for her birthday on a Tuesday night. Ian was our server. All I can say is that the service started out awful. The waiter (Ian) was poorly dressed shirt untucked, needed a shave, and his hair was — lets just say looked like he just woke up from a 16 day meth binge in a bathroom in a subway station.
As we were seated I heard the manager ask a server «will someone please take 7» which I can only imagine was our table. I ordered an initial glass of wine that was delivered and had a fruit fly in it, however Ian did not come to check on us, I had to stand up and ask a different server for help. Ian delivered a new glass of wine and the glass was dirty, I did not complain about that. I then told him we were ready to order and he said «okay“and walked away, when he returned I said in a joking manner «I thought you forgot about us» he replied «Yeah, I heard you»… I’m so pissed I don’t even want to continue with this review.
Ok so the first course (soup) came out and it was very good the Butternut Squash soup and the Crab soup paired with wine, was very good.
The next course was the Shrimp and Grits absolutely amazing. I then went with the lamb chops which were delicious (however there was a long black hair on the plate that wasn’t noticed until after the portion was complete), a sad way to end such a good dinner. My wife’s meal the crispy scallops was forgettable and a pass in the future.
Over all the food was good, the Servers need consistency and to be cleaned up. I don’t want to be at a restaurant of this caliber and look at my server like wow is he out back getting stoned when he disappears for 16 minutes at a time.

Went here with the family. The three of us ordered the grilled salmon, the free range chicken, and the beef medallions. Honestly, they were all really good! The salmon was the family favorite though.
As for the service: it was also quite good. Kate M, our server, took our orders promptly and, when I asked what she recommended, she asked if we shared our food and, seeing that my dad got the chicken and my mom the salmon, she suggested the beef medallions. It was very thoughtful. I also asked her to help me pick a desert and the crème brûlée was lovely.
Atmosphere: The music playing went from Ray Charles’ I Got A Woman to Glenn Miller’s Moonlight and other soft swing hits. It’s not spacious but it’s cramped-​just cozy.
I wasn’t wow’d but this place was definitely pleasant and above average. Wish. Could give if a 4.5? But since there was absolutely nothing wrong with my experience, I’ll give it a 5. We’re not really wine people but I also heard that this place has a good selection.