Last Friday, four of us tried out Ranazul, a new tapas place that opened in the newish Maple Lawn community in Maryland. It’s just off of Maryland Route 216, heading west of U.S. Route 29. A bunch of restaurants, a business park, and new homes have popped up here in the last year.

This restaurant had only been opened a short while and it showed, in both positive and negative ways. The decor was beautiful with amazing lighted wall scones that shot out four beams of light. Each looked like a diamond shining in the midday sun. Hovering over a large swath of the dining area were small lights that illuminated but didn’t blind. The bar was large, meaning lots of seating, but not a large area to “stare at” if you were alone waiting for the rest of your party to show up. There were two lounge-type areas, where you could do happy hour away from the bar and maybe order up some tapas. These ear-muffed the central dining area. Near the back was a small art gallery, which highlights local artists works that are indeed for sale. A major drawback was the fact that the bathrooms were out the back door, down a business office first floor hallway and around the corner. That kind of took the mystique off the restaurant. But, the detour back to reality was softened once you returned to the dining area.

The table and food service varied between okay and I’m about to die since I haven’t gotten a drink or any food. This is not due to the servers but the newness of the restaurant. The staff were very amiable and talented; it’s just the system and flow of a new restaurant takes some time to firm up. One exception was the extremely talented and tall redhead who was acting as the sommelier. We called her that but she demurred, saying she didn’t have the required training or certification just yet. You could’ve fool us. She was great, with good suggestions on whites and reds. She even brought by a red from the Languedoc region of France (one of my favorites, just outside of Bordeaux). Her enthusiasm was refreshing, since some sommeliers are pretentious and look down on most customers. This lady was great. I’d highly recommend any of her suggestions. And, I believe the whole staff will be fantastic as everyone gets the flow down of working together.

Now, as for the food. It was fantastic! While it may have taken a bit to order it and get it delivered, it was worth the wait. We sampled hot and cold tapas and were thrilled with their range. We had bruschetta nero (yum!), Croquettas de Pescado (double yum), fried calamari, assorted breads, an excellent chess plate, olives, meatballs in a wonderful sauce, and scallaps. The only disappointment was that the scallop dish we ordered only had one scallop. That was a bit pricey, especially as the description said “Sauteed Scallops.” I’d have done two on that plate, for symmetry as well as customer satisfaction.

Drinks were interesting. As I noted, we were recommended a fantastic Chardonnay, called Foxglove, from the Edna Valley region of California. It was fantastic. We also sampled a nice cold sake and ordered from the bar. Now, the bar must still be getting stocked as they couldn’t make a perfect manhattan at first, but swung something a little later. The drinks they did have were great, but the bar rhythm needs some work.

How would I rate it? Food: A+; Drink: B+ or A-; Table service: B; Sommelier: A+. Overall, I’d probably give it an A- right now but expect that I’d give it an A or better the next time I go in a few months. Give it a try!