I own a baking business. So this year I decided I would treat myself to thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant, since I would be tired from preparing & delivering my company's Thanksgiving day orders and wouldn't want to cook. I booked a reservation on OpenTable for lak. They were offering a Thanksgiving Day "Experience". Well, I experienced the experience and wouldn't suggest that any one experience it again. They offered a buffet style dinner for $58pp. The time was from 2-7pm. My reservation was at 5:15. I arrived around 5:10. Upon approaching the buffet, I instantly noticed that there were items that were not replinished (and never were for the duration of my stay). I proceeded to make my first plate which consisted of mashed potatoes, mac&cheese, green beans, turkey, gravy, and sweet potato casserole. I had to go to the carving station for the turkey and sweet potato casserole. Let's discuss this food. EVERY SINGLE ITEM ON THE BUFFET WAS ICE COLD (well except the soup and gravy)!!!! IN ADDITION...The mashed potatoes weren't mashed; the mac&cheese was just that...macaroni noodles with cheese and a bread crumb topping. The green beans would have been delish if they were warm. The turkey was good but the portion was for a 6yr old, and the sweet potato casserole had Quaker Oats on top. Now not only can I bake (check out the 5star google reviews of my business Teya's Tipsy Treats)...I can cook!!! Building a house in and residing in Columbia for over a decade has not removed the the know how of southern cooking. Homemade mashed potatoes will absolutely have lumps but it will be creamy with the addition of milk, butter, and a blender. Same with the mac&cheese...there was NO MILK or butter which makes it creamy. Instead it was just cheese and noodles popped in the oven with the weird bread crumb topping. AND WHY...why is raw oatmeal on the top of the sweet potato casserole??? There were 3 carving stations. The first was the turkey. The other 2 were prime rib and salmon. But wait...WHERE IS THE HAM??? SMH. Now, I don't eat beef and I know that folks enjoy medium rare meats. But the prime rib was so red on the inside that it could have jumped off the table, walked to the garage, hopped in a car and drove off. Basically, it was alive. The salmon was reheated for me (second plate) as a courtesy of the carver. It was over seasoned. As the owner of several small business, I understand the need for a restaurant to want to generate income on a day that they would normally be closed. The idea was good; the execution...not so much. They need to hire me to do a master class on Thanksgiving Day dinner. AND LEAVE THE TOPPINGS OFF OF THE SIDES!!! This was my first time to the restaurant and likely my last. The 2 stars are for the staff. They were friendly and accommodating. read more

Food was decent, but service while nice - was unacceptably slow. Would not return. Layout is odd and unappealing.

Dining next to the lake on a crisp Autumn evening, on a rustic wooden table on a patio adorned with a garland of lights - if that's your thing, this is the place to book for a date night, a celebratory dinner, or just whenever you're in the mood for good food with a feel-good atmosphere! Lak churns up delicious food by talented chefs and served by the most hospitable and accommodating servers. Previous reviews seem to have been commenting on the adjustment phase that any new restaurant goes through, where everyone's just trying to get their footing. Our experience was vastly different, so I think they've found their groove! To start, we ordered the garlic bread, brie, brussel sprouts, heirloom tomato salad -- all of which were incredibly tasty but the latter two were definitely my favorites. The brussel sprouts were full of flavor and perfectly seasoned while the tomatoes/peaches combo was fresh and succulent. For the entrees, I was able to nibble a bit at the others, but my main was the wild boar ragout tagliatelle - a surprisingly generous portion of tender meat and tomato sauce wrapped up in ribbons of Al dente pasta. The scallops would make Gordon Ramsey proud, as they were plump and juicy, charred just enough, (though I guess the only downside was there were just four of them!). The rockfish was flaky and subtle, and the risotto was the perfect pairing. Desserts were outstanding as well! We ordered a butterscotch sweet potato bread pudding, a plate reminiscent of Thanksgiving with a touch of caramel, and the banana cake, a warm and moist concoction with slices of bananas and contrasted with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The service hit the same standard as the food, particularly our waiter, Maximilian, who was accommodating, friendly, and warm throughout the night. He definitely spearheaded the initiative to make the night special (for my mom's birthday), asking the maintenance staff of the hotel to turn on the lights on the patio, accommodating the two little ones in our party, and even bringing us a sample of CO Bigelow's lotion after we casually commented on how we liked the scent of the hotel lobby. The thoughtfulness and authenticity of our interactions were not overlooked nor taken for granted. It was truly a meal and an experience to be celebrated, and we will surely be back! read more

I attended a wedding dinner/reception and the food was beyond fabulous!! Everything was outstanding and Chef Corey cooked an absolutely amazing dinner for my friend her husband and guests. The managers (Tracey and Kelly) were beyond gracious and helped to make everyone feel comfortable and appreciated. I would highly recommend everyone hold an event at this location or even stop in for a meal. The wait staff was equally impressive. Outstanding job Lak !! read more

Food was really good and exceptional service and really good signature cocktails definitely will be back

We celebrated my sister-in-laws birthday. This place was picturesque. Parking is free in the garage. The walkway is beautifully designed. Walk in and go to the right. They had a band playing inside. We decided to go outside and take in the views. Our server Brett was amazing. Food and drinks came came out timely. Before I wrote this review I read other reviews and saw pictures of crab crostini and the seafood rigatoni which did not look like my plate. I called the restaurant and I was informed by Brett they made changes to the menu due to higher prices of seafood. I appreciated his response. The food was amazing. We also tried the crab dip which was good. My sister-in-law had the Salmon which she loved. Drinks: she had the Blackberry Smash in which she thought was a bit tart but Brett brought something to even out the drink. The Prosecco was great. The food entree portions were good. Dessert: lemon tart was shareable and very light. I will highly recommend. read more

Recently stayed at the Merriweather Lakehouse hotel and dined in at Lak. We easily walked in on a Friday night at about 6:00pm and the 2 of us checked the menu. Standard MD fair. We ordered the 6oz filet with different sides. The one disappointment was the potatoes au gratin. There were three tiny chunks of potato in a ramuken. Although they were good, it was barely a hold serving and this wasn't haute cuisine. Otherwise; the service was great, attentive and the steaks were cooked to perfection. Dessert was also wonderful. read more

Well cooked food for a buffet, but EVERY item was COLD! Even the turkey was cold, and the server gave you a thimble size of meat as they acted like they cooked one turkey for the whole day to feed everyone. The prime rib was Luke warm, and you had to ask for a steak knife from the staff as they didn't realize a butter knife was too dull to cut beef. Food was constantly out due to the kitchen not making more when the small portion that was put out was low. Tables of food were scattered about the restaurant, and one hallway had food on both sides, causing a narrow hallway and people bumping into each other. I never did find the salmon that was advertised. It would have been better to set up the food in one of the conference rooms and then have people sit back at their seats with the view. Staff was friendly, and most tables had a nice lake view. I unfortunately was seated at a small table next to a closed off courtyard with no view. What a disappointment after all the beautiful website photos. Would I come back again? No, as it was overpriced ($16 more a person than competitors and competitors included non alcoholic drinks) and poorly planned out. Such a disappointment after seeing all the nice food pictures. read more

Absolutely wonderful dishes! We had the 5 course meal for V-day and it was so good. Found this place on Instagram and I will return. We went at night time but we also will check out the hotel and lake view. My only complaint would be that the service was really slow. We came at 7pm and didn't finish the last course until after 10pm. read more

lāk - Date night with Wifey - New American Near Me - Columbia, Maryland

Had to wait 5 mins to be seated. When the hostess did arrive she asked us to seat ourselves - no biggy even though the place was probably at 10% capacity. We found a nice booth. A few minutes later someone else dropped off menus. Menu looked very appetizing. However, we waited 10 minutes more with no waitress. When I waved down a waitress, she threw up her arms and sneered while the other waitress ignored us. Suffice to say, we immediately walked out! What a !&@&show of a restaurant. Good luck in not making money! read more

Super delicious food, chill ambience, and really convenient. I was staying at the Merriweather Lakehouse for a business trip and didn't feel like driving anywhere to find dinner. This restaurant hit the spot. Despite being short handed due to other conferences held in the hotel at the time of my stay, the service was great and the food was worth the wait. Highly recommend! read more

I went there with my entire family to take advantage of the free shuttle bus tour of the Merriweather lights display. What a wonderful experience. The restaurant and lobby were decorated in a cozy winter scene. I felt like I was in a Vermont resort overlooking the lake. The food was amazing. I got the red wine braised short ribs. The meat was so tender and the carrots were grilled to perfection. Our server was lovely and handled the large crowd with ease. I will definitely be coming back. read more

Please don't come here. Took a chance and came during restaurant week to give it a try. Service is unbelievably slow. Restaurant is not crowded, food is ICE cold, food is not good at all. Save your money, just not worth it. No way appetizers should take 30 minutes in a empty restaurant. Wish it was different but it's not read more

We had breakfast from the restaurant twice. The home fries were basically raw both mornings. The first morning the over easy medium eggs were perfect. The second morning my eggs were cooked hard and my boyfriend's were so undercooked he whites were runny and slimy. The bagels weren't even toasted. The sausage links were undercooked horribly both mornings. We were so disappointed. The coffee was good. For such a nice hotel it's a shame the restaurant (which is very pricey) is so pathetic. read more

We were excited to find a new favorite restaurant! The food was amazing and the new chef personable and engaging. Everything was well balanced in flavor. We loved the Almond cake with grapefruit sorbet dessert. A gem. read more

Let's start with the positives. Parking is easy, the restaurant had a great view of Lake Kittamaquandi and the staff was friendly. Sadly, that's where the accolades end. This is my 1st poor review, ever - I feel obliged to share my experience with other potential diners. Attended the Easter Brunch Buffet at $68 pp. We had 12:45pm reservations and we are now in car at 1:30pm. Our server was very polite, however, we received our drinks as we had almost completed our 1st course. My husband and I got made to order omelets - both were pretty runny and tasteless. We got some of the additional offerings to include the scrambled eggs, pancakes, roasted salmon, potatoes and sausages. Everything was completely cold. I watched the staff actively trying to light the sternos as we were there despite the brunch starting at 11am. Even the desserts were not good! When I mentioned to the server that the food was cold, there was an apology but no effort to remedy our poor experience. Further, the managers watched as we walked out within 30mins of getting our meals and no one said anything. We lounged around next door in the connecting hotel to take pics and I'm certain the staff saw we were not pleased; but, no one was interested in ensuring that we had a pleasant experience. As a local resident, I often try to support new businesses in Columbia; however, everything about this experience was so bad - I feel compelled to warn other potential patrons. It is simply ridiculous to spend almost $300 for brunch and the have to go home to cook for my family. I really hope this review allows the owners to make some adjustments in their food quality and patron experience that will allow for their long term success. read more

Stretched staff leaves for poor service. Never received the burrata we ordered, salads were underwhelming and beat up. Lamb chops were tasty but polenta served on the side was very cheese forward and cold. Ribeye was overcooked, which at $75 is unacceptable. Bread pudding was offered as resolve. I could see the chef pulling it out of the refrigerator and plastic wrap before placing it in the microwave. Don't waste your money here when there are so many other local choices. read more

Didn't have one of the 8 entrees at the opening on a Saturday evening. One entree serves totally differently that the menu described. Herb encrusted chicken Had no breading whatsoever. The same menu items from previous visit bore no resemblance to the last time we dined here. Celebrating two birthdays and told the server who didn't acknowledge it nor did the restaurant. Not expecting a song and dance but no acknowledgement is disappointing. Water was warm and came out of the tap. Expected more from a "fine dining" establishment. read more

We were immediately impressed by the ambience inside and out on our first visit in May for dinner. Convenient parking directly across from the entrance. Take your pick between dining room, terrace overlooking the lake or the fabulous bar area with floor to ceiling windows nestled in the trees. The menu is exquisitely creative with just the right number of options without being overwhelming. What they do right food-wise is outstanding. Most everything we had was special and delicious. A few glitches. First, I was served an alcoholic drink when I ordered the opposite on my first visit (we brought friends for dinner & ate on the delightful terrace). My server was horrified, but apparently the bartender shrugged off their mistake. We returned a few weeks later to show another friend this fun new find & dined at the bar. The sea bass entrée is divine, but, second glitch - I discovered a large piece of what looked like wax paper at the bottom of the bowl toward the end of my meal. For a $42 entree, I expected more of an explanation or compensation from the folks in charge than a free dessert. That said, the strawberry shortcake was outstanding. In both instances, my server's prompt response & appropriate reaction was appreciated. It seemed the management was not as concerned which was slightly disconcerting. That said, the food, ambience & other service was so terrific that I plan to return soon, hoping they are just working out some kinks and will fine tune their management to respond more appropriately should another mishap occur. Hoping to be able to give this place 5 stars after my next experience. I appreciate how difficult the restaurant business is, and I hope this one sticks around for the long haul. It shows so much promise. read more