Lagom: A Happy Place in Maryland

Lagom was founded by Janice and Kristin who shared the same dream of owning and operating a restaurant.  They purchased the restaurant in which they worked and began the process of identifying who they were in the industry and in their small coastal town of Havre de Grace.  The meaning of the restaurant name is to be happy with just enough. Come on in, listen to the upbeat music, and enjoy a pleasant evening at Lagom and revel in just enough.

Location:  209 N Washington St, Havre de Grace, [amazon_textlink asin=’1631214675′ text=’Maryland’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’theyums-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’0cffeccc-c077-11e8-9f4f-0bc12bd7e264′].

Menu:  The goal is to always source the freshest ingredients that can be found in Havre de Grace and to deliver unique and special flavors.  There are specialty cocktails available, like the honey gin-gin, a combination of honey, lemon gin and ginger beer, a strawberry basil cooler, watermelon mojito, lavender lemonade as well as the blueberry bourbon smash, comprised of a lovely mix of bourbon, muddled mint, lemon juice, blueberries, blackberry simple syrup and soda creating a refreshing drink to awaken our taste buds for the food, which offers a pleasant mix of local flavors and some national twists.

Small plates comprise a variety of options, brie with red onion jam served with crackers, chicken and shrimp egg rolls, Chesapeake deviled eggs made with fresh crab, roasted beets, buffalo cauliflower and blackened shrimp and grits, made with a lovely blend of seasonings, blackened and cooked to succulent perfection with sautéed tomatoes and lemon butter giving it just enough acidity to be served over the cheesy, gooey, creamy goodness of grits.

Salads made with locally grown vegetables and microgreens, sandwiches include options of a burger, a chicken wrap, the vegetarian “Powerhouse,” and the blackened shrimp tacos that paired well with a lime crème Fraiche slaw presented well in a grilled flour tortilla.  The entrées include curry coconut chicken lo mein, a bone-in pork chop with a peach barbecue sauce, a lamb shank braised in a tomato rosemary demiglace, a sesame encrusted tuna served over Thai chili risotto and a ginger puree, and pan-seared duck breast had a crunchy skin and was topped with a diced apple cardamom sauce over a potato puree.

They also offer a selection of pizzas, Chef’s roasted garlic, feta, spinach, sausage, banana pepper, and melted cherry tomatoes, or Italian, including sausage, mushrooms, pepperoni, asiago and fontina, a pesto pizza and even one called the Hippie, garlic oil, olives, roasted red pepper, goat cheese, asiago, fontina and hummus.

Thoughts:  Outside, the front of the restaurant is non-descript, painted black, with the name in white standing out even on a dark evening.  A slight incline leads you to the door and you enter to a soft gray curtain that opens revealing the bar to your right and a ramp to the lounge.

With a good location and plenty of street parking, along with a very pleasant and inviting staff, that were quick with a smile and a welcome to Lagom, knowledgeable about the food and the drinks and prompt in their delivery, lively and upbeat music kept low enough to carry on a conversation, Lagom is an ideal dining spot in Havre de Grace offering just enough of everything to keep you satisfied.

Price Range:  Bread service for $2.  Small plates range from $9 – $13.  Salads are $7 for a small and $13 for a large.  You can add to any salad chicken for $4, shrimp for $8, steak for $10, tuna for $12 and salmon for $15.  Sandwiches and pizza range from $9 – $16.

Author Bios:  Cassandra Ellis is a traveler, court reporter, and grandmother who currently resides in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area having transplanted to the East Coast from Seattle, Washington.  She has traveled extensively across the United States and around the world, for both business and pleasure, experiencing a variety of cultures and foods from Asia, the UK, all over Europe, as well as the Isles of the Caribbean, and many other locations.  Cassandra has just turned 50 and is seeing the world through new eyes, living her dreams of becoming a writer and enjoying all of life’s opportunities alongside her husband, her best friend.

Joseph Ellis is a traveler, videographer, photographer who currently resides with his wife in the Washington, D.C. metro area.  He spends his days searching for just the right photo to take or just the right video to shoot and when he’s not taking photos and video he is working hard in his yard to create the garden of their dreams or traveling alongside his wife on their next big adventure.

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