Overall Rating: 8 out of 10

One Eleven Main is a new, local American restaurant located at 111 South Main Street in Bel Air that opened in 2015. The restaurant is open every except Monday for a combination of brunch, lunch, or dinner depending on the day. Furthermore, it also accepts reservations made through their website or over the phone.

The exterior of the restaurant is a distinctive reddish-brown wooden building with a black sign holding its logo and due to its unique look, the building stands out against many other shops in the Bel Air area. However, its interior is even more unique to the area due to its homey-yet-formal setting. The inside of the restaurant is adorned with bright and intriguing paintings, miniature sculptures, and decorative lights that stand out against the neutral backgrounds of floors and furniture. The building is small in physical size, but due to the even spacing of the furniture and creative use of booths throughout the two side walls, it appears to be nearly twice its actual size. This effect results in the building feeling spacious and humble rather than stuffy and restricting, but the muted lighting gives the whole environment a formal ambiance as well. In setting the mood, the utilization of the front windows to bring in natural light during each time of day is the key in enhancing the setting. Because it allows them to naturally adjust the lighting in the building, their windows can create a bright and sunny mood in the morning and a more reserved mood in the evenings if the weather is agreeable that day. 

During my family’s visit to One Eleven Main last Thursday when they were holding their “Surf or Turf Special,” we were delighted from the start. The business goes above and beyond to make every aspect of the meal amazing including the house bread and butter. Although the bread was a simple loaf of white bread, it was fresh from the oven and baked to perfection, while the sweet, delicate, flavorful honey butter it was served with only elevated its quality. Their house salad was a crisp mixture of assorted greens with a creamy peppercorn dressing that was flavorful and so wonderfully ripe, it was practically straight out of the ground. Next we tried their fried green tomatoes and crispy Brussels sprouts which once more amazed everyone at the table with their blend of savory flavors. For our main courses, my father and sister both had the Veal which was cooked to a perfect temperature, while I opted to have the Seared Sea Scallops which were served with potatoes and a miniature ratatouille. The scallops were soft, tender, and smooth like little pillows or the softest of marshmallows, while the ratatouille they were served with could have made an excellent dish on its own. The potatoes were soft and cut into circular disks just slightly larger than scallops, and had very little crunch, but had a texture remnant of mashed potatoes when bitten into. For our drinks, my sister and I had the standard staple of ginger ale which was nothing extraordinary, but our father ordered their Cherry Old-Fashioned which he said was very good. In conclusion, One Eleven Main certainly knows how to take the freshest ingredients and use them not only to their advantage, but blend each component to create a work of art.

Despite the abundance of flavor though, the food at the restaurant is certainly an expensive treat. For our family of three we spent $135, but without the special would have spent an estimated $157 on our meal. During the brunch and lunch hours, meals can cost as much as $14, yet are still substantially cheaper than their dinner selection. During their dinner hours, the most expensive main course on the menu, the Grilled Filet Mignon, can cost as much as $33, while their cheapest, Vegetable Noodle Bowl, costs $25 depending on if they are running any specials that night. However, One Eleven Main’s menu is subject to change based on what is available each season. The average cost of a single main course during the dinner rush is about $30, but their small dishes are also available. These snack-sized platters on average are about $11 each and their most expensive one, The Whole Charcuterie Board, costs only $18. Furthermore, the half-sized version is available for $10 which is just a dollar more than their cheapest appetizers, the One Eleven House Salad and the Caraway Dusted Crispy Brussels.

The employees at the restaurant were very attentive, but not disruptive to our overall meal. Because the room is shaped in a square with the kitchen in the back, the wait staff was almost always around when needed, yet they also knew when not to intrude which would have disrupted our conversations or meal. For the most part they gave our group space, apart from coming and going to take orders, get plates, and drop off meals. However, when we arrived the business wasn’t especially busy, so our family was immediately seated in the back near one of their paintings. The wait staff appeared to be very friendly and kind to their customers including ourselves and never had any attitude when coming or going. Overall, they were an amazing team of people who appeared to deeply care for the restaurant and their customers in an earnest manner.

In conclusion, One Eleven Main may not be a once-a-week affair due to its high cost alone, but for anyone looking for formal place to eat within Bel Air, it is in the perfect location. Because the building is located so in the middle of the town, visiting One Eleven Main can drastically cut down the time of a lengthy drive to another restaurant with an equally amazing food quality, hospitality staff, and unique environment. If you’re interested in visiting One Eleven Main it’s open from Tuesday to Saturday for dinner starting at 5:00 p.m., and it serves lunch Tuesday to Thursday between the hours of 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. In addition, the restaurant also serves brunch from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, and, once again, has reservations available over phone or through their websit