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But look at it another way: The arrival of these corporate establishments signals high confidence in the dining dollars Baltimore and its visitors are willing to spend. That’s good news for everyone, including the independent operators.It is, of course, the independents who take creative risks in their kitchens, bringing fresh ideas to regional dining. Chef Nancy Longo, for example, invited us to rethink traditional Maryland cuisine in her bistro Pierpoint. Chef Linwood Dame of Linwood’s contributed savvy Mediterranean-inflected American cooking in ultra-chic surroundings. And the new Oregon Grille’s Mark Henry, during his tenure at the Milton Inn, showed how classical French technique, applied to fine regional ingredients, could be a springboard for invention. Restaurateurs, too, have helped raise our dining consciousness: Lenny Kaplan of the Polo Grill and Buzz BeLer of the Prime Rib consistently demonstrate how each piece of the dining package—service, decor, menu composition, cooking style—contributes to the total experience. The scene leaped forward again two years ago when Peter Zimmer, Cindy Wolf, and Riccardo Bosio burst into town. Whether working within well-defined traditions—like Wolf’s low-country cooking at the former Savannah and Bosio’s stylish Italian at Sotto Sopra—or blazing an individualist’s path, like Zimmer’s quirky Southwestern/Asian flavors at Joy America Cafe, these newcomers set high standards for sophistication and inventiveness. Thanks to these and other chefs and restaurateurs—newcomers and old guard alike—the choices for dining well in Baltimore are greater than ever. This year, more than a few names in our annual Best Restaurants issue have changed. Why? For starters, 1997 brought a wild do-si-do among some primary players: The crew from the Milton Inn is now reinventing itself as Hamilton’s in the Admiral Fell Inn, while the former inhabitant of that space, Savannah, is doing the same at Inner Harbor East as Charleston. The Milton Inn itself has been taken over by a team from the Brass Elephant, with chef Brian Boston, formerly of Peerce’s Plantation, at the helm. Whew! We can’t wait to taste-test these and other newcomers—the Oregon Grille, Lenny’s Chop House, McCormick & Schmick among them—too new to be considered this year. The second reason is geographical. We edged beyond our traditional boundaries to scope out scores of contenders from Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford, and Howard counties. That toughened the competition and brought new names to our list. We had a ton of fun exploring these riches. Now it’s your turn. •C.G.
Courageous? Crazy? Nah, these are just restaurateurs with a dream that, luckily enough, includes feeding us well in a public place. Other Catagories: |
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than a moment it seemed we’d have to proclaim 1997 the Year of the Chain Restaurant.
High-visibility big-boys are popping up all over town—Hard Rock Cafe and
Morton’s of Chicago already open, Planet Hollywood and McCormick & Schmick’s
on the way—along with a plethora of lesser lights. Many bemoan the mass
culturalization of Baltimore dining.