The Chesapeake reopens Modern Flair, Old Time Charm

Primary tabs

Submitted by Patti Peek Neumann on Tue, 07/23/2013 - 9:56am

Tags:

The new The Chesapeake Restaurant is not your GrandMom & Pop's The Chesapeake Restaurant, but it's a great renovation and modern style is quite worthy of a nod! Many Baltimoreans remember The Chesapeake of yore. With it's posh location on the corner of N. Charles Street and Lanvale (now known as the Station Arts District) from 1930-70's, this was one of the few top notch restaurants serving Baltimore's most monied families. It was a staple serving crab lump dishes seafood and prime rib, along with its famous Chesapeake Tiger sauce. When the renovation was announced as renovation and reopening, after close to two and a half decades shuttered, the town was abuzz. Last night I popped in and discovered a very different, more hip, modern, casual and very impressive spot.

Chef Jordan Miller explained to me that he prepares seasonal and locally-sourced food, with a strong emphasis on creativity, buying local and testing his culinary skills. Knowing he is planted in crabtown, after trying a twist on a Maryland crabcake, Chef Jordan is bring a traditionalist, promising jubo lump crab to impress. He changes his menu over 8x's per year and serves whatever is most fresh. He divulges that he has deep ties in the local fish distribution business and gets the freshest and best picks. Tonight, it was rockfish, just brought in that morning.

This evening, a number of dishes shared Summer peaches. From his take on a peach turnover, which my friend and I found to be delicious and more like a New Orleanean beignet, full of peachy-sweetness and dusted with cinnamon sugar, to an eggplant peach tapanade served with crisp salty toast points. I look forward to apple season even more now!

Chef, Maitre d Travis and their team are polished, professional, young and eager to please. The wine list interesting, the cocktails ambitious and well-trained bartenders are versed in their field and personable. Parking was fairly easy on the street and also availble in The Charles Theater parking lot. The restaurant is also served by the Circulator's Purple Line for locals. The place is clean, impressive with high cielings, gorgeous marble bar tops, bistro tables, booth seating. I cannot wait to return. Hoping to bring my mother and those from her generation will enjoy the modern Chesapeake Restaurant.