The same can be said of the concise menu that nods to France with classic dishes such as salad Niçoise and steak frites, along with a bar program highlighting French spirits such as the anise-flavored pastis, and wines from famous wine-growing regions.
Gjerde is still cooking with the seasons and serious about sourcing from local purveyors: Keepwell Vinegar is a pantry staple; Ceremony Coffee in Harbor East supplies the beans for the coffee bar (stocked daily with house-made pastries like the Breton classic kouign-amann); and aromatic olive oil comes from Dimitri Olive Oil in Lutherville. And as always, Maryland’s farmers and fishermen and -women provide high-quality products for Gjerde and culinary director Steven Kenny to work with.
While expectations are always high when a chef of Gjerde’s stature opens a new spot, the restaurant has had some growing pains since its opening last October. To wit, the original chef is no longer on staff and Gjerde and Kenny are overseeing the kitchen until a full-time replacement is found. Another challenge of a hotel restaurant is that it needs to be all things to all people, which can make it tricky for a kitchen that’s producing pain perdu in the morning and turning out lamb shanks at night.
In fact, over the past two months of visits, it was my midday meal on a fall afternoon, a torpedo-sized pan bagnat—a sort of salad Niçoise in a baguette crammed with confit tuna, capers, olives, anchovies, and green beans—that was my favorite. Dinners, however, have been more of a mixed affair, though the starters are a notable strong suit.
During one of my many meals, as Édith Piaf sang “La Vie en Rose” over the sound system, two kinds of bread, a beautiful focaccia-like fougasse perfumed with roasted garlic and rosemary, and a sweet and savory flatbread called a pissaladière, threaded with caramelized onion, olives, and anchovies, arrived at the table. It was a promising start to the meal.
Cold seafood is a real star here: An order of clams escabeche—sweet morsels marinated in vinaigrette topped with a confetti-like shower of mirepoix—and a lovely Maryland blue crab tossed with aioli and fresh herbs were both standouts. On another visit, a fall salad with Little Gem greens, warm chèvre, diced apples, and a storm of hazelnuts showed off the season. On that trip, I couldn’t help but ogle the seafood “plateau” at another table—a clam-shell-shaped throne with a smorgasbord of various types of seafood strewn across a bed of ice.
Dining and Cooking