Atlantic Food and Spirits
Catonsville, Maryland
It was a rare situation. I did no research and I'd seen no reviews, just drove past this monolith of a white building that I knew had been taken over from another establishment three or four years ago. For some reason I never pulled the car over, until this fateful night. I'm glad I finally did, because I'm rarely surprised by much anymore, and this place shocked my sensibilities.
Walking in, you feel like you're stepping into yet another sports bar. It's casual, there's no linen on the tables, and there are far too many television sets for comfort. But once you sit down, everything you assumed about the place starts to unravel. I expected the obligatory mozzarella sticks and fried calamari based on the room alone, but within five minutes of getting over myself and looking at the menu, I was filled with pure joy.
I won't say this lightly. I've eaten at the epitome of fine dining and I've eaten at the far end of low brow. This was one of the most intelligent, well put together wine lists I've seen in years. There's a local wine bar in Maryland that I've reviewed that would be envious of whoever built this list. It's unique, it's creative, and there's a legitimate depth of lovely bottles. Where most places would've just thrown a Prosecco in to fill space, their by the glass casual champagne or sparkling wine was a J winery out of Healdsburg, California, which is quite lovely. We started with a Sancerre from J. de Villebois, $64 a bottle, crisp and refreshing in that classic Sancerre style. And on Wednesday nights, every bottle on the menu runs half price, not just one or two selections, the whole list. The hits kept coming. The list was well presented, and our waiter Katie was casual and effortlessly kind. She was knowledgeable. There's no pretense here, it's strictly a place to be comfortable and eat delicious, well flavored food.
Let's start with the good stuff. This was maybe one of the top four gumbos I've had in my life, and I say that as someone who cherishes New Orleans. It was perfectly seasoned, light, not burnt on the roux, treated with respect and flavor, with just a hint of rice in the gumbo. I appreciated that, since so many places make a rice dish with a little soup around it instead. This was beautiful. I ordered a bowl and halfway through it I had to tell myself no, you can't order another one, let's keep eating. From there we moved to the shrimp egg rolls. This wasn't something premade or delivered from Sysco, it was perfectly fried and beautifully rolled, with shrimp clearly at the center and just the right balance of vegetables around it, a great combination without any grease hanging over it. Perfectly executed and quite delicious. Sticking with the same winery, we tried the Sauvignon Blanc, $40 a bottle and also half price that Wednesday, from the same producer but outside the Sancerre appellation. Not as layered as the Sancerre, but it drank beautifully. Have you ever had fish and chips made with Chilean sea bass? That's what they served, and it was so light, cooked with care and seasoned rather than over fried. The oil it went into was clean, the portion was generous, and the chips that came with it were well seasoned and delicious. The portions overall were sized so you could work through several courses like a tasting menu, normal enough that it never felt skimpy, but never so small that it came across as offensive.
Sometimes when things are running this good on one end, the opposite shows up right alongside it. That's what happened when the seared scallops came out. Every part of the dish was a disaster. The risotto was completely undercooked, nearing crunchy, with no creaminess and no flavor. They kindly took it back and refired it. Part two came back not much better. They swore they use Arborio rice, and I have no reason to think they'd lie to me, but somewhere along the way nobody taught this kitchen that a risotto isn't a pilaf, and an undercooked one at that. I love this restaurant enough that I'd genuinely offer to teach them how to cook a proper risotto. The scallops that came with the undercooked rice weren't fresh either, likely held a day too long. They weren't seared hard, so instead of a crispy exterior giving way to a soft, velvet interior, they were just blah. Without us asking, our lovely waiter comped the entire entree. She didn't need to, but it truly wasn't edible. I hope they can fix this dish, because everything else on the table was lovely.
I'm not much of a dessert person, but of course I had to try it, and the peach cobbler with homemade ice cream was stunning, as was the excellent key lime pie.
All in all, it's a wonderful find. It's casual on the surface, cavernous like a sports bar, but a legitimate restaurant underneath. Yes, they need to fix a few things, but the quality of the wine list and the care in the seasoned, well presented food make it worth another try. I'll say this much: rolled silverware and paper napkins are a mistake, and they pull you right back to the sports bar feeling. They're clearly still figuring out their personality. Once they land on consistency, I think this place will be an absolute hit.