I finally had occasion to visit Charles Street Brasserie
over on the Solomons. I actually never
knew there WAS a Charles Street till I googled the place. Longer time residents will remember the place
has seen a series of lives before it went dark for a while. There was Harbors Lights, Harbor Sounds and
maybe a couple of others. And while we’re
sort of talking history, I may have mentioned that one wintry night there in
the eighties (?) I set a record at least amongst the engineers by downing eight dozen
oysters either raw or steamed. It wasn't a contest, just what kind of happened. I
should add that “F2” who was present might correct me.
A quick check of sources like Yelp and the (always chancy
FaceBook) on Charles Street Brasserie resulted in a mix bag of “reviews”. I would have to admit that more leaned toward
the positive side than the negative, but for what it's worth those tended to come from locals. So, decided to meet a
friend and have dinner there. Given the
place’s history, I was prepared for a negative experience. I am almost always prepared for a negative experience
(in this case I was wrong!).. and drove over
It has been so long since I’ve been there that I kind of
forgot what the place looked like. I
thought the exterior was kind of nice and they appear to have a deck for use in
more clement weather. Once inside the door,
you face a bar area with some high tops and stools, and down off to the left (watch
that step!) is the dining area. From
what I could tell, it is all painted black which helps give your table a little
feeling of privacy. We were seated at a
table by the fireplace, which, depending on the attention of somebody was either:
cozy, hot, or cool. Unfortunately above
that fireplace is a flat screen, which personally I would lose during the
evening service. We got there after
seven and most of the tables were occupied.
One thing I noticed was that most tables consisted of a few families, and
people more of my generation, and most were appropriately DFD’d. I don’t THINK there was a ball cap, either
frontwards or backwards.
We were approached by a server who gave the speech and asked
if we would like to start an appetizer (negative points), and we said no, we
haven’t looked at the menu yet. Which we then did. They kind of advertize themselves as a Tapas
Bar as well as a fine dining restaurant, kind of an oxymoron in my thought, so
the menu does contain quite a number of small plates and plates to share. Some do have a Latin slant such as Garbanzos
and Chorizo, Polo Crema de Espinacas, but most are the standard set of things
like of petite crab cakes, stuffed mushrooms, small filet (Mediterranean).
Probably could find something you’d like there is quite a variety. Although not
(yet?) open for lunch there are sandwich plates, soups and salads, and dinner
plates of things like a pork chop, a larger filet, and that night a couple of
salmon dishes Grilled Salmon Chutney and Stuffed Salmon (wrapped around our own
crab imperial). We were also informed
that there was a special of three tapas plates for thirty bucks. I didn’t do the math but a vast majority of
the plates were over ten bucks, so it was kind of a deal.
We each decided to have a salmon dish, and I took the “stuffed”. The atmosphere was pleasant, and the bottle
of Chalone Merlot was quite nice. The
server remained attentive, but not overly so, and at one point assured us the
food would be out soon. I had not really
started to wonder about that, I don’t think it was overly long. When it did arrive, it was quite nicely
presented. The light was low, hence the
crappy pictures of the stuffed
And the pineapple roasted red pepper chutney version
Both were
served with loaded cauliflower mash and cucumber salad
Not sure
what made the mash “loaded”, I guess the sour crème and onion top, and while i am not a big fan of Cauliflower, it was pretty good. The salad was crisp and fresh. Both main dishes were quite tasty, although my
salmon could have stood a little more time on heat, but it wasn’t “send back”. we did indulge in a Blackberry Liquer Cheesecake and two forks, which was....okay.
All
in all I was pleasantly surprised, it was pretty nice food, the dining space isn't bad, reasonable service
and the prices are about right. I think maybe the "Tapas" tag is a bit overstated and perhaps refers more to the size of the plates than their content, but fine. So, while
there are many dining options on the island, I would put (one visit, remember) Charles Street in the
upper quarter maybe. Of course I’m
biased but Dry Dock still tops my list with CD café on its heels. Have not tried others like the most recent
incarnation of DiGiovanni’s.
In the Digs, (and what it is all about)
I often preach that food is a wonderful convener for friends
and family to gather around and enjoy each other’s company. We had a great example of that at the digs
this week. A couple of friends and I
have long had a “Foie Gras Night” where we gather, cook, enjoy wine, with the
menu centering on foie gras. It is not
MFO’s favorite food so having it here while she is in Wisconsin was
appropriate. I know there are strong
opinions out there about that particular food, and this was NOT goose liver
(now illegal to purchase), but rather duck (which isn’t… go figure). In the hands of a creative and accomplished
chef it can provide what I consider some of the greatest food you can get.
Anyway, we expanded the number of people, all of whom know
about and appreciate good food. We also
expanded the menu to include not only the foie gras, but smoked Magret duck breast,
and seasoned beef Tenderloin (not shown).
We didn’t count, but there must have been at least six or maybe seven
courses, all sauced, presented, and enjoyed.
Of course you have to have appropriate beverages, which we did
One of those meals that keeps you going for a long
time..Food and Friends
Who were
DFD
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