Bank on a good meal
Dine against an opulent backdrop at the Alexander Brown restaurant
In the 19th century, investment bank Alex. Brown & Sons helped finance the B&O railroad, Baltimore Gas and Electric, and other engines of economic growth. With the new Alexander Brown Restaurant in the bank’s former headquarters downtown, Brown’s descendants are hoping to put their family name back on the map.
They’re off to a promising start. We weren’t there the day the building first opened in 1901, but we feel confident in saying the inside has never looked better. Stately new furnishings complement the ornate marble bones. Plush velvet banquettes offer comfortable seating, and carefully selected paintings bring the walls to life. The restaurant features multiple dining rooms, each with its own old-money flavor. There are no bad seats, but the best are beneath the grand Tiffany-style dome in the main dining room. It draws the eyes skyward during lulls in conversation.
Chef Andrew Fontaine comes to Baltimore with a playful approach to fine dining after six years at various establishments in California’s Napa Valley. Fontaine refused to include a crab cake on the menu — what he says is a losing battle in a town like Baltimore, where every diner has a preconceived notion of what a crab cake should be. Instead, he created a crab beignet. As airy and crispy as the ones at New Orleans’ Cafe du Monde, but stuffed with crab, they offer a playful take on tradition.
Our favorite items were not the heavy comfort foods but the fresh, subtle flavors one might associate with northern Californian cuisine. A mixed garden salad delighted with its vibrant colors, a purple carrot and puffed cheese. A duck breast entree balanced the fatty meat with the crunch of bok choi and the delicately fla