Baltimore is getting the Andrew Carmellini treatment, and Rye Street Tavern is the latest restaurant to join the hit-making chef-restaurateur’s hefty portfolio. The second Baltimore restaurant from the New York-based chef debuted last week with a focus on “all-things American and brown spirits.” In other words, Carmellini says, “things that we love.”
The massive restaurant located on the Sagamore Spirit Distillery campus aims to “celebrate American regionalism” through “a little bit of a Chesapeake lens.” The menu features classic comfort foods like fried chicken alongside regional favorites like wood-fired seafood bakes and blue crab salad.
Since planning his Italian restaurant Rec Pier Chop House, which opened at Baltimore’s Pendry Hotel earlier this year, Carmellini has been spending time in Charm City. “We’ve gone crabbing and have really been diving into everything ‘Baltimore,’ Chesapeake, and the Mid-Atlantic in general,” he says. Rye Street Tavern, which boasts outdoor space and waterfront views, is designed to reflect those efforts.
In addition to the outdoor space, complete with Adirondack chairs and fire pits, Rye Street Tavern’s 13,000 square feet comprises two levels of restaurant space and a bar that serves exclusively American-made wines and spirits. Like at Carmellini’s New York restaurants Locanda Verde, the Dutch, Lafayette, Leuca, and Little Park, which offer American, French, and Italian cuisine, Rye Street Tavern will include private dining and event space. In Baltimore, that translates to four private dining areas and a stage.
Both of Carmellini’s Baltimore restaurants are a part of developments from Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank, who has a billion-dollar plan — comprising 45 city blocks, including a manufacturing and design center in addition to his hotel and rye distillery — for the city. But Carmellini is listening to the Rye Street Tavern team when it comes to figuring out what Baltimore might want in a restaurant: “We have a great Baltimore-centric team here and I’m really, really proud of them. They’ve brought a lot to the table on what Baltimore likes to eat.”
Take a look at how Baltimore will eat at Rye Street Tavern below:
• Rye Street Tavern [Official]