Entering brooks tavern, some folks notice the rough hewn walls and wide plank floors, remnants of the building’s former life as Radcliffe Mill. Some eyes are drawn to the neon beer signs behind the bar; others might notice the sheep’s wool blanket and set of animal horns in the dining room. But the reader in me spies a small collection of food magazines, including the little known but very fine Art of Eating just inside the restaurant’s entrance. Without having tasted a bite of food, I’m convinced that someone here loves food, pays it close attention, and I’m going to get a good meal.
That someone is Kevin McKinney, former chef/owner of the Kennedyville Inn, who opened Brooks Tavern with his wife and business partner, Barbara Silcox, in 2007. The menu at the tavern is a nod to the seasons, to local products, and to McKinney’s own culinary whims. “Kevin likes to cook what he likes to cook,” says Silcox wryly. “He’s very spontaneous.”
The tavern’s menu, divided into “small plates” and “large plates,” “changes subtly all the time,” Silcox adds, explaining that “six months from now, it will be 50 percent different.”
Some of that change is due to the availability of seasonal produce (“no strawberries in January” reads the restaurant’s Web site) and locally sourced products. The restaurant has begun to serve St. Brigid’s beef raised in Kennedyville, and during the summer, chicken comes from Elkton’s Locust Point Farm, which only pasture raises its chickens during the warmer months. There are a few menu items diners can count on, however. Silcox promises they will always offer the Carolina crepe, a barbecue-filled crepe that was a favorite at the Kennedyville Inn, as well as crab cakes in the summer and oyster fritters during the winter.
I’m very glad our visit coincided with the end of oyster season because the fritter is spectacular for something so simple. Billed as a small plate (but certainly ample enough to share as an appetizer), the fritter is classic Eastern Shore—a light, filmy batter holding together a generous handful of oysters that become plump, juicy pillows after cooking. They’re bathed in a lemon butter sauce that makes a rich dish even richer. At the time of our visit, other small plates included several salads, fried calamari, and the Carolina Crepe, which I’m looking forward to trying on my next visit.
Large plate offerings included a roasted half duck, pork medallions with cheese and capers, and a handful of daily specials, most of them featuring seafood. My favorite was rockfish and locally raised Marvesta shrimp stir fried with red cabbage, watercress, and ginger, and served over rice noodles, which wowed with its harmony of Asian-inspired flavors. Chicken sautéed with garlic, spinach, and mushrooms, napped in cream, and served over noodles was equally balanced, homey, and satisfying. I was less enamored of the braised lamb served on a bed of polenta. The shredded meat had become dry, and while I’m never one to say no to carbs, mashed potatoes seemed an odd accompaniment.
The restaurant offers a small selection of wine and beer (all in bottle, which is disappointing for a tavern, but makes less work for the owners), and the excellent bread and large selection of desserts are made in house. If all are as good as the bread pudding with caramel sauce save room.
Mary K. Zajac writes from Baltimore.
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