Yellowfin Steak & Fish House

2640 Solomons Island Rd.
Edgewater, Md.
410-573-1333
Food: Fashionable fusion
Atmosphere: Kinetic
Clientele: Hip
Dress: Dressy casual
Service: Savvy
Don’t Miss: Seared yellowfin tuna, key lime pie, house salad
Tariff: Appetizers $6-$15; entrees $12-$36
Open for dinner Monday-Thursday 5-11 p.m.; Friday-Saturday 4-9 p.m.; Sunday, with á la carte brunch at 11 a.m. Reservations recommended.

Here’s all the right stuff going on at Yellowfin. With its idyllic location overlooking thescenic South River, this is a restaurant with serious eye appeal. It starts with the bold yellow and blue exterior, accented with a fanciful stainless steel sculpture of a fish “swimming” behind a back-lit mesh cage, and continues inside, where interior designer Catherine Purple Cherry has used subtle lighting to create a flattering glow.

Thanks to high ceilings and a wall of windows overlooking the water, there’s a pretty high noise level inside when the place is packed. This is due in part to the bar scene adjacent to the dining room, where a separate kitchen dishes out casual fare and keeps the raw bar stocked with fresh oysters, mussels, clams, and a selection of sushi. Depending on your mood, or maybe your age, this festive atmosphere could be too much or energizing. But it is part of Yellowfin’s frisky personality and is the reason it has established a widespread reputation as a “happening place.”

Even the food is exciting, reflecting management’s refusal to fit a stereotype, and a determination to keep patrons coming back for more. General Manager Kevin Gersonde works closely with chef Mike Maddox, formerly with Tavern-on-the-Bay in Stevensville, Md., to come up with four or five specials each evening.

Sometimes the simplest dishes are the best, like the heap of Maine lobster claws served with drawn butter as an appetizer special the night we were there. This spectacular treat called for a bottle of champagne, expertly de-corked by a waiter who had a particular fondness for the brand, having served it the night he proposed to his wife. Along with the lobster, our group of four shared a marvelous mussel dish—the bivalves bathed in a velvety butter-enriched wine sauce that was reminiscent of a rich veloute.

Another winner was a “drunken” tomato-based Maryland crab chowder, the mélange of still-crisp vegetables (corn, celery, green beans) liberally studded with lumps of crabmeat, and splashed with whiskey just before serving. This is a gutsy take on its more dignified cousin, cream of crab soup doused with sherry. The wonderful lobster tempura sushi is just one more attraction for seafood lovers who appreciate panache.

Although owner Harvey Blonder, Jr. aspires to running the best steak and seafood house in Annapolis, the competition from Ruth’s Chris and Lewnes’ in Eastport is pretty stiff. But Blonder can confidently lay claim to the seafood title. As an encore to the razzle-dazzle seafood overture, the restaurant’s seared yellowfin tuna steak more than justified its status as the restaurant’s signature dish. A thick tuna steak, as fresh and pink as a sunrise, had been seared on both sides, leaving a rare interior scented with teriyaki. Perched on the same plate was a tasty rock shrimp cake surrounded by a confetti of stir-fried vegetables.

“We don’t want our return customers to be bored,” says Maddox. One night it might be fresh rockfish, pan seared and partnered with a heap of peppered strawberries bathed in marsala, or maybe grouper topped with crabmeat and hollandaise sauce. Then again, if patrons prefer “just plain fish,” the kitchen is glad to oblige.

On the steak house side, Yellowfin offers meat mavens four cuts of beef (filet mignon, New York strip rib eye, and porterhouse) as well as a pork chop, chicken breast, burger, or rack of lamb. Prices and portion sizes are right up there with the big boys, ranging from $12 for the 12-ounce Black Angus burger to $36 for a 12-ounce filet mignon or 24-ounce porterhouse. Predictably, the two men in our party went for the meat, relishing a quick-seared filet mignon and a charbroiled bone-in rib eye steak, both fork-tender. 

A famous photographer friend of mine who has eaten at restaurants worldwide judges the quality of an establishment by the freshness and preparation of its vegetables. Yellowfin passes this test with flying colors by dressing up garlic mashed potatoes with flecks of chive, enlivening sautéed spinach and roasted asparagus with a touch of lemon, emboldening grilled portobello mushrooms with blue cheese, and offering a creative entrée that combines eggplant, mushrooms, and artichokes in a light tomato sauce that deserves a star of its own.

A word about Yellowfin’s wine list. There’s an excellent selection of wines by the glass as well as reasonably priced bottles, with succinct descriptions of each to help patrons make a choice. It’s one of the more user-friendly listings I have seen, with a number of boutique vineyards represented on a roster that includes California, Australia, Italy, and France. Prices range from $5 to $12 (by the glass) and $20 to $99 (by the bottle).

Since entrée portions are generous, something light for dessert is a good idea. Key lime pie is Yellowfin’s signature sweet, based on a recipe Chef Maddox admits that he “borrowed” from a famous Key West restaurant. Order this house special for two, and you’ll get a pretty little pie-let to share. Another pleasant option (one not seen on many menus) is zabaglione—a cloud of whipped egg yolks sweetened with Marsala and studded with a medley of fresh berries.

In addition to the food and the upbeat ambience, what makes this restaurant special is the staff—a group of professionals whose smooth and attentive service make patrons feel pampered. It looks like Blonder has a hit on his hands.

Mary Lou Baker has been a food and travel writer for more than twenty years.