Photography By Vince Lupo
The John Barry Restaurant & Bar
174 West Street, Annapolis, Md.
410-263-7700; 866-782-9624
http://www.ocallaghanhotels-us.com
Food: Stylish American, with European accents
Atmosphere: Polished Elegance
Clientele: Savvy
Dress: Lunch, casual; Dinner, dressy
Service: Attentive
Don’t Miss: The desserts Dinner
Tariff: $100 for two with wine
Open daily: breakfast 7-11 a.m.; lunch 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.; dinner 5-10 p.m., 10:30 p.m. weekends. Reservations suggested. Major credit cards accepted. Accessible to handicapped.
Known as the father of the United States Navy, Irish-born Commodore John Barry has returned in spirit to Annapolis as the namesake of a delightful dinning room in the recently opened O’Callaghan Hotel. Located in the second block of West Street in an area slated for an ambitious revival, the Irish-owned property is a charming boutique-style hostelry that has a good chance of becoming a favorite oasis for relatives visiting their midshipmen and others looking for a comfortable yet elegant stopover in Maryland’s state capital.
The O’Callaghan family operates four five-star hotels in Dublin (The Alexander, The Davenport, the Mont Clare, and Stephen’s Green) and another (The Elliott) in Gibraltar on the Mediterranean, with a view of the rock. No such exotic landmark distinguishes the Annapolis property, although the exterior suggests the unpretentious elegance within, and a polite valet stands at the ready to park your car (a free service for restaurant patrons).
Our first visit to the John Barry was for a Saturday lunch, four weeks after the restaurant had quietly opened its doors. As the only diners in the room, we were treated to a series of courtesies by a waiter named Michael and an impromptu visit with Executive Chef James Hudson and Pastry Chef Karen Schaeffer. None were of Irish heritage, but each displayed the charm, intelligence, and friendliness of the hotel’s homeland. Your introduction to this unique property begins in the small, marble-floored lobby, leading into a narrow bar, with the high-ceilinged dining room elevated stage-like several steps above. Three graceful brass chandeliers light up space reminiscent of a comfortable private club—one decorated with Barry family photos and other seafaring memorabilia. Napery is pristine white, cutlery is pleasantly heavy, and thin-stemmed goblets sparkle at each of the twenty or so tables.
A conversation with Hudson reveals that this native of Corning, N.Y., first earned a history-philosophy degree from the University of Minnesota before attending cooking school at the Charleston, S.C., campus of Johnson and Wales. He has been associated with numerous fine restaurants in the United States, most recently a small French bistro in Key West, Fla. Hudson’s culinary finesse and respect for simplicity is reflected in a menu that changes frequently, with daily specials created from what captures his fancy.
A blend of simplicity and sophistication characterizes the fare at the John Barry. Both lunch and dinner menus offer “small plates” and “large plates,” with reasonable prices (most entrees are under $20). One could make a lovely lunch of creamy corn-and-crab chowder and a salad of baby spinach accented with grilled pork tenderloin, yellow peppers, shiitake mushrooms, and heirloom tomatoes in a warm maple-bacon dressing.
The chowder base begins with a boil of crab shells and corn cobs that are drained off to produce a richly flavored finished product flecked with bacon bits, crab lumps, and fresh corn kernels.
Soups seem to be a specialty of the chef, who makes them daily in small batches that see no tomorrows. The du jour selection is always vegetarian, using seasonal bounty. Winter is tuber time, so at this time of year there may be sweet-and-spicy ginger-carrot puree, artistically decorated with a cobweb-like tracery of allspice-infused sour cream. Breads here are equally special and are all made in-house by Pastry Chef Schaeffer. She is a whiz with crusty olive, Irish-raisin, and sourdough breads.
Crab cakes with the chef’s individual signature are on the menu year-round as a small plate. “In Annapolis, you have to have a crab cake,” says Hudson. Be prepared for something deliciously different—the cakes, shaped like cylinders, are enlivened with mustard seed and flecks of bacon and perched on a bed of organic greens and roasted red peppers moistened with tomato balsamic vinaigrette and finished with roasted garlic aioli and lemon essence. Not a hint of Old Bay here. Another signature dish to be found year-round is Hudson’s version of pot roast, made from a 12-ounce French cut, braised down to about 9 ounces, napped with a rich parsnip gravy, and served with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. This proudly robust dish is the perfect warm-up on a wintry evening.
Hudson describes his menus as “morphing with the seasons.” With any luck, at this time of year you should find his delectable lamb shank, a giant bone-in piece of meat braised in a fennel-rosemary broth served with an heirloom acorn squash “bowl” brimming with an assortment of tender beans. The meat is fork tender and the gravy studded with pieces of parsnip.
A more delicate dish is rockfish, the thick filet kept moist inside its crunchy pecan crust and topped with a spiced- rum butter sauce with a whisper of vanilla. Colorful accompaniments were emerald snow peas and coins of bright orange organic carrots. This is a kitchen that knows how to bring out the best in vegetables of all kinds.
An exception was a salad of endive and frisée in champagne vinaigrette topped with Bosc pears, walnuts, and Maytag blue cheese. It sounded wonderful but wasn’t, and I wished I had elected the spinach salad with medallions of warm Brie and walnuts in the chef’s signature maple-bacon dressing.
The John Barry is the place to indulge in dessert, each one of them an original creation. Schaeffer was a graphics designer before switching to the culinary arts, and it shows in her carefully designed sweets. A rich, double-fudge brownie serves as the base for a crème brûlée topped with a sponge sugar dome and roasted strawberries. A tangy lemon tart comes sweetened with blackberry sauce and huge berries, then crowned with a citrusy crème fraîche. The restaurant is the perfect destination for post-performance dessert and conversation.
The story of success is in the details and Hudson pays attention to every one—including the short but savvy wine list. Taking a cue from the famed Inn at Little Washington, whose owners are personal pals, he has given preference to Virginia’s Barboursville Vineyard (the Inn’s house wines) and included three of its best reds and three of their finest whites on a moderately priced all-USA selection.
Cead mile failte romhaibh is the Gaelic expression of Irish hospitality meaning “a hundred thousand welcomes to you.” Commodore Barry would be proud of its literal translation in this highly hospitable dining room, where the food, service, and surroundings are top-notch.
Mary Lou Baker has written about food for more than twenty years.
