Thank you, Grandpop and Granny.
You made this report possible.
A little off topic, but I just have to share a fabulous place discovered this weekend.
The Bean went down to bed Saturday night, then the grownups ate dinner, then DC Celine & H went out for a little Grownup Time.
After a first attempt at a drink at Metropolitan (we should've known, when we called information to get the exact address and all they could find was "Jerry's Seafood at the Metropolitan"), we moved on. It was unfortunate. Very cool space, Miami/South Beach vibe, laid back music, and...pleather menus with gold-type lettering. Totally out of whack.
As it turns out, the original Metropolitan,* which was a modern American restaurant with dishes like Moroccan-spiced monkfish and crab-ricotta ravioli, is no more. Apparently Annapolitans weren't ready for its pricey menu. To quote the bartender, "Let me jump out of my BMW, grab a steak, and the cheapest Bud Light I can." It was bought out by Jerry's Seafood, and renamed "Jerry's Seafood at the Metropolitan." Hence the crab bomb on the menu.
But West Street has so much more to offer.
For example, The Purple Tooth.
Fan-tas-tic wine bar.
The real deal.
Unpredictable choices, quality beers for those non-wine drinkers, 3- and 5-cheese plates (with the option of charcuterie), olives, and truffles. That's it. Simple, unadorned, and absoutely worth the trip to Annapolis. With a couple of friends, you could easily while away an evening over cheese and wine...the way it's supposed to be.
H and I shared the 3-cheese plate with a Dutch-parmesean-like hard cheese, a vegetable-ashed goat, and an English stilton. Mmmmm. Honey, freshest bread, salted, oiled almonds (I couldn't keep my hands off them), and dates finshed out the plate. It all went beautifully with my Hoepler Pinot Blanc and H's tawny port. And the truffles just finished it off...
We had the chance to talk with one of the owners - they're both working the room along with their staff - she's in love with Austrian wines, which wins my heart (I spent a year there as an exchange student, learning to love the Gruener Veltliner and Blaufraenkisch). They have a smart place...we spent the evening trying to figure out how to do the same thing in DC.
In a word - go.
*Don't be fooled by the menu on the website - the old site is still up.
Badass doesn't have an expiration date. But bad fashion and Go-Gurts do.
2 comments:
In What's Up Magazine, they have a "Best of Annapolis" contest every year which includes everything from best place to pamper your pet to best sushi to best spa, etc. For 2007, Metropolitan was voted "Best place to woo a hot date", "Best place to flirt" and "Best shaken/not stirred martini". I guess pleather and crab dishes aren't critical in those subject areas.
anonymous - it actually should've won them - under the previous ownership - which held the restaurant until 2008. so sad.
go to the purple tooth instead!
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