Dinner @ Charleston

Tucked away in the rapidly growing neighborhood of Harbor East in downtown Baltimore, among the new high-rise hotels and residential buildings, is a wonderful "improvisational dining" restaurant called Charleston. Co-owners Chef Cindy Wolf and her husband Tony Foreman have created a culinary treasure unlike any other in the city.

I first experienced Charleston in 2000, when Baltimore's NPR station invited me to attend a brunch in honor of the launch of radio host Diane Rehm's book, "Finding My Voice." Until that point, fine dining was a complete mystery to me. Having grown up in a military family, eating out at restaurants was not something I did often, and when I did, it was usually at Pizza Hut or the local Chinese restaurant.

At the time of the brunch, I had just begun working at a PR firm in Washington, D.C. and was starting to suspect that the restaurant world was slightly bigger and more interesting than I knew. Charleston taught me that, indeed, there was much to learn. The restaurant's menu during that period was more high-end low-country than it is now. I honestly can't remember what I ate, but I do remember that it was unlike anything I'd ever eaten before and couldn't wait to eat again.

Fast-forward to last night, Mark and my annual Anniversary Dinner. I couldn't have imagined during that brunch in 2000 that Charleston would eventually be the place where we would celebrate our anniversary each year. As usual, the menu was a creative combination of seafood, beef, game, fresh salads and soups that was nearly impossible to narrow down to three selections.

After a tasty amuse bouche of chilled beet soup with creme fraiche, I had an absolutely perfect southern lump crab cake with Napa cabbage slaw and arugula oil paired with a minerally white Burgundy (Saint-Romain, Alain Gras 2005). The crab cake was barely held together (read: no filling) and the cabbage slaw was crunchy and creamy without being too mayonnaise-y.

My second course was an incredibly fresh heirloom tomato gazpacho with lobster and curried creme fraiche paired with Sancerre "Cuvee Tradition" by H. Brochard from the Loire Valley. The crisp, melony wine was gorgeous with the gazpacho and also paired well with Mark's salad of baby arugula, reggiano and lemon vinaigrette.

My third dish was without a doubt one of the most beautifully prepared and absolutely delicious pieces of fish I have ever tasted - pan-roasted Turbot with lobster risotto and basil beurre blanc. The fish actually tasted like popcorn. The flesh was delicately seared on both sides, giving it a light crunch, and was buttery smooth on the inside. The lobster risotto and burre blanc, along with the glass of Hermitage, Tardieu-Laurent 2003 from the Northern Rhone Valley, could not have combined for a more blissful experience. The evening ended with a trio of creme brulee (honey-raspberry, butterscotch and white chocolate-cinnamon) and a glass of a dessert wine that, not surprisingly, I can't remember.

Writing this post was enjoyable -- almost like reliving last night's meal. I've had the pleasure of dining at truly incredible restaurants around the world since that day in 2000, but Charleston will always hold a special place in my heart as one of the greats.