Fell’s Point is replete with excellent bars and casual dining spots. But the opening of La Jetée (1215 Wills Street, lajeteebaltimore.com) last October brought the Baltimore neighborhood a more elegant option. It’s helmed by chef and restaurateur Spike Gjerde, the 2015 James Beard Best Chef Mid-Atlantic winner. La Jetée takes inspiration from Provence, where good but simple food is a birthright and dining out is a form of relaxation. Gjerde has created a restaurant that’s the perfect blend of serene atmosphere, efficient and knowledgeable service, and excellent food. It also doesn’t hurt that, true to its name, it sits on the Inner Harbor. Waterfront views are always a plus, especially when much of the menu comes from the waters of Chesapeake Bay.
Our dining experience at La Jetée was well modulated. Even though it was a weekend night, we never felt rushed. There was time to savor every course, to pause and drink a glass of wine while watching night boat traffic on the harbor. We never had the feeling that the staff wanted us to finish so they could turn the table — one of our chief complaints at destination restaurants.
Locally sourced veggies and fish make all the difference
David started with a half dozen oysters from said bay, in this case from the shores in northern Virginia. Their sweet, exquisitely briny flavor was perfectly piqued by a light, aromatic mignonette. Later in the meal, after a shared fougasse bread and a shared fresh salad with goat cheese, he enjoyed a roasted rockfish. The salad ingredients, including the goat cheese, were all local. Ditto the rockfish — a species better known in New England as the gamefish, striped bass.
Pat scored the ‶aha″ dish of the night. The plate seemed head-smackingly obvious once we tasted it. The appetizer of cold steamed asparagus was topped with egg salad studded with capers. This was a nifty reconstruction of the ingredients of caper Hollandaise — normally a sauce for oily fish. The acidic pop of the capers set off the sweet grassiness of the asparagus spears, while the egg salad provided an unctuous creamy note. The dish was so straightforward that we could replicate it at home. And we did (see recipe below).
Pat continued the eggy theme by ordering a main dish of hand-pulled noodles with mushrooms and peas. A runny egg was placed on top and the whole dish was blanketed in a snowbank of grated cheese. Again, a great combo of flavors and textures.
Having glanced other diners enjoying the profiterole with Grand Marnier ice cream and chocolate sauce, we couldn’t resist dessert. So we split one and both secretly wished we had ordered two.
Cold asparagus salad
Ingredients
- 4 hardboiled eggs, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoons capers
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- salt to taste (unless using salt-packed capers)
- 1 lb. fresh asparagus spears, hard ends trimmed off
Combine eggs, capers, mayonnaise, and mustard. Stir well with a fork. Season to your own taste. We used capers preserved in salt, so no additions were necessary.
Steam asparagus until tips are tender and stalks still toothy — about 7 minutes. Cool and serve with a scoop of egg salad.
