Review: La Jetée Highlights Southern French Fare at Harbor Point

When it came to figuring out his latest restaurant concept, James Beard Award-winning chef Spike Gjerde turned to France for inspiration. Gallic gastronomy might seem like an unexpected pivot for a chef who championed New American cuisine at the beloved Woodberry Kitchen (now the Tavern at Woodberry Kitchen). But long before he built his reputation on Mid-Atlantic sourcing, Gjerde was a budding baker who scored a job at the French bakery Pâtisserie Poupon after graduating from Middlebury College in 1985.

When a beloved aunt and uncle bought him his first cookbook, Richard Olney’s Simple French Food, it sealed the deal. “I never stopped thinking about that book and it became a throughline in my life,” he says. “I still have it—and it’s in tatters.”

That book, and the sun-soaked region and cooking of Provence—seasonal ingredients, simply prepared—shaped his culinary roots and inspired him to open La Jetée, located in the Canopy Hilton Baltimore in the former Cindy Lou’s Fish House space. The name La Jetée was inspired by the title of an esoteric French film, as well as the restaurant’s positioning on Harbor Point (La Jetée translates to “The Jetty,” which is a small pier where boats can be docked).

Bathed in butterscotch light, the 80-seat dining room sits just at the edge of the Patapsco. With a quiet palette, natural materials, and linen curtains that fan across floor-to-ceiling windows, the vibe is Marseilles meets Maryland.

The same can be said of the concise menu that nods to France with classic dishes such as salad Niçoise and steak frites, along with a bar program highlighting French spirits such as the anise-flavored pastis, and wines from famous wine-growing regions.

Gjerde is still cooking with the seasons and serious about sourcing from local purveyors: Keepwell Vinegar is a pantry staple; Ceremony Coffee in Harbor East supplies the beans for the coffee bar (stocked daily with house-made pastries like the Breton classic kouign-amann); and aromatic olive oil comes from Dimitri Olive Oil in Lutherville. And as always, Maryland’s farmers and fishermen and -women provide high-quality products for Gjerde and culinary director Steven Kenny to work with.

While expectations are always high when a chef of Gjerde’s stature opens a new spot, the restaurant has had some growing pains since its opening last October. To wit, the original chef is no longer on staff and Gjerde and Kenny are overseeing the kitchen until a full-time replacement is found. Another challenge of a hotel restaurant is that it needs to be all things to all people, which can make it tricky for a kitchen that’s producing pain perdu in the morning and turning out lamb shanks at night.

In fact, over the past two months of visits, it was my midday meal on a fall afternoon, a torpedo-sized pan bagnat—a sort of salad Niçoise in a baguette crammed with confit tuna, capers, olives, anchovies, and green beans—that was my favorite. Dinners, however, have been more of a mixed affair, though the starters are a notable strong suit.

During one of my many meals, as Édith Piaf sang “La Vie en Rose” over the sound system, two kinds of bread, a beautiful focaccia-like fougasse perfumed with roasted garlic and rosemary, and a sweet and savory flatbread called a pissaladière, threaded with caramelized onion, olives, and anchovies, arrived at the table. It was a promising start to the meal.

Cold seafood is a real star here: An order of clams escabeche—sweet morsels marinated in vinaigrette topped with a confetti-like shower of mirepoix—and a lovely Maryland blue crab tossed with aioli and fresh herbs were both standouts. On another visit, a fall salad with Little Gem greens, warm chèvre, diced  apples, and a storm of hazelnuts showed off the season. On that trip, I couldn’t help but ogle the seafood “plateau” at another table—a clam-shell-shaped throne with a smorgasbord of various types of seafood strewn across a bed of ice.

Disappointingly, entrees were somewhat hit or miss. The lamb shoulder a la plancha was tough (too long under the heat lamp was one theory), though the hearty helping of ratatouille was a terrific accompaniment. A gorgeous hunk of tuna poivre was seared on the sides but served ice cold in the center. A burger made of ground short rib featured imaginative elements—onion confit, nutty Cantal cow’s-milk cheese, a hit of aioli—but suffered from a stale brioche bun.

Still, there were dishes that worked better: A chicken paillard, a zesty airline chicken breast pounded paper thin, lightly fried to a golden brown, and served with chive aioli and a tangle of greens, felt simple and satisfying. A fruits de mer pasta dish showcasing hand-cut noodles, morsels of monkfish, mussels, clams, and lobster in tomato sauce tinged with herbs was just the right stick-to-the-ribs fare on a cold fall night.

And most of the desserts, made by Kaity Mitchell (formerly of D.C.’s glam Italian spot L’Ardente), were outstanding, including airy profiteroles filled with Grand Marnier ice cream and drizzled with dark chocolate sauce and a just-sweet-enough chocolate mousse.

All new restaurants, even ones by industry veterans, need time to find their footing. Given a little more time, with Gjerde at the helm, La Jetée should fulfill its mission of bringing Provence to the Patapsco.

LA JETÉE: 1215 Wills St. 443-960-8670. HOURS: Mon.-Fri. breakfast: 7 a.m.-11 a.m.; lunch: 11 a.m.- 2 p.m.; dinner: 5- 9 p.m. Sat. brunch 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner: 5-9 p.m. PRICES: Starters: $9-98; entrees:
$24-44. AMBIANCE: Nautical with French accent.