Le Garage Beer Bar & Frites – Baltimore Magazine

Five Cocktail Trends to Expect in 2015

Jess Mayhugh — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 12:41:00 +0000

Though we tend to lag behind bigger cities when it comes to food and drink trends, it seems like we have an exciting year ahead.

“Baltimore is a bit slow on the upswing of cocktail trends and bourbon and rye are still on track to keep people happy,” says Brendan Dorr of B&O American Brasserie and the Baltimore Bartenders Guild. “However, there are some things that will become more popular as we lead the charge and help guide our guests to broaden their palates.”

So here are five trends to look out for as you peruse cocktail menus in the upcoming year:

Batched Cocktails: Whether it’s bottling, barrel aging, or putting cocktails on tap, the idea of pre-batched cocktails is a carry-over from last year and still going strong. When we visited Le Garage recently, the staff was barrel aging a Brandy Manhattan and had three bottled cocktails on the menu—including a sharply spicy Family Mule served with candied ginger.

“Some people order it right away, while others remain skeptical,” says Le Garage head bartender Patrick Gartner. “I tell them that there is already vodka in the bottle, I promise.”

Places like Wit & Wisdom are bringing back barrel-aged and bottled cocktails for the spring and Bookmaker’s in Federal Hill barrel ages cocktails that end up on tap. Recently, Dooby’s showed off a batched cocktail at the Pratt Contemporaries’ Black and White Party called Dragonball, which was a mix of bourbon and cinnamon-cayenne syrup.

Lower Proof and Restorative: Contrary to popular belief, a good cocktail doesn’t always have to pack a punch and, sometimes, it can even be good for you. One testament is the rising popularity of the low-proof spirit sherry. (There is now even a sherry bar in D.C. called Mockingbird Hill). “I love this stuff,” says Dorr of B&O. “It’s not just a sweet wine that grandmothers drink. Actually, over 90 percent of sherry produced is dry.”

Another idea that is trending is the restorative cocktail, which includes healthful ingredients. Take the Corpse Reviver Zero at Le Garage with energy-boosting yerba mate tea and lime-pastis and mint, which are good for the stomach. Bookmaker’s crafts its own tonic from cinchona tree bark, which can be used to fight Malaria.

“People here are still really blue collar and they like their liquor,” says Dooby’s head bartender Chelsea Gregoire. “So we are a little ways from becoming totally holistic and proof-conscious, but it’s something bartenders are starting to think about.”

Bitter is Better: Overwhelmingly, every bartender we spoke with emphasized that bitter will be a popular flavor profile for 2015. “Amaros, Fernets, Campari, and many other bitter liqueurs are making their way into our cocktails,” Dorr says. “They add balance and depth, and can turn an otherwise blah cocktail into something extraordinary.”

Ryan Sparks of Bookmaker’s Cocktail Club attributes the rise of bitter food like kale and arugula to the expansion of people’s palates. Gregoire of Dooby’s says places like Idle Hour were on the forefront by campaigning Chartreuse years ago. In fact, Dooby’s currently has a version of a Sazerac on its menu with a Fernet Branca float. “Everybody is like, yes, bitter, give it to me,” Gregoire says. “Makes it more fun for us.”

While not bitter, another predicted popular flavor this year will be smoke, as evidenced by the rising popularity of mezcal.

Culinary Approach: In the works for a while, the techniques and ideas employed by the kitchen and bar staffs are overlapping more than ever. “I find myself going to the chef and asking for advice about what is seasonal,” says Le Garage’s Gartner, who explained that the chef taught him how to use the water circulator. “In most restaurants, the kitchen is not as patient with the bar staff. They give me a lot of room to brainstorm.”

Similarly, at Dooby’s, Gregoire is constantly working with the kitchen to pair cocktails with its unique Asian flavors, like a Korean gochujang sauce. The staffs at Wit & Wisdom are also always collaborating and some of the techniques used by head bartender Aaron Joseph sound more like kitchen talk than bar talk. Think carbonating citrus for a Pimm’s Cup or straining a mixture through a cheese-cloth for a milk punch.

All Housemade, All The Time: And speaking of whacky approaches, lately bartenders have been blowing our minds with their creative approaches to housemade ingredients.

Gartner at Le Garage is making sous-vide liqueurs. (Yes, that’s right, the technique usually reserved for tenderizing meat.) Once example is he vacuum seals fresh ginger, molasses, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, and a neutral spirit for about 45 minutes. The result is a gingersnap-flavored liqueur he uses in hot toddies.

Like many places around town, Bookmaker’s creates its own bitters and its also big into shrubs instead of simple syrups, like one that head bartender Ryan Sparks creates with smoked apples and cardamom. “I’m seeing a lot of smaller places embracing housemade ingredients,” he says. “They allow you to determine how your cocktail will taste, and you can achieve that exact desired flavor.”

Get a first-hand look at these innovative techniques, as nearly 20 bartenders will be crafting rye cocktails for Rye’s Up, a benefit for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Maryland at B&O American Brasserie on March 1.

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Best Bites of 2014

Jane Marion — Mon, 22 Dec 2014 06:30:00 +0000

If there’s anything I can say for sure about 2014, it’s that I was very well fed. Whether reviewing for our Local Flavor dining section, heading up cover stories on crabs or places to get a cheap eat, or eating my way through five counties for our upcoming
50 Best Restaurants cover (stay tuned), I’ve made endless trips to the table.

From kale pizza at
Hersh’s to Maryland crab soup at The Milton Inn, much of what I ate this year was very good—but several dishes were just great. Here are a few of the highlights:

Beer-Steamed Manila clams at Pen & Quill with garlic, shallots, and butter, above. Hands down, the best thing I’ve ingested all year. I’ll leave it at this: If I could have eaten the shells, I would. #fastestdisappearingactever

Scottish salmon at Charleston: After the first bite, this artfully arranged dish was no longer too pretty to eat, and I dove in with abandon. Salmon plus onions. Onions, egg yolk, and salmon. Each bite was perfect on its own or in harmony.

Lobster mac-and-cheese at The Highland Inn: Ordinarily, it seems a waste to bury lobster beneath a layer of cheese, but this satisfying dish—with huge chunks of sweet lobster meat, penne pasta, and a thick crust—was a true comfort food treat. On a rainy day, I sat at the bar alone and didn’t share with a soul. This is my definition of contentment.

Bon Burger at Le Garage with caramelized onions and Bucheron: With so many great burgers in town, it’s hard to pick just one, but this well-executed iteration was the standout.

Burrata at Parts & Labor: Burrata was the cheese of the moment this year. Caputo Bros. handcrafted version served at P & L stole the show. The I.P.A. was a great compliment, too.

Charcuterie at Cinghiale: Charcuterie is all the rage, but Cinghiale gets it just right with thin slivers of speck and mortadella. I left it to the chef to bring a selection—and it did not disappoint, especially since I washed it all down with a half-price bottle of wine on a Tuesday night.

Age tofu at Azumi: Truth be told, it’s hard to coax tofu into anything memorable, but Azumi’s bowl of hot, silken age tofu in tentsuyu broth has left me wanting more.

Ceviche Clasico at Puerto 511: Two words for chef Jose Victorio’s ceviche bathed in “leche de tigre,” with cilantro, red onion, sweet potato, and Andean corn: fish bliss.

Charred octopus at Aggio: Top Chef Bryan Voltaggio’s take on this ubiquitous menu item—in this version perfumed with lemon oil, nestled on a bed of fregola, and paired with a smoked raisin compote—was the best cephalopod mollusk in the sea.

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Bookmakers Cocktail Club and Le Garage Get New Chefs

Jane Marion — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 07:00:00 +0000

In the never-ending game of culinary musical chairs, chef Sarah Acconcia of Hampden’s Le Garage Beer Bar & Frites has parked herself at Bookmakers Cocktail Club. Acconcia has been charged with revamping the menu of the six-week old Federal Hill restaurant.

Acconcia (an alum of Maggie’s Farm, 13.5, and Woodberry Kitchen) replaces chef Chris Amendola, who left Fleet Street Kitchen in June to take over the cooking duties at Bookmakers. (He tells us, “Unfortunately, it just didn’t work out for both sides.”)

For her part, Acconcia is thrilled with the new gig. “I’m excited to do some awesome, approachable food at Bookies,” she says, “Good, fun bar food that will pair well with their awesome cocktails.”

When pressed about why she left Le Garage, Acconcia simply says, “I just couldn’t pass up a great offer, and I valued my time at Le Garage.”

Meanwhile, The Wine Market’s Kevin Christian will step behind the stove at Le Garage, but will also do double time at The Wine Market as director of menu development.

All we can say with certainty is that the beloved frites at Le Garage Beer Bar & Frites will stay put!

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Review: Le Garage Beer Bar & Frites

Jess Mayhugh — Tue, 07 Oct 2014 10:00:00 +0000

In America, the garage is a place where anything goes and ingenuity and experimentation can flourish freely. (To wit: A young Steve Jobs tinkering in his parents’ Silicon Valley shed.) In Hampden, Le Garage Beer Bar & Frites (actually, more of a subterranean space than a garage) is where French food has been retooled for the 21st century. With its novel take on a cuisine often associated with pricey pâtés, complicated sauces, and intimidating plates, Le Garage (on the site of the former The Dogwood restaurant) is the perfect fit for working-class Hampden, billing itself as featuring “approachable” French fare in an understated industrial setting.

When we stopped by Le Garage on a Saturday night, six weeks or so after it opened its doors in May, our intention was to throw back a few pints of beer or a Family Mule cocktail, order a few bar snacks (the chicken-fried country pâté had our full attention), and come back with the more serious purpose of crafting critical commentary at a later date. (We’ll let you in on our trade secret: Most times, our policy is to give a restaurant several months to establish itself before writing a review.)

But as the food came out of the kitchen, we realized that this place had the potential to be great right out of the gate, so we settled into our quintessential French garden cafe chairs and, steno pad and pen in hand, took notes.

Even if you think you don’t like French food, this menu, with open-faced tartines (sandwiches), an onion soup made with braised short-rib stock, and more substantial entrees such as a grilled sausage bourguignon with fingerling potatoes or an indulgent Roseda Black Angus Farm burger with foie gras butter, will have you eagerly crossing culinary borders in no time.

Le Garage’s executive chef Sarah Acconcia, on The Avenue again after leaving 13.5% Wine Bar for Maggie’s Farm in Lauraville, puts a spin on blue-white-and-red flag favorites. We started with a small but satisfying plate of boucheron, an intensely tangy wedge of the classic goat cheese, served with a compote of raisins and cranberries, and toasted brioche rounds. At $6, the cheese, which can also be ordered as a dessert course, was unfussy, differentiating Le Garage from many other French spots where ordering the cheese plate can feel like an overwrought ordeal.

While there are some solid staples, the changing menu also features seasonal fare. On our visit, it was a creamy, chilled asparagus soup, a combination of chives and crème frâiche highlighting the flavors of the fresh Eastern Shore asparagus. Less to our liking was a tartine advertised as containing bacon, tomato jam, and egg on a brioche. Instead, we received a thick slice of buttery brioche featuring a fatty hunk of braised bacon beneath a fried egg. We were expecting the same crisp bacon featured on the burgers passing by, so we weren’t prepared for the pork-belly-style cut of meat, which we found overwhelmingly fatty and too rich as an appetizer.

Our main courses were more successful, including a salad niçoise. We liked that some of the salad components were classic, such as niçoise olives and fingerling potatoes, while other elements—like the chunks of sushi-grade tuna, snap peas (a stand-in for haricots verts), and ramp dressing—offered a fresh take on tradition. The pan-seared soft-shell crab special served on house brioche with green goddess and ramp kimchi and a fried-green tomato was fantastically fresh, and the brioche “bed” was an original addition. (We also experienced ordering envy as we watched the steak salad with arugula, watermelon, and blue cheese go by and made a mental note to get that next time.) Of course, we had to try the namesake fries, paying 75 cents extra to sample an additional sauce. Our favorite was the gochujang aioli with its kicky chile paste marrying well with the blander spud sticks.

Several weeks later, a weeknight visit was equally pleasant as we settled into sharing a pot of P.E.I. mussels swimming in a white wine and buttery broth confidently flavored with chorizo sausage and fennel, plus fries on the side. Also arriving at the table, was a hearty stroganoff-style homemade pasta, offering an earthy blend of crème frâiche, exotic mushrooms (oyster, royal trumpet), some shallots, garlic, white wine, pieces of pecan, and serious shavings of grana Padano. The dish was a great choice for the avowed vegetarian at our table.

On both visits, desserts prepared by Rachel Theisen, a former Woodberry Kitchen cook, were a menu highlight. The s’mores profiteroles with gooey marshmallow and rich chocolate sauce were dense and delicious, while the croissant bread pudding with Taharka Bros. cinnamon ice cream, served in a cast-iron skillet, stole the show. Le Garage is the perfect fit for its Hampden ’hood—a culinary Silicon Valley of sorts where we fully expect to see more great discoveries coming out of the kitchen.

LE GARAGE BEER BAR & FRITES 911 W. 36 th St. 410-243-6300.
HOURS Sun.-Thurs. 5 p.m.-12 a.m.; Fri.-Sat. 5 p.m.-1 a.m.; closed Mondays.
CUISINE Modern French bistro
PRICE Snacks and appetizers: $3-12; entrees: $17-24; desserts: $3-8.
ATMOSPHERE Cozy, cloistered industrial bistro, with a stunning bar area.

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Chicken Dinner in Hampden

Jess Mayhugh — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 12:30:00 +0000

When chefs and farmers join forces, everyone wins—especially the diner.

This Sunday, Aug. 17, chef Sarah Acconcia of Le Garage: Beer Bar & Frites is organizing Winner Winner Chicken Dinner, a three-course meal promoting local poultry and eggs. Each of the three courses will feature either chicken or eggs from Andy’s Eggs and Poultry, a small free-range chicken farm based out of Fallston.

“I’ve been working with Andy for a couple of years now as my purveyor for chicken and eggs,” says Accconcia. “He does a couple of local markets and we’re looking to introduce more people to him and his products.”

Andy Bachman, the farm’s owner, raises his chickens in a much more sustainable and ethical way than large factory farms. Andy pays close attention to what his chickens eat, the environment that they’re raised in and even the way they’re slaughtered, which give his chickens a markedly different flavor profile.

“Any chicken you buy at the grocery store—frozen or not—has been frozen at least once,” says Acconcia. “Freezing changes the texture of the meat. The chickens Andy bring me are fresh killed. I feel better being able to control at least one product and exactly where it comes from and how it was raised.”

Acconcia’s menu combines Southern cooking and French cuisine in new and interesting ways.

The first course is a salad of haricots verts and a chicken-liver vinaigrette, which she says will be both savory and buttery without the typical iron flavor associated with liver (again, due to the way Andy raises his chickens).

The second course is one of Acconcia’s specialties—confit fried chicken, in which she first brines the chicken in Baltimore-based Union Craft Brewing beer, and then confits the chicken in duck fat until it’s time to fry.

“I started doing confit fried chicken about a month ago as a special and it took off,” explailns Acconcia. “We’ve had people come in who were upset that we don’t have it regularly.”

The third and final course featured will be a crème brûlée featuring peaches and a simple vanilla flavor to help bring out the flavor of the egg yolks in the custard.

Bon Apétit!

Sarah Acconcia’s Juniper Berry Brine

Chef Sarah Acconcia has one piece of advice for any home cooks looking to improve the flavor of their chicken: brining.

“Many people overlook this step. It does require dinner preparation to be planned the night before, which might be a hassle for some, but it makes a huge difference in the flavor and the texture of the chicken.”

Herewith, her recipe and brining technique tips for the perfect way to celebrate the last days of summer.

1 teaspoon juniper berries
8 cups water
1/2 cup kosher salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
4 bay leaves

Toast the juniper berries over medium heat in a dry sauté pan. As they toast, they will turn shiny and become very fragrant.

In a large non-reactive container, combine all ingredients. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Let cool completely before submerging the chicken.

Brine the chicken for about an hour per pound. You can leave it in the brine for up to 12 hours, but remember that the longer you leave it in the brine, the saltier it will be!

Note: This brine is great with other birds too, like quail or pheasant. Just be sure to adjust the time based on the size of your bird.

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Video: How to Make Le Garage’s Frites and Sauces

Jess Mayhugh — Fri, 25 Jul 2014 10:00:00 +0000

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Father’s Day Specials

Jess Mayhugh — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 00:00:00 +0000

With Father’s Day right around the corner, it’s a fact that a man’s love of food is ingrained in his DNA, so why not go out and treat your dad to some great food. Here are some restaurants that are sure to please him on his special day.

The Fogo de Chão Brazilian Steakhouse will be offering 16 different cuts of meats and authentic Brazilian side dishes for $51.50 per person. What’s even better is that dads who come in on Father’s day will receive a Father’s Day Card, which is good for a complimentary lunch or dinner on their next visit. It just so happens that the 2014 World Cup, which begins on June 12, is being held in Brazil, so it’s the perfect time for the family to indulge in Brazilian cuisine. Restaurant hours: 11:30 a.m.-9:00 p.m. Reservations: (410) 528-9292 or online.

Watch the World Cup at the James Joyce Irish Pub & Restaurant. This restaurant offers quality comfort food at a decent price. It’s the perfect place for dads to sit back, throw a couple back, and enjoy a hearty meal. Restaurant hours: 10-2 a.m. Reservations: (410) 727-5107 or online.

Ten Ten American Bistro is a great place to bring your dad for brunch. Enjoy Ten Ten’s three-course Father’s Day Brunch for $29 per person. The Father’s Day brunch menu features steak and eggs, huevos rancheros, bottomless Bloody Marys, and much more. Brunch is served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Reservations: (410) 244-6867 or online.

If dad is in the mood for French cuisine, Le Garage Beer Bar & Frites is the place to go. Opened in April, Le Garage prides itself on being “approachable French cuisine.” For Father’s Day, Le Garage is offering a three-course, prix fixe menu for $36. The regular menu will also be available a la carte along with a selection of 14 hand-selected draft beers. Le Garage will also be selling its growlers at 20 percent off. Restaurant hours: 5 p.m.-midnight. Reservations: (410) 243-6300 or online.

It’s a holiday so why not make a day of it? Bring dad and the family down to beautiful Annapolis and enjoy an affordable meal at the Annapolis Smokehouse. The brunch menu includes $3 mimosas and Bloody Marys and an array of a la carte options. If you’re coming for dinner, grab the New York strip steak. Restaurant hours: 10 a.m.-midnight. Reservations: (410) 571-5073 or online.

Cunningham’s is sure to please dad’s appetite. This Towson gem is offering a three-course, prix fixe Father’s Day brunch for $30. The brunch menu includes items such as steak frites or its Creekstone Farms burger. Brunch will be served from 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Dinner will be served from 5-9 p.m. Reservations: (410) 339-7730 or online.

Fleet Street Kitchen is serving a three-course Father’s Day Brunch for $42 per person. The Father’s Day brunch menu includes dishes such as seared sea scallops or shrimp and grits. Dessert options include a lemon-curd tart and frozen carrot cake parfait. Brunch is served from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Reservations: (410) 244-5830 or online.

Cafe Troia provides authentic and innovative Italian cooking. Dads will love it. With dinner, all bottles of wine under $140 are half price. Dads can enjoy Cafe Troia’s fish of the day or homemade ravioli specials. Restaurant hours: 5-9 p.m. Reservations: (410) 337-0133 or online.

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Le Garage Opens Its Doors

Jane Marion — Tue, 13 May 2014 17:10:00 +0000

Le Garage Beer Bar & Frites is the newest spot to open in hipster Hampden. The restaurant bills itself as featuring “approachable French cuisine” (none of that snooty stuff). Look for the savory frites with creative dipping sauces, tartines with house-made chorizo, brie and figs, and a novel list of draft beers with a focus on French, Belgian, and local craft breweries. We also plan on saying “oui” to the advertised cheese course. (Fresh local goat ricotta with chestnut honey has our full attention.)

—Photo courtesy of Le Garage

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Le Garage Debuts Tomorrow

Jess Mayhugh — Thu, 24 Apr 2014 15:10:00 +0000

No need to book a plane to Paris if you want French food—Le
Garage Beer Bar & Frites is opening in Hampden on Friday, April 25.

Le Garage features gourmet pommes frites with
a wide variety of dipping sauces, like green goddess dressing and Old Bay
ketchup. A small frites shop at
the front of the restaurant will have frites and dips for the diner on the go.

But that’s not the only item on the restaurant’s menu. Le Garage is also serving up an
assortment of French meals and peasant dishes for guests to enjoy, like
mussels, escargot, rabbit, and duck.

Chef Sarah Acconcia has described the fare as approachable
and affordable, and as a side of French dining that many people have never
experienced.

The bar includes 14 different draft beers from France, Belgium,
and the local area. There is also an all-French list of wines, like La Croix
Belle Chardonnay 2012 and Anne de Joyeuse Malbec 2012.

Le Garage opens at 5 p.m. daily.

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The old Dogwood will be Le Garage

Jess Mayhugh — Mon, 20 Jan 2014 14:00:00 +0000

The vacated Dogwood on The Avenue in Hampden will soon be Le Garage
Beer Bar & Frites with chef Sarah Acconcia in the kitchen. Wine
Market Bistro owner Chris Spann is involved, too, as a consultant.

The
restaurant, which will offer “approachable French cuisine,” is set to
open in early April. The menu will include savory frites with a variety
of dipping sauces—including Old Bay ketchup, bacon horseradish, and
rosemary garlic—as well as entrees in the $16-21 price range and other
dishes.

Most recently, Sarah was a sous chef at Maggie’s Farm in
Lauraville. Previously, she created an assortment of impressive small
plates at 13.5% Wine Bar, up the street from the new restaurant.

Le
Garage, in the lower level of the space, will have an 18-seat bar with
high-top tables, along with a 60-seat dining area. The upper room,
fronting 36th Street, will house a small Belgian-style frites shop.

The
restaurant’s menu will also include 14 hand-selected drafts focusing on
Belgian, French, and local craft breweries, as well as wine offerings.
The beverage program will be handled by Brendan Kirlin, a partner on the
project who will also run the front of the house. He’s a former beer
buyer at the Wine Market.

The restaurant will be located at 911 W. 36th Street.

Hampden is certainly becoming a restaurant hub!

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