The power is not out at The Coral Wig. We know because music is emanating from the speakers that are…somewhere. We can’t see them, or much of anything else, not that it really matters.

While this might be one of Baltimore’s darkest bars, The Coral Wig is a beacon.

First, about that music. It’s not every day you’re greeted in a bar by a rousing rendition of “Ave Maria” on the sound system. In creating the concept for this stylish bar, located in Mt. Vernon’s Ulysses hotel, Lane Harlan and her musician husband, Matthew Pierce, were inspired by the clubs of 1980s-era Manila, close to where Harlan was born. As in their other establishments—Clavel, W.C. Harlan, and Fadensonnen—the drinks are first-rate and the vibe is all their own.

When we walked through the alley entrance into the bar on a sunny afternoon in August, it took a few minutes for our eyes to adjust. Candles dot the few tables, but drinkers of a certain age (ours) might have to use their phones to illuminate the menu. A black walnut bar and amber stained-glass windows accentuate the aesthetic.

The name comes from a piece of music that Pierce wrote based on an experience he had snorkeling in the Caribbean with Harlan. A school of squid stopped in front of his wife, and her long hair was floating around her, almost like a coral wig.

A fascinating lineup of cocktails, highlighted by a margarita unlike any other we’ve tried, makes drinking in the dark a joy. The Banana Hammock, made with Cimarron tequila blanco, banana, lime, MSG, and lined with Himalayan salt, is a tropical delight. The Painkiller is a clever combo of rhum agricole (a style of rum made from squeezed sugarcane juice) with Sichuan peppercorn, pineapple and orange, coconut cream, and nutmeg. It’s subtle at first but be forewarned: Drink two and you’ll understand its name. The Pink Snapper is the cutest-looking drink of the bunch. Combining Rhum Barbancourt with strawberry, lime, and Sansho peppercorn, it’s one of the sweetest drinks on the menu, but it’s not overpowering or off-putting.

The Coral Wig is not a beer bar, but beer—light or dark are the two choices—is available, along with a few wines. The most interesting part of the menu might be the “suggested spirits,” which include Haitian clairin (a sugarcane spirit), Caribbean cask Scotch from the U.K., and selections from Martinique, Jamaica, Brazil, and Guyana.

Fostering a sense of adventure, in some ways the place exerts a literary vibe. Among the patrons there when we visited was a person reading from a hardcover book (must be the young eyes), and another writing in a notebook, using an actual ink pen. The primary reason for patrons to whip out their phones was the flashlight function.

As we finished our last round, a beautiful Maria Callas aria filled the room. Walking outside into the late happy-hour sunshine, we could see the light.

There’s a moment at Ash Bar—6 p.m., to be exact—when the lights are dimmed so low, it takes a minute for your eyes to adjust. And once they do, you’ll feel like you’ve fallen through the looking glass, a place where time stands still, and the outside world falls away. In reality, the setting signals the transition from aperitivo hour to dinner service in Mt. Vernon. It’s a seductive statement of sorts.

This all-day cafe, set inside the hip new hotel Ulysses, has a flair for drama, with its high-gloss burled ceiling and walls, red banquettes embroidered with birds and snakes, and purple velvet-clad rattan chairs, made by iconic French furniture artisan Maison Drucker, whose chaise lounges went down with the Titanic. In other words, this is not just any hotel restaurant—or hotel, for that matter.

From the second you step onto the lobby’s mosaic floors, equipped with old-world newspaper racks, Victorian loveseats, and moody Italian paintings, the whole establishment is suffused with personality and panache. And if you look around at Ash, everyone is in on it, from the well-heeled guests hobnobbing around the cocktail tables to the quirky staff. It’s the kind of place where you wouldn’t be surprised to see our own celebrity auteur, John Waters—a major source of inspiration for Ulysses—sipping something at a table.

The Ash NYC hoteliers who purchased the place (and have a soft spot for soulful, smaller cities like Baltimore), have a fondness for scene setting. The conceit is that you’re sitting in the dining car of a steam train or a luxury ocean liner—a place where Waldorf salads and shrimp cocktails were once ubiquitous on menus and martinis and Kir Royales flowed.

Even so, style is nothing without substance, or in this case, sustenance—and there’s plenty to pick from here. Most of the offerings on the concise menu lean toward vintage-inspired fare heavily rooted in French and Italian cooking. The menu mission, says the aptly named head of culinary arts Lauren Sandler (former preservation director for chef Spike Gjerde’s Canningshed) is “to create food that encourages languor.”

“The servers joke that time doesn’t exist at Ash Bar,” says Sandler. “It’s like this weird portal to another world.”

Another world with good food, that is.

As is the norm now, the offerings change frequently, but there are also a few signature standards, including one of the best Caesar salads in the city. This one features sweet Little Gem greens—the perfect vehicle for the classic dressing, which is brightened by the addition of orange zest. The salad is also scattered with clever croutons that get extra depth from being fried in anchovy coloratura.

In an era of trendy takes on steak tartare, Ash Bar’s presentation is classic, though it does showcase hand-chopped Wagyu beef instead of the usual sirloin. There are only a handful of ingredients—chopped shallots, capers, egg yolk, Worcestershire sauce, a final sprinkle of chives—allowing the buttery flavor of the minced meat to shine through. The delectable house-made rosemary potato chips served as an accompaniment for dipping are also available to order on their own (and every meal should include at least one round).

On one of our visits, we also enjoyed the 24-hour pressed potatoes. (Think: slightly oversized, upscale tater tots, fried to a crisp in duck fat, then topped with crème fraîche and a dollop of trout roe.) Also on the fried side, the broccolini fritti, presented on a doily, felt like a celebratory snack—six or so stalks lightly battered, then coated with high-quality Parmigiano Reggiano. We ate it with our fingers (anything goes when the lights are this low) and double-dipped each bite in a kicky Calabrian chile aioli.

In addition to the appetizers, there’s a featured soup—roasted honeynut squash on one visit, lobster bisque on another—and a variety of entrees with something for everyone, including a vegetarian offering and a rotating pasta dish that can be
ordered as a starter or main.

One of our favorite dishes in January was the vegetarian mushroom pie, packed with parsnips, carrots, and fennel, all swimming in mushroom gravy, nestled inside a crumbly quiche-like crust, and crowned with a decadent potato purée. We also enjoyed a piece of local rockfish. It was served seared and sitting on a bed of pearl couscous studded with olives, capers, artichokes, and sundried tomatoes—the tapenade mix added tons of texture and complexity.

And if it’s on the menu, even if it sounds ordinary, don’t miss the chicken and rice. There’s a reason this is one of the world’s greatest culinary combinations, especially at Ash. Here, a quarter chicken breast is pan-roasted and beautifully crisped, then drizzled with a rich chicken jus that takes three days to prepare. It’s served with sautéed spinach and a fluffy and flavorful pilaf that soaks up the sauce. It’s comfort food that still feels elegant to eat.

On each visit, there were a few missteps in service: a slow table clearing here, a late entree there. But ultimately none of that matters much once you’ve entered a suspended state inside this extravagant Xanadu.

Ash Bar’s food more than meets the mood. While the lighting might be dim, the restaurant is a bright light—and a welcome addition to Charm City’s creative culinary scene.

ASH BAR 2 E. Read St. HOURS: Sun.-Sat. 7 a.m. -10 p.m. PRICES: Appetizers: $7-26; entrees: $24- 38; dessert: $6-13. AMBIANCE: Whimsical.