A tattoo-friendly wine bar
Former "Top Chef" contestant Jesse Sandlin and Rosina Gourmet owner Jim Lancaster are teaming up with a new restaurant on the edge of Harbor East and Little Italy.
Vino Rosina will be upscale sandwich place by day, wine bar by night. Lancaster will be owner. Sandlin, executive chef.
The restaurant will seat 70. It is expected to open in mid-May in the Bagby Furniture Building at Fleet and South Exeter streets, across from Whole Foods.
At lunchtime, the restaurant will offer Rosina Gourmet sandwiches as well as flatbreads, salads and a small bar menu, Sandlin told me. The flatbreads and bar menu also will be available in the evening, along with a selection of raw plates -- carpaccio, ceviche, that sort of thing. There will be a lot of small plates designed to be paired with a glass of wine, like olives or charcuterie, plus a "killer cheese selection."
Sandlin hopes to source much of her food locally. She has already hooked up with Gunpowder Bison, is looking into buying beef from a farm near Monkton, and plans to use Maryland-farmed Marvesta Shrimp. She'll be shopping at the Baltimore Farmers' Market.
But Sandlin said the food will not be strictly local. That cheese selection, for instance, will come from American, Italian, French and Spanish cheese makers.
"We're definitely not Woodberry Kitchen," she said.Sandlin also said the restaurant will not be a coat-and-tie kind of place.
"A person like myself, who has all these ridiculous tattoos, I should be able to come eat at the restaurant where I work at and not feel uncomfortable," she said. "It will be focused on the quality of food, quality of wine, quality of service, but in a fun, casual atmosphere."
Before this venture, Sandlin had worked most recently as a line cook at Cinghiale. Her last day there was Saturday. Joining her at the new restaurant are two other former Charleston Restaurant Group employees. Olivia Boru, a former sommelier at Charleston, will be beverage manager. Tiffany Haleamau, an assistant manager at Cinghiale, will be general manager.
Bravo photo
Comments
Good food plus a laid-back atmosphere sounds like a winner to me!
Posted by: baltimoregal | April 26, 2010 5:47 PM
Ditto. I'm always looking for places like that.
Posted by: Owl Meat Gravy | April 26, 2010 5:52 PM
Not me, I'm looking for staid places with dress codes. Oh if only the Baltimore Country Club and the Maryland Club would have me.
Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | April 26, 2010 10:42 PM
Pop a collar, preppie. I will destroy you in the mosh pit!
Posted by: Owl Meat GnosticPit | April 26, 2010 11:24 PM
Possibly the reason RoCK is not in the Maryland Club is because the few times we have been guests there, I brought plastic lined bags to make off with their FRESH hearts of palm!
Posted by: Colonel Tamar | April 27, 2010 2:28 AM
Sounds like a great place. I wonder what Jill Snyder's doing these days?
Posted by: renfield1969 | April 27, 2010 9:50 AM
Abercrombie (sp?) was unreal when she was there - I can't wait for this to open.
Posted by: Michael S | April 27, 2010 9:51 AM
I hope that they have some quality beer, too.
Posted by: Mitch | April 27, 2010 10:20 AM
Food? Meh. Wine? Rock!
Posted by: Sam "liquid dinner" Sessa | April 27, 2010 11:37 AM
RoCK: You must not be conservative enough. Might I suggest boat shoes, a striped tie and some sort of sailing hat?
renfield: Jill is at Woodberry, or at least was as of early March when I was there.
Good luck to Jesse. Getting anything off the ground right now is harder than hell.
Posted by: ChefJoker | April 28, 2010 9:51 PM
RoCK has all those accessories and more.
Posted by: Colonel Tamar | April 29, 2010 12:31 AM
Hey Jess a blast from your past(the d zone). Much luck and congrats. Kyle and I will be out to see the news place!!!
Posted by: Shelly Goeb | May 8, 2010 10:23 PM
Jesse....F A N T A S T I C....
sounds like your kind of place and mine too. Wine, cheese, olives and topas like goodies.
Am I in Paris or Baltimore ? As lon as Jesse is the Chef, I'm there.
Posted by: Bob Rudderow | May 17, 2010 3:16 PM
Jesse....F A N T A S T I C....
sounds like your kind of place and mine too. Wine, cheese, olives and topas like goodies.
Am I in Paris or Baltimore ? As lon as Jesse is the Chef, I'm there.
Posted by: Bob Rudderow | May 17, 2010 3:18 PM
Jesse, I am soooo proud of you.
Posted by: Aunt Sherry | July 1, 2010 2:23 PM
Definitely also shows how times have changed and people are more accepting of people with tats compared to even 15 years ago.
Posted by: Khmer Tattoo Designs | September 6, 2010 6:54 AM
Except for an older relative of ours who once stopped a young lady on the boardwalk to say, "Dear, it isn't pretty."
Posted by: Dahlink | September 6, 2010 12:15 PM