Dining for $25 or less: George's

More punch and pizazz are needed to wake up hotel restaurant where subtlety is king

By Karen Nitkin | Special to the Sun

May 15, 2008

George's, situated in the gorgeous Peabody Court Hotel, has one of Baltimore's best addresses, in Mount Vernon Square and within walking distance of the city's best-known cultural attractions. The historic hotel does justice to the location, practically purring with old-world charm, from its wood floors to its royal-purple walls and the stunning chandelier in the lobby.

"Quiet elegance" are the key words of the hotel and its restaurant. The restaurant staff is attentive, but practically tiptoes across the floors, and leans in to take your order, speaking in close to a whisper in an apparent attempt to keep the room's ambient noise level as low as possible.

Little touches go a long way. As soon as you sit down, a basket of warm sliced bread will appear, wrapped in a napkin that mimics the color of the walls.

Yet, all that subtlety might go a little too far. Few items on the well-edited menu (there are just nine entrees) exhibit particular creativity or elicit unbridled enthusiasm. In fact, the only "fun" item is a crabby mac and cheese ($8). Everything else is so serious, it's almost somber. And some dishes, such as the crab cake, are downright disappointing.

The restaurant has the right idea in creating a menu that highlights Baltimore's most famous crustacean in crab cakes, dips and entrees like seafood Chesapeake ($25), a pasta dish of shrimp, crab and mussels in a light cream sauce.

Yet we found the crab dishes some of the weakest on the menu. A hotel restaurant like George's, sure to host out-of-towners, ought to put its best work forward with an absolutely out-of-this-world crab cake. Yet the one we were served (as part of a $30 steak and crab cake dish), though pretty to look at, had far too much filler and no large crab lumps at all.

The tender petit filet on the same plate, in a rich demi-glace, was by far the better half of the meal. Rounding out the entree was a mound of gently sauteed spinach, heavily flavored with garlic and salt. Some might complain that it was overseasoned, but I found the jolts of flavor welcome.

The spinach also accompanied an entree of cedar-planked salmon ($19), which featured intensely moist fish subtly flavored with orange. The salmon arrived wrapped inside the wood plank, as part of a pretty-to-look-at plate that also included two triangles of herbed polenta and a plush sprig of rosemary. Unfortunately, the polenta was better to look at than to eat - it was greasy and bland.

Appetizers - trendily referenced on the menu as "small plates" - offered many seafood choices, including, of course, crab dip ($12), as well as shrimp scampi ($11), tossed with sun-dried tomatoes and served with bread instead of the usual pasta.

We liked the seafood martini ($13), a combo of cold shrimp and small crab lumps, crab gently seasoned with a light, sesame-infused dressing. Instead of sitting on a base of corn, black beans and tomato, as promised on the menu, the shrimp and crab sat on something closer to a rough salsa of corn, cilantro and red onion. I would have liked to have known about this change in advance.

The spinach artichoke dip ($10) was the only item to arrive at our table with a less-than-pristine presentation. The dip had slopped over the side of the small ceramic crock, landing on the slices of bread served alongside. Just as well, since this was our least favorite dish, with too much cream and not enough veggies.

Desserts at George's follow the expected path of quiet elegance and include creme brulee and a berry tart ($6 each). The berry tart was by far the better choice, filled with intense raspberry flavor. The creme brulee was so subtle the crust didn't even crackle.