Donna's at the BMA, 10 Art Museum Drive, (410) 467-3600. Major credit cards. Open Sundays to Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. No smoking. Prices: appetizers, $4.50-$7.95; entrees, $9.95-$19.95. ***
It doesn't seem a coincidence that Donna's at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the BMA's New Wing for Modern Art opened almost in tandem.
The latest in the successful string of restaurants owned by Donna Crivello and her partner, Alan Hirsch, fits perfectly into the art scene, both with its trendy Italian menu and extensively refurbished setting. I can imagine well-heeled ladies and students in black sitting side by side, discussing the latest Warhol acquisitions over fettuccine and farfalle.
When one looks around the room, and out the windows to the sculptures barely visible in the garden at night, it's hard not to be struck by the spare drama of this place. Dining as art, as it were.
Fat columns are encased in galvanized steel, and panels of perforated metal float overhead. Thin black arcs separate tables of two against one wall, the curves echoed in a lighted wall partition of polished wood. Canvas is not stretched and painted; it's hung in rectangles and spotlighted.
The restaurant has been open since mid-September, serving lunch and dinner all week, along with Sunday brunch. Mr. Hirsch says it has been busy from the start. There's good reason for that. Donna's is something of a phenomenon in Baltimore, its outposts multiplying at a surprisingly fast pace.
Chef Andy Thomas, who most recently worked at Citronelle, follows the golden formula of Donna's Mount Vernon restaurant: creating interesting dishes and inventive combinations at prices that don't make you wince.
Take the crab and leek tartlet appetizer, for instance. Imagine the best part of a jumbo crab cake encased in the barest pastry shell. Now picture it set off by a swirl of cream and a drizzle of piquant red pepper sauce. Tartar sauce will just never be good enough again.
Similarly, bow-tie pasta with fat strips of prosciutto and slivers of sun-dried tomato was wonderful, tossed with herbed oil and cheese. It was the sharp bite of fresh arugula, though, that elevated this entree to something special.
The risotto is offered as an appetizer, but I could have made a meal of it, paired with Donna's trademark salad of roasted vegetables. The arborio rice had just the right bite, the portobello mushrooms lent just the right velvety depth.
Other dishes need more tinkering. Like some modern art that I find both striking and puzzling, some combinations left me wondering what had gone wrong, the gustatory equivalent of "Am I missing something?" Those dishes sounded better than they tasted.
The pumpkin and sweet potato soup, swirled with melted butter, was so rich and sweet, it was like sipping hot pumpkin pie. I liked the pairing of veal shank with white bean puree for a reinterpretation of the classic osso buco, but the veal was dry. It might have helped to dip the meat into the smoky broth that rimmed the plate but there just wasn't enough of it.
The sauteed breast of duck with grilled red grapefruit and lentils sounded like a winner and it was highly recommended by our waiter. The slices of duck were cooked perfectly, tender and pink in the middle with a dark sliver of skin on top. But, between the robust flavor of the lentils and the acidity of the fruit, the delicacy of the dish was muddled.
Minor adjustments to the menu will no doubt be worked out in time. For its part, the staff was friendly and in sync. It seemed as if they had worked together for a lot longer than six weeks.
Regulars at Donna's know to leave room for dessert, whether the crisp, simple biscotti or orange-spiked Italian cassata cake, covered in smooth chocolate ganache. Leave a lot of room if you plan on ordering the bread pudding, served in a huge bowl filled with cream (turn the pudding over if you like the custard part best).
I might be the only person in town who's not a fan of Donna's tiramisu, a thin layer of espresso-soaked spongecake topped by a thick layer of whipped cream, but then I'm partial to parfaitlike versions with more mascarpone cheese.
If you've misjudged your appetite, order a coffee or linger over your wine. The restaurant has a nice selection of American, Italian and French vintages, although there's more to choose from in the higher-priced categories.
Eating at a museum used to mean one thing -- convenient cafeteria-style food. These days, more museums are featuring elegant cafes that are worth seeking out on their own merits. Donna's at the BMA falls into that category. It's a stylish addition to Baltimore's dining scene.
Next: Stone Manor