For a while the new owners were calling it simply the Bar. But they came to their senses, and the Owl Bar in the Belvedere -- which has so much history for so many people -- is once again the Owl Bar.
Pauli Santi, Thomas Stuehler and Aristotle Stroumbis also have made sure the bar-restaurant looks much the same as it did in its heyday: the leaded stained glass panels with the owl motif, the brick walls and handsome oak bar, high ceilings and carved wood. (Before they took over, it had become the Taos Cafe, with a Southwestern decor and Tex-Mex food. It didn't last long.)
People love the new Owl Bar. At least the night we were there, the place was jam-packed. The most noticeable change is one everyone should approve of: There's an elaborate raw bar to one side, with a man shucking oysters and clams.
The Owl Bar is an offshoot of Champagne Tony's, which moved from Light Street into the formal dining room next door where the John Eager Howard Room used to be. The food in the bar is casual, inventive and Italian-influenced, such as various gourmet pizzas from the wood-burning oven. (Some of it is a little too inventive for my taste, like the Peking pizza, with "crispy Peking duck," scallions and hoisin sauce on a honey whole wheat crust.) There are a few more elaborate entrees, but most of the menu is taken up with informal food.
The wood-burning oven also produces baked oysters, baked clams and a lamb dish. Those oysters were large and plump, baked on the half shell with lots of melted butter, garlic and
shallots. Balsamic vinegar gave them a pleasant tang. And they'd do quite well as a light meal -- a little Euromix salad appeared on the side.
For something more substantial, try the warm, smoke- flavored shredded lamb with bits of tomato. It's placed on a bed of garlicky bean salad with lots of Parmesan cheese and more greens.
Start your meal with the comforting but elegant pasta e fagioli soup, intensely flavorful and addictively good, with beans, pasta and cheese. Or the spedini a la Romano. The cheese sandwich is crisply fried and the melted mozzarella oozes out when you cut it. If all that isn't decadent enough, it's served with a rich brown butter sauce flavored with anchovies.
With dinner comes an individual loaf of foccaccia (it would have been better if it hadn't been stone cold), but the mixed greens house salad with Belgian endive is extra.
Finish with a feather-light sponge cake rolled around strawberries and whipped cream, with strawberry puree and kiwi slices on the side. I loved it, but if you need calories and chocolate, go for the ruinous chocolate mousse pie with a pecan nut crust.
Owl Bar
Where: The Belvedere, Chase and North Charles streets
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-2 a.m.
Credit cards accepted: Major credit cards
Features: Casual fare
Non-smoking section? Yes
Call: (410) 347-0888
Prices: $4-$18
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