(Credit: Kelly Christ)
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Owner Kurt Bragunier admits to being "a fan, not a scholar" of the poet, whose memory seems to have cursed our football team this season. "I love the dark side of Poe. I appreciate him on an artistic level," says Bragunier, who denies romantic entanglements with teenage cousins, but admits that seven years' experience as general manager of The Brewer’s Art helped launch what he hopes is the next best neighborhood corner bar.
Food: Hailing from Lulu’s, Mark Littleton headlines as chef and offers the specialty beef tenderloin "Poe" Boy sandwich served with brown sugar and Cajun spice sweet potato fries. The baked Brie, encrusted with brown sugar and pecans, is almost as good a dessert as the Edgar Allan Pate—a tri-color creation featuring milk, dark and white chocolates served with a raspberry coulis sauce. For dinner, try the roasted orange roughy tacos with house made pico de gallo and rice. While Littleton keeps things original in the kitchen, Bragunier shops around for unique dinnerware. No one dish is the same at Annabel Lee. Bragunier's eclectic collection comes from all over, including area thrift stores.
Booze: Still pondering possible Poe-inspired martinis, the bartenders proudly serve Brewer’s Art's Resurrection in case you end up chained to the walls in the back niche of the dining room. We're convinced, though, that the 2000 Gascon Malbec—with its hints of blackberry, blueberry, dark cherry and mocha—is what lured Fortunato into those catacombs. If you need a pick-me-up, there’s Annabel Lee's hot buttered rum—a blend of cider, Captain Morgan’s, brown sugar, cinnamon and butter, garnished with a cinnamon stick and a cloved lemon. Encouraging the union of literary puns and alcoholic diversion, Metromix suggested the Edgar Allan Boh—a Natty Boh served with a snifter of Cognac.
Digs: Built as a tavern in 1905, the corner bar at Fleet and Clinton is bound to evoke the ghosts of bars past. Once the Red Baron, Mango’s and most recently Bar Harbor, Annabel Lee still feels like an authentic Baltimore haunt. Fresh-cut red roses decorate the polished wood and candle-lit bar. Bragunier (apparently an artist) painted a portrait of Poe, which hangs on the crimson-colored wall above the fireplace. Bragunier even uses Poe’s handwriting in the bar’s logo. Hell, it’s almost Poe-etic.
Vibe: At Annabel Lee, the XM radio's big band sounds drown out the doldrums. Keeping with the literary tradition, the one TV is only turned on at the request of customers, so for now it’s quiet and cozy—the perfect place to meet for drinks and a date. Plus, who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired to pen stanzas of poetic perfection.
Bottom line: There’s a bit of the tortured artist in each of us, and no better place to drink away our woes than here. Poe said it himself, it’s "the happiest day, the happiest hour" at the Annabel Lee Tavern.
