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Annapolis gained its first—and currently only—upscale wine bar in October, after Californians Emmy Harbo and Maureen Fallon decided Naptown needed a place dedicated to the sauce of high society. The chill duo, bearing the equivalent of Ph.D.s in vino, named the bar to celebrate the purple stain red wine leaves on your chompers. We admit it's definitely clever.
Certain to taste every wine added to the ever-evolving menu, the pair stocked shelves, prepared cheese plates and served a steady stream of couples and spirited groups on a recent blustery Saturday night. Despite distractions, they effortlessly recalled each wine's flavor, finish and feeling on the tongue to help patrons distinguish which wine would best suit their palates.
Food: Lactose intolerants ought to snag Uncle Herbert's Gas-X, if they plan on eating, or, to be more specific, nibbling at the Tooth. Two of four available dishes ($4-$18) are cheese boards, with all sorts of delectable stinky stuff, including an overwhelming goats' milk cheese wrapped in brandy-soaked chestnut leaves. The three-cheese board ($13) comes with baguette slices, slivers of juicy—though somewhat mealy—pear, addicting almonds (roasted in salt and olive oil) and, from Harbo's father's apiary in Louisiana, delectable honey (more potent yet thinner than the over-processed goo sold at grocery stores).
If you're trying to soak up the wine in your system for relatively cheap, opt for the olive oil and baguette for only $4.
The fourth dish is The Nottingham bruschetta, which is made with honey, apples and, of course, cheese.
Booze: From pale lemon yellow to inky purple, the Tooth boasts about 125 obscure whites, reds, ports and sparkling wines from around the world. With rotating offerings such as the Ribolla Movia 2005 from Slovenia, chances are slim you'll find that house white you knocked back at your cousin's fire hall wedding reception.
Order a single 2 oz. taste for $3-$7.50, one 5 oz. for $6-$15 or sample three 2 oz. tastes by ordering a flight such as the Euro Trash Kids for about $12. If you can guess the grape and region of a flight blindfolded, you'll win a T-shirt and the price of the test.
If you need a cold brewski, the Tooth can beer you. Don't count on cracking a Bud, though. Belgian beers and peculiar labels from California and Louisiana dominate.
Digs: The Tooth has a natural, yet chic, look thanks to low lighting, soft music, earth-toned walls, wooden tables, an intimate corner bar and flickering candles scattered throughout the cozy spot.
Astonishingly, the more wine you have, the more animal figures you can make out in Tracey Halvorsen's paintings on the wall. Those paintings and the spiral staircase that leads to a dead end—the ceiling—give the bar a quirky charm.
Vibe: Marvin Gaye minus pelvic thrusts plus tree huggers multiplied by posh women wearing expensive brooches and blazers equals the Tooth's atmosphere. The warm, earthy bar is a spa for drinkers. It's a happy/loopy/tranquil land for those who can afford unique, quality wines and prefer a place where people can sit together and actually hear one another talk.
