First look: Lemongrass

Downtown addition continues the trend toward cool glamour

By Robert Jacobs

December 12, 2007

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Have you noticed that Baltimore seems to be going through a renaissance of sorts? There's an effervescence in the air that's creating a feedback loop of stylish restaurants, bars, theaters and other elements of hipsterdom. Presently, most of this emergent cool is taking place at Harbor East, or its surrounding area. This once nebulous area between Little Italy and Fells Point is nebulous no more. It is quickly defining itself as the trendy up-and-comer; the former wallflower who goes away for the summer and returns in the fall as the dazzling heartbreaker. The latest addition to this area's charm is the glamorous Lemongrass restaurant.  

Lemongrass is one of two restaurants (the other being Tsunami) that originated in Annapolis and is owned by Gavin Buckley and Jodi Danek. Lemongrass marries a cool urban style with authentic Thai cuisine. While some might translate authentic Thai to mean super-hot, beverage manager Shawn Cochran says that the chefs want to "try and focus on the subtleties of Thai cooking." But don't worry, if it's spicy you want, it's spicy you will get—just look for the items on the menu with the little hot pepper sitting next to them.

Food: It's all Thai all the time, which means if you're looking for a burger and fries, you're in the wrong restaurant. However, if you're into Southeast Asian food you will most definitely enjoy yourself. Appetizers include satay, steamed dumplings and the delightful house specialty crispy string beans. There are several soups on the menu such as lemongrass, tom yum, tofu and wonton. Noodle dishes include the classic pad Thai as well as lemongrass noodle and pad see iew. We had a plate of the pad Thai with chicken and were not disappointed. Lemongrass does its best to be eco-friendly and believes in organic and sustainable farming, so it incorporates local ingredients whenever possible. This works well with dishes like crispy whole rockfish and crab fried rice.

Drinks: Lemongrass has a nice bar and a plentiful supply of booze. Choose from a string of potential martinis or go native with one of the Southeast Asian cocktails like a funky monkey, tuk tuk, yum yum, or our favorite, the house specialty sawat dee (think a Thai version of a mojito). If you're more the lager and ale type, you'll be pleased to hear that the taps at Lemongrass include Yuengling, Amstel Light, Sam Adams Winter Lager, Blue Moon and Magic Hat Circus Boy. Red and white wines are also available.

Digs: Hip, elegant and modern, but warm. Lemongrass is the kind of place where the décor is almost as important as the food. The centerpiece of the attractive restaurant is an impressive 25-foot golden statue of a Buddhist angel named Tevi. The chefs and cooks periodically come out of the kitchen to pray to her.

Vibe: Like the décor, the vibe here is stylish without being stuffy. It's cool and sophisticated but open and friendly. Totally Zen.