Mark’s Score 9.1
When we first moved to the Eastern Shore we would occasionally drive up to Easton for the day. There were two places we liked to eat, the Restaurant at the Avalon Theater and the Washington Street Pub. Sadly, both places eventually closed. It doesn’t look like a restaurant will return to the Avalon, but I am happy to report that the Washington Street Pub recently reopened, and at the first opportunity, I stopped for lunch.
The ubiquitous local restauranteur, the Bluepoint Hospitality Group, purchased the property a while back, did extensive renovations to the building, and reopened the pub a little over a month ago. Kelsey Wilson is General Manager and the new Executive Chef is well known to Easton, Daniel Pochron. Pochron has worked at both the Tidewater Inn and the Inn at Perry’s Cabin in St Michaels.
Given that Pochron is the chef I was expecting good things from Washington Street Pub. But before I talk about the food, I think it worth mentioning the new interior design. Frankly, the old décor, though having a pub charm, was rather ordinary. I don’t know what their intent was, but to me the new design has a modernized belle epoque vibe. I especially like the mezzanine dining area. In fact, it reminds me of a restaurant I used to frequent in Brussels, La Quincaillerie (hardware store). I did take note of subtle hints of duck hunting incorporated into the design, which I presume is a homage to the old pub.
At the opening, they made a great deal about having brought back the old pub’s “pub chips.” That is fine, but I expect much more than ordinary pub food from Daniel Pochron, and I am happy to say that my expectations were more than met. I like to see how good chefs reinterpret traditional dishes, so I ordered the meatloaf with haricots verts and mashed potatoes. In my view, the mark of a good chef is someone who can take an ordinary dish, and make it memorable.
At first blush the dish looked fairly ordinary, it was anything but. The description on the menu was simple, meatloaf with French beans, and garlic mashed potatoes with mushroom sauce. But what was left undescribed was the meatloaf seasoning. The chef made the meatloaf using Mexican spices, which gave the dish a very unique twist. Pochron has indeed made ordinary meatloaf memorable, there is no greater compliment you can pay a chef, in my view.
Before getting my meal, I noticed a bottle that I did not recognize on the bar shelf. The bartender told me it was tequila. So, to accompany my Mexican meatloaf, I decided to order a shot. It turned out that the bottle contained Grand Mayan tequila, it was as smooth a silk, and in spite of being $20 a shot, it was well worth a try. So, in the end, I am glad Washington Street Pub is back, and once again Bluepoint does not disappoint.
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