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Dining with Gilles
Breeze
Loews Annapolis Hotel
126 West Street, Annapolis
410-295-3232
The New Year brings a new start for the management team at Breeze, the handsome new restaurant at Loews Annapolis Hotel.
If you can make your way down West Street through the barriers and cones, you’ll find yourself in a beautifully decorated and serene space that was once the home of the well-regarded Corinthian. The transformation is remarkable.
The walls are hues of blues with soft natural fabrics swagged to represent sails blowing in the wind. The space is open and "breezy" compared to the previous décor, with freestanding cylinder-shaped booths, sleek natural wood chairs and mosaic tile tables. The walls are decorated with nautical black & white photos and seascapes, and the glassware and flatware are casually chic, evoking a Napa-style theme.
On this occasion, we were feeling pretty casual, too, so Kathy chose to have the house merlot, Cartlidge & Brown. (But don’t miss the wine list, filled with watermarks of sailboats and featuring a beautiful selection of international wines. It reads like a best-seller list from The Wine Spectator.) It was a great accompaniment to the Corinthian salad with candied walnuts, red grapes, blue cheese and balsamic dressing. The presentation was outstanding, served in a "pill-box" shaped basket made of thinly sliced green apple rings slowly baked and caramelized—a great touch of flavor.
In lieu of an entrée, Gilles combined several appetizers, starting with the soup du jour, Bean and Chicken Soup, which earned an enthusiastic thumbs-up. He followed it up with Black Mushroom Spring Rolls with soy orange coriander and soy reduction, Calamari and Shrimp Fry with fennel, caper berries and dipping sauces.
Kathy’s entrée, served to us by our friendly and knowledgeable waiter Michael, was an enjoyable Shrimp Carbonara with pine nuts, pancetta and a white wine sauce. Daughter Katelyn enjoyed the Breeze Burger with fried green tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and house fries.
For dessert, Michael suggested the Pear Tartlet with Plum Sorbet, and a trio of Crème Brulee--Raspberry, Blueberry and Blackberry. It was tremendous.
We enjoyed a conversation with Breeze’s manager, Kevin Vouglitois, Director of Restaurants for Loews Annapolis. He recently moved to Annapolis to be with his family and open his thirtieth restaurant. His main objective here is to market the new restaurant with innovative ideas. With the talents of Executive Chef Mario Raymond and Chef de cuisine Shane Henderson, a recent transplant from Napa Valley, they have a fantastic team.
Vouglitois explained the new lunch concept at Breeze, which replaces the former "10 items in ten minutes for $10.00" plan developed for the Corinthian. Their new offering aims to fill the demand for a quick executive lunch, without the buffet. Now, you can select one of five entrees for $10.00. Each is served with soup and salad, and you choose from five starches and five vegetables, allowing you to customize your entrée.
Another new offering is the "Wine Passport" available to our fellow wine aficionados. The passport allows Breeze’s repeat clientele to purchase their selections at a discount and enjoy several manager’s specials. Each purchase is stamped in your personal book, complete with tasting notes and remarks on each selection.
What a great reward for finding our way through the West Street Maze!
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