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Guide to Good Dining

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Sakura Japanese Steak & Seafood House
2625 Housley Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
www.sakurasteakhouse.com
(410) 573-0006
By Gilles and Cathy Syglowski

The name Sakura is derived from the ubiquitous symbol of Japan: the cherry blossom.

Cherry blossoms are an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, and as such are frequently depicted in art and song. The word is also a common Japanese female name, therefore an appropriate name for this enchanting restaurant. There are thirteen Sakura restaurants throughout Maryland and Virginia, with new ones slated to open in New Jersey. That is a lot of "cherry blossoms." By summer's end, there will be fifteen restaurants in all.

The main dining room, filled with twelve hibachi grills and, yes, cherry blossoms on authentic silk-screened walls, was filled to capacity on a Saturday evening in July. We'd had our fair share of hamburgers and hot dogs the previous weekend and we looked forward to fresh, grilled steak and sushi. Our table was filled with families enjoying that magical look of their children as they watched the hibachi chef in amazement.

Traditional Japanese hibachis are heating devices, and are not usually used for cooking. However, in English, hibachi often refers to small cooking grills, typically made of aluminum or cast iron, with the latter generally being of higher quality; due to their small size, hibachi grills are popular as a form of portable barbecue. They resemble traditional Japanese charcoal-heated cooking utensils called shichirin. It has been suggested that they were confusingly marketed as hibachi when they were introduced to North America because it is much easier for English speakers to pronounce.

Alternatively, hibachi-style is an American term for Japanese teppanyaki cooking, where gas-heated hot plates are integrated into tables around which many people (often multiple parties) can sit and eat at once. The chef performs the cooking in front of the diners, typically with theatrical flair, as at the Sakura restaurants.

We shared our station with two other parties, as well as our 17-year-old, Kate, who still anticipates catching chicken in midair-courtesy of a flick of the chef's his wrist and spatula. Kate loves the hibachi grill, and she had visited all locally except one. We had to take her to Sakura.

Kathy had her traditional myriad of sushi, which was beautifully prepared: spider, shrimp tempura, and California-style rolls were plump and well constructed and provided a delicious mix of flavors and textures. One of the keys to making great sushi or rolls, besides the absolute freshness of the ingredients, is the rice: it must be warm for softness, perfectly cooked, and not overwhelmed with seasonings. Sakura's sushi and rolls were excellent! The delicious but somewhat intoxicating brandy punch, served in a ceramic Buddha mug (which Kate collects), was an enjoyable match to the sushi.

Kate and Gilles chose to order main courses from the hibachi grill dinner menu, which included a shoyu soup, Sakura salad, assorted vegetables, and steamed or fried rice-and an abundance of accompaniments that completed the Japanese dining experience.

All entrees also included a choice of appetizer: sautéed chicken livers, mushrooms, or teppanyaki shrimp flambé. This makes a wonderful value for a complete dinner-$19.95 for the filet mignon and $16.95 for the steak and chicken combination.

Both chose the shrimp appetizer. Kate had the filet mignon, expertly prepared by our hibachi chef, and Gilles enjoyed the steak and chicken combination. Of course, our dinner was delicious from beginning to end. But the most important aspect of enjoying this competitive cooking style is that you can sit back, relax, and saturate your taste buds with the flavors of fresh ingredients prepared before your eyes and not hidden by sauces, spices, and condiments. Sakura does a fantastic job!

Sakura Japanese Steak & Seafood House is open Monday through Thursday 4-10 p.m., Friday 4-10:30 p.m., Saturday 2-10:30 p.m., and Sunday 12-9 p.m. Reservations are accepted.

Gilles Syglowski is a chef, culinary instructor, and food service consultant. He is a graduate of the Lycee d'Enseignement Professional Hotelier in Metz, France. He and his wife, Kathy, a member of the International Wine Society, have more than 50 years' experience in the restaurant industry.

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(Photo by Kimi Raspa)

What's The DISH?
Northwoods
609 Melvin Avenue
Annapolis
(410)268-2609
By Barbara McGarry

"Everyone who comes into Northwoods is like a guest joining us for dinner at our house," Russell Brown says as he describes his restaurant. Brown and his wife, Leslie, are owners of Northwoods, located at 609 Melvin Avenue in a building that once was a private residence. Brown is executive chef and Leslie is general manager.

The couple and their staff give priority to personalizing a fine dining experience. "We want guests to enjoy friendliness and attentive service in addition to quality and professionalism," Brown explains.

Northwoods welcomes restaurant-goers with an atmosphere that the Browns say is "casually elegant but not ostentatious." The dining room has a warm and comfortable appeal, with pale yellow walls displaying impressionist artwork and cloth-covered tables appointed with flowers and lighted candles. It accommodates about seventy. An outdoor terrace, open mid-April through October when weather permits, has seating for approximately thirty.

The restaurant presents an extensive and varied menu along with a 125-count wine list and full bar service. It offers a "complete dinner special," a dining option with a feature unusual for a prix fixe special: it is not restricted. For a fixed price, customers may order any appetizer or soup, any entrée, house salad, and a choice from the dessert cart.

There are fourteen regular entrées, with classic favorites such as beef Wellington, filet mignon, and veal Oscar and selections made from original recipes that show off Brown's talents for culinary originality. The chef's version of roasted breast of chicken is stuffed with Brie cheese, crabmeat, and apples and accented with an herb-butter white sauce. Popular with returning patrons is his tournedos Cezanne, beef tenderloin medallions sautéed in butter, served with rosemary cabernet and mustard Dijon sauces, and garnished with white asparagus.

Fish and seafood enthusiasts will find salmon, rainbow trout, shrimp, and combinations such as zuppa de pesce angelico. It features mussels, clams, shrimp, scallops, and fish simmered in a saffron, herb, and tomato fish fumet and served on capellini pasta.

Four nightly specials add to the many entrée choices. They highlight local, seasonal foods and often are based on original recipes of the kitchen staff of three cooks and sous-chef Brad Dawson.

The menu includes more than a dozen regular appetizers along with two nightly specials. Escargots bugatti and antipasti Northwoods, a sampling of six different appetizers, are among regular patrons' top picks, Brown says.

Another starter that customers frequently request is gambas ajillo, sautéed shrimp. Brown says this appetizer is easy to prepare, and he recommends it for home chefs who are entertaining.

Brown opened Northwoods in l985 after many years of experience in the restaurant field. He worked in restaurants throughout high school in the Denver area in the 1970s and then studied restaurant management at Colorado State University in Fort Collins for 2 years. Realizing he wanted to focus on culinary arts, Brown enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, where he earned an associate degree in occupational studies.

After graduation in l978, he was as an assistant chef at the Omni Hotel, Atlanta, for 1 year. He came to Annapolis upon learning of a job opportunity at the Maryland Inn. He was hired there as sous-chef and, within a short time, became executive chef, a title he held until l985, when he and a partner opened Northwoods.

Brown says of his work: "I've never been bored in 21 years. Every day is a challenge. I never seem to finish my 'to do' list, but I like the independence and the satisfaction of making people happy."

Ratings from restaurant review authorities show that Brown is successful in his efforts to make guests happy. Over the years, Northwoods has received high marks from well-known authorities such as Zagat Survey, Mobil Travel Guide, the American Automobile Association, and others. It is one of 800 fine dining places in the United States, Canada, and Mexico recognized by the Distinguished Restaurants of North America and has received an award from that nonprofit organization since l992.

Northwoods is open from 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 5 p.m. to 9 p. m. on Sunday. It's available for private functions during the day and on Monday evenings and it also provides offsite catering.

On Thanksgiving, the restaurant will serve a sit-down dinner from noon to 8 p. m. with traditional holiday foods added to the menu. Though closed Christmas Eve and Christmas, Northwoods will celebrate New Year's Eve with a special, fixed-price dinner from 6 p.m. until midnight.

Barbara McGarry is an Annapolis-based freelance writer with experience in public relations, public affairs, and reporting and degrees from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism.

Russell Brown, chef and owner of Northwoods (Photo by Kimi Raspa) Northwoods' Gambas Ajillo Serves 4 as an appetizer Ingredients: 1 pound shrimp (26-30 count), peeled and deveined 1/2 cup virgin olive oil 1/4 cup chopped garlic* 1 tablespoon Spanish paprika 4 small bay leaves 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper* 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground white pepper 4 ounces lemon juice (preferably fresh) 1 tablespoon chopped parsley (* Amounts of garlic and red pepper can be varied to change degree of spiciness.) Preparation: On a medium setting, heat olive oil in a heavy sauté pan. Add garlic, paprika, bay leaves, and crushed red pepper. Stir and cook for approximately 1 minute. Add shrimp, salt, and pepper, and combine ingredients. Continue cooking on medium heat about 4 to 5 minutes, until shrimp curl and turn pink. Add lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Add chopped parsley, and combine with the mixture. Serve immediately in hot casserole dishes with crusty bread to dip into the extra sauce.

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(Photo by j.s. Houck)

Taste
Ebb Tide
985 Bay Ridge Rd.
Annapolis, MD
(410) 263-5000

This Bay Ridge landmark is the place to go to fill an empty stomach, for lunch or a casual dinner, in a bar's bar atmosphere. Located on Bay Ridge Road, a smidge south of Annapolis, Ebb Tide is an easy find with its light-blue wood exterior. The bar has been a popular watering hole since the 1950s-its interior speaks of familiar old stories, with its dark, aged wooden walls and flooring, lit by neon signs pitching popular brews and televisions broadcasting ball games of the past and present. Nowadays the restaurant's busiest hours are Thursday and Friday evenings, which feature karaoke. The few booths and tables that surround the central, square bar seem to burst with wannabe singers and rock stars. The packed house on karaoke nights makes for an energized and frenzied fun time. For a more relaxed outing to Ebb Tide, try afternoons or early evenings, as we did.

On a Friday afternoon, Editorial Assistant Conal Darcy and I visited Ebb Tide to talk business over lunch. The large menu took us by surprise. Though it shouts bar food at first glance, the menu features a few interesting twists. Take the barbecue shrimp skewers-three skewers in all with about five medium shrimp on each ($7.50). In this good starter the shrimp are skewered on sugarcane, grilled, and finished with Ebb Tide's homemade barbecue sauce-sweet, mildly spicy, and delicious. Other appetizers worth trying include the spring rolls (with your choice: duck or spicy plum sauce) or the locals' fave, steamed shrimp (1/2 lb. $7.99, 1 lb. $14.99). Fries, jalapeño poppers, chicken tenders, wings, nachos, onion rings, mozzarella sticks, et al. round out first-taste options.

Ebb Tide shines if you're searching for a great sandwich-actually the spotlight is on you because you can build a sandwich any way you'd like, with a variety of breads, meats, cheeses, and toppings. If you're a "premade" kind of guy or gal, Ebb Tide has you covered, with more than 20 sandwich and burger options, as well as salads, pizzas, and seafood selections. The patty melt ($6.95) is a soul-satisfying 2/3-lb. burger served on grilled rye with grilled onions and Swiss cheese. It lives up to its name, has plenty of girth, and is very filling. We also found Wayne's pulled-pork barbeque an excellent sandwich-fresh pulled pork with that tasty homemade barbecue sauce, served on a toasted sesame-seed bun. Both orders came with coleslaw, kosher pickle slices, and our choice of chips or French fries. We opted for the crisp fries made from russet potatoes-the potato for boardwalk-style fries. Our meals proved hearty and mouthwatering-worth a repeat trip to try other menu items, including fish 'n' chips, fried clams, shrimp, hush puppies, chicken cordon bleu, French dip, cheese-steak, tuna salad, and even a 1lb. monster burger. Of course, a trip to Ebb Tide wouldn't be a trip to Ebb Tide without washing it all down with a cold draft beer, just as the locals have done for some 50 years (we each quaffed one Fordham Helles lager).

Ebb Tide's grill serves food daily, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. The bar is open daily 11 a.m. -1:30 a.m. Karaoke takes place Thursday and Friday evenings, 9:30 p.m. -1:30 a.m. Appetizers, soups, and salads range in price from $3.50-14.99 (1 lb. shrimp). Sandwiches, pizzas, and entrees are $5.25-9.95.

--j.s. houck