Chef Justin Vaiciunas, a Detroit native and previous contestant on Food Network’s “Cutthroat Kitchen,” has been named the executive chef at Mount Vernon’s Hotel Revival, the hotel announced today.
The previous executive chef, Scott Hines, returned to the kitchen at B&O American Brasserie late last year.
Vaiciunas came to Baltimore last month and began adding new menu items for in-room dining and at the hotel’s rooftop restaurant and bar, Topside.
He will eventually oversee the hotel’s entire food operation, adding new menus for special events and private events. After leaving his native Detroit, Vaiciunas led kitchens in Chicago, Salt Lake City, Miami and San Diego before coming to Baltimore.
“I have always wanted to experience and, ultimately, live on the East Coast, and Hotel Revival is the perfect fit for me,” Vaiciunas said in a statement. “I love the sense of community and creativity that comes from this City and am excited to be part of it.”
While in San Diego, Vaiciunas developed the food program at The Guild Hotel.
Some of the plate’s he has added at Hotel Revival include Crab It Up ($22), a dish with black pasta, crab meat, smoked gouda cream sauce and truffle oil; Cured & Toasty ($12), prosciutto, lemon mascarpone, fennel and parmesan on a crostini; and The Farm ($25), a salad with toasted kale and quinoa covered with roasted chicken and squash and dressed with an almond vinaigrette.
Vaiciunas’ updated brunch, lunch and dinner menus are all available for carryout and through Uber Eats.
Once Topside is able to fully reopen, the restaurant will serve breakfast daily from 8-11 a.m. and be open Sunday-Wednesday from 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. (with the bar staying open until 10 p.m.) and Thursday-Saturday from 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m. (with the bar staying open until 11 p.m.)
