The French Kitchen Opens in the Lord Baltimore

The French Kitchen, the new restaurant at the Lord Baltimore Hotel, 20 W. Baltimore Street, opened this week.  The eatery will serve traditional French cuisine with favorites like boeuf bourguignon and french onion soup on the menu. The opening of The French Kitchen is part of a larger renovation taking place at the Lord Baltimore, which was bought by Rubell Hotels (the company owns some pretty swanky hotels around the country), and is expected to be completed in April of next year.  Read all the details about the restaurant in the press release below. – The Eds. 

From French classics such as Tartare de Boeuf and Salade Nicoise to contemporary preparation of Poulet Roti and Boeuf Bourguignon, The French Kitchen is now open under the watchful eye of Chef de Cuisine Jordan Miller. Currently serving lunch and dinner, and with Sunday brunch beginning in January, The French Kitchen is located in the Lord Baltimore Hotel, the landmark property that was recently acquired by Rubell Hotels.

“Every inch of the Lord Baltimore is being renovated to restore its prominence as one of the most significant hotels in Baltimore, and the opening of The French Kitchen marks the first public space to be completed,” said Gene-Michael Addis, General Manager of the Lord Baltimore Hotel.

The French Kitchen offers a full menu ranging from Hors D’oeuvres to Salades to Principaux along with an approachable selection of Sparking, Rose, White and Red wines. Hors D’ouevres include items such as Cured Saumon with dill, crème fraiche, potato, and everything bagel tuile; Soupe A L’Oignon with crouton and melted comte; Tartare de Boeuf with shallots, capers, garlic, herbs, poached egg, pear and crostini; and a selection of Fromage and Charcuterie. Salades range from Vegetables A La Grecque with mixed winter vegetables to Frisee Aux Lardon with arugula, bacon, poached egg, fourme d’ambert, pear and vinaigrette. Entrée selections – or Principaux – include Moules Normandes with apples, mushrooms, heavy cream, calvados, cider and fresh bread; Roasted Canard breast and confit of leg with lentils, orange, fennel and olive; Steak Frites with cippolini onions and french fries; and Raie, skate wing with brown butter, capers, fingerling potatoes and winter vegetables.

Chef Jordan Miller has nearly thirteen years of restaurant experience and began his work in restaurants at the age of fifteen as a dishwasher. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and the University of San Francisco in Quito, Ecuador in 2008 with a B.F.A. in Creative Writing, B.A. in Spanish and a certificate of Culinary Arts. Miller has cooked professionally in New Jersey, Philadelphia, North Carolina, California and Ecuador and has recently worked with Plumpjack Hospitality group and winery in Olympic Valley California. “Chef Miller’s food will be heavily influenced by his travels in the Americas and the chefs who have shaped him and his career. His menus feature the season’s best ingredients and aim to create an approachable, relaxed, comforting and delicious menu that can be enjoyed by both families and foodies, while still paying respects to the history and charm of classical French cooking,” said Addis.

Rubell Hotels is a family-owned business devoted to transforming architecturally significant historic hotels into affordable cultural hubs. Previous Rubell Hotels projects include the Albion Hotel in Miami Beach, Beach House Bal Harbour, Greenview in South Beach and the Capitol Skyline Hotel in Washington, D.C. While guests of Rubell Hotels include luminaries from the fields of art, fashion, music and food, the Rubell Family’s core belief is that hotels should primarily be affordable, friendly, and unpretentious and should be a comfortable background for guests to express themselves and explore the city around them.

The Rubell family – whose Rubell Family Collection in Miami is widely acknowledged as one of the top contemporary art museums in the world – is known for its talent in discovering emerging artists, emerging cities, neglected architectural gems, and emerging neighborhoods. The Rubells believe deeply that the key to the economic success of a city is dependent on its cultural relevance. They often invest deeply in areas they feel have strong cultural potential, and their acquisition of The Lord Baltimore Hotel indicates the beginning of what is sure to be a long-term commitment to the cultural life of Baltimore City.

Renovations to each of the 440 guest rooms and suites, the 24,000 square feet of meeting space including the historic grand ballroom, the lobby bar and work lounge, coffee shop and other public spaces are underway with expected completion in April 2014.

The French Kitchen is open Tuesday through Saturday for lunch between 11am-2pm and dinner between 5pm-10pm.