True Chesapeake Oyster Co., the anchor for Hampden’s soon-to-open Whitehall Mill food hall, will debut Sept. 17, its operators announced today.
A collab between chef Zack Mills, formerly executive chef for now-shuttered Wit and Wisdom, oyster farmer Patrick Hudson and The Local Oyster founder Nick Schauman, the eatery will have two dining rooms with wraparound bars, offering seating for 150 people. The 4,500-square-foot space will also have a patio, an open kitchen and a wine cellar.
The menu will revolve around the team’s very own oysters, which are being raised a farm in St. Jerome’s Creek in Southern Maryland. Items teased in a release include raw and roasted varieties, as well semolina-fried oysters and oysters Rockefeller; non-oyster entrees include yellow perch with caramelized peaches and grilled pork loin with ramp spaghetti.
There will also be oyster shooters on the bar menu, to go with an “extensive wine and bubbles selection” and cocktails.
In a testament to their commitment to the bivalve, they’ve even incorporated oyster shell into the terrazzo for their bars, which are built with 16-foot square beams from the former sailcloth factory.
Hours will be 4:30-11 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10:30 a.m.-midnight on Saturday and Sunday, with brunch, served until 2:30 p.m.
The restaurant will open ahead of its neighbors in the new food market at Whitehall Mill. Tenants on that roster include Annapolis-based Ceremony Coffee, North Baltimore’s relocating Roggenart bakery, Garrett County cheesemaker FireFly Farms, Wight Tea Company, Gundalow Market, Homebody General Store and a Filipino spot called Heritage.
Mill owner David Tufaro previously said the market will open in late fall.
Full disclosure: True Chesapeake Oyster Co. investor Andy Brooks’ son is married to one of the daughters of Baltimore Fishbowl publisher Susan Dunn.
