Roy's - Baltimore
720 B Aliceanna Street
Baltimore MD 21202
(410) 659-0099

Chef Roy Yamaguchi of Roy's reminds me of Josquin Des Prez (c.1450-1521).  Des Prez was a musical genius, a visionary thinker, a person who defied convention to create a new fusion of sounds which elevated his craft to which some may call sublime.  Back in Des Prez's days, church music was just simply chants (Gregorian), all monotones.  Nothing wrong with chants, it served its purpose, mainly to teach scriptures, but after a while I would imagine it to be, well? monotonous.  Des Prez must have certainly recognized this and to his credit, he challenge the status quo (the church) of the day and introduced harmonies and melodies which really kicked things up a notch, thus ushering in a new era of pious music, baroque to be more precise.

Roy Yamaguchi did pretty much the same with his craft and the medium in which he works; food. Yamaguchi took native Asian and Pacific Rim ingredients to prepare dishes using European techniques; he calls the product “Hawaiian Fusion.”  I call it delicious.   As of late, fusion infused food have been overplayed, but one must admit that some of it was pretty good, if not stellar. Such techniques must not be left to amateurs; results may vary depending on competency.

Roy’s is one of those places that you don’t mind being seen in. Rounding that circle down at Harbor East and pulling up to Roy’s give you the impression that going somewhere important and exciting.   Once the valet takes your car a host greets you on the other side of the double doors. First thing that caught my eyes was the open kitchen; very clean, well organized, production was going full steam on this Saturday night. The host offered a table but I opted for the bar instead, less of a wait.

I took a seat at the end of the bar giving me a good view of the dinning room which reminded me of scenes from old movies where “upper crusters” would lounge on their plantations enjoying exotic island creations by the indigenousness staff. It is always a real treat to go somewhere that allows you to shed the realities of the world and enjoy, just for a while, a sense of theatre and glam that is not always a part of daily life.

At places like these I always start with the same cocktail; one Makers Mark Manhattan rocks please. It came out nice enough, a little light on the Bourbon though. You always have to watch the pours at these corporate restaurants. The menus presented looked like scrapbooks done in beige, faded lime green binding with a rough texture of burlap, good details.

 
I settled on Roy’s Canoe Appetizer for Two “Smoked Salmon Rangoon, Seared Tiger Shrimp, Kalua Pork Lumpia, Garlic Pork Gyoza and Island Style Jumbo Lump Crab,” for starters, might as well get in as much flavor as you can while you’re here. The flavor pairings were delightful, not watered down, not industrialized. The Sauvignon Blanc; Château Potelle Napa, tied everything together nicely, crisp with a hint of pears, goes well the subtleness of pork and seafood.

Forever a meat and potatoes guy I zeroed in on the Char Su Hibachi Rack of Lamb Black Bean Sake Reduction & Shallot Fried Rice. Yes, I am aware that rice is not potatoes but in my mind they are both symbolically the same, a soulful starch. Now this is a new flavor combo for me. Lamb chops have always been a personal favorite and I grew up eating many variations of Char Su. However, I’ve not had the two together. Char Su by Asian application tends to be quite bold and I thought that it may overpower the lamb. My concerns were alleviated after the first bite. A quite right bite I must say; Roy with his culinary alchemy struck balance, immediate happiness for the senses followed. More happiness came by way of a glass of the Rosenblum Zinfandel, San Francisco Bay. Bold flavors matching bold flavors, “honey can you ask for more?”

The night really didn’t seem to call for dessert, especially after and abundance of rich flavors, so I settled on a nice port to cap things off, a Taylor 20 year Tawny. A good note to end on, just enough to satisfy my sweet tooth as well as maintain the evening’s allure.

Next Stop Sushi Ya!