One of my favorite things about birthday dinners is that it’s a chance to go someplace special. This year, for me, that was Wit & Wisdom Tavern. I’ve been in a handful of times for drinks, happy hour, dollar oysters, and of course Chef Dyan’s fantastic desserts. But I’ve never sat in the dining room for dinner and I was excited to change that.

Wit & Wisdom Tavern

We started the meal with a glass of Rose suggested by one of the fantastic sommelier’s, Julie.

Rose

The menu is full of traditional American food with some fun twists. Everything looked so good and we started with the Green Gazpacho. The soup was fantastic, it had chunks of Maine Lobster and compressed melon (which is the most flavorful melon I’ve ever had.) The gazpacho was slightly spicy and the bites with the melon were utter perfection.

Green Gazpacho

Because the entrees looked amazing, we opted to share two of them. Taking advice from the sommelier and our waiter, we started with the Meadow View Farm Lamb. There were two perfectly tender tenderloins – I don’t think I’ve ever had meat this tender. The lamb was served over creamy beet hummus which I could not get enough of. The dish also came with a merguez crepinette which is a type of lamb sausage patty which was also great. I loved having two preparations of the same protein on one plate.

Meadow View Farm Lamb

We also ordered the Sweet Corn & Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto. This was so creamy. If you’re someone who enjoys risotto, this needs to be on your list – I really have no words.

Sweet Corn & Chanterelle Mushroom Risotto

The menu also lists a few different side dishes and you can order three of them for $27 so that’s what we decided to do. This ended up being way too much food and dinner the following night ended up being fantastic leftovers. The first side dish we tried was the Wagyu Fried Rice. This was easily the best fried rice I’ve had in ages. The meat was flavorful and tender and every bite was so yummy.

Wagyu Fried Rice

I can’t turn down Miso-Glazed Eggplant, so we also ordered that side dish. The orange-miso was salty and sweet and the eggplant was tender. Another winning dish.

Miso-Glazed Eggplant

Perhaps my favorite of the sides was the Grilled Corn. It was served off the cob with chili lime butter. It was so creamy and packed with flavor. Again, I really could not get enough.

Grilled Corn

As a palate cleanser between the sweet and savory courses, our waiter brought out Pear Sorbet. It had a strong pear flavor and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Pear Sorbet

I’ve tried most of Chef Dyan’s desserts so we had to order one of the two on the menu that I hadn’t tried, Chocolate & Coffee. This picture really doesn’t do it any justice. It’s cocoa powder ice cream, with such a rich chocolaty flavor and then topped with an espresso and coffee foam. Chocolate and coffee is such a classic combination and this dessert really accentuated those flavors.

Chocolate & Coffee

Chocolate & Coffee

Chef Dyan also sent out one of my favorite desserts, the Lemon Meringue. This is served with a scoop of the creamiest avocado ice cream (I think this is my favorite part of the dessert). The meringue is so light, it basically melts in your mouth and it’s topped with lemon curd, seared grapefruit, and marcona almonds. Every bite is really just delightful.

Lemon Meringue

Wit & Wisdom Tavern is located at 200 International Drive, in Harbor East

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Looking for a place to eat? Check out Rachel’s Baltimore Restaurant List.