There are only a few restaurants that I have dined at this year that have left me wanting for more, so much so that, even seven months later, I can still taste certain dishes and flavors. Two are part of the Cindy Wolf/Tony Foreman restaurant machine in Baltimore: their French bistro, Petit Louis, and their crowning, fine-dining achievement, Charlestons, both unique to the Baltimore restaurant scene, and by far superior to the other restaurants in the area. The third that carries this distinction, at least in my mind, is The Bicycle, which is markedly different than the other two, except for its amazingly creative cuisine. This past April, a friend and I dined at The Bicycle for the first time, and, ever since, we’ve been anxious to return. This past weekend, we brought along three friends for the ride.
We chose a Saturday evening, which proved to be more difficult to arrange than anticipated. Originally, we planned for 7:00 reservations, but several days prior to our visit, when I inquired about reservations, the restaurant was already booked. We had to settle for either 5:30, when they first opened, or 9:00, which was drastically too late. Obviously, we opted for the 5:30 reservations. We arrived approximately fifteen minutes early, only to find the doors locked, and the staff curiously peering out at us from inside. We walked away, waiting until it was closer to 5:30. The relevance of this incident resurfaced later, as we left, which I will discuss at greater length at the end.
Upon entering, the hostess promptly greeted us, took our coats, and showed us to our table, which was a metallic, silver circular table, located in the center of the front dining room. There are two dining rooms: one in the front, which is in-between the bar and the spacious window, and the other near the kitchen, which is cornered off in a private room. Overall, the restaurant is relatively small, but, even when it eventually filled up, towards the middle of our meal, we didn’t feel crammed, and the noise was not loud. The restaurant’s ambience is quite minimalist, too. Only French bicycle posters adorn the walls, and small tubular lights, hanging on thin strings, drop down from the low ceiling, providing the room’s only light.
The restaurant’s décor may be subtle and unimpressive, but its menu is anything but restrained or mediocre. The theme of The Bicycle, the idea behind its menu, is for diners to taste spices and experience dishes from around the world. It appears that most of the items are Asian-inspired, but there are also more classically refined dishes, as well as seasonal seafood items, prepared with locally grown ingredients. Since our last visit, the menu had only changed slightly, allowing me to explore other dishes.
The menu is divided into several sections: Soups, Salads, Small Plates, and Large Plates. Some items that appear on Small Plates, like the Lobster Ravioli, carry over onto the Large Plates menu, albeit in a surplus form. On my last visit, I ordered this dish, and this time around a friend did, as well. The ravioli were perfectly cooked and soft, and the stuffed lobster warm and succulent. A thin slice of reggiano-parmigiano cheese separated each layer of ravioli, and, once combined, each element of the dish was complimentary.
On this visit, there were two soups: a Roasted Tomatillo Soup Yucatan Style, prepared with pan seared yellow fin tuna, and a Spicy Corn Soup with Blue Crab, which came with a roasted pepper salsa and chive-cilantro sour cream. Two of my friends ordered the Spicy Corn Soup, although as different courses, but both were extremely pleased with their dish. Spicy doesn’t adequately describe its fiery flavor. It was thick, almost as if it was a bisque soup, and filled with lump crab, diced red peppers, and covered with a sliver of sour cream. The soup was flavorful and filling, quite fitting for a cold, windy evening. It came with a tortilla sliced in the form of a triangle, which was neither too hard nor soft, but could have been crunchier.
I first ordered an item from the Small Plates menu: the Petite Rack of Lamb, which was grilled with a cilantro-cumin marinade, alongside a hoisin-plum glaze. It arrived perfectly seasoned and grilled, three sets of lamb racks stacked on top of the marinade and covered with the plum glaze. After maturely eating with fork and knife, I eventually resorted to eating with my hands, since leaving a spec of the meat behind would have been wasteful. A friend ordered another item from the Small Plates menu: the Sashimi Tuna and Avocado Tartare, which came prepared in a crushed peanut dressing, over top field greens. It was beautifully presented and tasted just as good. Another friend ordered the Roquefort Stuffed Seckle Pear Salad. Slices of warm pear were filled with blue cheese, mixed with field greens, and drizzled with vinaigrette. Needless to say, it was another enjoyable dish.
The Large Plates menu consisted of a few fish dishes, like a Pan-Seared Rockfish and East Asian Red Snapper, as well as meatier items, such as the Grilled New Zealand Rack of Lamb, the New York Strip Sirloin, and the Tenderloin of Beef. Surprisingly, there were more attractive items, like the Mongolian BBQ Beef Short Ribs, the West Indian Mahi Mahi, and, one of the night’s specials, a Pomegranate-Sherry Marinaded Pork Rib Chop, which I selected. Our server had forewarned me that it was a thick cut of meat, traditionally cooked until medium, and served alongside vegetables and sweet potato puree. Even with this warning, I was still unprepared for its size. It was several inches thick, nicely grilled, and medium to its core. It appeared to be the largest of the dishes on the menu, but, fortunately, not the most expensive. It was juicy and tender, working well with the pomegranate-sherry marinade, which could have been more liberally added, since it complimented well with the pork and the spicy sweet potato puree.
As for my friends, they each ordered different items. One selected the Spicy Corn Soup, where the others chose from the Large Plates menu. One ordered the East Asian Red Snapper, which, according to the menu, was inspired from Northeast Thailand and baked in banana leaves. Its other Asian-inspired ingredients included a spicy green curry, papaya chutney, and black sticky rice, which came interestingly placed on the plate in the shape of a pyramid. The green curry did indeed live up to its spicy definition. It layered the fish, and it was the first element you tasted, but it didn’t overpower the fish or the other ingredients. Another friend ordered the Mongolian BBQ Beef Short Ribs, which I had selected on my first visit. It was just as impressive seven months later. The ribs were perfectly braised and tender, sliding off the bone. Like most of the other dishes, it came packed with spicy flavor, and it was sprinkled overtop with sesame seeds. The final item ordered was the West Indian Mahi Mahi, which was prepared in a Jamaican-Style Coconut Curry. Unlike the Red Snapper, which had more punch because of the green curry, the Mahi Mahi was sweeter, because of the coconut element. By the end of the meal, all of our plates were cleared.
Like The Bicycle’s entrée menu, the desserts proved to be difficult to choose from, since so many were appealing. In the end, we ordered an eclectic mix. We selected one of the dessert specials: a chocolate moist cake with a raspberry mousse and peanut crust. It was sweet, smooth, and subtle—just the perfect dessert to a heavy meal. We also selected an apple tart, which was baked in phyllo dough. The proportion was nice, about the size of your fist, and the dough was perfectly crisp on the outside and the apples tender inside. There was also the banana chocolate cheesecake, which had just a hint of banana, but was mostly sweet chocolate on top of a dark cookie crust. The most delectable of all of the desserts was the Boca Negra, a slice of dark chocolate ganache, served alongside chocolate sauce and whipped cream. It was immensely rich and filling, easily putting your appetite over the top.
In addition to its exemplary entrees and desserts, there are other characteristics to The Bicycle that make your dining experience even more enjoyable. The wine list features 18 bottles for $18, which is simply unfathomable in today’s dining scene. There is also a decent selection of other reds, whites, and even champagne. We ordered a bottle of Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir at an affordable cost of only $31. There are dessert wines, ports, and even a variety of teas, to select from, as well as coffee, which was served in a mini French press. These extra touches had enhanced the already overwhelming positive experience at The Bicycle.
Having immensely enjoyed ourselves, and after paying our bill, we remained at our table for about 10 minutes. Then, the restaurant manager approached and asked us to leave, because, apparently, there was a group at the bar, who, in her words, “had waited long enough†and were designated to sit at our table. As we hurriedly hustled out of the restaurant, a friend of mine, never one to bite her tongue, remained behind, hoping to confront the restaurant manager. She eventually informed another staff member. This incident was entirely unfortunate, considering our overall pleasant dining experience. However, we could not help but contemplate if the restaurant had allowed us to dine 15 minutes prior to our reservation, when we first arrived, then perhaps this whole situation could have been avoided.
Head chef and owner Nicholas Batey runs a masterful kitchen. His menu explores the culinary scene from around the world, bringing it to your table at his restaurant in Baltimore’s Federal Hill neighborhood. Unfortunately, perhaps he needs to check on the management at the front of the house, because clearly he has the back of the house covered and perfected.
Jason D.
