Despite York Road’s out-of-sync traffic lights and excruciating traffic, I decided to make my way to Belvedere Square last Saturday. I lamentingly admit that this was my first time visiting Belvedere Square, a coalition of retail shops, restaurants, specialty food stores, and a market that proved to be the center of activity. It was a lot to take in. But I had one objective and I would not stray, and that was to dine at Atwater’s.
Atwater’s is located within the market at Belvedere Square, surrounded by other food vendors like Chocolate by Jinji and a smoothie bar called Earth’s Essence. Walking in, I was overcome with a sensory overload; there were warm, nutty aromas wafting from Atwater’s Market Bakery, the clamor of Saturday afternoon diners, and bright and seasonal produce from Maryland farms just a few miles away. I wanted to see everything, to smell everything, to taste everything. But with all of the bustle that the Saturday lunch hour brings, I was only able to get an abridged tour of the market before my boyfriend and I had to swipe a table at Atwater’s café.
Atwater’s is one of Baltimore’s finest makers and purveyors of foods. In addition to the Belvedere space, the restaurant has four other locations across Maryland and DC. Ned Atwater, the culinary mind behind Atwater’s, strives to feature as many locally sourced products as possible, such as free-range eggs from Springfield Farm and Singing Meadow Farm cheddar, to name a few of many. At the Belvedere Square Market, Atwater’s features a dairy bar of artisanal cheeses, a bakery that hand shapes award-winning bread, and a café.
Atwater’s keeps things simple at its market café. It sells soups, salads, sandwiches, savory pies, cheeses, and desserts. After ordering some bottomless coffee, my boyfriend and I mused over the menu. What immediately stood out was the local produce that the restaurant uses in its dishes - Chesapeake Greenhouse spring mix in the salads, Eberly free-range chicken in the chicken salad, and Plainview Farms turkey in the turkey sandwich. The breads used for the sandwiches are baked daily just a few feet away at the bakery. Everything on the menu looked fresh, well thought out, and unpretentious. I ordered half of the Grilled Portabella and a side of Atwater’s Chicken Salad while my boyfriend ordered the Spicy Tofu Noodle Soup and Ham Barbeque and Grafton Cheddar sandwich.
The tofu soup came out first with a thick slice of freshly baked bread. The soup was tangy and aromatic, and the cilantro brought a brightness to the broth. Atwater’s take on the traditional Asian hot and sour soup wasn’t very spicy, but neither of us saw it as a detraction. After another refill of coffee we were served the rest of our food.
A generous side serving of chicken salad was served atop Boston lettuce. The Grilled Portabella half came on buttery sunflower flax bread. And the Ham Barbeque sandwich was served on a brioche bun instead of the usual cheddar biscuit.
The chicken salad was some of the best that I’ve had. There was just enough mayo to tie everything together and the basil brought a savory depth to balance out the golden raisins. The cranberries were tart and plump, as if they were soaked beforehand. The Grilled Portabella was one of the only portabella sandwiches that I’ve eaten that didn’t fall apart while I was eating it, and I really enjoyed the nuttiness of the sunflower flax even though I thought I wouldn’t. The sandwich fell short on a few notes, however - I didn’t get the pepperiness I wanted to from the arugula pesto, and it needed an acidic component to balance out the oil from the roasted red peppers. There were balsamic onions in the sandwich but they were more sweet than tangy. Still, it was a hearty portion for a half order and I enjoyed the sandwich nonetheless.
The Ham Barbeque definitely shined that afternoon. The best part of the entire meal was the brioche bun it came on. There’s nothing worse than hard, dry brioche but this bun was the best brioche my boyfriend or I had ever eaten. It was buttery and soft, yet not soft enough that it would get soggy from the red cabbage slaw. The slaw itself was a little too sweet, but the sharpness of the red onions my boyfriend ordered on the side balanced it out.
We were unfortunately too full to order dessert, although I was eyeing the milkshakes made with Taharka Brothers ice cream. At least now I have an excuse to come back (like I really needed one). It will take a few more visits to explore all the market and Belvedere Square have to offer, but I think I can manage that delicious assignment.
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