The Four Seasons Baltimore…Wit and Wisdom Tavern

The Four Seasons Baltimore

Have you ever stepped back and thought, while in the moment…Wow, I am some kind of lucky.

I do that sometimes.

Take last weekend, for example.  I was visiting friends in Baltimore, having one heck of a great time already, when on Saturday night, we dressed up a little and walked over to the Four Seasons.

Ahh, yes.  The Four Seasons.

Located overlooking the Inner Harbor, modern and chic as the Four Seasons brand is known for being, the Baltimore hotel is a stunner.  The Wit and Wisdom Tavern is located just inside, but no signage is needed in order to find it – you smell it as soon as you walk inside.

It’s not a smell you associate with a luxury restaurant though…it is the smell of a wood fire.

Wit and Wisdom uses live fire to cook.  Live fire.  Not gas, not electric – wood fire.  All of the cut firewood you see stacked decoratively around the restaurant is used for cooking, which is done out in the open, where you are welcome to watch.

I of course loved that.

The chef, gracious enough to join our table to say hello, also prepared us a special tasting menu.  I know, I know – look at me getting the special treatment.  But wow – I appreciated it.  Every server for our small table (of which there must a have been 14 different servers, really) was exceptionally trained and full of wonderful suggestions.

We were started with a glass of bubbly, followed by drink orders.  The men had beer, as per usual, and I was recommended a house specialty cocktail – an amazing lime flavored vodka drink that was downright perfection.  It went great with our appetizer – something that I will admit scared me.

Beef Marrow.

I’m not an adventurous eater.  I’m just not.  So a bone on a plate, with marrow in it?  Well – I was frightened.

For those of you who have not eaten marrow, and I just have to assume that would be a fair percentage of you, let me tell you what it is like.

Meat jam.

I spooned mine onto a piece of crusty warm bread.  Gelatinous, but so full of meaty, smoky flavor.  It’s not something I would ever have ordered, but I am so glad I got to try it…as I guarantee if anyone can make it right, it’s the chef of a Four Seasons restaurant.

Our appetizers were followed up with the most creative salad – crisp greens, fiddlehead ferns, pea pods, carrots – even “dirt” on a delicious base of dressing.  I could have stopped dinner right there and been pleased – I absolutely loved that salad!

I’m glad I didn’t stop there though.  I was served a scallop, lightly tempura fried, in an incredible sauce.  Zingy is the best word I have for it!  We were also served a pile of various oysters – I heard comments that they were the best (I just don’t eat them). And then the main course – a pork tenderloin so tender a knife was unnecessary, and so flavorful that I could hardly stand it.  The four of us oohed and ahhed over it the entire time we were chewing.  It may have even bothered the other diners we were loving it so much!

Before a chocolaty dessert, we were served a lemon flower sorbet as a palate cleanser.  I hate to be that girl, but ‘m going to be.  That sorbet was maybe my favorite part of dinner.  Tart, sweet, soft and decadent.  Amazing.  There were edible marigolds on it.  I now want every meal to have marigolds on it.

Wit and Wisdom Tavern is quite a happening place – all of the town’s beautiful people were in the bar, having drinks and chatting in close circles while taking in the view of the harbor.  The staff, again, was superb, and no one ever wanted for anything.  I know I didn’t!

If you are ever in Baltimore, I highly recommend a meal at Wit and Wisdom Tavern.  Relaxed, upscale, comfortable – and incredibly delicious.  You won’t regret it!

And, if you have some extra free time – check out the Spa at the Four Seasons!  I had the most incredible massage there…80 minutes of relaxing perfection.  I wish I had had more time, as they have a Heat Therapy section of the spa, where you can relax in hot pools, or the steam room, or sauna, or even take a shower with more sprays than any shower I’ve ever seen.  I HAVE to go back!