Technically the water table is an integral part of a farmer’s
daily life. It represents our connection with the basic
elements in life…our earth, our water, the air we
breathe, and the food we grow, and idea of consuming these
things in our diet with the comfort that our life can
be pure and natural. Chef Dean Max in his newest venture,
Water Table does more than offer you a table with a water
view of the Inner Harbor of Baltimore; he brings you the
treasures he has collected in his craft after years of
traveling the globe. A local boy off the Eastern Shore,
he grew up between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic
growing peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, leeks, onions, and
other of the regions favorite varieties. With the inspirational
tastes of his youth such as a great soft shell crab sandwich,
local steamed clams with old bay butter, wild striped
bass, haymen sweet potatoes, flounder with crabmeat, it
is no wonder that Chef Max is eager to return to his farm
day roots. The first paragraph from his latest cookbook,
“A Life by the Sea” sums up the magic of a
youth on the shore:
My love of food is fed from the fond
memories of the smells and tastes of my childhood. When
I smell the stem of a vine ripe tomato, I can visualize
myself running through the large rows of tomato plants
as my brother and I played hide and seek. The taste
of a cucumber brings to mind my father who used to carry
a salt shaker and pocketknife through the fields to
enjoy the simplicity of such a subtle vegetable. The
smell of a leak reminds me of sitting with my mother
and helping sort the seedlings to be replanted. The
excitement of having an omelet from a double yolk chicken
egg, and so many smells and tastes zoom my mind to childhood
memories. The simple taste of a sunfish from the pond,
the neighbor get-togethers to feast on local clams and
blue crabs, and the fresh pomegranate my brother and
I grabbed from Mr. Beasley’s tree on the way back
from fishing.
We at Water Table share a passion to provide a culinary
journey through the use of the amazing products that
our modern world has to offer. In this quest to return
to a world of natural, farm fresh and pristine ingredients,
we seek out hand crafted products and utilize the talents
of our American artisans to provide us with food that
remembers the days of old. Cuisine based around the
simplicity of locally grown vegetables, wild seafood,
free range meats, and naturally raised poultry.
Chef Dean James Max, who has carved his culinary success
with his simple and elegant seafood talents, has returned
to his farm raised roots in his latest venture. In Water
Table, Chef Max shares his need to always be close to
the source. To search his childhood for the amazing
products that would on their own be the center of attention.
Taking the best of the Eastern Shore and mixing it with
the world around to create a destination restaurant
where the journey is the enjoyment of an epicurean’s
life…
With some simple but perfectly executed items like:
Sea Salt & Vinegar fries in
duck fat, old bay aioli, spicy ketchup
Local Maryland Crab Bisque toasted croutons, grilled
corn, green onion
Crispy skate wing with watermelon, cherry tomato and
feta salad, lemon oil
Chesapeake Fish and Chips
Crispy soft shell crab, savoy cabbage salad, pecans
Chesapeake flounder, snap pea puree, blue oyster mushrooms,
charred onions
Pork loin chop, parsnip puree, green beans, grilled
peach, rosemary
Crispy soft shell crab BLT with old bay aioli
Join us for the celebration of a Chesapeake boy who’s
prideful in sharing his passion to please our palate
Indicative of cuisine designed around boutique local
purveyors our wine selections have the same heart in
mind. Along with some of the big favorites the masses
have embraced, we have chosen a selected amount of boutique
and interesting wines that stem from family run, product
conscious wineries that put quality first and passion
as their center of life.
We believe as you take your journey through our list,
you need the ability to taste the story of a small winery
in the hills that grows a modest harvest of grapes that
are nurtured with great sun, careful attention and only
the best intentions in mind. The golden juice is squeezed
and blended by masters that only care about the sheer
joy of how a well matured grape juice feels as it swishes
around your mouth, not how many bottles can be produced
for each acre.
As food connoisseurs, we have selected a group of
wines that fit well with the food we love to eat. Great
acidity, great fruit, well balanced and spicy, we love
to have you taste the fire that ignites from a perfect
pairing of food and wine. Enjoy a friendly list that
takes the focus off the price and lets you roam in a
safe zone to focus on what really matters…an amazing
wine that you will always remember!
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