Flamant Bistro | Annapolis Restaurant Review

Atmosphere

The first experience in any restaurant is the atmosphere. So it's gotta be good. Flamant nails this. It's in an old house, so there's a level of comfort above and beyond a traditional restaurant. In the main dining room, it feels like a friend's living room. On the patio, it's super cozy and also feels like a friend's house.

Service

But ambience only takes you so far. Immediately after sizing up a restaurant's vibe, you get to judge the service.

I made a 6:30 reservation and was 3 minutes late. I'm always late. It's nothing personal. My dinner partner arrived even later than me but the staff took me to the bar to wait without a trace of annoyance. This warm, professional service continued throughout the night. Our server, Josie, was top notch. She even hung up my coat when it kept falling off my chair.

Food

Here's the new menu. It's one page with beverages on the back. Keep reading to see why Wednesday is the best day to order wine.

Appetizers

I ordered the duck rillette because a friend who happened to be eating in the private room recommended it after I rudely crashed his company dinner. He's an extremely talented Las Vegas catering chef, so I trusted his suggestion. Good call.

It may not look like a ton of duck on that plate, but it's more than enough. It's so rich that you only eat a bit at a time. Fun fact: rillettes is a preservation method where you season meat then slow cook it submerged in fat. It provides an intense flavor.

I loved it most when I spread some black garlic mustard on the bread, slipped some duck on, and gave it a mustard once over. Though I definitely recommend trying the duck on its own for the heck of it. At least one bite.

The crab rolls came highly recommended from our wonderful server. So we got some of those too. They're served in a unique container. And I don't care what anyone says. Good presentation makes food taste better.

These are a total treat. Just the right amount of crunch. Moist but not oil-soaked. And flavorful in a way that says, "I'm eating crab. But I've never tasted it like this before." Just one word of caution here (ok, maybe 3): eat them quick. They're very thin and get cold fast.

Next course

Before the rebrand, steak frites—AKA steak and french fries—was one of Flamant's most popular dishes. So naturally we had to try it. It's the only menu item above $35, but I think it will continue to be a Flamant customer favorite. I order steak medium rare and the kitchen crew nailed it. So tender and juicy and the sauce on top was well... the cherry on top.

We also tried a burger—the Royale with Cheese. Raclette cheese to be specific. If you've never tried raclette on a burger, you must. It's a game changer.

The patty is a chuck/brisket blend, which upgrades this from your standard burger. I also ordered this medium rare. Just like the steak, it was cooked to perfection. The Royale also comes with an onion jam that made me wonder why I've ever put ketchup on a burger.

Never skip dessert

It's pretty tough to brainstorm a better combo than brownies and ice cream. Flamant thinks so too. So you can add ice cream to your bourbon butter brownie for $3. Or you can go the whole 9 yards and order the gelato trio. Power moves only.

We picked chocolate, vanilla, and maple walnut. Unsurprisingly, the maple walnut disappeared first. Do yourself a favor and don't neglect the butter with the brownie. Slather every bite like your life depends on it.

Pro tip

All bottles of wine are half off on Wednesdays!

Final thoughts

This rebrand makes Flamant much more accessible. And it's not all about price. It's about the dishes too. If you want to try something crazy, knock yourself out. Let's have some escargot donuts. But pretty much anyone can be happy with steak frites or roast chicken. Don't be intimidated by the French. Pommes puree basically means mashed potatoes.

We ordered a nice bottle of wine and 2 dishes for every course—including the most expensive entree on the menu. After a nice tip (+30%), the bill was about $200.

Bottom line: if you swore off Flamant because it was too expensive or the menu was too wild before the rebrand, give it another try.

How many scoops?

Naptown Scoop rates restaurants on the same scale as Michelin stars:

• Single scoop: a very good restaurant
• Double scoop: excellent cooking worth a detour
• Triple scoop: exceptional cuisine that is worth a special journey

Just like Michelin stars, not every restaurant will earn scoops. This does not mean they aren't good.

I've decided to award Flamant 2 scoops.