r
r
A three-year lease agreement signed on Monday afternoon turned the keys of the restaurant and inn over to Mark Salter, chef at the Inn at Perry Cabin in St. Michaels, and Ian Fleming, a UK hotelier who worked at the Inn at Perry Cabin in the ‘90s. The restaurant hasn’t been open since 2007.
r
Wendy and Ken Gibson purchased the Robert Morris Inn in 1971 and remain the owners, though Salter and Fleming have the option to buy at any time over the life of the lease.
r
Salter says they've begun serving eakfast for the inn's guests and will open formally open the tavern on June 24 with a casual fine-dining restaurant to follow on the 30th. The two will have separate menus.
r
“Both menus are going to be well planned and will reflect the Eastern Shore. They'll feature some of my favorite ideas from The Inn at Perry Cabin, some of my signature dishes. I'll keep using fresh seafood from the Bay, and I'll follow the seasons with the area's fresh vegetables,” Salter said. Due to a clause in his contract with the Inn at Perry Cabin, he won't be permitted to take any dishes with him to Robert Morris Inn.
r
Since the news was first reported in the Star Dem yesterday, inn keepers have had to turn away a number of would-be diners who thought the tavern and restaurant were already open.
r
“People are understanding, and they're very happy that the Robert Morris Inn is open again,” Salter said.
r
The restaurant's new website will run live in a week, though Salter didn't have its domain name on hand when we spoke. I'll update this when he gets back to me.
r
r
~Andrew
