Photography by Stephen Buchanan
A West Coast entrepreneur turned a hobby into a popular Gambrills kitchen and wine bar. Larry Ray owned a winery in California and made wine for himself and his friends. Ray eventually met and partnered with Steve Schuh and James King, who founded Titan Hospitality, owner of Blackwall Hitch and Blackwall Barn & Lodge, among other restaurants, in Anne Arundel County. Ray wanted to expand into an upscale dining concept and Smashing Grapes is the result.
The restaurant’s dining menu is a fusion of Mediterranean and coastal California cuisines, and the wine menu offers an extensive selection—more than 350 from 10 countries, including France, Italy, Spain, and various regions of California.
“Larry has a tremendous love for wine and the production of wine,” Smashing Grapes Director of Operations Carlos Oseguera says. “It’s something that excites him very much. He wanted to bring West Coast cuisine and his love for wine to the East Coast. That’s [in part] how the concept was born.”
The food is, of course, also a high priority. The best-sellers are Buffalo cauliflower and miso honey marinated sea bass. Brick-pressed chicken, margherita flatbread, and steak au poivre are also coveted items.
We talked to Oseguera and Culinary Director Daniel Hlusak about Smashing Grapes’ wine selection, the process of opening the Gambrills and Annapolis locations, what highlights the menu, and the popular wine tastings offered.
Photography by Stephen Buchanan
Daniel, how would you describe the menu?
The menu is coastal Californian, casual elegance with a Mediterranean theme to it. We offer a healthy mix. We have avocado toast and some earthy, crunchy things. But also steak and potatoes. We offer a little bit of everything for everyone. If go you for Italian, we make all our pasta in-house. It’s all semolina flour from Durum wheat. It’s a lot of hard work. We take great pride in that.
What’s a customer favorite?
Our Buffalo cauliflower. It’s wonderful. It’s farm-fresh cauliflower. We blanch it, then tempura batter and fry it. We serve it with a little bit of Buffalo sauce and house-made blue cheese dressing. The neat part is you get the crunch on the outside. Then that resilient umami in the center because of the cauliflower. You are dipping it in blue cheese and Buffalo sauce. You get that explosion in your mouth.
What else sells very well?
Miso marinated Chilean sea bass. It has that great umami, fermented flavor, and the meatiness of the sea bass. We have broccolini under the fish and pair it with mushrooms. We add pickled scallions to give it a little punch. It’s briny, salty, and sweet. It has a nice crunch from the broccolini. The vinegar really brings out the brightness of the fish.
What made you emphasize wine from California’s central coast?
One of our owners lives in the area. It informed the decisions that we have made. He fell in love with wine made where he lives and said, “Let’s share that with everybody.” Northern California produces amazing wines. It sort of overshadows the other parts of California that produce wines like Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County from Central Coastal California. We feature those. With them, you are getting complex, generous fruit, and fantastic, well-bodied wine with a nice structure. We thought it would be nice to let the wines from Paso Robles and Santa Barbara County shine through.
Was there a void in the market for Smashing Grapes to fill?
Most of the wine places in Maryland are smaller, or the wine list might be 80 to 100 wines. We wanted to do something a little bit bigger and incorporate California cuisine, but also bring in some Italian, French, and Portuguese influence. Some different international influences on the menu. While there is some focus on Napa Valley’s style of food and wine [elsewhere], there really isn’t something as big as the Smashing Grapes concept.
Photography by Stephen Buchanan
Carlos, can you tell us about your wine tastings?
We have tastings for which you can book for two people or eight people, or however many you want. We can tailor them to a specific want or need. We can do whites, reds, or a mix. Most of our managers have been extensively trained on our wine list. So why not tailor every experience to what the guest wants? We have wine tastings from five to 10 times a week. We also have events once a month that we call “sip and learn.” We recently did one on roses and another on champagne. It’s a great maturation and introduction process. It highlights how similar grapes produced in various regions of the world can be different.
What is the difference between the Smashing Grapes in Gambrills and Annapolis?
They have the same menu and wine selection. The difference is that Annapolis has two patios. One on the north side and one on the south side. Gambrills has one patio. It is very popular and fills up first, especially in the spring, summer, and fall. It can be below 50 degrees and people want to be out there. We have a canopy and retractable curtains that come down and close it. We turn the heaters on. It’s pretty comfortable.
Photography by Stephen Buchanan
Red Pepper Orecchiette with Italian Sausage & Broccolini
One serving
- 3 oz. ground Italian sausage, cooked
- 1 tsp. garlic
- 3 stems broccolini, chopped
- 2 oz. cherry tomato, halved
- 1 oz. butter
- 2 oz. pasta cooking water
- 1 tsp. nduja (spicy, spreadable pork sausage)
- 4 oz. dried red pepper orecchiette
- 2 oz. parmesan
- 1 oz. ricotta
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Boil orecchiette according to instructions, then drain. In a pan over medium heat, add Italian sausage, nduja, garlic, broccolini, and tomato. Sauté for three minutes. Add pasta, the pasta water, and butter. Reduce. Add parmesan. Plate and top with ricotta. Serve.
Smashing Grapes 2383 Brandermill Boulevard, Gambrills | 410-451-7544 | smashinggrapes.com
