Copper Shark — Restaurant in Baltimore

WHOA amazing Sunday brunch!!! And after 3pm you can switch to the fab Happy Hour menu!!! Get the cinnamon churro donut. My go-to's: tuna poke nachos, Sriracha deviled eggs

Update: I did go back again, this time there was a bartender (Jacob, Jason OMG sorry I forgot his name) who knew his bourbon! MUCH more fun. It's more what I had been hoping for from a place with such an extensive bourbon selection. Not mentioned previously but points for having glencairns, not everyone likes them but I do if I'm drinking neat or with a bit of water. Anyway, had a lot of fun talking with him about what might be good options based on what I've liked before, mash bills, flavor profiles. He made excellent recommendations. My friend & I had the crab & corn bisque, the deep fried burrata. These go on the favorites list. We split the ribeye, holy moly that was fantastic, including the sides. Actually our steak was just a little underdone (beautiful for rare but we wanted medium rare) & the staff was really great about taking it back for a touch-up. You'd be surprised at the places that give you grief if the food isn't to your liking. Anyway finished the meal with the milk chocolate pot de creme & the grapefruit olive oil cake (yup, already favorites, I would go just for dessert). Oh what did we drink? EH Taylor (classic caramel notes, some green apple perhaps, smooth finish with a bit of spice maybe nutmeg), Old Forrester 1870 (more spice than the 1910, my favorite, I liked this least until we got to the steak, great match with the spice & fat), & Redemption Pre-Prohibtion (I was surprised how much I liked this given the high rye content, which I don't usually like, but this was such a great offering given the very high corn, I think around 60%?). So - I'm def looking forward to going back, esp with more bourbon friends.

I need to give & will give them another chance but it I was disappointed the wait staff & bartender didn't appear to be knowledgeable about their extensive bourbon collection. Our very nice server admitted he was 20, didn't drink, couldn't answer our questions, offered to relay my questions about mashbills & flavor profiles for specific bourbons I was interested in (Old Forester 1870, Cavehill Dareringer - we have others from those distillers, I wanted some input). The response we got back: that the bartender said that the prices reflected the taste, the higher the price, the better the taste. This might be fine for people who buy bourbon for status, not taste, & seems a disappointing position for what I was looking forward to as a fun bourbon bar. (My whiskey club & chat group will probably have questions at best...)

As for the food: I'm just going to describe what I ordered vs the rest of the table. I wasn't that hungry, so I just got the corn crab bisque & the squid ink marechiara. The bisque was a fabulous blend of flavors & textures, though be advised the focus is on presentation vs value. The bisque was poured from a creamer so perhaps less than 1/2 cups worth over what appeared to be a scant tablespoon of lump crab (yes I know it's not cheap), excellent pancetta & 3-4 slices of beautifully seared mini potato slices. I didn't have an issue with the $13 price tag but it may not be practical or reasonable for all. What I loved most about the squid ink marechiara was the choice of the pasta shape & size, the balance of the seafood flavors. It was like eating but the sea, from the sea, but not sans that fish market effect that can result in some seafood presentations. The marechiara sauce confused me a little as I was expecting a more broth-like expression, & while this was nearly delicately flavorful, it trended more to a rustic marinara.

The desserts were excellent!!!!! The grapefruit olive oil cake had an amazing texture, & there was a lot going on with the addition of not just the citrus creme but also the berry compote & ice cream. Huge fan of this.

I will definitely go back, this time to try the turf side of the menu. And to see i can engage in a better conversation...

I was pretty excited to visit Copper Shark given the high reviews. However, I was pretty disappointed to find that the dishes rely heavily on marketing without the execution to back it up. The only plus was that our server was an absolute gem.

My SO and I tried the bread plate, tuna tartare, beef carpaccio, grilled octopus, and duck duo. The tuna tartare was confusing with the soy "gelee" that bore no resemblance to any gelee I've enjoyed in the past... It was more akin to a thick hoisin sauce... So, menu zhush #1.

The bread (highly emphasized to be homemade - zhush #2) was a pretty dense, under proofed enriched dough that reminded me of how sweet, but relatively bland bread machine concoctions turn out. I've made lean + enriched breads before + know a passable loaf is not too difficult, so this bummed me out. We did not finish it since it wasn't the most worthwhile thing to fill up on. It would be nice if Copper Shark just ordered from one of the many great bakeries in the city.

The grilled octopus legs were served with a "squid ink emulsion" (zhush #3) and nicoise salad. In reality, the emulsion was just black mayo that was frankly quite gross, esp served at room temp. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️ The octopus legs weren't tough, but I wasn't able to eat much of it since the way the skin cooked kind of felt like it was sloughing off the meat in a really gelatinous manner when I was chewing. My husband was able to stomach it more than me, but he didn't love the texture either. The salad was okay. Not the worst, not the best.

The beef carpaccio was the plate my husband couldn't bear to eat, so I had the responsibility. I don't know what they're doing with their carpaccio since it didn't seem fully raw. Maybe they drizzled some type of vinegar or they plated it WAY in advance + the pickled onions just oozed vinegar everywhere, curing the meat. Whatever the case, it was on the plate long enough to cause moisture to seep through and glue the slices to the plate, causing it to shred apart in little pieces when I was trying to eat it. I couldn't finish this plate either. Also, why more mayo?? That turned the cured beef into a deconstructed roast beef sandwich.

The duck duo wasn't the worst since neither the leg nor breast were badly cooked, but for a $39 plate, it was pretty unacceptable. 👎 The lentils and kale had no seasoning, the "fois gras vinaigrette" (zhush #4) tasted like an overly bitter balsamic reduction (if there was fois gras in it, it was a waste of duck liver 😕), and I don't quite know what the white sauce was supposed to add to the plate. It was mildly buttery/lemony, but very bland more than anything else.

We also got a few cocktails + beer. Cocktails were okay, nothing bad outside of the price markup to match the rest of their menu. I'm happy that their bar at least manages good draft lines to ensure the beer is nice, crisp, and cold. 👍

All-in-all, Copper Shark was an overwhelming disappointment. The menu focuses on fancy buzzwords to justify the insanely high mark-up, but they don't seem to have someone at the helm of the kitchen that can ensure they can walk the walk. The extra star is purely based on the fact that nothing made us sick + the fact that their servers are very hospitable and engaging. If you do end up going here, my advice is to steer clear of anything with molecular gastronomic phrases. Just get something simple that is hard to...

Run (or Uber)- don’t walk - to copper shark in Locust point. On the site of the former wine market this brand new upscale eatery features well thought out decor paying homage to both the foundry in which it is located and the copper theme (yes, those are pennies inset all around the bar), excellent craft cocktails, a high-end liquor and wine selection, and well executed balanced upscale American dishes

Although it now seems ubiquitous, the smoked cocktail is not easy to pull off, and Copper Shark adds a special presentation to it’s namesake Manhattan. I won’t be a spoiler, it’s a fun way to get a drink. We were recommended drink your Churro - really, it was good, but better as a dessert than a starter - Horchata (house made, we are told) rounds it out. The wine selection (limited for our visit, but easy to see in their wine area) is comprehensive with a good mix of varietals.

As part of a limited opening (and full disclosure, we received our meals, and 2 drinks, gratis) we started with the Ploughmans Platter - a butcher block tray filled with cornichons, pickled veggies, a fantastic mustard but most importantly -tasty pates and a duck rinchard (not sure I am saying that correctly) which was like the duck and the fat had formed a perfect marriage.

My partner got the asparagus - grilled to perfection and drizzled with an amazing sauce; I got the spring salad which had a perfectly balanced lemon vinaigrette dressing, goat cheese, and delicate lettuce.

For the mains, I went for the scallops - while there were only 3 they were very large, cooked, as I said when I tasted them “perfectly perfect” resting on a delicious sauce and with some fantastic mushrooms on the side. My partner got the Lamb two ways - again, served perfectly perfect - medium rare filets all the way through and a side of melt in your mouth lamb tangine, surrounded by well executed vegetables.

Dessert was a trio - lemon olive oil cake topped with local fave Taharka blueberry ice cream, and what seemed like some sabayon with blueberries, a huge mug filled with what I can only describe as ganache meets pudding meets fudge with a hint of fluff mousse topped with scratch whipped cream.

The atmosphere is lively, banquette seating or large semi circle seating are inviting, overhead the gears and other parts reminiscent of the foundry are incorporated in the setting. The outside patio will be a show stopper when it is finished.

Service was well informed and well paced and management was milling about checking on everything and everyone to make sure we were all doing ok.

And what is the copper shark you ask? Well it certainly doesn’t swim - they will tell you the story…if you ask.

At the end when the check came it would have been about $80 per person before tip - for 2 drinks, shared appetizer, appetizers, entree and dessert. I can’t wait to go back again. Get your Resy app ready to book this place - it will definitely be a new staple in B’more for those of us who think the food should be important, if not more important than the...