The Kitchen at The Imperial Hotel—It’s a Yes!

Breathe a sigh of relief. The impending closure of the restaurant at The Imperial Hotel scheduled for late December had everyone writing farewells.

Not so fast.

In fact, it will soon be known as The Kitchen at The Imperial Hotel.

If you recognize the first part of the name and it triggers a memory of fine seafood and award winning desserts, you’re in for a fun surprise.

Steve and Monica Quigg will be moving their famous little restaurant, The Kitchen at Rock Hall, lock, stock and secret crab cake recipe from Rock Hall to The Imperial Hotel in early November and prepare to hit a target opening date of November 21.

“We couldn’t be more excited,” Quigg says. “It’s a carefully planned move, not the kind of thing you jump into and then figure out later.”

If you are not familiar with their cuisine—braised lamb shanks, lump crab cakes and beef tenderloin Surf and Turf are popular—you are in for a treat. The Kitchen has racked up some impressive awards these last few years: “Best Crabcakes” three years in a row from What’s Up Eastern Shore magazine, along with “Best Dessert” and “Best Chef” and “Best Crabcakes” from chesapeakeboating.net, to name a few.

There’s a great piece in What’s Up Eastern Shore about Steve’s participation in “Chef’s Challenge 2014.”

“Fresh” can be an overwrought term in the restaurant business, but just short picking their own vegetables and fishing the Bay themselves, Steve and Monica are passionate about having their daily specials showcase fresh local choices from Redmond and Lockbriar Farms, and Chester River Seafood Company.

“Our menu varies seasonally depending on local harvests and fish catches. Right now, for instance, we’re getting ready for wild rock fish and we have some delicious swordfish. When corn is harvested, or cherry tomatoes are in, that could be a great addition to jumbo diver scallops,” he said.

The Imperial Hotel dining room offers seating for 70 inside and 30 outside, dwarfing the Quiggs’ current capacity of 18 inside and 12 outside in their small Rock Hall restaurant.

“We’ll hit the ground running; that’s for sure, “ Quigg says. “ Working with our current staff will help as we begin to expand our brand and get the word out that we’re here. Right now, many of our customers are from Chestertown, Betterton and of course Rock Hall, and we look forward to them following us into Chestertown.”

Rock Hall will not be left with an empty building, however. Additional news about a seasoned chef taking over the premises will be forthcoming. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, we’ll be waiting, forks in hand.

 

Photograph provided by Jennifer Krafchik at Jennifer K Photography

For more information about the Kitchen at Rock Hall, see Jennifer’s photo essay here.