Ale to the Chef

There was no denying the excitement when Matt Seeber was named executive chef of the new Heavy Seas Alehouse (1300 Bank St., 410-522-0850, heavyseasalehouse.com) near Little Italy. After all, this is a man who headed up one of Tom Colicchio’s restaurants in Las Vegas. Colicchio is probably best known as a judge on Bravo’s Top Chef. If Seeber had his culinary approval, we could only imagine what his impact would be on Alehouse’s menu. On our visit, we, indeed, found an exciting lineup of snacks and entrees with beer at the heart of many of the creations. The spicy Roma sausage sliders, made with Heavy Seas Über Pils ($12), were captivating with red-cabbage slaw and a fat pickle slice. And, oh, those onion rings ($6.50) coated with a whole-grain-Dijon and Loose-Cannon-beer batter. Don’t skip dessert either. The house-made Pimlico pie ($8, a version of Kentucky Derby pie) gets a flavor boost from locally made gelato with cardamom. So far, the chef is living up to expectations.