RSS FEEDChef Nicholas Batey recently opened Ullswater Restaurant & Wine Bar in South Baltimore with his wife, Saundra Batey, who is the general manager. The menu is Italian inspired with the highest priced item being $18.
This is good news for all the fans of the Bateys’ former restaurant The Bicycle, which closed this summer. While the award-winning restaurant was successful on weekends, it didn’t attract a large enough midweek crowd to make it financially viable, said Saundra, when I talked to her today. "We couldn’t afford to keep it open," she said.
But she is very excited about the new venture, Ullswater, which is named after a picture of England’s Lake Ullswater that inspired chef Batey when he was working in Florida. And it’s found a niche in the new place, too. "It’s everywhere," said Saundra, laughing. "In the bathrooms, in the hallways. He loves that picture."
In addition to a variety of pasta dishes and entrees like grilled salmon and pork cacciatore, the two-story restaurant will serve casual fare like burgers, sandwiches, and salads. Those items aren’t Italian, acknowledged Saundra, but, "We want to take care of the neighborhood people, so they don’t leave the neighborhood."
In the next few weeks, chef Batey will also be adding some Bicycle favorites to the menu for diners who frequented the Federal Hill restaurant. For now, the restaurant is serving dinner, but starting Dec. 14, Ullswater will begin offering lunch.
The wine list is divided into Italian and non-Italian offerings with prices by the glass starting at $5. Also, look for happy-hour specials from 5-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and late-night deals on Fridays and Saturdays. Ullswater’s goal, said Saundra, is to be "affordable."
