Meet the Chef: David Thomas of Metropolitan Kitchen and Lounge

Is it Southern comfort food or is it locavore cuisine with an international flair?

Well, the answer is it's a bit of both. The new Metropolitan Kitchen and Lounge, located at 175 West Street, serves “Southern fusion” made from local farm-to-table ingredients.

On June 23, Metropolitan opened for dinner, and lunch service began Thursday. Eventually breakfast will be offered in the roomy bar-bistro area on the first floor. It’s owned by Jody Danek and Gavin Buckley, who own four other Anne Arundel hotspots: Tsunami and three Lemongrass locations, two in Annapolis and one in Crofton.

On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, Metropolitan’s second floor comes alive with dancing or other entertainment. At 10:00 p.m. tonight [Fri.] and tomorrow [Sat.], Annapolis stand-up comedians will perform as part of the Annapolis Comedy Festival.

On the roof, there’s a comfortable bar where you can enjoy cocktails under the stars and patio seating with one of the most scenic views in town. There’s also a container garden of organic herbs that Chef David Thomas will incorporate into his dishes.

Thomas is a Baltimore resident, and his style of cooking is eclectic, taking regional cues from New York, Baltimore, the South and wherever his cross-country network of fellow chefs live. In rare moments when he’s not behind the stove, he’s mellow, relaxed and soft-spoken. In the kitchen, he’s transformed: swift, nimble and energized. Patch caught up with him this week to find out more about him and the culmination of his and the owners' four months of collaborative preparation.

Age: 43
Number of years in the business: 22

Historic Annapolis Patch: What makes Metropolitan unlike other Annapolis restaurants?
Chef David Thomas: Our whole mission. I don’t think the sustainable, organic, farm-to-table aspect is enough to set us apart, but I think our approach to the food is. For a number of years, I have coined what I call “Southern fusion,” that mix of home-style flavors with a bit more high-end presentation. That’s bringing together two worlds you normally would not find in one place. You get this comfortable array of flavors with presentation that you could find in a New York or high-end restaurant.

And the different ingredients we use, like quinoa fritters. I’m doing things that most people would think, 'This guy’s crazy!' I’m always trying to push the envelope without going too crazy. I like introducing people to things that maybe they never had before. Or they have, but never in the way that it’s presented. Constantly going for that instead of being the pedestrian, usual place that serves food you can get anywhere in the United States. I like being unique, having signature items that you can’t get anywhere but here. Some of these items we’ve never done before.

If I can get something raw in my hands, I immediately think, 'What can I do with it?' I think that’s what will bring people back here: every day or every week we’ll have something new and exciting on the menu. For breakfast, I plan on doing risotto oatmeal, something that you can’t find here.

Historic Annapolis Patch: How often do you anticipate the menu will change?
Chef David Thomas: We haven’t done any marketing yet in terms of a grand opening or a launching yet. Once that happens, my menu is going to change probably daily or weekly. It’s based on the availability of products. Eighty percent of the products I have on my menu are sourced within 200 miles. Probably 15-20 percent of those products are sourced within 50 miles. I’m just getting into using strawberries and wild berries, collard greens and kale.

Historic Annapolis Patch: Is there one item on your menu that’s closest to your heart?
Chef David Thomas: The beef short ribs. I love them because I do them a little differently than everybody else. I take a combination of brown sugar and smoked Mexican chili powder, and I mix those together with some kosher salt, then I dry that on short ribs and let them sit for 12 hours. After that, I braise them for about three hours. I really like that dish.

It’s accompanied with a root vegetable mash, which is something no one else does. I take parsnips, red potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. I boil those together and mash them up, still keeping some of the whole bits of the carrots and parsnips in so you can have some smooth with the textured mix. That’s one and chicken and waffles, of course, because I do a sweet potato waffle, and I serve that with rosemary syrup.

Then there’s a salmon masala, which is something that nobody does. I use Atlantic salmon, a coho salmon and marine-certified product. We’re one of the few restaurants in Annapolis to carry that. I mix that with some Indian spices, pour that sauce on top of that pan-seared salmon, and it’s magical. I serve that with Asian black rice and local asparagus. It goes back to the fusion thing.

But I love all the food. I don’t necessarily eat all of it just because of my diet and how I like to live. It’s like their your children. It’s hard to say I love one more than the other.

Historic Annapolis Patch: When you’re at home, what do you cook for yourself?
Chef David Thomas: You work so many hours, when you get home you say, 'Just give me something to eat.' I only buy all natural, organic products. My wife is a big foodie so just throwing anything at her is not acceptable. She does some cooking, but when I cook I make what I make here. I eat a lot of grains and beans, not a lot of red meat. I’m simple and not this pretentious guy. I’m laid back. I like to have fun in my kitchen and get work done at the same time, so I keep it simple. I love macaroni and cheese. I love a piece of fried chicken, but I don’t eat that stuff all the time.

Historic Annapolis Patch: I understand you lived in New York. What brought you to Annapolis?
Chef David Thomas: My family brought me back to Maryland. I was born in and lived in Baltimore for a number of years. I like Maryland, and I like Baltimore. I grew up in New York, so I have an affinity for both cities. There’s nothing like New York. It’s a completely different pace, the people are a little different, and it’s a bit more eclectic. I like that there’s so much different in New York that you can feed off everything. Baltimore is slowly catching up. It’s not as much as a foodie town as New York, but it’s getting there. Here a good chef can stand out very easily—that’s what I appreciate about Baltimore.

Historic Annapolis Patch: Is this Metropolitan affiliated with the former Metropolitan?
Chef David Thomas: It is owned by Jody Danek and Gavin Buckley, who were also owners of the old Metropolitan. I was not here at that time. It was a higher end restaurant with an upscale menu. This particular location lends itself to a party atmosphere because of the rooftop deck. People are used to having that as a hangout spot. So molding those two worlds, the high-end clientele and the kids who want to come and have drinks, together is a little difficult sometimes.
But these guys are seasoned restaurateurs. They own several restaurants and they wanted a new concept. When I heard about it, I was all in.

Historic Annapolis Patch: If a young person were to approach you and say, “I want to be a chef,” what would advice would you give?
Chef David Thomas: Study your craft. Experiment. Be true to yourself. There are chefs all over the place. What distinguishes one from another is who you are and if you can put your soul on a plate. Do what excites you, but learn. I’ve worked with chefs from the Culinary Institute of America]and Johnson & Wales, and I’ve worked with guys like myself who never went to a culinary school, and the training comes from the job.

Don’t get caught up in the hype because of these celebrity chefs. Those guys took years and years to get where they are. You don’t become a celebrity overnight, if that’s what you seek. For me, I’m not interested in being on television. I like being in the kitchen and talking to my guests to see how they enjoyed the meal.

I love food and watching what it does to people. Food is emotional. You put something on a plate and you give it to someone and they enjoy it. You’ve given part of yourself.

Metropolitan Kitchen and Lounge is currently open for lunch and dinner. For reservations or more information, call (410) 280-0176.