06-11-2023 Capital Style - Flipbook - Page 17
The restaurant’s
décor is earthy, with
forest green and
terracotta-colored
walls, hanging
rattan lamps and
plenty of plants.
loved the idea of being on West Street.”
Leo offers farm-to-table fare, featuring fresh
vegetables, meat and fish sourced from local
producers. The restaurant gets greens from
Maidstone Farms in Annapolis, steaks from
Roseda Farms in Monkton and cheese from
Chapel’s Creamery in Easton.
For all the focus on the bounties of the
region, you won’t necessarily find crab cakes
on the menu.
“There are so many places in Annapolis that
have crab cakes and oysters,” Hilarey said. “We
wanted to do something a little different.”
The couple brought on friend and former
employee Matthew Lego to lead the kitchen
at Leo. Lego worked in advertising after graduating with a degree in mass communications
from Towson University, but always felt the
pull of the hospitality industry. He ended up
working as a bartender at Free State and Lost
& Found before embarking on a stint in the
kitchen at Foraged in Station North.
His menu at Leo is inspired, in part, by
the hyperseasonal focus of that Baltimore
restaurant. Staple dishes will evolve with the
changing of the seasons: a butternut squash
risotto, for instance, becomes a spring pea risotto as the weather warms, and an angel food
cake topped with fresh strawberries in the
spring will feature raspberries or blackberries
in the summer.
“The bones of the dish will remain, but will
be very largely determined by what’s available
to us,” Lego said.
One year-round staple will be the golden
crispy grits, a satisfying plate of fried grits
sticks served with pickles and a hot sauce aioli.
The grits and corn flour used in the recipe are
all produced from the same crop of corn grown
at Next Step Produce in Charles County. “It’s
like a completely self-contained thing,” Lego
said.
The restaurant’s décor is earthy, with forest
green and terracotta-colored walls, hanging rattan lamps and plenty of plants. The
Leonards commissioned local artist Kimberly
George to create textured “sculpture paintings” that hang on the walls. Hilarey, who used
to work as a television producer for HGTV,
spearheaded the bulk of the restaurant’s design, aside from some carpentry work.
While the restaurant has an elegant look
and an extensive cocktail, beer and wine list,
the Leonards also want to make it known that
Leo is a family-friendly place. That’s one reason they decided to open a restaurant rather
than another bar.
“Having a family changed our perspective,”
Hilarey said. “It’s nice to go to a place that welcomes people with kids, because that’s what
we’re doing now.”
Leo Annapolis
212 West St., Annapolis. 443-782-7549.
leoannapolis.com
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Summer 2023 | CAPITAL STYLE |
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