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I always loved it at choptank and was sad to see it go. I heard it was the same guys as before and from Spasso which was one of my better recent meals so I thought I'd check it out. The operation does not seem at all like they just started. Granted they weren;t that busy, it was a deluge outside, but it felt like it had been there for years. Upon asking for a wine recommendation, the server promptly poured me two tastes of wine that fit my description. I had never heard of either so I roshambo'd one and loved it. We got the bomba (spicy eggplant with crostini) while we navigated the menu. Also at the recommendation of the server. We started very traditionally, with some proscuitto and a very generous arugula salad. This, plus the bomba opened our appetites, so then we started in on the menu. We got the seppia a la plancha that tasted of spring with peas and pea shoots. The seppia had a nice color to it and just the right amount of snap. We followed this with sweetbreads, also a la plancha. The flavor was outrageous. Bitter orange gastrique, pistachio and celery root smear–plus perfectly cooked sweetbreads. The barman recommended a half glass each of this funky vermentino that paired perfectly with the dish. And then we got a special of pork belly with a poached egg and ramps! The meat was fork tender and the skin was crispy like a thick-cut potato chip. The server recommended we save room for dessert at the beginning of out adventure. We barely had any room left but we're gluttons so.. bring on dessert! BOOM: rhubarb crostata with ricotta gelato. It looked rustic but after the first bite this was not grandma's crostata. There was something special, or more like someone special behind this dessert. Upon inquiring turns out the pastry chef comes from A16 in SF via Pulino's. We started inquiring about the pedigree of the rest of the staff and we're blown away. What we thought was just a good, VERY GOOD, restaurant had some serious firepower going on here. Turns out next door is going to be slightly more formal. In our delicious food and wine induced haze the bartender poured us some amaro out of a big jug. I felt good-full and the amaro opened up my drinking appetite. I was looking for a drink to close me down and had the Via Gabina–a deceptively delicious but butt-kicking drink made from rum and limoncello. If it wasn't a school night, I would have stayed for more. That's why god invented weekends!