Cece’s Roland Park is an ode to the bygone days of Baltimore’s Village of Cross Keys.
Recalling when the mixed-use residential and retail space was thriving a couple of decades ago, the restaurant’s sweeping courtyard patio, arranged with comfortable, cushioned seats, an outdoor bar, fireplace and TVs showing the latest O’s game is an effort to not just be a place people come to for fine dining but also a communal space — a place you drop by before or after catching a game, for happy hour, for celebrations or as a first stop to see friends, family and neighborhood regulars after coming home.
“We’re trying to be a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but also really just trying to offer something that we feel like isn’t available right now in the Roland Park area,” says Cece’s executive chef Chris Audia.
When the restaurant opened last June, there was more attention to Cece’s high-end, tableside offerings, Audia says, but the restaurateurs really wanted to evolve with the community to meet their needs.
That communal focus is in part owed to Cece’s Baltimore roots.
“We are Baltimore-based 115 years,” says Cari Furman, vice president of communications for Cece’s parent company, The Cordish Companies.
Though The Cordish Companies are well known for their large-scale mixed-use ventures across the United States, with more than 100 different concepts in live hospitality and entertainment, “The Cordish family has lived here in that time and still live here. And Reed Cordish has been at the forefront of this restaurant,” she says.
So, it was particularly special to the family to create a neighborhood space in their hometown.
Approachable Fine Dining
“In (fine dining) spaces like this, it can come off as intimidating,” says the restaurant’s general manager, August Burger. “But we put a lot of effort into recruiting team members who have that natural hospitality nature.”
Cece’s continental, coastal-influenced European menu focuses on seasonal ingredients that lend well to outdoor Italian Riviera-style al fresco dining, but also a lot of familiar comfort staples, such as pizza, pasta and garlic focaccia, all made in house.
“Say, you know, you and the kids are running around and you just want to come in for some pizza and pasta,” Furman says.
Families may enjoy booking the more casual side room off the main dining area that includes front-row seats to kitchen staff making pizza and pasta.
“Because of the region that we’re drawing inspiration from, [the menu is] very approachable,” Burger says, but the level of execution may be surprising.
Nick Sharpe, who earned a Michelin star for his work as executive chef at Michael Mina Bellagio in Las Vegas, was an important part of the menu development and launch of Cece’s.
The interior design by Baltimore-based Rebecca Jones of RD Jones + Associates also makes the space feel warm and inviting with soft, golden lighting, armchairs with rich caramel leather and herringbone-patterned fabrics.
Classic fine wines are available for a more exclusive experience, but an effort is also made to make Cece’s wine program accessible to all.
For example, by including many small-production wines like the Petite Arvine, Di Barrò, Valle d’Aosta, which can only be found in the Valle d’Aosta region of Italy, guests can get something special and unique that won’t break the bank.
Wine is supposed to be “enjoyed and fun,” says Austin Carpenter, who oversees Cece’s wine program. “I hate the stuffiness of it.”
Carpenter says one way to achieve this is to offer a twist on the familiar, such as offering a Pinot Nero from Italy instead of a California Pinot Noir.
Ushering in Change With a Local Eye
Being the latest in a color palette of retail and dining that is transforming Cross Keys also means Cece’s is coming to the right place at the right time.
With Cece’s, and Atlas’ Nine Tailed Fox (slated to open this spring as of press time), there will be seven restaurants at Cross Keys, along with well-known upscale retailers like Ruxton Mercantile that are bringing the village back to its heyday.
After its opening by Jim Rouse in 1965, the village was once home to prominent, then-local names like Oprah Winfrey before passing from local hands in 2004.
“Caves Valley [Partners] (a local company) is overseeing all the redevelopment here and adding new life to it,” says Furman, noting she sees a wide variety of people from the county, city, north of the city and Anne Arundel County.
And for Cece’s, the local connection goes beyond the Cordish family. A significant step of Burger’s journey was at the now-closed MilkBoy ArtHouse in College Park, and Audia previously worked with Sharpe at the Ivy Hotel in Baltimore.
It’s All in the Details
After just a year of operation, Cece’s has already earned accolades from local readers’ polls, and part of that, Burger says, is in the details.
“From anything as small as, ‘Am I going to pick up this piece of paper that’s on the floor?’ to … ‘Am I going to invest the time to learning our wine program so I can educate the guests …” he says.
The focus is on the substance of the experience, “to create a special place that guests love to visit and look forward to returning to,” Furman says.