The Wardroom

Walking into The Wardroom, you half expect a wine list that leans on the same Pinot Grigio and California Cab that every Eastern Shore restaurant uses as a crutch. Instead, you get a genuinely Italian-focused list that feels like someone actually cared enough to do their homework. The room — all warm white oak and hand-thrown ceramics — sets a tone that the wine list, mostly, manages to live up to.

The list skews heavily Italian, with a particular eye toward northern regions: Alto Adige shows up multiple times, and there's a genuine attempt to showcase grapes most Maryland diners won't recognize on sight. It's not a deep list by any stretch, but the curation has intention behind it — you're not just scrolling past an ocean of Meiomi. California makes an appearance, presumably to keep the crowd comfortable, but the real action is in the boot. The gap is depth: once you move past the highlights, the bench thins out quickly.

The by-the-glass program is where The Wardroom genuinely surprises — and not just in selection. The pricing on the pours is frankly absurd in the best way: glass prices that are running at or below what you'd pay retail per-glass equivalent. The Sauvignon from Valle Isarco and the Elena Walch Chardonnay are both listed at prices that make you check the menu twice to make sure you're reading it right.