The Peabody
4 out of 5 stars
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, 600 Fifth St. S., St. Petersburg. Breakfast: $6-$13; appetizers: $12-$15; entrees: $8-$24; desserts: $3-$6; beer, cocktails & wines by the glass: $6-$15. 727-369-9969, peabodyrestaurant.com.
I spent most of my life just outside of D.C. in close-in Maryland suburbs. Johns Hopkins was well-known, and my son was treated by the hospital’s visionary physicians for some significant health problems. It was there that Ben Carson spent nearly three decades as a pediatric neurosurgeon with “gifted hands.”
One of the major non-medical attractions of the university is the George Peabody Library. It’s truly one of the most beautiful rooms in the country, often used for weddings. A huge skylight — 60 feet above the floor — floods five tiers of ornamental cast-iron balconies with light. It’s worth visiting if you’re anywhere near Baltimore. However, thanks to modern technology, a 360-degree view is only a click away.
In Tampa Bay, we’re lucky to have Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in downtown St. Pete. And now, the George Peabody Library has inspired the decor for a splendid new restaurant on the hospital campus that’s also deserving of a detour. There are tall ceilings, hanging globe pendants, two-top alcoves with upholstered wing chairs, leather seats with decorative nails, and plenty of dark wood. Depicting sepia etchings of a harbor with masted schooners, the papered walls are hung with gold-framed paintings of 19th-century figures. There’s a singular woman wrapped in lace posing with books and a quartet of male doctors before a giant globe decked out in scholarly robes.
From this, you might expect a formal, even stuffy, menu. But that’s not the case. The Peabody offers a wide-ranging breakfast from parfaits and omelets to lox and toast. The full bar pours specialty cocktails, a small yet thoughtfully curated selection of beer and wine, and Buddy Brew coffee and TeBella tea. And chef Rachel Bennett’s all-day menu (through 8 p.m.) is largely a casual mix of salads and handhelds presented with great care and conceived in such a way as to elevate the fresh ingredients. The goal is a “reprieve from the daily chaos” for the community, visitors and hospital staff alike.
We start with an absolutely superb slice of hickory-smoked salmon topped with Meyer lemon relish and a few microgreens. Open-crumb toast points arrive with a scrumptious bowl of herbed crème fraîche. The key is to make sure all of these elements are combined; it’s an uplifting mouthful.
The Peabody also jumps on the cheese and charcuterie bandwagon with a huge slate carefully adorned with chorizo, prosciutto, manchego triangles, a wedge of northern California’s unmissable goat cheese that is Humboldt Fog, and Ireland’s Cashel Blue. In addition, there are terrific dollops of sweet, grainy mustard and pear-chive jam with tart pickle wedges and whole pickled okra — which I urge you to try. My tablemates are a bit wary and miss out. It’s a great way to start.
STILL HUNGRY?
Flip through more images of what we tasted from photographer Nicole Abbett
Our entrees include a magnificent spinach salad blended with arugula and torn bits of romaine, plus other goodies: crisp carrots, juicy chicken, sweet dates, julienned apples, tart goat cheese and crunchy pumpkin seeds wrapped in a lovely lemon-poppy seed vinaigrette.
The menu beckons with many enjoyable handheld choices from a complex grilled cheese to chicken salad with dried cherries and pistachios, or the BLT with fried green tomatoes, to fish tacos with feta and cumin aioli. We settle on a delicious club sandwich on thick-cut toast with ham, turkey and crispy bacon, elevated by nutty Gruyère, avocado mash and garlic aioli. The accompanying french fries are crispy and pleasant.
Two standard entrees top $20, a simple grilled salmon and my choice of grilled steak. The tasty, long crescent of what appears to be skirt steak is the restaurant’s version of what the French refer to as steak frites. The meat is perfectly cooked, sliced thin and glistening. It’s spread with a light coat of herb-filled chimichurri and a mound of diced pickled red onion. The welcome addition of arugula salad with Parmesan ribbons adds a perfect grace note. There’s also a bowl of creamy garlic aioli, subtle rather than overwhelming. Add some Parmesan truffle frites and you’re all smiles.
The Peabody keeps the dessert choices simple, but not without surprise. The fudgey espresso brownie is covered with peanut butter sauce and chopped nuts. It sits next to a diminutive white ceramic milk bottle, out of which pokes a straw with a blue barber pole stripe. This touch of nostalgia is another detail emblematic of the care taken by chef Bennett’s kitchen.
We also indulge in the seasonal ice cream. In this case, two scoops of a creamy brown sugar confection sit on bits of crunchy almond biscotti and are bisected by a pair of thin dark chocolate bark pieces resembling bat wings. It’s a delightful end to a lovely meal.
I had no idea what to expect as we entered the hospital campus, but there’s easy-access valet parking, the friendliest attentive waitstaff, a totally winning relaxed menu, and decor that’ll make you feel like shouting to the rooftops — even though it looks like a library. What more could you ask?
CL Food Critic Jon Palmer Claridge dines anonymously when reviewing. Check out the explanation of his rating system, or email him at food@creativeloafing.com.
This article appears in Nov 1-8, 2018.