Shab Row Bistro and Wine Bar

This place WAS a great spot for drinks & dinner. Alas, they closed about three weeks ago. Story was there was friction among the owners; whatever happened, it was not for lack of business. Fine bar, good staff, good food. But don’t try to call them now — sayonara!

Go for the wine and compliment a wine flight with a cheese plate. Have been several times to eat dinner and have never made it best the wine and appetizers. The staff is knowledgable and hip without being snobby.

I give this place 3 stars versus 2 because I’m a huge fan of the bar area.
Prior to yesterday, I’d been to SRB 3 or 4 times for drinks only. My wife and I had dinner there last night for our anniversary and our dining experience left a lot to be desired.
The bar is great. They have a nice wine selection, as you would expect, but it’s not overwhelming. They make a fantastic sazerac, which is the reason I go there. It’s quiet, it’s intimate and you’re not yelling in order to carry on a conversation.
Regarding our dining experience — when I called to make the reservation for 1830, I was told that they have bar trivia, which starts at 2000. I figured my wife and I could eat our dinner in 90 minutes, since we normally eat like hostages, standing up at our kitchen counter while trying to keep our kids from destroying our house. Well, apparently the bar trivia starts at 1900. So the peace and quiet I enjoyed in my past visits was non-​existent. The bar trivia showed a real identity crisis to me. Either you’re an upscale dining establishment and wine bar, or you’re a pub, but you can’t expect me to drop over $ 100.00 on dinner and drinks, and compete with people ordering $ 3.00 lemon drop shots at the bar. It just doesn’t work. I think the location on East Street impacts the flow of pedestrian traffic into the restaurant, but I don’t think bar trivia is the right way to bring more people in, because you guaranteed that I’ll never come back and eat there.
Not only was the level of noise in the restaurant approaching obnoxious, there was really one one waiter servicing all of the tables. If you know you’re going to have a big crowd, you have to have enough wait staff. My wife ordered a second glass of wine, and it took over 10 minutes to get it, and when she got it, the waiter poured it into her wine glass, from which she’d had a completely different wine. We are by NO MEANS wine snobs, but when I order a different wine at a wine bistro, I expect a clean glass. Sorry. Our waiter was as attentive as he could be, but he was overloaded with tables.
The food wasn’t that great either. My wife ordered the goat cheese ravioli, and it was good, but not anything spectacular. I ordered the hanger steak and it was obvious that it had been sitting for a while before they brought it to me because it was dried out and had very little moisture. I thought about sending it back, but since I don’t like spit in my food, I ate it. It was quite bland and I had to add a good bit of salt and pepper to it in order to give it some flavor.
My wife and I were so displeased that we passed on dessert and went elsewhere for more wine and dessert.
So, in summary, if you want a drink and some conversation, go here (not on a Tuesday). If you want good food, skip it — you can do better in downtown Frederick.

One of the best restaurants in Frederick County. The food and presentation are elegant. The atmosphere is relaxed. The wine selection and prices are amazing. Matt and Danny cook up some of the best French influenced food north of L’Auberge Chez Francios. Granted, SRB is not nearly as formal or as French when compared to LCF. But, Frederick is incapable of supporting a restaurant like LCF. I highly recommend Shab Row Bistro.

Went here for dinner last night with 4 other people after a long afternoon of shopping in New Market and Frederick. Two of us had the crispy duck salad with pickled cherries and strawberries. A bit too much dressing for me but otherwise was excellent. Other apps ordered included the soup of the day — a roast parsnip bisque — excellent, and oysters on the halfshell (I don’t eat oyster but the friend who ordered them raved about them); entrees were all exceptional from the rockfish with grilled asparagus and risotto, to the hanger steak, to the shortibs and the lambshank. Everyone at the table had nothing but praise for their meal. Service was excellent and waitstaff well informed about the menu. Nice relxed ambiance. Would highly recommend it and will gladly return next time I am in Frederick.
P. S. Bar is very large with friendly bartender service and very large selection of bottled beers.

Wonderful!
I had cocktails here with a friend. The drinks were delicious and the mixologist was friendly, professional and clearly took pride in her work. The setting is chic yet comfortable.

Terrific service and unusual, elegant cuisine. You can’t go wrong at The Bistro!

It’s not the cheapest place to eat, but it’s certainly worth every penny. I haven’t been to Volt yet, but I would put this restaurant on the same tier of cuisine. The dishes were skillfully and artfully crafted and the food was full of flavor. I had the Flank steak, and my wife had the filet mignon… both were delicious.
Although I won’t be returning on a regular basis because of price, it was definitely a good choice. I highly recommend this place to anyone with a higher standard for cuisine. This place trumps most places that I’ve been to in DC or Georgetown.

Robert our waiter was fantastic. First time we had been to the Bistro. We both had the Prix Fix menu, my wife had the wine paring and I ordered a bottle of red wine. Since the store sells wine the selection was outstanding, and the prices were fair. All the food was just delicious, better than VOLT !!! The portions were perfect, and the wine parings were well thought out. We ended up buying five bottles of wine (the four pairings and plus another bottle of the red I had ordered. Without the bottles, cost was $ 110, for two Prix Fix, plus pairings and the bottle of red. Very well worth it. Will definitely go there again.

Pricey but VERY good.. .. what I’d call «fu fu» food
Food = A
Service = A
Value = C

Not sure what happened with the low star reviews that snuck in — but SRB was totally on their game tonight. Wifey and I both got the prix fixe dinner. Wifey got the scallops on truffle risotto; I got the hangar steak with cippoline onions, fingerlings, kale and balsamic glaze — and we each swore we got the best entrée while agreeing the others was awful good. I got the wine pairing with mine — and 2 of the 3 were solid matches (not sure if I was sold on the malbec with the chocolate pot dessert, but both were great on their own). Another great meal in beautiful historic downtown Frederick — and in spite of so many great choices, we’d have no hesitation coming here again soon.

Since my last Unilocal,Shab Row owners, Jack and Lindsay, have refined their menu, brought on Executive Chef Kevin Longmire, and continued to raise the bar for Frederick dining. Whenever I travel to the area for business, I devote one full evening to SRB and, without exception, continue to be impressed by the quality of the fare and service.
If you have time for a visit, take a moment and ask Jack or Lindsay to walk you through their wine selections. They will be happy to oblige, and I guarantee you will find a gem (or two) in their collection of over 400 labels.
When you are done perusing their wines, have a seat at the zinc bar and have Alex (a modern-​day alchemist) mix you up one of his seasonal favorites, and somehow the weight of the day’s events will seem… well… more manageable when you are done. When it is time for dinner, I recommend the beet salad followed by Kevin’s outstanding hangar steak… served blue of course. When you are done with dinner, you can indulge in any one of their fine desserts, or just head back to the bar for a port or French press. You really cannot go wrong.
In a food scene where restaurants seem to appear and disappear overnight, I am happy to report that Shab Row is going strong and in it for the long haul. Their formula is still simple — great food, great wine, great service, great people. My hat is off to Jack, Lindsay and the whole SRB crew for keeping it real, and making it better every time I visit.

Had my first visit to this cozy space this evening, sat at the bar as a solo diner and chatted with the bartender. I opted for the prix fixe (3-​course/​$ 40) menu and was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed each course, which included a mixed beet salad, goat cheese ravioli featuring beech mushrooms (very rich, the perfect portion size) and a mouthwatering bread pudding with a warm caramel sauce atop. I also opted for the wine pairings with each course which were spot on and very generous pours for the additional $ 15 (So three courses plus three glasses of wine for $ 55).
This is my kind of spot, very laid back and welcoming for the independent diner. Definitely recommended for the wine drinker but they seem to feature very inventive cocktails and interesting beer features as well. All in all, I had a very well rounded and satisfying meal, and their wine offerings were well matched with each course. I’m not local, but I’ll definitely make the drive out from Baltimore to enjoy this spot again.

In my usual madness, I drove up to Frederick all because Shab Row Bistro was the only wine store that sold a bottle of wine that I was looking for. We took a nice walk from Market to North East Street to Shab Row Bistro. Right next door was the «Frederick» winery. I was very surprised by that they literally had tanks of wine in the back of the shop. I asked them where I could buy wine by the bottle that was not Frederick brand, the friendly lady gestured that it was next door. Shab Row Bistro had the front part that was a dining area and a nice wine bar, I was pleasantly surprised by the simply yet trendy décor. I would definitely visit the restaurant next time. In the back of Shab Row Bistro was the wine store area where they carried a nice variety of some really good wine but were not sold at other wine stores in the area. I was very impressed by the Bosman Pinotage at the 2011 DC Wine and Food Festival and had been looking around for it. This was how I found out about them, I looked up a website that listed Shab Row Bistro as the only store in the entire DC Metropolitan area that carried the Bosman 2008 Pinotage, at $ 48 it was priced at retail the markup was not high. The friendly staff also showed other exquisite wine they carried. Very cool!

I have to admit my family and I didn’t drive all from Burke, VA to Frederick, MD to dine at Shab Row Bistro and Wine Bar. Yes, we’re Top Chef fanatics so we attempted to dine at Volt. And Yes, I failed miserably planning my mother’s birthday dinner as nothing was available! Fortunately we found Shab Row Bistro and Wine Bar as a viable option.
The décor of Shab Row Bistro and Wine Bar was simple yet mesmerizing as they emphasized open space and color. The Bistro has a limit on the number of tables available allowing patrons to hold pleasant conversations without yelling. The floors, walls, and ceiling were made out of wood stained in a cool medium brown color. Half the space contained the bottles of wine and champagne. Offering over 400 bottles, Shab Row Bistro and Wine Bar charges a small cork fee for bottle purchases. There was a wine expert on hand to answer any questions as well.
The dining experience consisted of:
* Cheese plate (appetizer)
* Goat cheese ravioli (caters more toward Goat cheese lovers)
* Jumbo lump crab cake (Best presentation dish was the jumbo lump crab cakes resembling a grilled onion)
* Diver scallops (Least amount of food amongst the orders. Mom’s BF was still hungry after five spoons)
* Colorado rack of lamb (Perhaps the best tasting dish amongst the orders)
* Pork chop with a bone (Most amount of food with crème potatoes on the side)
The service was spectacular as our servers always ensured our drinks and wine beverages were always filled. The wait time for our main dishes was about 20 to 30 minutes.
Overall I would come back to Shab Row Bistro and Wine Bar to catch up with friends over a some bottles of wine and explore their first course dishes.

Oysters and crab cake wasn’t so fresh … desserts were amazing … great place to chill and sip on wine …

One of my favorite places to visit. Great place to sit and enjoy a glass/​bottle of wine or a cocktail. The bartender is great a mixing new concoctions with unusual alcoholic beverages and loves doing it.
The food is great, a little pricey but worth it. They were able to accommodate a party of 12 fairly well.
Can’t wait to go back!

Definitely a fan of this place. My friend ordered the Steak Frites and I had the salmon, which was incredible! I tried some of her steak and that too was very good. While I appreciate the effort, the homemade ketchup wasn’t my favorite, nor was the blue cheese aioli dipping sauce. However everything else was good.
I was there for lunch, but I can see this being a really great dinner spot. The décor is simple but elegant and I love that the wine is on display. Mostly because I love wine. Can’t wait to go back for Frederick’s restaurant week.

Love this place! I recently moved from DC to Frederick and was complaining to my husband that Frederick does not have any nice wine bars (I go more for the food selection than the wine), so we were thrilled to find out this place just opened! We enjoyed a lovely dinner outside on a Saturday evening and our waiter was extremely friendly and knowledgable about the menu — both food and drinks.
I had the muddled blackberry champagne mojito which was fantastic and I don’t think I will ever order wine here when this drink is on the menu! My husband enjoyed a flight of white wines that our waiter helped him in choosing. As for food — the menu is on the smaller side but delicous! Our favorite was the tuna tartare with fresh mango and avocado — absolutely delicious! We also loved the crostini appetizer (the roasted tomato and fennel dip was fabulous) and cheese plate. I was bummed to hear that they did not have the lavender crème brûlée that evening — hopefully next time! Our waiter informed us that they are in the process of expanding the menu, so we will most definitely be back soon and often!

Very enjoyable, especially at the gorgeous zinc-​topped bar or on the brick patio. I’ve experienced several lunches, dinners and happy hours, and there is a lot to like, but I already have my favorites: the crostini appetizer — the crispy bread slices that are served with three distinctly unique dips, the tuna tartare entrée — the mangoes and avocados complement the fish without overwhelming its delicate flavor, and the Ice Age cocktail — a light martini that is perfect for summer.
After dining, it’s fun to browse the wine and beers for something to take home.