Jerry’s Belvedere

Sitting by a stucco and wood paneled wall of Jerry’s Belvedere, 5928 York Road, I could hear a realtor at a nearby table introducing new residents on Rosebank Avenue to David Rugolo, co-owner of the restaurant.

David, his father, Pietro Rugolo and their restaurant, Jerry’s Belvedere are featured prominently in the opening pages of Charm City: A Walk Through Baltimore by Madison Smartt Bell. Bell, a multiple award-winning novelist, gave Jerry’s high praise; “… the menu is concocted by the people who actually operate the place …Shellfish here is especially good….”

DAVID AND PIETRO RUGULO

In fact, my companion and I ate seafood at Jerry’s, though we have both thought of the restaurant as a place for great burgers. Indeed, the burger was what the realtor was recommending. Along with a discussion about the plumbing fixtures in their new home, the new homeowners were debating about whether to put cheese — for fifty cents more — on the $4.75 hamburger.

Jerry’s Belvedere has been in the Rugolo family since 1978 when Pietro bought it from the original owner, Jerry Dotterwhite. A native of Sicily, Pietro and his son have added to the menu.

“Sicilian hillbilly food!” David called it, “What my dad would eat back in Italy.”

Indeed, the Mediterranean salmon, the special that day for $16 (the salmon cakes are $9), melted in my mouth. The salmon was flaky, perfectly cooked with a delicious, light crust. It was served with a coating of black olives, capers, tomatoes, onions, green peppers in an olive oil base and topped with black pepper. Not overly seasoned, all the flavors “talked” to each other.

The specials are the gems you want to order at Jerry’s Belvedere. “We keep the menu simple, but the specials are from our family recipes,” David explained.

David has been known to kick everyone out of the kitchen when he prepares his roast beef. He uses a secret recipe for Monday night football evenings.

His father won’t give away the secret either, “A pinch of this and a pinch of that!” he said with a smile.

“People come from as far away as Philadelphia just to eat my roast beef,” David added. “We want to have fun here, keep the food consistent and good every night for everyone.”

On the menu are staples like grilled cheese for $3.75 or a Braunsweiger sandwich for $3.95. A section of the menu, “The Dog House” offers a Polish or Kosher hot dog for $3.50. Add bologna, cheese or sauerkraut for twenty-five cents.

Jerry’s Belvedere is now run by two bachelors. Bea Rugolo, David’s mother, was the lifeblood of the restaurant. She first pointed out the location in the 1950’s when the building, which is located on the southeast corner of Northern Parkway and York Road, was a Ben Franklin store.

Bea died of cancer last year and her son and husband organized a benefit for her, a ten-course meal of food Pietro would enjoy. “Pete’s Eats” raised $1,500 for the Shrine of the Little Flower, the family’s parish.

“People are always asking my father what he likes to eat, they want what he’s having. So we decided to organize a bountiful benefit in my mom’s honor. We baked bread the way we do it at home. The way my dad likes it. I imported special wines from Italy. We had pork tenderloin and pasta with kidney beans,” David said.

Both father and son acknowledged a big vacuum with the loss of Bea.

“She was the driving force behind everything. The reason we have this restaurant,” Pietro added.

David served my companion the cream of crab soup ($3.75) and I was given the tomato based Maryland crab soup ($3.50).

“The best crab soup in Baltimore,” David said as he slipped an extra spoon for each of us to sample the other’s soup.

It was hard to disagree with him. The Maryland crab was just spicy enough and it was filled with crab meat. The vegetables were plentiful too and the broth was flavorful. Very good.

The cream of crab was thick, milky and also loaded with crab meat, not filler. It tasted like it had a seafood base, not a chicken broth and my companion was delighted it was not weighted down with any potato chunks.

BILL RUSSELL

The menu also offers chicken soup — I heard the next table over praising it — for $2.50 and chili for $3.

Bill Russell has been a regular at Jerry’s since it opened. “I could ride my bike here from Pinehurst Road [one block away],” he said. Today, he came with his wife, Ruth Marie, for lunch from an apartment they share on Melrose, near Bill’s original home.

“It’s fun to come here for lunch,” he added, “Let the Rugolos cook for us.”

The calamari for $5.25, was tender, not chewy. And the light bread crust was hot, crisp and flaky.

“We always start with fresh ingredients,” Pietro told me. “We buy our seafood fresh and dress it up, sometimes making it up as we go along!”

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CARYN COYLE IS AN ADOPTED BALTIMOREAN. ASIDE FROM ANYTHING CHOCOLATE, HER FAVORITE FOODS ARE CHESAPEAKE BAY CRAB, SILVER QUEEN CORN, AND MARYLAND TOMATOES. SHE CAN BE EMAILED HERE.

PHOTOS BY CARYN COYLE