Restaurant Opens at Blue Heron Inn
PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. –– Opportunities seem to keep opening up for Amanda Comer and the latest one appears in the form of a new eatery on Solomons Island.
Comer recently opened Bistro Belle Maison in conjunction with the Blue Heron Inn bed-and-breakfast. The small, 22-seat restaurant is a complement to the bed-and-breakfast that Comer has operated for the last six years.
Bistro Belle Maison offers a chalkboard menu that changes each week according to what is available locally. The bistro partners with Chesapeake’s Bounty in St. Leonard to provide as much local food as possible, and Comer said she creates an opportunity for her customers to try new and tasty dishes with products from area farmers.
Guests have a choice of eight dishes and three desserts, each served in a fairly small, family-style portion. The idea is for a table to order several dishes and share them.
Comer started her career in hotel management, but questioned early if she made the right decision and decided to go back to school for culinary training.
“I did the first third of my training in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu,” she said. “It was my test to see if it was really what I wanted to do, and it was.” She finished her training at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., then “the opportunities kept falling into place.” First she took over operations at the Blue Heron Inn, then Lotus Kitchen featuring Kim’s Keylime Pies with her friend and business partner Kelly Guilfoyle.
Among her businesses Comer employs 12 people, who take on duties at the different sites. Comer said the arrangement allows her to give more full-time hours rather than hiring a number of people for each site.
Bistro Belle Maison, located at 14614 Solomons Island Road, is open at 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings with the last seating at 8:30 p.m. Reservations are requested but not required.
For more information on Bistro Belle Maison, call the Blue Heron Inn at 410-326-2707, email blueheronbandb@msn.com or visit http://www.blueheronbandb.com/.