Level is a precious small plates lounge in Annapolis.  It was a celebration for my mother who bought a new car (and maybe a thank you to me for putting up with my mother while she bought a new car).

Their menu changes regularly as they source local ingredients whenever possible – although, they do have brussels on the menu – and we al know they are grown in Mexico.

We couldn’t decide on anything, and almost chose everything.  I finally made the decision and we went with a cheese plate with flatbread – with three delectable cheeses; a goat, a sheep and a cow’s milk cheese.  Our next dish was the Wild Mushroom Bruschetta – a warm mix of roasted mushroom, garlic, thyme over a generous slice of brie and crunchy house made bread.

The next dish to arrive was the sautéed greens – in this case is was baby russian red kale.  Neither the stalks nor the leaves look red, but maybe it’s because it was a baby kale.  It was garlicky and gingery; the apple cider tang was a nice match for the sweet crunchy peanuts.  I think it was the highlight of the meal for me.

I liked the scallops – which came with a potato leek bisque, chances of crispy bacon and topped with scallion jalapeño oil.  The scallops were perfectly cooked with golden brown edges.  The flavors melded together perfectly, but it was a little hard to share.

I generally don’t crave desserts, but I couldn’t pass up the chocolate banana bread pudding.  The aromatic banana dessert was smooth with nuggets of smooth dark chocolate.  Boy, it was great, rivaling the greens.

I wish I had pictures.