Robin Godwin: Fried Chicken Concept BRD Opening at Wheelhouse in Federal Hill

BRD, a fried chicken sandwich and wings stall at R. House in Remington, is opening a second location in an approximately 1,700 sq. ft. retail space at Wheelhouse in Federal Hill. Wheelhouse is an under-construction apartment building at 1100 S. Charles St. The new building is replacing a former parking lot, rowhouse, and auto body shop.

Wheelhouse will have approximately 5,500 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail fronting S. Charles St. and W. Cross St. There is expected to be three retail suites. BRD will take the southern-most space on S. Charles St. adjacent to an existing rowhome.

Wheelhouse developer 28 Walker said it is actively engaged in negotiations with a national franchise concept for one of the suites in an approximately 2,300 sq. ft. space. This would leave a 1,400 sq. ft. space available for lease.

Former Federal Hill resident Alex Janian started BRD and Amano Taco at R. House in 2017. Janian, a Baltimore native, was working in finance in New York and San Francisco before deciding to come home and pursue his childhood goal of opening restaurants.

When Janian was growing up, he spent some time living in Italy, where he had a favorite rotisserie chicken place he would visit twice a week. He initially wanted to open a rotisserie chicken restaurant of his own, but that concept morphed into a restaurant focused on fried chicken, a food he has always loved and sees as a comfort food.

The sandwiches at BRD have more than a half a pound of seasoned, battered and fried, antibiotic-free, Maryland Eastern Shore chicken thighs on top of a Martin’s potato roll. The most popular sandwich is the Bmore BRD which includes local pickles; the BRD sauce, which Janian said is sometimes compared to Thousand Island; and Old Bay. Additional sandwiches include the Japanese-inspired Katsu Ando, the Angry Buffalo, Hanoi Hen, and the Jamaican Jerk.

Customers can order a side of fries, which Janian said are a “labor of love.” The fries undergo a 24-hour de-starching process, before being battered, double fried, and tossed in a signature seasoning. BRD also sells Ma’s Carrot Slaw.

BRD offers small and large orders of wings in Bmore Buffalo, Sweet Thai Chili, Japanese BBQ, Alabama White, and Jamaican Jerk.

For the Federal Hill location, BRD will be adding all-white meat fried chicken tenders with a bit less spice than the fried chicken thighs. It will also have a milkshake menu. BRD also sells homemade lemonade and sweat tea using organic tea from Harvey & Sons.

BRD will have an order counter and about 40 seats. Janian said the restaurant will feature warm and wood tones. BRD will also have a couple of outdoor tables.

Janian said he expects to be open just for dinner during the week, late-night on Friday and Saturday nights, and for lunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Janian hopes to open BRD by August.

With Cross Street Market getting redeveloped and reopening soon across the street, and BRD opening in one of Federal Hill’s newest buildings, Janian is excited about the future of Federal Hill.

“I’ve heard a lot about Cross Street Market, and I’m excited to be their neighbor,” he said. “Federal Hill still has a lot of the same bars from when I lived here and I love all the late-night options. While a lot of the businesses have remained, a lot of new local concepts are also coming in. Hopefully it continues to bring life the neighborhood.”

Wheelhouse is a five-story building with 29 apartments. 28 Walker is calling it a co-living development. It will be configured with small studios, along with two-, three- and four-bedroom designs ranging from 400 to 1200 sq. ft. of space, with residents having the option to rent furnished or non-furnished apartments. Complimentary amenities include a Priority brand bicycle for each apartment, WiFi, cable television and housekeeping services, a business center, and eating areas, as well as regular special event programming. Wheelhouse will also provide a service to help connect residents with potential roommates.

28 Walker said Wheelhouse is approximately 50% complete.