Robin Godwin: Ashish Alfred Restaurant ‘No Way Rosé’ Opens on Cross Street in Federal Hill

Chef Ashish Alfred’s French restaurant No Way Rosé opened this week at 31 E. Cross St. in Federal Hill. No Way Rosé fills a space vacated by Bookmakers Cocktail Club in 2020.

Alfred is also the owner of the high-end “modern brasserie” Duck Duck Goose which has locations in Federal Hill, Bethesda, and Washington, D.C. Alfred said No Way Rosé is more casual than Duck Duck Goose and feels this is a better fit for the Cross Street location.

The menu at No Way Rosé has starters such as a cheese board, charcuterie board, roasted beets, salmon tartare, beef tartare, escargot, moules frites, and scallop ceviche. Entrees include a blue crab omelette, burger, duck confit, steak frites, Sockeye salmon, black truffle agnolotti, linguini with clams, and roasted chicken.

It also has a raw bar with clams, oysters, shrimp, and stone crabs.

No Way Rosé, which still has the large bar from Bookmakers, will serve a selection of signature drinks, mimosas, frosés, and mocktails.

No Way Rosé is open Wednesday to Sunday for dinner and Saturdays and Sundays for brunch.

Brunch will include “ever-changing thematic parties featuring DJs and musicians, as well as burlesque and performance artists.”

No Way Rosé is not accepting reservations. Alfred urged customers to come early and sit at the bar for a drink.

Alfred took on a full renovation of the space. This included adding new tile flooring; a new color scheme featuring pink, blue, and white; custom booth seating made by Lion’s Wood Banquet Furniture; and murals of late chefs Anthony Bourdain and Paul Bocuse. The first floor has a large bar and table seating, and the second floor has additional seating and a smaller bar. The second floor will be able to host private events in the future.

The exterior was painted white and has a mural of a rosé pour.

“We’re excited to open something truly unique – and bring our joie de vivre to a neighborhood that’s been a cornerstone of the downtown community,” Alfred said in a press release. “We’re looking forward to providing the same outstanding service that guests have come to expect at our other restaurants, and grateful for the opportunity to bring a never before seen concept to Baltimore.”

Alfred said he didn’t purposely time his restaurant opening with the ending of the mask mandate in Baltimore City, but noted the “the world is ready to go back out.”

Alfred, who grew up in Montgomery County, has been coming to Federal Hill for many years. He told SouthBMore.com in June the name No Way Rosé is a nod to the former No Way José Café. He said some of his first memories in Baltimore were visits to Fells Point and Federal Hill, and he recalls hanging out at Mother’s Purple Patio and getting memorable crab cakes from Ropewalk.

With a lot of new concepts added to Federal Hill in recent months, Alfred said in June that the neighborhood is ready for his style of restaurant. “I think the palette of Federal Hill is starting to grow up a bit, and it’s time for us to go over there,” he said.

Alfred was named Chef of the Year by the Restaurant Association of Maryland in 2019. He has competed in Food Network programs Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, and The Kitchen. Southern Living named Duck Duck Goose in Bethesda the Best Restaurant in Maryland in 2017 and the Baltimore location took the nod in 2018.