The Wine Market, with its paint-splattered poles and its bare factory-style settings, fits well into the grain of its industrial Locust Point neighborhood. Given the stark simplicity of the decor, the wildly inventive cuisine and 900 wine choices come as an unexpected surprise. Chef Jeff Heineman's treats range from cornmeal-fried oysters in bacon-flecked beurre blanc to tuna tartare fused with jalape-o, green onion and sweet potato in a wonton crisp. For a wine to match, choose any bottle in the front room's retail section and bring it to the table for a $9 corkage fee, instead of the usual 300 percent mark-up. Choices range from revered classics like Antinori's Tignanello to lesser-known bargains like Domaine de Ferrand's Châteauneuf-du-Pape. That said, expect to allot some extra time to picking a bottle with dinner - where in most places you'd have a one-page list to glance over, here there's a virtual cellar to peruse.

—Nicole Drummer

The Wine Market, 921 E. Fort Ave., Baltimore, MD; 410-244-6166