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by Christine Fillat
Ruse oysters; photo by Maya Oren
Ruse interior; photo by Julie Hove Anderson
The story of the ruse of St. Michaels took place during the War of 1812. When the townsfolk learned that the British Navy was planning to bomb the town, they hung lanterns high up in the trees, making it appear the town was at a much higher elevation. British navy ships aimed their munitions at the lanterns, but missed the town. The British retreated. This wily act of subterfuge saved St. Michaels.
Ruse the restaurant, under the care of Chef Michael Correll, is a wily subterfuge, enticing you with a welcoming raw bar, with bushels of oysters on ice.
Reservations can be hard to get, but the doors open promptly at 4:00 p.m. to a mad stampede of patrons scurrying to the bar, where open seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. The raw bar and outside tables are also open seating.
Let’s talk about the oysters.
The oysters are superior.
Freshly shucked with such loving care that not a shard of the shell is in evidence, the oysters are described with words like buttery, silky, and creamy, with a finish of cucumber, chicken bouillon, or spinach-smoked green olive—rather like the refined descriptions of fine wine.
These are swoony oysters, tender and briny, from oyster beds in chilly waters up and down the East Coast and the West Coast. I want to go to Ruse just for the oysters. We need not go any further. And why muddy up the works with cocktail sauce or a mignonette? These oysters, regardless of provenance, are all superior au naturel. A plate of a dozen oysters combined from all the various regions is a true delight. A slight is corrected when one oyster, missing from the platter, is quickly replaced.
The bread is a locally made sourdough. Bread is an excellent barometer of the sensibilities of a restaurant, and here it does not disappoint. This bread is light and airy, with a delicate sourdough flavor and chewy crust. It comes with a mound of whipped butter and flakes of salt sprinkled on top.
A glass of 2023 Birichino Wines’ Malvasia Bianca from Monterey, California, is an ideal accompaniment to this meal. The flavors are light and floral, perfectly chilled.
A Gem salad, its tender greens and bright green goddess dressing, finishes with a satisfying crunch from crouton bits and a smattering of pistachios.
As the evening progresses, the room with its Shaker-quality furnishings fills with patrons, the din of conversation rises, and the atmosphere is perfumed with the aroma of butter and roasting oysters.
We ponder the intrigue of the name, the significance of the Ruse. What is the ruse? Is it an illusion? In relation to the cuisine, perhaps it is a bit of magic that takes you into the enchantment realm. One comes under the spell of Michael Correll’s cooking.
A plump fillet of tender trout from Smoke In Chimneys, a hatchery in Virginia, is sublime, sitting atop spears of grilled asparagus. But witness the poor little dark flavorless morels floating on an undertow of sunchoke miso beurre blanc. We kept tasting the morels to see if we were missing something. They were unremarkable. We questioned the sauce. Do miso and butter really work together? The flavor of the sauce is off somehow.
The cheeseburger, with its melty American cheese and smashed patties with crunchy edges, has the ability to transport you to the cheeseburgers of youth—the ones we would eat out of paper envelopes. It comes with a small mountain of super salty shoestring rosemary fries.
The blueberry pound cake came with a charming story about a recipe from a staff member’s grandmother. Unfortunately, the cake was a case of a recipe gone wrong. It was dry and flavorless, the outside edges dark brown and overbaked—not the lightly caramelized crust one would expect. Is it fresh, we wondered?
The ice cream is delicious! Soft-serve ice cream with strawberries is topped with cheese shavings that somehow taste like cotton candy. A lovely way to end the meal.
At Ruse, some things are superior, other things don’t measure up. Their deficiencies can be forgiven, however, considering the wine, the oysters, the delicious salad, the captivating smell, the attentive staff, and the lovely interior. Chef Michael Correll was nominated for a James Beard Award in 2025, an acknowledgment that recognizes superior innovation in cuisine.
Ruse is a shared experience, an appreciation for finding the echt, the true, the quintessential, the subtle, the tender flavors that make traveling the distance to St. Michaels to try Chef Michael’s food worth every mile.
RUSE
209 N. Talbot Street, St. Michaels, Maryland 21663
410.745.8011 | ruserestaurant.com
© Annapolis Home Magazine
Vol. 17, No. 4 2026