Marriott Waterfront Grille 700 Uses Fresh Ingredients From Its Own Garden

BALTIMORE (WJZ)—The trend in restaurants is fresh, fresh, fresh. The smaller the restaurant, the easier it is to find or grow fresh food.

Now, Mike Schuh takes us downtown to one of the city's largest restaurants getting in on the act.

Chef Carlos Gomez of Grille 700 knows his way around the stove, and he's found the best way to make these plates not only look good but taste good is to take a trip to the farm.

That farm is three floors above his restaurant at the base of the massive Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

The best view in the city is from the fifth floor pool deck.

"Micro basil, basil, mint, chive, thyme, oregano, sugar tomato, heirloom tomatoes, cilantro and serrano peppers," Chef Gomez said.

His food costs are lower using these, but that's not the main reason.

"See, look how beautiful that is," he said.

From radishes that come out of the dirt to the kitchen and to the table to tomatoes that will delight guests as soon as they're ready.

"I'm going to take one out actually. They're very yellow. They're very, very sweet," the chef said.

Chef Gomez admits he wasn't much of a gardener when he started this last year,

But like the phrase, "if you're green, you're growing," he's learned a lot.

"I know the value this has. I know the effect it will have on food. At the end of the day, straight forward cooking, you know if you use good ingredients it will be amazing," Chef Gomez said.

For the amazing to continue, he is looking to put in a green house out here on the pool deck with some fresh tasty food and the best view in town.

That restaurant at the Marriott Waterfront, Grille 700, opens at 6:30 in the morning and closes at 11 at night.