No. 16 The Inn at Easton

The quest among Modern American chefs to uncover ever more rarefied ingredients has gotten so it’s a wonder there’s anything left to surprise and titillate. But there is. And you can find a good deal of it at this beautifully restored Federalist house on the Eastern Shore, where chef Andrew Evans, a University of Virginia alumnus who returned a few years ago from a long stint cooking in Brisbane, Australia, has devised a globe-trekking menu that’s short on options—just 12 dishes are listed—but long on novelty. Ask one of the black-clad waitstaff to help you decide on a dish—a sketchy proposition, as their knowledge of the dishes and sources often is less than it should be—and you’re likely to hear, “Why don’t you try something you’ve never had before?”

Would that be the kangaroo loin? The coffee-rubbed venison? The wild boar chop? Even the most forward-thinking chefs will include a steak or a roast chicken on the menu, but not Evans, who dares you to venture into the culinary bush.

Fortunately, the classically rooted cooking raises the experience above the level of curiosity. Many plates are anchored in familiar techniques and accessible preparations: The wild boar impersonates a pork chop, albeit a chewy one; the kangaroo loin tastes like a cross between venison and elk, with a richness that approximates that of a good steak. The initial shock of seeing “bugs” on the menu—it’s an Australian crustacean similar to lobster—is forgotten by the time the dish shows up: a terrific Thai-style bouillabaisse perfumed with kaffir-lime leaves.

Evans often succeeds best with more quotidian high-end ingredients. The fried, semolina-dredged oysters are a textbook example of how to preserve the briny juiciness of the bivalve inside while retaining a crackling shell. A standout dessert is sticky fig-and-ginger pudding.