Woodberry Kitchen

Woodberry Kitchen

2010 Clipper Park Road, No. 126
Baltimore, MD 21211

410-464-8000

For Mr_BTM's birthday I took him out to dinner at Woodberry Kitchen, located in the restored Clipper Mill near Hampden. Their philosophy is farm to table, getting all of their produce, seafood and meat from local farmers and fisherman. It's not all organic but it's all local. I like that idea. The menu is simple American cuisine featuring cold plates, warm plates, oysters, flat breads and entrees. We both chose our items from the specials menu instead

of the regular house menu. We started with a half dozen oysters on the half shell (2 varieties). Following that was a flatbread with house sausage, which was paired well with the Spanish Rioja we had. The flatbreads are all baked in a wood burning stove, which gives the crust a great smokey flavor and a great crunch. For entrees I went with the bison rigatoni (fresh made) and Mr_BTM went with the Poppy Cod with fava beans and beets in a leek broth. My dish had a nice surprise veggies of fresh peas and a sauce based on the glaze for the bison. It was good, but the bison was a little overpowering of the rest of the dish. Mr's dish was nice and light in flavor and well seasoned. He enjoyed his dish.

For dessert, since it's berry season, Mr_BTM went with the 2 berry cobbler (cherry and blackberry) with a side of vanilla ice cream and I got the poached apricots with blackberries, sesame toast and yogurt panna cotta. Overall, we enjoyed our dining experience at Woodberry Kitchen and would love to go back and try more of their menu!

The Brewer's Art

The Brewer's Art

1106 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-547-6925


Mon - Sat 4:00 PM - 2:00 AM
Sun 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM
Full Dinner Service at 5:30 PM


In honor of our one year anniversary of living in Baltimore, we dined at The Brewer's Art for the first time! Located in the Mount Vernon neighborhood, this restaurant has 3 distinct sections. The lower level is dedicated to a bar while the upstairs houses a lounge and a restaurant. We decided to get our dinner from the restaurant portion and we were not disappointed! We started out with the Duck Liver Mousse on Grilled Bread with Apple Chutney ($7) and the Pumpkin Risotto ($7). Both were good but the risotto was a little undercooked and the portion was a bit large for a starter. Second course was salads for us both, the Brewer's Art Caesar for Mr_BTM ($7) and the Roasted Heirloom Apples with Candied Nuts, Cheddar Cheese Brittle and Apple Cider Vinaigrette ($7). My salad was good but the Cheddar Cheese Brittle had no place on that dish. The cheese flavor didn't blend well with the bitter greens and the sweet apple. The Mr liked his Caesar and had it with extra anchovies. For our main course the Mr went for the Steak Frites with Rosemary Garlic Fries ($26) and I had the Baked Butternut Squash Ravioli served on a bed of winter greens ($18). The Mr's steak was a little tough but was cooked well and my ravioli was good and was delighted with the addition of the winter greens. The meal was good and the service was excellent. And the menu does change from time to time so next time there will be different selections, which I like.

But enough about the food, how was the beer? We both started with a pint of the St. Festivus, a brown ale brewed for the fall. The flavor was good but lacked depth and bite. For the second round I got the Resurrection Ale and Mr_BTM got the guest tap brew, which had a nice smooth taste and a strong aftertaste. It was the best beer we had all night. However, after living in the local brew pub capital of the world (I deem that place Portland, OR) the beer selection wasn't all that great but the few we did have were good enough but not great.

Louisiana Restaurant

1708 Alicanna Street
Neighborhood - Fells Point
http://www.louisianasrestaurant.com/index.html
410.327.2610

We've passed this restaurant a handful of times and always were curious about what it had to offer. The menu looked appetizing but we never got around to going. Louisiana has gotten a few awards, but looking into the place, it never seems busy. Well, finally last night we made the leap of faith. Actually, our first choice had an hour wait, so we decided to check Louisiana out since we figured that the place would be open. As we had suspected, they didn't have a wait and they welcomed us in. We felt a bit out of place because the group in front of us were all dressed fairly nicely and we were just in jeans and a t-shirt. Plus, we were about half the age of the other folks. Anyway, we walked through the narrow hallway into a massive ballroom dining area. There were many tables, all surrounding a large hanging chandelier. On the other side of the room was an elegant staircase leading to upstairs seating area. We were amazed with the size of the dining area and decor. All fitting the southern creole style.

The menu offers three courses with a few classic dishes scattered within it. Mrs. BTM ordered the Crab Bisque and the Catfish while I ordered the Shrimp and Grits for a starter and the Pork Chops as my main course. We also ordered a bottle of one of our favorites, the 2006 Willamette Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir. The wine came out first and to my surprise, it was corked! Blah! The waitress apologized and brought out another bottle, which tasted delicious. She confirmed that the other bottle was corked and said that was her first time having a corked bottle.

Our starters came out. The Shrimp and Grits were amazing. Nicely seasoned. Probably the best grits that I have had. Mrs. BTM's Bisque was good and savory. I think she liked my dish better than hers. So far so good. Then we waited....and waited...and waited some more. Our waitress said that our food was on its way, but it never showed. After 40 minutes, she came up and apologized. She said that there was something wrong in the kitchen and offered us desserts on the house. *Sigh* After a long wait, our main courses came out. Even with the wait, the dinner did not dissapoint. My pork chops came with an artichoke risotto and apple bourbon demiglace. It was well cooked and the dish was flavorful. The portion was huge and I had left overs. Mrs. BTM's catfish came with collard greens and mashed potatoes. The catfish had a pecan crust and was nicely done. A pretty solid version of this classic. For desserts, I had a chocolate mousse with whip cream and rasberry sauce. It was good, but a bit thick for me. Mrs. BTM had the apple beignets with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Wow. It was warm, sweet, fried...all what you could ask for in a dessert.

Overall, the meal was impressive and left us wanting to try more of the menu. Everything was nicely prepared, well seasoned, and exemplified high quality southern comfort foods. The only hiccup was time. Dinner took just over 3 hours. If we we had all four courses and drinks, then the time would have been appropriate and enjoyable, especially in the ambiance of a grand ballroom. This is probably not a place for casual dinners, but we'll definitely be back, most likely with family. We look forward to another tasty meal.

b - A Bolton Hill Bistro

1501 Bolton Street
Neighborhood - Bolton Hill
http://www.b-bistro.com/
(410) 383-8600
Tuesday to Saturday: 5:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Sunday brunch: 10:00 am - 2:00 pm
Sunday dinner: 5:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Tucked away in the affluent Bolton Hill neighborhood is "b". "b" is a simple restaurant as the name suggests. On a whim, we decided to visit this restaurant after a friend had recommended it to us. It's dimly lit with the kitchen exposed in the back. The place was filled with a warm aroma creating a welcoming feeling.

The menu includes $7 salads, $8 sandwiches, $12 pizzas, $17 pastas, and $20 entrees. We started our meal with salads (spinach and mixed green), then moved to our entrees, (pumpkin ravioli special and mushroom risotto), and finished it off with the "b" bread pudding. The wine list had a scattering of bottles, mostly from France and Italy, all of which were priced below $50.

The food was as simple as the restaurant name. Lightly seasoned, perfect portions, and nicely plated. The salads both had a nice touch of dressing, but they had a large pile of red onions that was a bit overpowering. The risotto and pasta were very good and consistent. Each bite had a great balance of flavors with a generous dusting of parmesan cheese along the sides of the dish. The bread pudding came in small cubes, warmed and on top of a cream custard sauce. It was a nice end to a fine meal.

b is definitely a restaurant to keep on the revisit list. I look forward to a Sunday brunch in the future.