Sunday, November 30, 2008

WHERE I ATE TONIGHT (11/29)


WHERE I ATE TONIGHT:
WOODBERRY KITCHEN
2010 Clipper Park Road, No. 126Baltimore, MD 21211
410-464-8000
hours: Sunday - Thursday 5 pm - 10 pmFriday - Saturday 5 pm - 11 pm

Woodberry Kitchen is a farm to table concept restaurant, featuring fresh local produce, fish and meats. Alot of the meat is organic and all of the ingrediants come from the Chesapeake region.

The menu features snacks (bean dip, popcorn and deviled eggs), salads and cold plates (beets, brocolli raab, spinach salad), selection of cheeses (gouda, cherve, and aged cheddar), soup and warm plates (pumpin soup, smoked pork belly, and a selection of flatbreads),oysters either over ice or baked a variety of different ways, supper (stout braised short ribs, roseda farm hanger steak and Chincoteague clams) and desserts (flourless chocolate cake, apple and lemon cream pie, and sweet potato caramel custard). For a complete menu go online and view it. They also have an extensive coctail, wine and beer list.

I ate there last night with a friend. We ate at the bar and shared three appetizers, one entree and one dessert. We each got a glass of wine that we really enjoyed. I had a glass of Malbec, Antonietti ‘04 ($8) and he had a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, Quivira ‘07 ($12). The we started with the fried green tomatoes ($11), which was both of our favorites. It was 3 perfectly crisped tomatoes topped with lump crab mixed with ranch dressing over field greens. It was delicious!! Next, we had a cream of pumpkin soup ($9), which was not too creamy and not too sweet and absolutely perfect! It was topped with chive butter and shrimp that were tender and cooked perfectly. There wasn't a drop left in the bowl when we were through. Our least favorite appetizer (but it was still delicious) was the baked stuffed clams ($9) with roasted green chili, breadcrumbs and bacon. It was a little too salty for my liking, but I could see how people could really enjoy it. For our entree we shared the griddled wild rockfish ($25). The plate was presented beautifully, but it was not what I was expecting. On the menu it says it comes with carrots, spinach , cauliflower and local cheese. The carrots were mashed and were a sweet and wonderful surprise. The they added great flavor and gorgeous fall color to the plate! The spinach and the cheese were both formed into sponge blocks. There were completely unrecognizable; I had to check the menu to figure out what I was eating! I hated the texture and the spinach didn't taste like spinach and the cheese didn't taste or feel like cheese. The cauliflower was steamed and was nothing special, but it was fine and edible. The fish was perfectly cooked and seasoned. I really enjoyed it. For dessert we shared the pumpkin roll cake ($8) which usually comes with cinnamon icecream, but we switched it for caramel peanut icecream, which was a great choice! It also comes with struessel ribbon (tasted like thin hard caramel and was really good) and candied pumpkin seeds, which I loved. The pumpkin roll cake was spongey and flavorless. The icecream more than made up for the cake!!
We really enjoyed our meal and our evening. We sat and ate at the bar which is what we prefer because we usually get better service when we sit there. This particular evening we did not like our bartender. He was slow and didn't seem too bright. When my friend ordered a glass of Grand Mariner, he couldn't find the bottle, which was right in front of his face. If you can, you should sit near Paco. He is a great bartender. We know him from another Baltimore restaurant.
Overall I would give it an 8 out of 10. Definetly make a reservation (which you can do from their website) if you prefer to sit at a table.




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