bluegrass tavern

food. bluegrass very quickly established itself in the top 10 of places that i would entertain out of town company to show some good baltimore eating.

my friend and i were looking to mix it up a little for dinner without leaving federal hill. i had read about bluegrass tavern and that they serve delicious southern comfort food. i also had a dining card for bluegrass which was an added incentive for me to head over there. bluegrass tavern

good, different, would go back. more restaurant week:
1st courses included:
farmhouse salad (green goddess, cucumbers, tomatoes, clothbound cheddar, crustini) this was tasty, probably would not order again, nothing really special to make it stand out for my palate. overall a good dish.
roasted corn chowder (bacon, pablano crème friache) - the person in our party was very pleased with this, it was described as perfectly creamy with a good balance of heat and smoke.
2nd courses
salmon croquette (sour pickle remoulade), zucchini fritters w/green tomato chutney.
both were very tasty and would definitely order again. fritters were flat and not crunchy, don't think they were fried. served more like two zucchini pancakes nevertheless were very tasty and accompanied very well by the green tomato chutney.
main entrees:
tres petit couchon (berkshire pork meatloaf, trotter gravy, summer vegetables, grits)
very healthy portion, be aware that it is served slightly pink however this is because of the grade of pork not because it is not fully cooked. it was different, to each his own type of dish. you are a true meat connoisseur you will appreciate this dish.
sustainable grilled salmon (spaetzle salad, fermented tomato vinaigrette, braised dandelion greens)
salmon was cooked to perfection, all accompaniments went together well, it does give your palate a little bit of a work-out however it is worth it if you are a foodie like myself:-)
the seller: definitely what they are known for which is the smoked fried chicken served three potato salad, alabama white barbecue and chow chow. this was wonderful you had smoked flavor with the crunch of the crust of the chicken with good potato salad. this is worth the trip!!!
3rd course: brownie sundae with ice cream.
ice cream was very good, would have been nice if the brownie was warmed, overall not bad but would not order again, nothing to brag about.

cornbread: well arrived in these wonderfully made cast iron skillets but was not hot, we also found egg shells in it. however the cornbread was reheated in the oven (not the microwave, i am a food connoisseur, i can tell:-)) and the server did not charge us for them which was nice. once warmed the cornbread was pretty good, had bits of corn and was light (so if you like your cornbread to be like cake, this is not your type). the butter was presented very nice but was ice cold and difficult to spread, this should be served a least room temperature or place it on top of the cornbread in the skillet so that it is melting as it is being served...just an idea.

the servers were very attentive, cleaned our table as we went about our meal and was apologetic about the cornbread. this was a wonderful experience and would definitely return for smoke fried chicken plate.

$300 later - we left hungry. i had previously heard great things about this place so when it was our turn to treat we took some friends out for dinner there thinking it was a classy place. first of all we were seated in an area where there was a team of people cheering on a horse race very loudly, so loudly that my friends and i could not hear each other across the table until they stopped. it was hot, there was no a/c and there we flies everywhere. the server, though extremely helpful was dressed quite casually and you could tell by the residual on his shirt that he had been helping in the kitchen.

we ordered our meals and when they arrived they looked like overcooked, thrown together appetizers from chopped. i have been to upscale restaurants and understand that the portions are generally smaller but what you do get is cooked to perfection and that is what makes them worth it. we ordered the local pheasant, which was not just tiny, but skinny and what was there, was dried out to jerky. there was truly nothing on it too eat. this is obviously a place who is trying too hard to upscale by making their portions smaller and gouging their customers wallets. well it failed. we may have paid $300 for basically drinks and desert this time – but you can guarantee that we wont be back and neither will our friends whom said they had been going there for years and it had never been like that before.

charcuterie reigns supreme!. we had a great experience at the bar with kelly with our charcuterie platter... the place has a great vibe, valet parking and an enthusiastic wait staff. we enjoyed everything we ate. fried chicken and waffles and quail! cheesecake made with goat cheese was a big hit with my husband... the owner is around and is a charming aussie. we will definitely frequent this place.

some flavor to fed. love the diverse food options, valet parking, and bourbon bar! about time we got some better food options around here. ambiance is wonderful and the burger is to die for!

we also ordered the smoked fried chicken, served with mashed potatoes, mustard greens, and pork demi glace ($17). the skin was very crispy with good seasoning, and i enjoyed it, although i don't think i'd regularly spend $17 on fried chicken.

very disappointed.... i had been looking forward to trying out bluegrass for months, and we finally went last week. i had heard great things. we started by ordering the cornbread, which was very dry and similar to what i can make at home (that's not saying a lot!). i ordered the steak, which was by far the worst steak i have ever had. it was so tough my steak knife could only get through with aggressive sawing! the steak was so chewy it was laughable. it is the only 6 oz steak i haven't been able to get through! even if the prices weren't so high, i will never go back.

on a more positive note, the staff was very friendly and helpful!

quality dining and outstanding service. i've been to bluegrass tavern about half a dozen times. it's become my favorite and my mouth starts watering when we decide to make the trip from southern maryland to b'more for a change of scenery. the ever-changing menu is a great enticement. we were there opening night and arrived a little early. the owner gave us the grand tour, yes - even to the basement kitchen! a bourbon tasting is well worth the time, especially if you have a waiter who is familiar with the brands. truly a wonderful experience.

good but wouldnt jump to go back. so we went there for the first time last night and the place was good, decent meals, but a bit pricey and noisy. the good parts: valet parking and good selection of drinks.

are you kidding? this place was not at all what i expected. it's pretentious, why? went there with a large party and no one really cared for it. i had a steal that was $29. sorry, i can get a better steak at outback for a lot less. very disappointing! it won't last in that neighborhood! service wasn't great either, especially for the tip that was included.

[t]he venison was perfectly cooked and tender, and the portion size was ample indeed. the grits were some of the best i’ve had (which leads me to wonder if i’ve just had a lot of bad grits…), both smoky and creamy while still retaining some texture.

just a quick comment. we tried bluegrass tavern last weekend for appetizers and drinks and had a great time. it was really nice to find a restaurant in federal hill that didn't cater to the "can't seem to leave college and my coors light" 20- and 30- something crowd.

there were three of us, we each had two or three glasses of wine and a cheese platter with an order of the bacon jam on bread. a nice group of people were seated near us and conversation was easy. lovely decor and the food and service were both great.

i hope to come back to blue grass soon for dinner.

mediocre food, poor service, & high prices. if you like mediocre food, poor service, and high prices this is the restaurant for you. if not, there are plenty of other places in baltimore to eat. we were rushed through our meal. the server tried to take our plates away halfway through dinner. it was a poor experience overall. i'm still holding out hope for good neighborhood restaurants in federal hill.

i want everything on the menu. having been to bluegrass four times now, i've seen most of it. the weekly menu changes (including a "just passing through" wine section); the top notch housemade charcuterie, currywurst being a consistent favorite; the friendly staff who seem to enjoy the food as much as the chefs and customers; the neighborhood vide; and the inventive food. it's worth the visits i've made and many more in the future.

each time i've visited i have said, out loud, that there was not a single thing on the menu i didn't want to order. not just that everything sounded well-prepared and tasty, but that i literally wanted to order one of everything on the menu because they all tasted so good. oxtail tacos as part of the tacos three way; a steak sauce (a2, hah) geleed and used as the filling in ravioli placed on your strip so that when you break the ravioli the sauce is perfectly placed over your steak; veal sweetbread 'tots' that were crispy and sweet and unctuous in all the right ways.

there's a meat and south theme here, housemade charcuterie, some more exotic meats like elk and oxtail, cornbread in a mini-skillet for your table, anson mills grits done right accompanying your loin or braised what-its-meat. it's not trying to beat you over the head with 'south,' but the regional flavor is there.