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 afoodconnoisseur, 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.

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

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 thefoodand service were both great.

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

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 thefoodas 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.

i was horribly disappointed. i lovefoodof all types and was drawn by the menus diversity. my selections and my friends selections (which we shared family style) were bland, improperly cooked and the proteins were indistinguishable from one another. the tacos three ways was embarrassing! service was very good. 2 small plates, 4 medium plates, 2 cocktails, 120.00 with tip. i won't return.

refreshing!. it's so nice to find a reliable restaurant that's different without trying too hard. bluegrass' menu has an obvious theme but it doesn't go overboard, so as not to intimidate the average restaurant-goer. our server/bartender (who lovesfoodand wine as much as her guests - always makes a huge difference!) had great suggestions and told us about how the menu changes weekly. that's fresh. the tomato salad/terrine was juicy and balanced (sometimes tomato salads can be boring but not this one!), the elk was tender and delicious (i had never had it before) and came with bleu cheese grits that were perfect with it although my husband thought they overpowered the elk's natural flavor. he had the 14 oz ny strip with asparagus. it was great except we both thought it could have used a starch. every good strip deserves a potato accompaniment. we took dessert home - blueberry shortcake with ice cream. i used to be roommates with a four seasons pastry chef so i have high standards when it comes to house-made dessert. i am so glad i ate this later (and by later i mean the next day for breakfast) when i was actually hungry because it deserved it'[s own place in my belly. it was amazing. i don't think i've had dessert that good in years! we'll be back for sure.