hammerheads

a hassle with the castle. i have had dinner here many times. every time the food has been absolutely wonderful. my friend and i visited saturday and once again had great food. lamb ribs, truffle fries, duck tacos and fried mac & cheese. wow amazing!!! with that being said we were very disappointed with our server. we later learned that her name was castle. we initially ordered two beers and two ice waters. she brought the waters first and my friend jokingly said, "that's the lightest looking beer i've every seen." she replied back by saying, "f*%k you." i was shocked. we ended up moving to the bar to get out of her station. we were then served by the bartender steven who was extremely nice and sympathetic of what had just happened. we finished our meal and our drinks and at that point castle was behind the bar with steven and they were cutting something but we could not tell what it was because it was out of our vision. when i asked what they were cutting, she replied, "there brownies, mind your own business." again shocked we had enough abuse for the day and i asked for the check. steven once again apologized for her incredibly rude behavior. he got a big fat tip! there are too many good dining choices in the louisville restaurant scene for a bad server with a horrible attitude. i'm sorry darling, but customer service is not your thing!

food a+
steven a+
castle f---

sweet potato waffles?!?!. i try to make a habit of trying new places in/around the germantown area (the more good eats in these parts, the better). everyone i had talked to had raved about hammerheads, from the vegetarians to meataterians. apparently, i was behind the ball and it took me a few weeks to make time to stumble upon this place. on a first visit, i was impressed, despite the fact that my husband, often a skeptic at new dining experiences, tried to convince me that this was actually our basement (also in germantown) with concrete floors and sparse, but nice, decoration. the food, was a different story. delicious chicken and sweet potatoes waffles that were delightfully spiced with a generous amount of cloves. great mac and cheese that felt like home. grippos fries that rivaled the chip version. because the entrees (chicken wings and chicken and waffles) didn't come with sides, we ordered the fries and mac and were shocked by the amount of food that came out. my only criticisms were that the giant chicken wings were actually very difficult to eat and the small plate sizes made for a messy dining experience. however, neither of those would hold me back from a second experience, as the taste and affordable price are enough to lure me back.

food is amazing.. wasn't sure what to expect with this place - which is a little off the beaten path. bbq smoker is out in the street! arrived, sat at the bar and immediately served. good beer selection. received mac and cheese balls and lamb appetizers shortly thereafter. both were amazing. my friend ordered the crab cake sandwich and i ordered the ribs and pork tacos - everything was in large portions and delicious all around. the bbq/smoked meats at this place beat most of the bbq i've had anywhere... i hope this place is around for a long time, definitely worth the drive down from cincy.

beer + fries = mmm. hammerheads is perfect. i guess one could describe the cuisine as gourmet bar food, and i absolutely love it. they have a great beer selection. wonderful, attentive service. the fried mac and cheese balls are superb, as are the crab cake sandwich and truffle fries! yum!


-----24 mar, 2011-----

crab cake sandwich. delicious!


-----24 mar, 2011-----

crispy mac & cheese balls. fried, cheesy perfection!

best ribs and fries in town.. i'm pretty picky about both fries and barbecue and hammerheads didn't disappoint on either count. the fries are made in house and perfectly crispy. we went with the truffle option (i would have had them duck fat fried but my girlfriend is vegetarian) and they were quite delicious. we also had the fried mac and cheese balls. i wasn't sure how hollandais sauce would go with fried cheese and pasta but the flavors were actually quite compatible. for my main course i had a half rack of ribs, which were perfectly cooked, not oversmoked but so tender that cutlery was not necessary.

good service, good food, awkward lighting. atmosphere: bar, very casual, awkward lighting and decor

service: good - friendly server but was distracted by her friends sitting at the bar. we had to wait a while to get a beer refill and more bbq sauce.

value: about $35 for 1 starter, 1 sandwich, 2 sides, and 4 beers + an $8 tip

food: solid beer list. we shared the smoked cheddar grit cake which was nice - nice smokiness, nice greens (though they should have been dressed a little with oil and acid of some kind), horrible garnish of raw tomatoes and onions (the onions were the palest red onions i've ever seen - why even use them?), very good vinegar-based bbq sauce but needed more, nice presentation. the beef brisket sandwich was very good - the beef itself was outstanding (perfectly tender and smoky), though the bun and garnish were extremely boring. the sides were great - the truffle french fries, though overpriced and over-salted were very flavorful and delicious with the brisket. the mac n cheese was good - creamy and smoky - though the breadcrumb garnish could have been much better (maybe toasted longer to give more texture and color and with more herbs and flavor).

overall: i would definitely return for the brisket, fries, and mac n cheese!

bianca or (beanka) i'm not sure. i believe you have me confused with another diner the other night. i sat at the bar and i was waited on by the co-owner? also, my name is jeff. the real and only way to spell jeff is jeff. my fries were in fact room temperature and they were also incorrectly seasoned. i don't know how putting dried parsley on fries makes them garlic and herb so i asked to confirm they they were executed correctly. sure enough they were the garlic and herb fries. this should have thrown up some a red flag to whoever it was that was waiting on me that maybe it wasn't what i was expecting. the crispy mushrooms were saved by the aoli that accompanied them. the chorizo burger would have been great with a pretzel bun had i requested it. i love local business and hope you and hammerheads continues to be a success, but i wouldn't feel right letting this sub-par visit pass by without acknowledgement. i will continue to eat at hammerheads and tell people about it. best of luck! i hope next time is better.


-----04 feb, 2011-----

is it getting better or worse?. i have been to hammerheads multiple times, and every time it has been good, up until last night. last night i went with my girlfriend and we split a chorizo burger, a shrimp and grits, and the crispy mushroom. i asked for garlic and herb fries with my burger and they were 3 dollars extra, bringing the bill to 36 dollars with a beer. the fries were cold and i couldn't really taste garlic or herb, other than the dried parsley thrown on top. the mushrooms were not seasoned with salt and pepper. which was a problem i noticed the first time i visited with the chicken and waffles. i know they have a small kitchen and they were slightly busy last night, but if they can't serve quality food at high volume, then they should limit the amount of volume that do at any one time. i'm sorry to say that if i go back to hammerheads anytime soon it will not be my choice. i was extremely unhappy paying $43 for that meal or experience.

best ribs i've ever had. i usually don't care for bbq. i guess i never had good bbq.
went here and had the best ribs i've ever tried. not to heavy, didn't rely on sauce, just great.
same to be said about the rest - not heavy, not too rich but full of flavor and really really tasty.
had a brisket sandwich and pork tacos.
pork tacos were the only thing we all agreed wasn't great.
everything else was - including the fries. great spot!

strong place. the food was good and ample. (i had pulled pork tacos, and they were very good.)
my wife had a brisket sandwich, and our friends had shrimp and grits and a crab cake sandwich. everything was excellent and well priced. we punted on sweet potato fries for grippo fries at the last minute. the grippo fries were pretty good, but i want to try the sweet potato fries next time.
all in all, good food and a good value.

cozy and evolving. i just dropped in for my weekly 'fix' of hhs trying to get there before the crowds packed in. we enjoy sitting at the bar choosing from one of the hoppy microbrews du jour. old stand-bys are always available, too.
as a vegetarian, i can't help but start out with the mushroom medley with the roasted red pepper aioli; an assortment of velvety fried exotic fungi like you've never tasted. for my main dish, i gravitate back to the open faced, soft-shelled veggie tacos with an almost too authentic meat-like flavor, chopped tomatoes and cilantro. the two tacos served on a wooden platter are just enough to fill me up without the guilt of over-indulging.
my husband has tried many meaty barbeque items on the menu, but last night he picked the vegetarian sloppy joe. there is always a secret ingredient that just sends my taste buds into wonderment.
hhs' grilled smoky cheddar grits over a spring mix is a rich and unique bar food favorite of mine. the garcia burger, served with any of the specially flavored seasoned fries, is distinctly cumin-esque!
while still evolving and planning for its future, the amazing young chefs and staff are dancing as fast as they can keeping pace with its unanticipated popularity.

smoky goodness. hard to choose on this menu, everything sounds so good. we had crispy shrimp and mac 'n cheese balls apps - both delicious. then i tried the smoked catfish sandwich and some sweet po fries - fish was giant and both very good. tried my friend's chorizo burger (fresh, in-house chorizo) and grippo fries (yes, fries seasoned with grippo chips flavor) - super good as well. i can't wait to head back and try other menu items like shrimp 'n grits, bourbon barrell chili, smoked duck sandwich ... mmm.