herb & soul gastro cafe and catering

my spot ??....right???. in the past, i have been here quite a few times, i mean this is my spot?? right?? in the past you were offered water and bread. bread usually was a sweet potato biscuit, some kind of herb infused roll, biscuit and/or corn bread. this has been every time i have been here since this place opened. we never got the water. usually bread is served with a maple type of whipped butter. we only got corn bread once we asked for it with plain butter..the server stated "she wasn't going to make any (bread) tonight, but i''ll go see". the menu has changed quite a bit (which i understand because they are kind of like farm to table) however the price jump is unexplainable. my catfish was 26 dollars (online it states $19 which is what i have paid in the past), was suppose to come with hoppin john and brocolli (instead i got pretty tasteless black beans and rice) and no vegetable was offered??? usually when you order an entrée you got the choice of two sides. my meal order was not placed at the time my guest was, so i waited an additional 20 minutes.
the manager apologized quite a bit and gave me a free dessert. they had very good customer service recovery. the banana bread pudding with pineapple and caramel sauce...usually comes with ice cream. no ice cream , the bread pudding was very tasty and nice pippin hot, it was delicious. our server well she was very new i suspect and may still be in training. this is my only not so pleasant experience with this place. perhaps they are falling on hard times, hence why so many cut backs (no ice cream, no water, no bread, no sides with entrees, no brocolli?) may i suggest they take down the menu on their website, because the price jump between what they have online verses the actual menu is quite steep. i paid 26 dollars for what is advertised as $19
.
conclusion, i want this place to stay open, i want them to figure out what they need to do so they can continue to succeed without breaking their loyal customers pockets. i suspect this was just not a good night for them?? they also may need to improve the training of their new employees. overall i would recommend going here. they last 20 times i have been here before this experience, the food and the service were excellent> so i will not give up on them . very nice entertainment of local artist on saturday nights. i highly recommend the liberian greens, kale salad, all the small plates, biscuits especially the sweet potato biscuits and the fried catfish.


-----22 dec, 2013-----

i am so proud. the ambiance is low lighting in a café type setting, surrounding you are photos and art work of many genres of music spanding from barbra streisand to bob marley. it is the cutest and coziest of spots. we were greeted by the wonderful hostess for the evening and seated immediately for a reservation. our first course were the chic and waffles with rosemary maple syrup--so light and not greasy, all 3 accompanied each other extremely well. vegetable pave was layered veggies with local cheese, veggies were done perfectly and the cheese was not overpowering. the herb and soul rolls (jerk chic, collards and yams) in spring roll was divine. then entrees, herb roasted chicken (fell off the bone moist), fried catfish (not greasy, seasoned to perfection), collards were delicious, mac n cheese--wonderful, kale salad with a twist (use duck fat) was tasty tasty tasty. then dessert was bread pudding with vanilla bean ice cream-- this was addictive, buttery, light, and extremely flavorful. this was an absolutely wonderful evening. we had a chance to chat with one of the owners, found out some history about the place, you will have to visit to get the details. she was a delight, and the young people in the kitchen can cook an serve very well. yes this is my favorite!!! thank you herb and soul for your commitment to serving soul food truly good for your body and your soul!!!

1st time great 2nd time dud!. slow and inept service made for a poor dining experience. the food was expensive but good. the service polite but very slow and totally inept. i won't be going back for a long while. jacob, when there's a problem don't tell the customers that you can't do anything tonight but to trust you and if they come back you will make it up to them. take care of them then because more then likely they won't be back!

food 8 service 1. i gave them 5 stars my first visit but only 1 star this time. polite but very slow and inept service lead to a very disappointing dining experience! too many things to mention but when we are promised biscuits with the meal and ask for them twice and then are told 15 minutes after we finish our entrees that "there will be no biscuits, but trust me i'll take care of you next time but alas i can't do anything for you this time"! jacob, why do you think i should trust you next time? you need to do something now! i don't think i will be returning anytime soon. expensive and not worth it!

herb and soul is a restaurant, a caterer and a farmers’ market vendor – you have three ways to dine on chef david thomas’s nutrition-rich edible goodies. herb and soul started out as a carry-out in the back of a convenience store in baltimore county and in that same location the three partners have taken over the entire space. chef david thomas, brandon taylor and yuri chernov have created a local food-ways oriented restaurant offering casual table settings and alcoves with cozy seating groupings, ideal for the weekend musical entertainment. the “soul” in the herb and soul not only reflects chef’s southern heritage, it reflects his passion for locally sourced, seasonally-ready food products on the plate. the new late spring, early summer menu being introduced in the coming weeks has a crab cake starter. now herb & soul’s crab cake starter is “true” maryland crab meat served with black-eyed pea and lima bean succotash with sriracha cream sauce. one can drown one’s self in this dish - ch

omg!. diabetics be warned! the cook seems unable to cook anything without adding a heavy fistful of sugar. i mean anything. from the iced tea to the greens to the salad to the chicken.....sugar, sugar, sugar. couldn't even eat the greens with so much sugar turning it into some kind of collard dessert.

going downhill fast.. they have doubled their corkage fee. they will not let you order less expensive things off the main menu. i tried to get the honey chicken for 19.00 made me get instead the more expensive chicken which was the same ole chicken just cost more. my dining companions flank steak was tough and had little taste. the chicken was dry. to substitute a vegetable a month ago was free this time there was a price increase. first time we went there the rolls were provided. no rolls last nite. dinner for 2 without drinks over a hundred dollars. we won't be back.


-----14 mar, 2014-----

going downhill fast.. ate there a month ago loved it. went last night and without any forewarning they have doubled the corking fee. i could not order off the regular menu had to order the special chicken which was 8 dollars more expensive. really not much difference between the chickens except the eight dollar price tag. my dining companion ordered the flank steak which was tough and pretty tasteless. my chicken was dry. the first time when i required a vegetable substitution it was at no additional price this time it was an additional 4$. they're usually out of something when you go. the last time it was the kale salad. dinner for two a little over 100.00 and we brought our own wine. we won't be back and i am telling all my friends.

first ignore the review from the use who didn't like it. they obviously have the wrong place as this has only been open since 2012. service was great and food was great. really nothing bad to say about this place except you wouldn't know it was there from the outside (other then the sign) as it's in an odd location. yes, brunch was good as well.

farm to table & byob for the win!. i had been hearing about this spot in parkville. 3 members of my family have been and my coworker came in the other day talking about it. having heard good things, i went on to facebook, looked them up and made a reservation for brunch.

wow

so glad i did. from the outside of the place your kind of like ehhhhhh but man o man, on the inside whatever they are doing, they are doing it damn right! this is definitely not your mama's soul food. it's like soul food meets top chef lol!

i opted for breakfast and it was delicious. french toast, some sort of massala and the most perfect half and half...delicous. i loved that they had a jazz band in the back.

we've been ordering from here since 2011. they no longer do delivery and have stripped their carry out menu in half (apparently crab is not local in baltimore ?!) not very friendly for busy moms like me any more. sad.

great new find in baynesville. right across yakona rd from the whiz carwash (of serial mom fame) in the same spot as the old muhley's bakery is an exciting new find. herb and soul may not have the best ambiance; our waiter said they hope to get drapes soon on the big windows in the front; but the food is well worth the price. it's byob with a modest $3.00 corkage fee. the waiter explained that they used to just do catering and carry out in the back, but opened the dining room about 2 months ago when the convenience store in front moved out. the food is locally sourced, and they are into recycling, composting, and even present the bill on a terminal at the front, with an option for a paper free, e-mail receipt. my son and i tried the small plates menu, choosing the crab & mac rolls, chicken & waffles, frog legs with fried pickle, jerk wings, and a side of roasted root veggies. all fresh tasting, interestingly seasoned, and amazingly light for the fried items. the hot fresh sweet potatoe rolls were crazy delicious. portions were good size, and for $45 after tax & tip, we had leftovers to take home. will be back with friends soon, on a saturday night when they have live music!