B&O American Brasserie

Overall Review

B&O American Brasserie is located in Hotel Monaco which is situated just on the outskirts of Baltimore’s Mt. Vernon.  This self proclaimed railroad inspired restaurant has seating and dining tables that are reminiscent of box cars. For those of you that are interested here a little lesson on the origin of the Brasserie.  As part of this french dining experience, meals are served in a high-end yet relaxed setting.     Parking in this area is a challenge in general. You will just have to drive around until you find parking on the street a reasonable distance away and walk back. After dinner, we decided to take a walk around the hotel, which is as bright and welcoming as B&O is dark and rather forbidding. This is a great place to have after work drinks with coworkers or if you are staying in the hotel. It would also be a great place to discuss business with a client or other business associate.  The food is not much to write home about.  We recommend that if you try this restaurant you stick with the small plates and avoid the main dishes.  Overall we give B&O American Brasserie ♪♪ and a half note. 

Let's take a closer look at the food:

King Salmon:

The chef paired raw salmon belly meat and smoked salmon on the same plate.  This was a strange combination.  Despite the fact that they were both salmon, the prep styles were so drastically different that it was odd.  The smoked salmon completely overpowered the fresh salmon.  The smoked portion was too salty while the fresh had no salt at all.  It felt like two different dishes combined into one.  Each preparation would have been much better if served alone. 

Grilled BBQ Quail:

 This was by far the most creative and tasty of all the dishes we tried.  The chef split a quail in half and grilled each half on a skewer with chunks of smoked bacon and small strategically placed candied orange slices. Brilliant!  He then rested these skewers on a pine nut risotto.   Lets be clear that there was no rice.  The pine nuts took the place of rice in this risotto.  It was a smokey, savory, slightly sweet masterpiece whose taste was reminiscent of grilled baked beans. The quail was cooked to perfection, with a moistness and slight gaminess to it that added a ton of flavor. 

Asparagus Salad:

Imagine asparagus cut lengthwise into ribbons, mixed with arugula and country ham, under which is hidden shavings of Pecorino cheese.  It was topped with sunflower sprouts and a fried egg.  We have to give the chef credit for creativity and taste on this dish.  It was actually quite good.   

English Pea Gnocchi:

This is where things began a rapid downward spiral.  There were parts to this dish that were good, but overall it was quite disappointing.  The sauce was actually made out of peas (pureed and whole) and was tasty.  However, the gnocchi was doughy and grainy.  There were pieces of well cooked and fairly tasty lobster interspersed throughout the dish.  

Wild Mushroom Ravioli:

The ravioli was clearly home made and made quite badly.  The dough was too thick, too tough and too dry.  The mushroom filling had little to no flavor.  The braised greens were bitter.  This was terrible!  In the words of Antwon and Blaine, "Hated It!!!!"

Bacon-Fava Bean Risotto:

This chef needs to leave pasta alone.  It is not his friend nor is he a friend to it.  The bacon was tasty  and added a wonderful smokiness. But that is the only good thing we can say about this dish. 

The risotto was a bit gummy.

 

Pineapple Basil Sorbet:

This was a great way to end a lackluster meal.  This aromatic and floral sorbet brought a smile to our faces.  It was sweet and tart with a dash of savory.  This sorbet was refreshing, very well done! 

2 North Charles Street  

Baltimore, MD 21201
(443) 692-6172

 

Melissa's Review

I have a theory about restaurants located in hotels; 7 out of 10 times stay clear.  For some reason they are often sub-par.  I find that they can lack creativity and spark.  As I think about the impression that B&O American Brasserie left with me, my thought is blah!  They simply reinforced my theory about hotel restaurants.  The décor in the upstairs dining room with its forest greens and chocolate browns was dark, plain and a bit depressing.  I commented to Angela that there was no wall art or decorations; there was nothing to make the large room stand out or give it personality.  The lounge area downstairs on the other hand was warm and cozy.  It clearly had a much better atmosphere.  The food was hit or miss.  Upon reflection, I notice that the chef was most successful with the dishes that he did not have to cook, with the exception of one (the Grilled BBQ Quail).  I appreciated his attempt at fusing lots of different cooking styles together.  However, I feel that he fell short.  His inability to cook Italian food was EXTREMELY clear!!!  How on earth do you make and then serve pasta that is dried out?  I have never experienced that before.   It looked dried out when it arrived at the table.  I could see it, why couldn’t he?  Our waitress was knowledgeable, kind and available.  Overall, I give B&O American Brasserie ♪♪.       

  

Angela's Review

This restaurant is a bit of a study in contrasts. It doesn’t seem to fit into a clear mold, with regards to the décor. This is a restaurant located in a hotel which may have something to do with it.  Upon arriving, we were escorted to the second floor to be seated. The second floor was rather dark and austere. The booth in which we were seated could have easily seated two or three more people. I almost felt dwarfed. It was a big table surrounded on three sides by the wall and facing out towards the stairs leading to the first floor.  Candles provided the lighting. Basically the décor consisted of heavy dark woods and dark and neutral fabrics, in colors like hunter green and eggshell.  It seemed like the kind of place someone might chose to conduct an after-hours business dinner where one did not want to be seen and bothered much by others. However, the downstairs has a completely different feel. Even though it was still mostly dark woods and colors, there were lighter colors mixed in and people mixing and mingling. The bar is very nice and faces the outside wall which is basically a huge window.  In front of the bar is a long table with stools. And near the front door, off to the side, is a section with white chairs arranged in a sort of semi-circle facing a big flat screen TV. The kitchen is situated along the back of the restaurant and is open. Ok, as for the food here. There were things I LOVED and things that I didn’t quite understand. I have never had gnocchi or ravioli quite like it anywhere else (I can’t say this was a good thing). On the other hand, I was impressed and amazed with the chef’s creativity when it came to pairing unusual ingredients and providing a twist on a standard such as, “risotto.” I have to say that this place was pretty hit or miss, but given that I would definitely go back for the one or two things that pretty much blew my socks off, I still give it ♪♪♪.