Fleet Street Kitchen Review

Fleet Street Kitchen

1012 Fleet Street 

Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 244-5830

http://www.fleetstreetkitchen.com/

“Mama said what?!” sums up our dining experience at Fleet Street Kitchen.  This little gem knocked our socks off.  Fleet Street Kitchen is located on the edge of Baltimore’s hottest new hip area, Harbor East.  This restaurant is one of three in the Bagby Restaurant Group.  Other members of this restaurant sibling group include Bagby’s Pizza Company  and Ten Ten. 

Why did Fleet Street Kitchen knock our socks off, you ask?  Allow us to explain.  Picture this, a cozy, dimly- lit restaurant with beautiful chandeliers and 3 eating areas; the first of which is immediately off the main entrance.  It is adorned with exposed brick walls and cream colored plaster.  Tan paint adds a warm glow.  In the next area, separated from the first by wrought-iron railings, you see a huge bar surrounded with the most fascinating seating.  It kind of looks like raised benches are built into the wall with sturdy armrests made of marble to divide the seating.  These benches have cozy leather backs and helpful foot rests for those that are short in stature.   In the far back of the restaurant one will find additional seating areas with comfy tables and chairs.  In this area, you can watch the chef at work in the open kitchen.   This mixture of wood, glass, marble, cement and exposed brick gives a wonderful combination of urban chic and old world to this restaurant while the swanky, jazz-music playing softly in the background transports you to another time.

Now for the food, hold on to your seats for this one readers.  You are in for a crazy ride!  Eating dinner at Fleet Street Kitchen is like going on a thrill ride.   There are so many unexpected twists and turns.  Just when you think it’s over…BAM… you’re hit with another flavor surprise.   Take for instance the Fluke Crudo. ..aka raw fish.  How exciting can raw fish really be, you might wonder?Well, in the hands of Chef Chris Becker it can be the most amazing food you have ever experienced eating.  We took a bite and with every chew there were different flavors exploding on our taste buds.  First, it was sweet, then citrusy, then floral and then it crescendoed with the addition of salt perfectly placed among the other flavors.  Sigh….we tear up just thinking about it.  Dish after dish; the chef left us speechless, swooning in pure delight, weak with pleasure.   In the words of that poor little orphan boy, “Please sir, might we have more?”

The service at Fleet Street Kitchen was superb.  When Melissa had to go to the bathroom, our server escorted her half way through the restaurant, and handed off to another server who escorted her the rest of the way.  She remarked that she had never had a more pleasant jaunt to a commode in her life.  The wait staff knew the menu and was great at offering ideas and suggestions. We will admit that this is a pricy dining experience.  Expect to spend upwards of $60 plus dollars per person, but it really is worth every penny.   Fleet Street Kitchen would be a great place for a romantic date or a night out with friends.  The restaurant offers free valet parking, which is a wonderful treat in downtown Baltimore.   Overall, we give Fleet Street Kitchen ♪♪♪♪.

Fluke Crudo

This delicate dish consisted of fresh raw fluke (fish) adorned with mint, sea salt and a citrus marmalade.  Flavorful, aromatic and delightful are the only descriptors that come close to explaining this dish.  This lovely,classy dish is a must try!

Butter Poached Lobster

The chef sat lobster upon a sea of buttered creamy yumminess.  This butter sauce was so rich and aromatic.  The lobster was a tad bit tough but the sauce and flavors melded together in such a beautiful way.

Black Bass

This bass had a wonderful fishy flavor that was delicious and not at all offensive.  The fish was served in a parmesan broth with a lemon marmalade and chili.  The skin was wonderfully seared and the sauce was light and refreshing.  Even the little potatoes and baby spinach were delightful. 

Kale

This was the best kale we think we have ever had.  It was served in this sauce that had notes of vanilla and maple.  It was not super sweet at all.  The golden raisins were a nice touch and pine nuts added an earthy richness to the dish.  The kale was not heavy or greasy, just floral and aromatic.

Black Cod

This cod was cooked to perfection with a wonderfully charred and salt flavored skin.  In this dish the chef used Asian flavor influences and successfully created a delicious dish.  He used cellophane noodles as starch in this dish and they soaked up all the wonderful flavors in the sauce. 

Lemon Thyme Cake

What in the world?  We are not even sure how to describe this dessert because we have never had anything like.  Nor could we even identify what all was in this cake.  It was spicy and savory with very little sweetness.  The cake was dense and intense.  The honey milk sorbet was insanely good.  

Chocolate Banana

This dessert was like a creamy chocolate and peanut butter candy bar.  It had a salty, savory element with the peanuts.  The curried quinoa was by far the best part of this dessert.  We wished that the quinoa was served alone.  It was so crunchy and savory and yummy, but the rest of the dish overpowered it a bit, believe it or not.  The rest of the dessert was pretty good though too…Lol.

 

Silo .5% Photos

Cheddar & Brie Mac and Cheese

Mesclun Salad

Kobe Tartare

Flat Iron Steak

Pork Chop

Red Wine Poached Pear

Silo .5% Review

1200 Steuart St
#2  Baltimore, MD 21230

(443) 438-4044

  silo.5winebar.com/
 

Overall Review

 

Located in an industrial park turning residential area, this wine bar is the perfect marriage of industrial meets cosmopolitan.  Silo .5% is located in a space that used to be an old silo in Locust Point. The décor is fabulous; limestone pillars, floor-to-ceiling windows, light wood floors and mahogany wood tables. We loved the bar, which almost spans a whole wall.   The bar is decked out with metal wine bottle holders against the wall.  Lime green lighting and lime green bar chairs add a much needed splash of color. There are two levels of seating. The second floor has more traditional seating. Some of the walls on the top floor are painted lime green as well. We were absolutely in love with the chairs on the first floor; black leather couches and black leather swivel chairs; so plush and luxurious looking. The look was very retro 1970’s.  The black leather chairs at the table at which we sat were uber-comfortable; sitting in them makes you want to never leave, and we loved the way coat hooks were attached to the wall above the tables. The menus were electronic tablets… very high tech. Silo .5% is one of the most sophisticated restaurants at which we have had the pleasure to dine here in Baltimore. It is located on the water and though it is sort of hard to find, it is completely worth the effort.  The food can be best described as Contemporary American Cuisine.  Honestly we wished that the food better complimented the overall feel and sophistication of this unique restaurant.  Much of the meal was hit or miss for us.  Choose wisely which dishes you try.  This would be a great place to go and meet friends for a light meal or a glass of wine.  Silo .5% is also a very romantic spot for a date.  Your significant other would be truly impressed.  This restaurant would be a great place for a private party or event.  There is free parking in the lot out front of the restaurant.  Overall we give Silo .5% ♪♪♪.

Mesclun Salad

This salad consisted of big hunks of creamy goat cheese, blueberries and strawberries finished with vanilla vinaigrette.  The salad could have used more vinaigrette. The goat cheese drowned out the little bit of dressing that could be tasted, so you only got hints of it. It was so subtle that the greens seemed almost undressed. Slivered almonds added crunch. The strawberries and blueberries were not that sweet, as they are not in season. Unfortunately, this is a summer dish and it is still winter.

Cheddar and Brie Mac and Cheese

This dish was unremarkable. Even though it was served piping hot, the noodles were tender and there was a rich, creamy texture to the sauce; it lacked depth and flavor. We can never understand how chefs prepare dishes with no seasoning whatsoever. If there was any here, we could not taste it.

Kobe Tartare

This dish consisted of quail egg on top of beef tartare with white balsamic aoili and pickled peppers. Volcanic black salt was sprinkled on top. This dish was unique, well thought out and flawlessly executed. Wow. The balsamic aioli was tart and creamy. The beef was rich and smooth… almost creamy… velvety even, and was perfectly complemented by the aoili. This dish was spicy, smooth, well-seasoned yumminess; maybe the best tartare we've ever had.

Pork Chop with Apple Gnocchi, Brussels Sprouts and Chili Maple Butter

The Pork chop here was a beautiful cut of meat. It was cooked so that it had an almost gummy texture and so tender you could cut it with a butter knife. Chili maple butter was a fabulous complement. The brussel sprouts were perfectly done. The apple gnocchi had a small bite and was hand-made, cut into small strips instead of being round. They were a bit heavier than gnocchi usually are but not in a bad way. The dish was beautifully done. There was even a bruleed apple.

Flat Iron Steak

Blue cheese mushroom butter holds its own here. The meat was a little grisly but that’s probably because of the cut. It was cooked to perfection. The green beans had no character of their own.  We asked for a little volcanic black salt which pushed the steak over into excellent. Of course this should not have been necessary, so sad that it was, <sigh>. There was a pile of potatoes, very thin slices of which were stuck together, in some places moist and others hard, which turned out to be white potato scaloppini?????  Okaaaay.

Red Wine Poached Pears

The pears here were thinly sliced and fanned out on the plate; very pretty and delicate. There was a Pistachio Mascarpone and Orange Blossom Caramel Sauce, which gave the dish a very floral overall flavor, which was really quite lovely. The Mascarpone was unsweetened and both creamy and crunchy. It gave the dish a nutty flavor. There was an added savory element to the dish that was probably cardamom, though we cannot say for sure.  We truly enjoyed this dessert. 

Sophie's Crepes Photos

Crepe Florentine

Kevin Bacon

Turtle

Sophie's Crepes Reveiw

Sophie’s Crepes

9123 Reisterstown Road
Owings Mills, MD 21117
Valley Village Center
(lower level)
(410) 356-4191

www.sophiescrepes.com

Sophie’s Crepes is a small chain with locations in Annapolis, Owings Mills, Belvedere Square, Charles Theatre, and now Fells’ Point. We bought a living social voucher for the Owings Mills location. A fun fact about this chain is that it is named after a dog, per the website. Sophie’s Crepes in Owings Mills is a teeny, tiny place done in tones of peach, red and yellow, which for the record is a very unpleasant color combination. The seating consists of 5 small round tables placed alongside the right wall, at which are seated 2 small wooden chairs a piece. The air retains a heavy smokiness from the crepe machines being used to make the crepes. Sophie’s crepes have the feel of one of those neighborhood joints many of us worked at part-time after school and during the summer months, more upscale snowball stand than actual restaurant.

You walk in the door and are immediately in front of the counter behind which the crepes are being made. There is a small chalkboard on the wall that serves as a menu. And all along the counter are placemats on which are written specialty crepes that are not on the menu, but have been created by local high schools such as Bryn Mawr, Friends, Roland Park, etc., and other local youth organizations.

They serve both sweet and savory crepes.  Melissa and I decided to try the Crepe Florentine, the Kevin Bacon and the Turtle. Overall, the food was ok.  It tasted a little better than it looks.  We apologize for the un-appetizing pictures.  This is a fine place to go grab a light lunch by your-self, or with the kids, or as a hang out spot for your high school age children and their friends. The service at this restaurant was equivalent to that of said snowball stand.  They were very informal and at times unprofessional.  We overheard much conversation relating the latest staff gossip.   It reminded us of a soap opera; we called it “As the Crepe Turns.”  The prices were fair, the crepes ranging in price between $8 and $12 dollars.  This restaurant had plenty of free parking.  Overall this restaurant gets ♪♪.

Crepe Florentine  

This crepe is made with mushrooms, spinach, gruyere and sunflower seeds with a pepper, parmesan sauce. The texture of the crepe is springy, and not at all heavy.  The crepe has a slight sweetness. The sunflower seeds added earthiness and crunch. The overall flavor was fresh and light.

Kevin Bacon

This is a crepe made with Turkey, Bacon, Cheese, & Tomatoes with 1000 Island Sauce. It could have used some onion and the tomatoes did not add much to the dish.

Turtle

This crepe is made with Caramel, Chocolate and Nuts. This crepe was heavily stuffed with chocolate and nuts. There was too much of each, making this crepe a bit too gummy and sticky.  You know it’s bad when 2 chocoholics say it’s too much chocolate.