Fork & Wrench Review

To Our Readers,

We thank you for your patience as the 2 Soul Sisters took a break mid way through 2013.  We are back with a vengeance in 2014 and look forward to bringing you many new restaurants reviews.  Don’t forget to let us know if there is a restaurant you want us to try out for you.  We will dine and let you know what we think.  Enjoy the 1^st review of 2014!

FORK AND WRENCH

2322 Boston St.

Baltimore, MD 21224

443.759.9360

    Fork and Wrench is located in Canton, not far from Canton Can Company. It is easily identified by the red F&W on the corner of the brownstone.  As you walk up to the building, if you look up, you can see right into the upstairs dining room, as there are no curtains or blinds obscuring your vision, and see the people dining there.   As you enter the building you are greeted with a stairway. A hostess desk is situated beside the staircase.  A bar takes up the left wall while the right is taken up by tables and chairs. The website states that they, “designed and hand built the interior space with the goal of evoking the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s working classes. There are hints of a workshop, a linen factory line, a pharmacy, a college science lab, and a savings and loan office scattered thru out the rooms, balconies and courtyards of the space.”  This is a great description of the feeling of the space and I could not have said it better myself, so I decided not to try. J  The floor plan is completely open, giving a lofty and sophisticated but also grunge, industrial feel.  The color scheme is dark and light gray, and black interspersed with exposed brick.  Every level has different seating, and there were many different levels.  We actually felt bad for the wait staff as they have to climb many intricate staircases with heavy trays. 

    The service was very good. Our waiter was very friendly and engaging as well as being very knowledgeable about the restaurant and the menu. As happens in many high end restaurants we were given a complimentary “gift” from the kitchen, otherwise known as “amuse bouche.”  This was a nice touch and consisted of a minced chicken and cheese croquette served with a sort of spiced, honey –mustard dipping sauce that was very tasty.  What stood out the most to us about the chefs skills were his ability to create these unbelievably flavorful broths/sauces that were light, clear and refreshing.  Reduction sauces are all the rage right now however this chef seemed to pride himself on minimalism when it comes to his sauces.  We enjoyed them very much. 

Parking is as anyone who spends any time in Canton knows, challenging; street parking only. This is a great place to bring family, friends, business associates or a romantic interest.  The cost of this meal was in the moderate to high rage.  Plan to spend $30-$60 dollars per person.  Overall we give Fork & Wrench ♪♪♪. 

TRUMPET CARPACCIO

This Carpaccio made from trumpet mushrooms, and artichokes, had a grilled, smoky flavor; and a silky, tender texture. It was accompanied by a loose, clear broth which added a briny and lemony flavor with a touch of anise.  This dish was by turns sweet, salty and tart. 

HAMACHI CRUDO

This dish was composed of the sweetness of Uni, the fishiness of Hamachi, and the heat of wasabi and pickled peppers. This dish was done in a sort of vinaigrette style with a sort of sourness to it, which sounds bad but really isn’t. This chef is actually a whiz with sour and loose, light and clear broths are his specialty, sort of reminiscent of the chef at Fleet Street kitchen.

KALE SALAD

This is not the first kale salad that we have encountered but I must admit it is one of the best. The kale was cooked perfectly al dente. The pine nuts added an earthy, warm undertone.  Squash was sweet and firm. Pears were wonderfully poached.  Golden raisins added more sweetness.  This dish was equal parts savory and sweet and was served room temperature like all the other dishes. 

LOBSTER

Slightly sweet, very tender lobster was accompanied by smoky, spicy chorizo. The chorizo was included in a ragu of chorizo, tomato and pork. While the olive tapenade was a bit overpowering; a peach, sambal; a tangy, spicy chili based sauce/relish, like a sriracha, was a wonderful addition.

SMOKED DUCK

This duck had a texture unlike any we have had before. Though it was incredibly tender, it was almost too much so, almost to the point of being creamy. It was sort of like eating a cross between liver and sweetbreads, both of which I like and Melissa does not. Regardless of this difference, we agree that this was a bit disconcerting and could have been done without. Shredded, fried Brussels sprouts were bitter and crunchy. Roasted pear with sesame, and mustard seeds added a sweetness and tartness.  Sun chokes with minced duck as well as cannelloni stuffed with minced duck accompanied the duck. The duck filled cannelloni was a very tasty part of the dish.

Bond Street Social Photos

Heirloom Tomatoes Gazpacho Shots

Duck Spring Rolls

Tuna Tartare

Foie Gras PB&J

Butter Poached Lobster Cobb Salad

Bond Street Social Ice Cream Sandwich

Bond Street Social Review

901 South Bond Street

Baltimore, MD 21231

443-449-8234

www.bondstreetsocial.com

Our visit to Bond Street Social was overall, pretty cool. This restaurant is located on Bond Street and is technically were Fells Point and Harbor East meet. It is located right up the street from Waterfront Kitchen. The area itself is very hip; populated by young professionals and a plethora of apartment buildings, bars, restaurants and unique stores.  There is even a gym across the street.  Anyone who knows Fells Point/Harbor East is aware that parking is a challenge here. You must either find street parking or you can park in the garage across the street for about $5.

The way Bond Street Social is set up, there is outside seating, reminiscent of sitting on a giant pier with high end and trendy picnic bench seating and lighting fixtures in the shape of pyramids lit from within with flames. When you first walk into the restaurant you see a large bar. The rest of the seating consists of high-backed, dark leather chairs and matching dark wood tables.  Two walls are painted a rich red. The rest of the walls appear to be loose stone held in place by wire mesh.  It sounds strange but is very cool.  There is a privacy panel behind which private events can be held.

Bond Street Social was doing pretty brisk business when we were there and it appears to be the sort of place young, professional singles frequent.  This is the perfect place to meet friends or coworkers for lunch, dinner or just to hang out. It also is the sort of place one might go to meet other people one’s own age. I would definitely choose it as a place to hold an event. It does not really have the feeling of somewhere families go or somewhere you would take the kids. The wait staff was friendly and service was prompt. The food was actually bought out a little too fast. They did not seem to have the concept of staggering courses.  This is a tapas restaurant; however they do have a selection of full plate meals.  Overall, we give Bond Street Social ♪♪ and a half note.

The meal started with an amuse busch (a complimentary, single, bite-sized hors d'œuvre given by the chef before a meal at some restaurants); consisting of mini muffins served with a jalapeno butter spread, the consistency of peanut butter.  We love, love loved it.

Duck Spring Rolls

These were WONDERFUL! They were served with a seasoned sesame soy sauce. The rolls were super crunchy and super soft at the same time. They were filled with shredded duck which was seasoned with Indian/middle eastern spices. They were spicy, tart, sweet and crunchy.

Foie Gras PB&J

Peanut butter and fig jam was spread atop 4 small bread rounds and pieces of foie gras were placed on top of each round. This was an interesting idea and we had to try it. It did not quite come off well, but we had to give kudos for the creativity of it. The fig jam and peanut butter were sweet and savory like any other peanut butter and jelly preparation and the bread rounds were nice and porous and crunchy. Unfortunately, the piece of the foie gras was completely lost in the whole of the dish. The rest of the dish completely obliterated the very mild flavor of the foie gras.

  

Heirloom Tomatoes Gazpacho Shots

This was served as four mini glasses placed on a small wooden slab and filled with gazpacho and topped with lump crab meat. This was another interesting idea that did not quite come out as we would have liked it to. The gazpacho was too thick, almost to the point of being both grainy and chunky. The tomatoes did not seem to have been skinned as we kept getting chunks of tough skin. The crab on top was a nice touch as it added some sweetness, though there was not enough of it, and the rim of old bay added a slight kick, which was also nice, but none of that was enough to save the dish.

Butter Poached Lobster Cobb Salad

The avocado and blue cheese served as the dressing here. The mango was hard and not at all sweet and should probably have been left out. The tomato and lobster added the only bit of sweetness. The dish overall was fresh and healthy tasting but was nothing spectacular or out of the ordinary.

Tuna Tartare

This preparation of tuna tartare was quite interesting.  It was served as four mounds of pretty pink tuna on a rectangular plate, topped with crispy shallots.  It was actually a bit over seasoned, though we did like the spice. The texture and quality of the tuna was perfect, though something about the preparation gave the tuna a slight gumminess, which was not a problem for us, but just so you know…lol. The wasabi cream and cilantro added nicely to the dish.

  

Bond Street Social Ice Cream Sandwich

This was served as four mini ice cream sandwiches consisting of two mini house-made snicker doodle cookies with vanilla gelato in between.  It was ok. The cookies were a bit too thick and hard for our tastes and there was a ton of cinnamon added, which was a bit much.

 

Waterfront Kitchen Photos

House Made Charcuterie

Roasted Pork Belly

Three Local Cheeses

Day Boat Sea Scallops

Black Truffle Studded Meatloaf

Waterfront Kitchen Review

Waterfront Kitchen

www.waterfrontkitchen.com

1417 Thames Street

Baltimore, MD 21231

443-681-5310

Melissa and I were very excited to try Waterfront Kitchen which is located exactly between Harbor East and Fells Point.  Melissa had the opportunity to hear the owner/head chef speaking on NPR and based on what she heard really thought that we should try it out. The website is very exciting (not only does Waterfront Kitchen offer brunch, lunch and dinner, it offers cooking and grilling classes, and cruises followed by a three course dinner with wine pairings). Unfortunately once we visited we agreed that this might very well be the only exciting thing about it… well next to the view of course. Even though we were unable to sit outside, we could see that the view was spectacular, which honestly only made the mediocrity of the food that much more glaring.This dining experience completely missed the mark. First, the service was among the slowest in history. Though our waitress was very pleasant, we had to wait about 45 minutes between each course, and she disappeared for long periods at a time. It was so bad that we did not even order dessert due to the lateness of the hour and not wanting to have to wait ANOTHER 45 minutes for it to come out. There was absolutely no reason we could think of that two appetizers and some house made charcuterie should take 45 minutes to come to the table.

The décor was pretty eclectic. Two of the walls were padded with a fabric reminiscent of a kind of refined burlap. The ceilings were hardwood and the floors were some sort of stone or cement. The backside of the restaurant is comprised of two glass floor to ceiling windows out of which you can see the Inner Harbor and the outside seating. The restaurant had an upscale wharf feel. There were interesting chandeliers and other lighting fixtures peppered throughout the restaurant.  There were different kinds of seating; outside, bar, floor and a combination booth/floor.

This restaurant had so much potential and it was such a disappointment that I would not really recommend it at all. But if you decide to try it, as I stated above, they have brunch, lunch and dinner. You could go with anyone for any occasion and at the very least enjoy the beautiful view, with one caveat; I would not really recommend bringing the children as the menu is probably a bit too “high-brow.”  Parking was bit of a chore as well.  You will have to find parking on the street or in the parking garage across from the restaurant.  You do have to pay to park in the garage.  All in all, we give Waterfront Kitchen ♪ and one half-note.

Three Local Cheeses

The cheeses were served with dried fruits, local honey and crostini. The day we were there, they served a blue that was sort of salty but also floral; a semi-soft, sort of like a Merganthal, that was very floral and tasted of wine; and a goat brie… which pretty much says it all.  The dish was pleasant but nothing to write home about. 

Roasted Pork Belly

The pork belly was served with apple cider braised mustard greens. The greens were nicely flavored but were very spicy as well. We often coughed and had to drink water to catch our breath.  The pork belly had a nice sear but was way under flavored and had too much fat and too little meat.

House Made Charcuterie

Chicken liver pate and Duck prosciutto

The chicken liver pate had a woody, earthy flavor and a rich, smooth texture. However, there was too much fat left behind that was sort of congealed atop the dish. The duck prosciutto was too salty and the crostini that was served along with the dish was stale.  How does a great chef serve stale crostini???  How embarrassing! 

Day Boat Scallops

The scallops themselves were tender and their sweetness came through, however they were not seared, which is always a problem for us. The poor scallops were limp and appeared to be suffering from an acute case of melancholy.  They were served with fennel, blood orange, tarragon and mustard seed vinblanc. The mustard seed vinblanc was way too heavy and spicy to be paired with scallops. No wonder the scallops were so very sad. 

Black Truffle Studded Meatloaf

The meatloaf was served as two thick slices of beef placed atop a mound of silky mashed potatoes and topped with mushroom gravy. This dish should have been wonderful. Unfortunately, though the potatoes were definitely silky in texture, they had no flavor. The slices of beef had a nice enough texture except for being hard on the ends. The beef was also not properly seasoned and you really couldn’t taste the truffles though they was liberally sprinkled throughout the beef.  The mushroom gravy was made with fresh mushrooms and lots of them but it too had little flavor.  This dish had just great potential, yet left us so disappointed.