B&O Brasserie

Well, I really wanted to like this restaurant. I love the fact that it is in the historic B&O railroad headquarters with beautiful architecture and beautiful They were named one of the top 10 restaurants in Baltimore by Baltimore magazine. Unfortunately, I can only report that it is ok.

First of all, they have a great cocktail list with some great concoctions. The only better list I have seen is at Alizee.

I absolutely love their take on a Manhattan. Woodford Reserve bourbon, port, maple syrup, brandied cherries. That drink alone is what made me want to go back for a second time after our first mediocre experience.

Food is really where it falls apart. Some things are good, but others really miss the mark. On our first visit we had duck fat fries, which seem to be trendy at the moment (apparently started by Chicago restaurant Hot Dougs). I had the well executed, refined fries of Salt in my mind which have the incredibly yummy trio of Aoili's. B&O's came across as regular french fries complete with catsup!?!?

On our most recent trip we had mussels which were of high quality, but the broth was uninspired. The mussels were supposed to be garnished with "herbs" but came out ungarnished. Similarly, I got a pizza which was baked in their impressive ovens, but had a very average taste and subpar crust. This pizza was also supposed to have arugula as a garnish, but it too was missing.

Lastly, the service on both occasions was really not very good. Neither of our servers had much knowledge of the product, and had a flat affect.

Verdict: Beautiful restaurant, great for drinks before moving on to somewhere/something else.

Salt

As it turns out, this restaurant is the one we continue to return to if we want a nice casual meal, but are not in the mood to go somewhere new. Honestly, the duck fat french fries are the initial driving force for these visits, but we also generally have been happy with the rest of our meals there. My only complaint, has been the lack of Salt? More on this later.
If you have never been to this restaurant, it is a very small place which can be somewhat loud and difficult to get a table at. We always sit at the bar, not sure why, since we do not do that anywhere else. The bar is a dark slab of unpolished granite illuminated by lights surrounded by giant conical light shades with the insides painted green. Definitely unorthodox, but cool.

We always get a cocktail, sometimes one of the offbeat ones on the specials which change frequently. We then get a order of duck fat fries while we try to figure out what to get. The fries are different than any other fry I have ever had. They are served in a paper cone with a trio of aoili- malt vinegar (favorite), black truffle, and a chipoltle pepper one. The fries are light with the perfect crisp on outside, fluffy outside. There is a bit of herb sprinkled on them- Thyme or Rosemary if I recall, which lends a wonderful sophistication. There is no residual grease on them, so the initial concern you might have that they are greasy is unfounded. Anywhoo, they are definitely good enough to warrant a trip (from wherever you might be) even if you do not get dinner. Do not confuse these fries with the ones at B+O brasserie see post.
On our most recent trip, I had a wonderful pasta dish what my wife looked at me like I had four heads when I proposed getting. I presume this is because there were so many tempting proteins on the menu. The pasta dish was, by contrast, fairly simple. Housemade wide noodle pasta with mushrooms, asparagus, ramps (related to leeks), finished with shaved parmesan. This was the perfect seasonal dish and since I generally do not see fresh pasta on menus, I was drawn to it. The sauce was light and I suspect was made from a small amount of the pasta cooking water. I was just perfect, except for the lack of salt. Now, of all the culinary atrocities to commit, this is the most forgivable in my book, since it is so easily corrected. Sure enough, when I added the salt, it dish blossomed. On last season's Top Chef, the one factor that tipped the win, was the lack of salt in one of the dishes, so even at high levels of cooking, it can happen.
This is the second time that this particular problem has surfaced for me at this restaurant. The last time it was with a gnocchi dish. It was also quite good, once it had a bit more salt, it was great. So, please do not let me steer you away from this restaurant because of this, because the restaurant does do so many things well. Just remember, just because the name of the restaurant is Salt, don't be afraid to ask for the salt grinder if your food needs a touch.