B & O American Brasserie, Chef Thomas Dunklin in the Hotel Monaco at Charles Center

[1000yregg]

I went last night with friends to the beautiful Hotel Monaco downtown and ate a great dinner at the B & O American Brasserie, which opened in the past year.

The executive chef, E. Michael Reidt, was named one of the "Best New Chefs" in 2001 by Food & Wine magazine (in that year included Frank Ruta, Wylie Dufresne & Anita Lo)

We started with a trio of appetizers: chicken liver mousse with figs, the steak tartare & carpacchio, and the smoked pork belly on a banana-lentil salad with chile caramel.

All three were excellent. I particularly enjoyed the banana-lentil salad with the pork belly- the combination of sweet & savory was good.

We got another round of items: the Market flatbread -red bliss potato, ricotta, egg & baby arugula, the "Kentoocky Fried" sweetbreads with raisins,bacon & capers, and the ricotta gnocchi in an arugula pesto.

The flatbread had a great tasting crust, and again there was a salty-sweet combo with the yummy sweetbreads. The gnocchi was ok- but their texture was so light and fluffy.

Our table also had three terrific entrees: the duck two ways (sous vide and confit) with cassoulet style white beans, the adobo braised pork shank, and the rosemary skewered scallops with oxtail, parsnip puree and foie gras emulsion.

The scallops were coated with couscous so they had a crispy outside.

Then we had a couple desserts- Meyer lemon bars with blueberry marmalade and sorbet, and take on strawberry shortcake with scones, strawberry sorbet, and rhubarb soup.

[1000yregg]

Got an email regarding this event for charity- a crab bash featuring some local chefs at B&O on Tues Aug 3rd- not too pricey, and with B&O's chef and Salt's Jason Ambrose- it could be fun. I got my ticket on Missiontix:

For an admissions fee of $10, all of which will benefit the Great Kids Farm, from 5:30pm-8:00pm guests are invited to watch the chefs battle it out, sample the chefs' dishes and enjoy a complimentary cocktail created for the anniversary by Head Bartender Brendan Dorr. Attendees will also be entered into a raffle for a one-night stay at the Hotel Monaco and a gift certificate for dinner for two, a $100 value, at B&O American Brasserie.

Participating chefs are: B&O American Brasserie's E. Michael Reidt, Salt's Jason Ambrose, Brewer's Art's Dave Newman, Square 1682's Guillermo Tellez (Philadelphia), Christian deLutis formerly of alizee, Domaso's Paul Healey (Arlington, VA) and Bambara's Jay Silva (Boston).

Great Kids Farm educates Baltimore city students about maintaining a healthy and energy efficient lifestyle through a farm that the students, themselves maintain. For more information on the Great Kids Farm, visit www.greatkidsfarm.org

[1000yregg]

Went to the B&O Crab Bash last night, and had a nice time.

 
One disappointment was that I arrived around 6:15 and 3 of the 7 chefs had already run out of their crab dishes. The event was to go to 8pm, and by 7, dishes were left. Fortunately for latecomers, B&O started serving crabcake appetizers from their kitchen.

 
From B&O's chef Reidt, I had a smoked crabcake with creamed corn & what he called, liquid ravioli. I think it was supposed to be like xiao long bao, but the filling was not a squirt of crab soup like the real deal.

 
Chef Silva from Boston's Bambara made a corn & crab ravioli with basil oil and a chorizo chip. Chef Healey from Domaso (Arlington, VA) made a crab spanakopita with a red pepper aioli.

 
My favorite was the blue crab salad with heirloom tomatoes, pickled beets and candy fennel from Chef Tellez of Philly's Square 1682.

[theminx]

Hubby and I went to B&O for the first time last week. Had the pork belly with the bananas and lentils and a duck flatbread for our apps, and the "Buffalo" duck and bacon-wrapped amberjack entrees. We were pretty happy with the food, but I felt the restaurant itself was a bit gloomy.

It seems that every course had either corn or cherries or both in it. Is it cherry season?

[bettyjoan]

Staying at the Hotel Monaco, so ate at B&O last night - bartender was friendly and knowledgeable. Pumpkin bisque with apples, cranberries, and bacon was like fall in a bowl - so good, and really well seasoned. Seared rockfish with sauteed broccoli rabe and pumpkin seed "risotto" was exactly what the doctor ordered. The pumpkin seeds were insanely good, both in terms of texture and flavor - they were creamy, nutty, and really lovely. Apparently there is a pressure cooker involved, as they were super tender and actually very reminiscent of risotto. Yum!

[Tujague]

Lunch here on Monday noon with a friend/author. The $16 power lunch has only a pair of options, but what a deal. We both started with a huge bowl of crab stew, light on the seafood but chockful of veggies and a flavorful tomato broth. The burgers are huge, with a nice bacon jam, chow chow, and pimento cheese--not the most flavorful beef, but a nice mix nevertheless--and accompanied by a small green salad. A pair of decent chocolate-chip cookies end the meal, which we took with us. Our server was a bit, um, enthusiastic, and the upstairs space is a bit dim but not terribly attractive. But who cares? A fantastic deal for anyone wanting a substantial lunch.

[JDawgBBall9]

I had jury duty today, so I dipped into B&O for lunch. It was just what the doctor ordered to break up the soul-crushing process of selecting a jury. The bartender was friendly but also sensed that I did need a little space to unwind, and one of my favorite summer beers Allagash White was on tap. I ordered the Caprese Chicken Sandwich (balsamic grilled chicken, fresh mozzarella, tomato relish, basil pesto aioli) and chose the side salad over the french fries or potato salad. The greens were quite fresh with a balsamic dressing IIRC and some tasty tomatoes. I love summer salad season. The sandwich itself featured many more tomatoes that may have been my favorite part of the meal on the chicken, which was quite juicy and well prepared. I didn't have any complaints for a solid lunch that cost less than $20 before tip, and it's not like the beer is a normal lunch order for me.