The Speakeasy Saloon - Shhh! Let's Keep it a Secret!

The Bob Ganoosh team received a tip Friday night, from Shawn's lovely mother (who going forward will be referred to as Mama Ganoosh), that the food at the Speakeasy Saloon in Canton was "fabulous." So of course, we had to check it out for ourselves. Despite what turned out to be a torrential downpour, team Bob Ganoosh initiated its investigation, so you wouldn't have to.

We arrived at the restaurant around 7:30 on Friday night, when the bar crowd was starting to show up and the dinner crowd remained strong. We were greeted immediately by a very attentive lady - the owner, we suspect - and seated at a table outside (per our request).

A review of the menu revealed a Mediterranean theme, including a variety of tapas plates and familiar Italian-themed dishes; however, one could also choose from an eclectic mix of seafood and steak selections. Shortly later our server arrived and presented the evening's specials, at which point the menu seemed to double: there were about 3 appetizer specials and 5 entree specials, which were made up of various combinations of seafood and steak. All sounded wonderful, and were priced at around $25 (which for a Filet stuffed with crab meat, for example, is very reasonable).

Shawn ordered one of the special appetizers - the Caprese Salad ($8) - which consisted of generous slices of homemade mozzarella cheese served atop ripe tomato slices and topped with a balsamic vinegar glaze. The mozzarella was very creamy and melted in your mouth as you ate it. I think Shawn and I were both in agreement that this Caprese was only second to the stuff served at DiPasquale's. Meanwhile, I started my meal with a cup of French Onion Soup ($4.95) - as the self-proclaimed expert on French Onion Soup, I had to it out! The soup was served as French Onion typically is, with a slice of baguette concealed in the soup by a blanket of melted cheese (in this case, it seemed to be provolone). The soup was very good, but tasted more strongly of onion and less of beef base, which differs from some with have a more flavorful broth. So, make sure you really like onion if you order the soup.

Onward to our entrees: Shawn sampled one of their classic Italian dishes - Chicken Parmesan served atop Penne Pasta ($11.95), while I sampled one of their more unique dishes - Chicken Phoenix ($11.95). The Chicken Parmesan, consisting of a sweetly-breaded chicken breast topped with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella, was moist and flavorful, a superb rendition of a dish that many order merely because "you can't go wrong." And, the penne was abundant. The Chicken Phoenix yielded one of the most unique flavors either of us had ever tasted on a chicken. This dish consisted of the sweetly-breaded chicken breast, and was topped with a "silky honey-jalapeno sauce" (as the menu describes it). Now, I was going on a whim when I ordered this, and I had no idea how spicy it would be, nor did I have any idea what honey and jalapeno tasted like together. Well, this sauce has to be one of the most unique flavors we have tasted - it was not spicy at all, but rather had a sweet creamy flavor that complimented the sweet chicken breast perfectly. The dish had me talking about it all night.

As for the service, it was spot-on. Even during the ensuing chaos that occurred when the rain arrived and the outdoor-diners began to panic, the servers managed to relocate people inside promptly and open up a retractable awning to maintain some of the outdoor seating. All in all, Team Ganoosh was abundantly impressed with the entire experience!

As for the restaurants ability to handle a large group, it's tough to say. Though there were ample tables available, none of them looked large enough to handle a large crowd, although we were not privy to seeing the size of the upstairs dining area. So if you have a party greater than 4-6, I would recommend calling ahead.

So, like a speakeasy from the Prohibition days, we should probably keep this wonderful spot a secret... but then again, that's definitely not the Bob Ganoosh way!

The Speakeasy Saloon
2480 O'Donnell Street (Canton Square)
Baltimore, MD 21224
410-276-2977
http://www.speakeasysaloon.com/

Note from the Editor-in-Chief

My apologies for the typoes in my most recent post - the post was made on a time constraint, and as a result I forgot to run a spell-check. The typoes should now be corrected.

The Brewer's Art - A Review Long Overdue!

This week is Baltimore Restaurant Week, and the Bob Ganoosh team decided to partake by conducting a review that no legitimate restaurant review blog could be without - The Brewer's Art!

Located in eclectic and trendy Mt. Vernon/Midtown, The Brewer's Art is just as eclectic as the community in which it resides. The upstairs dining room is somewhat formal and quaint, the type of venue to which you'd take the folks out; while the basement bar has the dark grungy-yet-trendy ambiance you'd expect in Baltimore. We started our evening off downstairs, because despite being the middle of the week, we could not get a reservation until 8:30 (I guess it is Restaurant Week!).

For those who don't know, The Brewer's Art is a brew house that serves a selection of its own Microbrews right out of the basement bar. Their regular beer selection consists of about 8 (I'm guestimating) brews, and pretty much covers all ends of the beer spectrum. The most popular is their Resurrection Ale, which is a favorite around time and I believe has won a "Best of Baltimore" award.

Prior to last night, many of us had tried their beers, or at least the Resurrection (it is served at at least one other bar in Baltimore), but we were all virgins to their food. Now, they serve pretty decent pub grub downstairs, but we learned quickly that the real good stuff is served in the upstairs dining room. Taking advantage of the Restaurant Week menu, we all went with the Steak Frites - some medium and some medium rare - and either the Caesar Salad or the Tortilla Soup. The soup was a tomato-based soup with adequate spice, but not too much to make it unenjoyable; the salads were large, generously dressed, and topped with some spicy cheese wafer that we were not able to identify.

But lets get to the most important part - the steaks! The steaks, New York Strips that I'm guessing were about 12 oz, were cooked to the perfect temperature and topped with a sweet demi-glace sauce. It was served upon a bed of flavorful garlic fries, and with a side of a sweet buttery sauce for dipping. Being a bit of a steak snob, I must say that for an establishment not known as a steakhouse per se, these were some of the best steaks I have ever encountered. They were large, juicy, and cooked perfectly to our specifications.

After we conquered our wonderful steaks, we were provided (as part of the Restaurant Week special) with a small dessert, consisting of a rich chocolate tart and a small cheesecake tart topped with blackberries. Can't really go wrong there.

Being Restaurant Week, all of this came out to $30.09. This was particularly a good deal because their regular menu prices, for an entree, are not much less than that. Though I wouldn't put this in the "fine dining" price range, it is definitely pricier than just a casual dinner out (at least for someone as frugal as myself). The prices for the entrees range from $19 to about $30, and the appetizers were around $8. If everything they serve is as good as the Steak Frites, well worth it!

So, here's the Bob Ganoosh summary:

Is The Brewer's Art worth all of the hype it gets? 5 full stomachs and 10 thumbs up say YES!

Is is a good place for a large party? Sure, but definitely make a reservation! This is not the place to go spontaneously, if you plan of having dinner.

Is this a good place to take a date? Most definitely! This is definitely a great place to take a beautiful date or a guest from out of town (interesting side note - they are walking distance from Penn Station).

So take a trip out to Mt. Vernon, get yourself a great steak, and check out the sisters of the Resurrection!

The Brewer's Art

1106 N. Charles Street

Baltimore, MD

410-547-6925

http://www.thebrewersart.com/