Prior to our visit this weekend, I had never heard of Blue Hill Tavern. In fact, I really haven't spent any time at all exploring the Brewers Hill/Canton area of Baltimore they are located in. Based off the "tavern" in the name, I was expecting to go and enjoy some typical pub grub. As soon as I opened the door, though, I knew I was in for something much different. The space was very modern with waterfalls, contemporary art on the walls, and some awesome blue snakeskin leather chairs. The decor is seriously swanky and cool. Normally, that's not my thing but I really liked the look and feel of this place.
To start the night off we decided to try the Fried Pickles. They were excellent. Fried pickle connoisseurs will tell you that a good fried pickle is hard to come by. It's so easy to serve a wet pickle with batter on it that simply won't stick or is bad for a myriad of other reasons. Blue Hill Tavern served a fried pickle to be admired. The batter was light, crunchy, and it adhered to the pickle without falling off. They were served with a chipotle aeoli for dipping and the sauce was awesome. It was creamy, smokey, a little spicy, and went perfect with the tangy pickles.
For dinner, Deana and I both had our eyes set on the same entree. We both went with the Roasted Chicken dinner that was served with broccoli and macaroni and cheese. This dinner was so good there really is no good place to begin. The broccoli was as good as you're going to find anywhere. It was steamed perfectly. I almost always pass on broccoli when ordering in a restaurant due to the fact that you are usually served a limp green thing smothered in butter. This was far from that. You could tell they took the time to cut the broccoli themselves and serve something really fresh and delicious.
And the macaroni...do you want to know how good the macaroni and cheese was? It was so good Deana decided that she needed to learn how to make homemade mac and cheese. In fact, that's what we ate for dinner tonight. So, Blue Hill Tavern, thank you for being an inspiration! But back to the Blue Hill Mac and Cheese. That stuff was divine. It was creamy, had a nice tang from one of the cheeses, a crunchy top, and just enough spice to it to make it absolutely addictive. I knew I shouldn't eat the entire portion in one sitting but my taste buds said to hell with logic. The Mac and Cheese never stood a chance.
The roasted chicken was truly the best piece of chicken I've ever had in my life. The meat was juicy, the skin was crunchy, and the seasoning was spot on. In all my days I've never tasted a piece of chicken that was seasoned so well. If they can make a piece of chicken that delicious I can only imagine how delicious the rest of the menu is.
More important than the decor or food, Deana and I both picked up on something we've been missing from a lot of our restaurant visits recently. The service was great. They were helpful, patient, informed, and efficient. Before you even knew if you needed something the staff was at your table taking care of you.
As if you can't tell, Blue Hill Tavern is getting the strongest recommendation this blog has ever given. From start to finish this place did everything right. I implore you to do yourself a favor and treat yourself as soon as possible. This place is great.
Price: Pricey
Recommendation: One of Baltimore's Must Visits
What to order: Roasted Chicken
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