Woodberry Kitchen - Baltimore, MD

My college friend lives in the Baltimore area and invited us to celebrate her birthday at the farm-to-table American restaurant Woodberry Kitchen. Almost everything is made from scratch in-house. All of their ingredients are seasonal and local. This place is off the beaten path, so don't get too confused when you're GPS is taking you somewhere odd. They offer free valet and a free parking lot right past the restaurant.

Customers can enjoy their outdoor seating at communal tables during warmer months. It's adorable. The space glows at night with the help of Christmas lights.

The interior has two floors. The top floor is very small but overlooks the main dining room. There is also a side room on the main floor. I love the exposed brick, wood and "urban country" feel.

Getting a reservation was HARD for a regular dining hour even 2 weeks in advance, so the 4 of us ate at the bar.

They served us 2 kinds of bread and butter while we waited.

Their specialty cocktail list is pretty long and they offer an amazing variety of alcohol. All of the beer and wine are either local or organic. They offer many varieties of bourbon and other liquors made in the US. I ordered the 'American Pie (Apple brandy, Reid's apple cider, ginger, brown sugar, warm spices)' for $12. Hands down this was the BEST cocktail I've ever had in my life. The ingredients melded together so beautifully. You could taste every single ingredient individually, it wasn't weak, and finished very smoothly.

Time for food! Please know that their menu is constantly changing based on the ingredients they have at the moment. They also run out of items often because of that same reason. Their menu offers small plates and entrees. The birthday girl ordered the 'Springfield Chicken 'n Biscuit (kale, young carrots, roasted garlic pan sauce)' for $23. She said the chicken was moist and flavorful. The kale was a hit at the table, and the biscuit tasted of rosemary.

The birthday girl's BFF ordered the 'Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder (fingerling potatoes, buttered turnips, farm egg, pork gravy)' for $22. She said the pork was very tender and even took her leftovers home because it was so good.

My cousin ordered 2 small plates as her meal. 'Marvesta Sizzling Shrimp (romesco, onion, lemon)' for $14. She ordered it after the lady next to her was eating it. She said it was really good, but a bit expensive for a small plate. Behind the shrimp was her 2nd small plate of 'Salt Baked Beauregard Sweet Potatoes (maple butter)' for $8. Those were so good! I took a few. They are really tiny and soft. The salty and sweet caramelization was delicious.

I ordered the 'Anson Mills Sweet Corn Polenta (stewed tomatoes & eggplant, okra)' for $18. This dish had every kind of ingredient that I love. The corn polenta (boiled cornmeal) was soft with a nice exterior, and the flavors from the stewed veggies were comforting and warm, and the okra was roasted to perfection.

Um, did I mention how much I loved that dish?

For dessert our server recommended the oddest sounding one on the menu. 'Corn brulee with chocolate cake and red hot ice cream'. This was insanely good. The brulee was sweetened with corn, the ice cream gave it a nice spice and the chocolate gave the dish some texture. Mmmmm...

We loved the night SO MUCH, so we reserved another birthday dinner there for 2 weeks later. So I'm going to quickly run through this experience. They ran out of my 'American Pie' drink, but was recommended the 'Headless Horseman,' which also had warm flavors and bourbon.

The dishes showcased fall veggies like squash, potatoes, zucchini, etc. Our table ordered the pork shoulder, chicken & biscuit, the steak and woodoven rockfish. We had such a hard time deciding on the dessert, but gave us the pumpkin roll to try on the house.

For my aunt's birthday dessert, the oddest sounding one on the menu was recommended to us again! 'Apple Cheddar Strudel with Sour Cream Ice Cream'. It was so good! The Cheddar gave the dessert a mild salty flavor to contrast the sweet apples and strudel. The sour cream ice cream was amazing! Tasted slightly tart, but was very creamy. We actually ordered a 2nd plate and a whole other side of the ice cream.

I can't tell you how much I love this place. To top off the amazing food, the service is probably the best I've had. The staff is very knowledgeable of the menu and how the food is made. They are very patient and warm. The first time we went there, our friend got lost and the manager was on the phone with her and eventually said he'd go out and meet her so she could follow his car since he was leaving to get a keg anyway. Unheard of! The menu is constantly changing, which is a good and bad thing. I love the concept of seasonal dishes. I like trying new things, but the only sad part is you might have loved something one time, but it might not be there the next time. Prices are higher, with entress in the mid-20's. I can't wait until I bring the bf here!

2010 Clipper Park Rd
Baltimore, MD 21211
(410) 464-8000
www.woodberrykitchen.com