It’s BLACK Friday. Black is in the color of your heart right now as you wait to buy that hot toy or whatever else that could you make you want to shop on this busy day. But if you are shopping today, you probably don’t want to cook and you might be sick of leftovers already.
So let me suggest a little place for you. It’s Fleet Street Kitchen.
Nestled downtown in ritzy Harbor East in Baltimore, Fleet Street Kitchen attempts to give you a cozy dining experience while delivering high end cuisine. All of their ingredients are locally sourced, which seems to be the rage these days, and that’s a good thing.
As soon as you walk in you are welcomed by their polite staff and their really impressive decor. I describe the vibe and feel of the restaurant as being inside a whiskey barrel. But a really fancy whiskey barrel with a open kitchen.
We actually came out because of a Living Social promotion they were running. But because we were on a Living Social promotion we had to pick from a price fix menu, which was still good they offered you a 3 course meal with delicious options. We started with a Autumn Squash Soup and a Pumpkin Agnolotti. Both were executed to perfection. The soup had a subtle and pleasant butternut squash undertone with a fresh kick from the use of apples. Unlike most autumn soups it was not too thick it was more on the watery side but that was actually a pleasant addition. Well done.
The agnolotti which was like a mini ravioli was delicious and well executed. It was filled with goat cheese and cooked in a delicious brown butter sage.
Fleet Street Kitchen’s staff is beyond attentive, you feel at ease immediately. The bread seems to either be house made or fresh from a bakery. Either way it’s delicious, I love me some bread.
For the entree, we ordered the Rockfish, Mushroom Stew, and New York Strip. The rockfish was cooked perfectly, it’s texture was delicate yet plump. It was immersed in a mushroom broth that was infused with littleneck clams, a pumpkin dashi, and wild rice. While it was executed well, I would’ve preferred a citrus flavor to the fish rather than the slightly heavy usage of turmeric. It was also a little too much broth beneath the fish, I felt it kind of took away from the meal when the real star should’ve been the fish. Overall I was still impressed by the execution of the dish.
The Mushroom Stew was a medley of mushrooms with ricotta gnudi and a soft poached egg. The gnudi was executed perfectly, it was light and airy. It absorbed the mushroom stock well to make for a very flavorful dish. The ratio of gnudi to mushrooms was disappointing however, we would’ve enjoyed more a balanced ratio of gndui to mushroom, than the hefty portion of mushrooms served. Again this was still executed well, it just didn’t hit the spot as we had hoped.
The New York strip was the star of the entrees, the steak was cooked well and the potatoes were cooked perfectly. They some how managed to make them both creamy and crispy atop a delicious portion of mashed potatoes. Well done.
After the second course, came…you guessed it the third! The desserts were all executed perfectly. They tasted delicious and you could appreciate the delicate handiwork done.
The pumpkin mousse was served on a gingerbread crust. It was unreal, it was the perfect balance of dense to light and the pumpkin spice flavor was not overpowering. The vanilla cheesecake sat on a deliciously thick graham cracker crust that was superbly buttery. Everything about their desserts screamed delicious. It was the star of the entire evening.
A what restaurant would be complete without a assessment of their restrooms? A+ Folks. It’s supremely decorated, clean, and spacious. Should you need to set up shop, have no fear, you’re in for a treat.
You walk out of Fleet Street Kitchen with their handmade lemon mints which are delicious and delicately wrapped. It was a shock as we left the restaurant when we were told they were handmade.
My overall take on Fleet Street Kitchen is this, it hits everywhere around the bulls eye but just not on the bulls eye itself. It’s a great restaurant that has room to become even better. I would not say it’s better than other local ingredient restaurants like Woodberry Kitchen, but it’s getting there.
I would definitely go back so I could experience the whole menu which looked extremely delicious. It’s a talented kitchen that has tons of potential.
3.5 Stars out of 5 Stars (that’s right, I’m giving out stars.)
