Bookmakers Cocktail Club

Though I had a cocktail at Bookmakers Cocktail Club earlier in the year, neither Mr Minx nor I had eaten there before recently. Bookmakers was participating in the annual Dining Out for Life campaign to benefit Moveable Feast, so we decided to give the place a try and support one of our favorite local organizations at the same time.

"Cocktail" is in the name, so we had to start off with a couple. I had the Blind Melon, made with St George green chile vodka, ancho reyes, fresh lime, watermelon, and Thai basil. It was fine. Maybe a little weak. Far more savory than I thought it would be. Mr Minx had the Grayson, with Bulleit rye, yuzu, ginger beer, Velvet Falernum, 1821 Japanese chili-lime bitters, and toasted cinnamon. So many ingredients! Much stronger than mine, with a pronounced bourbon flavor.

Our waitress seemed very happy to be there for DOFL and eagerly gave us both food and drink recomendations. We started off with the pork belly and a Caesar salad.

BOURBON GLAZED PORK BELLY

old grand-dad bourbon, cucumber salad

The serving of pork belly was pretty generous, and while the textures were great - soft fat, crispy top, tender meat - it was cold. Well, not cold exactly. Parts were room-temperature. When I asked our waitress about it, she said it was supposed to be that way. A little odd, but it tasted great, so ok. The cucumber salad was actually a mess of really tangy pickles that cut the fat of the pork nicely.

CAESAR SALAD

lemon confit, brioche croutons, white anchovies, parmesan crisp

I had a pretty damn classic Caesar. The platonic ideal, IMHO. Lemony, vaguely fishy, with light croutons and a lovely bit of crispy parm on top.

8OZ DRY-AGED ROSEDA CHEESEBURGER

american cheese, smoked tomato & onion, red leaf lettuce, chef's sauce

Making a decision on an entree was difficult. Well, for me anyway. I went with the cheeseburger, intrigued that there are only so many of them available per night. It was impossible to eat as-is, since the rather firm bun had broken on the bottom so everything just sloshed out. I had added a fried egg, which would have made it too messy to pick up and eat anyway as it was too tall to bite. I knife-and-forked it, leaving much of the bun behind. Please, chefs, just use squishy buns for burgers. There's no need for brioche or any other type of bread (unless it's toasted rye, as in a patty melt) to touch a burger. It makes it difficult to eat and, if too big and cottony, muffles the flavors of all the goodies inside. Especially when the flavors of the components are as good as the ones on this sandwich. Loved the smoked tomato and onion, and the chef's sauce.

LAMB SHOULDER RAGU

pappardelle, mint, sorrel, snap peas, green beans, goat cheese

Mr Minx had pasta, because that's his thing. I thought the pappardelle was a little tough, but he snarfled up that dish right quick. Lamb and mint really is a lovely combination in a pasta sauce, reminding me a bit of the famous mint love letters dish we ate at Mario Batali's Babbo (and I also attempted to recreate at home).

We wanted to run up the tab a bit to get the maximum amount of money for Moveable Feast (Bookmaker's was contributing 25% of the proceeds) so we also got a side dish of brussels sprouts, served with sweet and chewy candied bacon and parm. We eat a LOT of brussels sprouts (can't really avoid them these days, can you?) and these were among the best we've had. No pic, as the restaurant was dark and they were dark and the bowl was dark so the photos I took were even worse than the ones included here.

We also ordered a couple more cocktails. Mr Minx had the Thyme Collins. He's not a gin lover, but he wanted to see how much he hated the stuff if it was mixed up with thyme, lemon, and soda. It still tasted like gin, but it wasn't a turn-off. (For me, it's tonic that's the deal-breaker.) And I had what I'm going to declare as my favorite new drink - the Federale, made with Tapatio blanco tequila, Becherovka, cinnamon, fresh lemon, grapefruit, and mint. It was like the most sophisticated non-margarita margarita ever. I could have downed 3 or 4 (they are small) but that would have been dangerous.

We don't normally order dessert (at least not every time we go out) but for the sake of more money to charity, we ordered the baked mini donuts to share. Three each mini chocolate glazed and powdered sugar donuts were served with a little cup of coffee-flavored cream for dipping. I got the concept, but felt the donuts were dry (although the chocolate glaze was boss) and the cream was too liquidy.

In any case, despite minor quibbles, we really enjoyed the meal. Service was terrific, drinks were good, and so was the food. We got in and out just before it started to get really loud (one of the benefits of eating early - we can have a conversation without shouting with the rest of the shouting yahoos) which helped make it a good experience.

Bookmakers Cocktail Club
31 E. Cross Street, Baltimore, MD 21230
443.438.4039



Posted on Minxeats.com.

The Arthouse

Before the holidays, we'd been hearing some buzz about a new pizza place in Hampden. No, not Paulie Gee's, which was scheduled to open last summer but instead encountered a snafu with their imported pizza oven. It was The Arthouse, an art gallery-cum-restaurant located a few doors down from Golden West Cafe. Last fall, the owners got a beer and wine license and switched their focus from wall art to table art in the form of crisp-crusted brick oven pizza, salads, and other nibbles.

On our annual pilgrimage to see the lights of 34th Street, we stopped at The Arthouse for an early dinner. The place opens at 4pm, and by 4:30, it was packed by what appeared to be a large family gathering that took up all of the tables that were adjacent to and behind the bar area. Luckily for us, the front tables were still free, so we grabbed one and perused the menu.

The pizzas at The Arthouse are fairly esoteric, with toppings like duck confit and snails. Those were the most intriguing to us, so those were the two we ordered.

But first, we shared a grilled Caesar salad, topped with homemade croutons, plenty of Parmesan cheese, and two fresh anchovies which had been marinated in vinegar in the style of the traditional Spanish tapas called Boquerones. If you hate the typical anchovy, those strongly fishy and hairy creatures that live in cans, but you like fish in general, you should give these boquerones a try. They had a much fresher, less-fishy flavor than the usual Caesar topping, and we enjoyed them quite a bit. Our only critique of the salad is that the dressing could have used a bit more acid in the form of lemon juice.

Our pizzas looked quite similar, but were extremely different. Mr Minx chose the version topped with duck confit, "black bean sauce," arugula, and crema. It was...odd. While waiting for the pizzas to arrive, we weren't sure if the black beans would be more Latino or Asian in character. They turned out to be the latter. Rather than a sauce, the strongly salty beans were scattered over the pizza along with shreds of duck meat and pickled red onion. The duck flavor was non-existent, as overpowering as the other elements proved to be.  

My escargot pizza was quite a contrast, with far more subtle flavors. The crust was the best part, and I suspect my pie was baked naked, as even the tip of the very last piece was still crisp. It was like a great focaccia--you know, when they're brushed with olive oil that sinks into the outer crust, giving it both a light sheen and a buttery crunch. I am obsessed with that crust. Oh, and I liked the toppings, too--a smattering of mushroom-like escargot, a tiny bit of cheese, and a blanket of arugula. (I looove arugula.) Oh, and garlic butter, which oozed off the pizza and formed a pool on the pan underneath. The Arthouse cleverly puts their pizzas on screens, so the bottom crust is elevated from the pan and can't steam. And that makes it easy to drag slabs of pizza crust through that butter puddle.

Mr Minx's crust was tasty too, of course, but the bottom was a bit softer because of the toppings. Get rid of those beans and it would have been far more successful.

Despite one weird pie and the plethora of children in the place (who, to their parents' credit, were amazingly well-behaved and surprisingly quiet), we liked The Arthouse quite a bit. It was an attractive space, with interesting art (for sale) on the walls, a long wooden bar that looked like a fun place to hang out, and there was garlic butter and arugula on the menu. I'm already looking forward to our next visit.

The Arthouse
1115 West 36th Street
Baltimore, MD 21211
(443) 438-7700





Posted on Minxeats.com.