Kettle Hill Restaurant

Just had dinner here last night. The atmosphere is warm an welcoming with an upscale take on down-​to-​earth. The staff was very friendly and super accommodating.
I’m the type that just about tries anything, but my colleague who I was on travel with, is a vegetarian. The menu is meat oriented with sparse green selections, but the manager came up to us upon entering and advised that the chef could make anything we wanted based on their fresh farmers selection. We asked the chef to surprise us, and she certainly did — with something very good.
Visiting from LA, I’m big on good local independent restaurants. The place definitely met that expectation.

Seriously? Oh, come on now!
I finally find an adult’s version of mac-​n-​cheese, full of pork belly deliciousness and it suddenly disappears from my life?
What madness is this?!
Not only was that dish ridiculously creamy and mouth watering, the raspberry vinaigrette mixed green salad was one of the best I’ve had. Their steel bucket of breads was to die for (as was the fresh bourbon butter) and the cocktail I ordered was perfectly balanced.
The service was decent and the décor was great! Nothing like good ol’ Teddy to remind us of our country’s best forefathers and their impeccable taste in fodder.
What a shame. What a sham. I could cry.
Come back! Just not to Power Plant. The crowd is probably the reason you didn’t do so well. Try gearing your flavours towards a more stylish and worthy crowd. Not the boisterous hooligans that drunkenly slipped in through your late night doors and ruined what could have been great for the appreciative ones (like me!).
*le sigh*

Absolutely delicious food & interesting cocktails. We had the $ 1/​oyster happy hour special, duck mousse, & lamb sliders. Everything was sooo good!

Decent location downtown near Power Plant, I believe this used to be where Babalou Grill used to be. Inside is pretty nice, initially it went over my head with all the black and white photos and big beautiful tvs with silent videos… *gasp* According to our server it was supposed to be like the Roosevelt era.
It was pretty empty, but then again it was Tuesday. The hostess said sometimes they have spoken word, I just didn’t get that vibe from this place…
Any who, appetizer was calamari with andouille sausage. I thought it was a pretty tasty combination. I thoroughly enjoyed the sausage.
I had the churrasco. The flat iron steak was cooked nicely; however, the chimichurri was a little salty for my taste. The rice was fair and the beans were less than what I expected. The plantain, meh…
My guy had the meatloaf, which he promptly returned as he was not pleased.
I ordered the crostada, I wasn’t too happy with that either.
Our server was great, quite attentive and willing to answer all questions.
All in all the bad outweighed the good, can’t say that I would return.

I came out here for the Heid-​n-​Seek Rock and Soul Baltimore event, which by the way was a awesome event.
We got a small high table and were greeted by our server promptly. We ordered a pitcher of Boh and the wife wanted a sangria. It took about 5 – 7 minutes before we got those drinks due to the crowd at the bar and for the event.
We ordered 2 apps — The fried calamari was perfect! It went well with the sausage and lemon sauce. I also loved the smothered shoestring fries, it came out hot and fresh. Portion to price ratio was on point.
I will definatley come back and check out the rest of the menu.

In all honesty, I would give this restaurant maybe a 3.5 but Unilocal doesn’t give me that option so I decided to low-​ball it this time.
Food is pretty good. Good olé’ comfort food. Ambiance is really cool– farm, rustic, yet modern feel to the place. It is certainly very spacious with outdoor seating available as well. I have gone here twice– once at lunch and once for happy hour. Both times service was incredibly slow. I don’t think they have it down yet in terms of operations. Food is on the pricier side for what it is; food is good but not really worth all that money.
My recommendation would be to go to happy hour because you can get a set of sliders for approximately $ 10 with an order of fries. Can’t really go wrong with that!

let me just say that for a power plant location its worth a visit even for locals. The food was good, from pork belly pasta to the bison meat loaf you get the feel that the chef is speaking right to the foodie in anyone. The service at times slow but once we were engaged by the waiter he showed his knowlegde of the menu and made great suggestions.
Would i go back? yes, but i wouldnt go out of my way to make a reservation but wouldnt say no if someone said lets go eat.

Went here with family visiting from out of town, had no problem getting 7 people reservation for 7:30pm on a Friday night, but may not have even needed the reservation as the place was about half full.
Drink list was well-​selected, but not extensive. Mostly local beers, Flying Dog, Brewer’s Art. Wines also fine. Cocktail list was interesting but most of us were not cocktail people.
With so many people we got to try about half the menu. Everything was good, some things were very good. We started with the trio of swine and brine meat and pickle plate and the duck mousse rillette — both very good and matching up with expectations. Complementary bread — always important — sounded better than it tasted — especially the corn muffins which were not warm and the honey bourbon butter tasted like regular butter. The watermelon and feta salad got style points for presentation and tasted quite good with the acidity of the lemon cayenne vinaigrette pairing well with the watermelon and cucumber. The bison meatloaf was the best entrée we tasted with a savory sauce that complemented the meat very nicely. The angus burger and lamb burger were good, but not out of the ordinary. The goat cheese ravioli was similarly competently done and satisfying. A number of the desserts on the menu were not available. We opted for the ice cream from a local vendor — very nice but Takarka brothers is better in our opinion.
Ambience was better than we expected — it was easy for all of us to hear each other and get caught up. The service was excellent — our server was very knowledgeable and attentive, but gave us appropriate space. Value was average, as the quality of the food pretty much matched the price that was paid.
It’s worth a trip here as this was one of the better places in Baltimore, and I would doubt that it would let you down, even if it wouldn’t blow you away.

I came here for another B3 meeting.
The staff was courteous, helpful and attentive.
The drinks were made with care and very well executed.
My fave drink thus far is the Buffalo Soldier.
I’m a huge fan of oysters, so i’ll be checking out their oyster happy hr and getting back to you guys soon.
To be continued…

Their signature cocktails are enough to get me going back for more. The place has an amazing bar. I was worried that our service would be spotty since we were sitting in the bar area, but the bartender busted ass to get us good service. Their food is divine, I could eat the fried pickles all night long. Yes, they are more than the chain restaurant down the street, but every penny is worth it. I had the burger and fries, and wow… amazing. I usually shy away from the PowerPlant, but I’m going back to this place as often as I can.

I absolutely love Kettle Hill. Their food is amazing and let’s not forget their signature cocktails. All their juices are freshly squeezed so I think that makes each drink extra delicious. Yummy in my tummy!
Some would say their prices are a little much, but because of the portion sizes and quality, I think its okay. A great spot to hang with friends as well as go out on a date. Oh, one more thing… I would say this place is perfect for an «older» crowd that still likes to have fun.

Just spent a weekend in Baltimore and this was the best dining establishment we visited in those two days.
Baltimore is overrun by chain restaurants and loud frat-​boy type bars from what I saw around the Harbor and in Federal Hill, so this was a breath of fresh air despite being next to Power Plant Live! with it’s loud music cramping it’s style. Just had drinks outside here but on a summer night it’s a great spot and if I come back to Baltimore I think I’ll grab dinner here next time.
Interesting ice concept as well, never seen that before. Our service was nice too, so surprised to seem some negativity around that.

This is a very cool restaurant in Power Plant, right on the corner.
We only went for a short period of time, and hung out in the bar area, as we were there for a goodbye party. The atmosphere is definitely a chill one, with great service from the bartender. We just had wine and oysters (amazing!), but enjoyed them thoroughly.
I would definitely like to go back for dinner.

Chesapeake Crab Gazpacho Soup $ 6 (⁵⁄₅ NOMs)
Awww cute soup, Not sure why, but we got this for free as compliments of the kitchen. YAY! It comes in a small adorable cup that I kind of wanted to take home with me ;) Very creamy soup with bits of bacon. Bacon? YAY BACON! This place sure does love their bacon. Excellent soup that I will sure order next time I’m there. Maybe in larger size?
Bison, Beef & Applewood Bacon Meatloaf $ 16 (⁴⁄₅ NOMs)
What is not bacon? As soon as waiter told me about bacon wrapped meatloaf I knew I have to order it. Since you, I LOVE BACON! Awesome presentation with delicies buttermilk mash potatoes. Meat loaf was pretty good, but didn’t have enough flavor. I thought it would have more power to it. Especially more bacon flavor. You got to really impresse me with your bacon. It was visible, but flavor of it was kind of missing. I think it just got overpowered by everything else. Still a fun dish that I think you should try —

My wife and I enjoyed our experience here thoroughly. I ordered some drink that just wasn’t me but I corrected it with a fantastic Maker’s Mark old fashioned. Food was really good, service was great. I really like the theme of the place and the vibe that it has. I remember the old restaurant that used to occupy the place and you wouldn’t even recognize that the two were in the same place. Once they get the opening weeks kinks worked out, it will be a solid place. Here’s to hoping a classy place can survive the winter months at Power Plant

Went for the Clambake event on 7÷13÷12 and was NOT disappointed! New England Clam Chowder had bacon so I couldn’t eat it, but my husband said it was pretty good. The Clambake was the real star — a large steaming pot of clams, mussels, calamari, shrimp, corn, and potatoes. And the drinks included in the deal were a light beer which was pretty good and an apple-​brandy sangria that was awesome! That sangria was so good that I’d go back just for that!

Really, closer to 3.5 stars, but I will give this place the benefit of the doubt since it seems relatively new.
Came in for lunch on a weekend, which I understand they’ve begun serving. So it was pretty empty. The décor is rustic, and each TV was playing old-​school black-​and-​white sports from the olden’ days. It’s an interesting, kitschy, idea, but I’d really rather watch modern sports while eating.
Anyway, our waiter was very nice, gave good recommendations, and was attentive (then again, we were almost alone in the restaurant). Lunch pricing is not bad at all: entrees/​sandwiches/​salads for $ 10 – 20, most in the $ 10 – 15 range. Food quantity is immense, so the value is good. We ordered the fried chicken entrée (almost half a chicken for $ 13), fried chicken sandwich (also huge), and the charcuterie sandwich (ditto). The fried chicken was very juicy, and the breading was excellently crispy and wonderfully seasoned. The simple salad on the side of the sandwiches was fresh, but mostly a pile of spinach with some vinaigrette. Still, it provided a crisp contrast to the richness of the charcuterie and burrata sandwich.
Finally, it’s a nice touch that sparkling water is complementary, and the habanero muffins they bring out before the meal were tasty, though a slight letdown (not as spicy nor as rich as they could have been).

This kettle has yet to totally reach the heat of maximum boil, yet overall it warmed.
Baseball local legend Rick Dempsey’s Kettle Hill Kitchen & Tavern recently replaced Babalu along Restaurant Row at Power Plant Live. Being an avid brunch-​o-​phile Sunday’s 10:30a — 3:30p menu initially caught my eye, but doing Tues-Sat’s 11:00a — 3:00p lunch on a weekday was a more immediate option being the joint’s a block from work.
I liked my Country Bacon & Bourbon Pâté, (more a terrine), and it’s fresh, crisp greens accompanied with a tasty, potent, olfactory awakening grain mustard. It made for an exciting starter. My main course of the Bison, Beef, and Applewood Bacon Meatloaf came off a bit too sodium saturated. I expected a certain amount of saltiness, but this was a tad excessive. Wading in a very salty au jus cradling sautéed mushrooms & mixed greens extended the effect. It’s carrots more hard than crunchy. My Crème Caramel topped with slightly slack peach slices and a doable mint sprig atop firm custard while nicely complimented, not overwrought, by a silky sweet caramel sauce was generally fine. All dishes lovingly yet demurely presented to a clean, simple table setting. But no napkin?
Pricing’s on par with Miss Shirley’s Café (downtown), but Kettle Hill’s aura is more genial, less sterile, and much more inviting. Essentially less corporate ergo comfier. Though I concur the music’s quite loud. Service percolated almost perfectly from the hostess to my server who was exceptionally engaging, attentive, personable, and pretty on point while not being inordinately invasive. But still no napkin.
Water under the bridge.
There’s great potential here, but at this early stage of the game, based on what I’d sampled so far, some of this kettle’s contents are still slightly tepid. Albeit my visit was a mixed bag, I’d found nothing so devastatingly prosaic nor lackluster as not to risk doing that Sunday brunch.

1) Great atmosphere & interesting old black & white sports videos
2) We ordered shrimp & we only got six
3) The waiter slipped the dish on the table & ice & one shrimp fell onto the table. The waiter picked up the shrimp, put it BACK on the plate, and asked us if everything was okay…
4) I had the «Raging Bitch» chicken. The «gravy» was terrible & bland and it contaminated the yams & veggies. Oh, the chicken was dry…
I will NOT return…

Ok, this is going to be a pretty biased review, since the bulk of the issues at Kettle Hill could have been resolved had our server been remotely attentive. To start, my boyfriend is allergic to corn (as in anaphylactic shock allergic) and doesn’t eat pork. From the moment we sat down, I explained this to our server who SEEMED attentive and responsive. We ordered our food, which he said had neither of these products in them and sipped our cocktails, which were slow to reach our table but, given that they have all handsqueezed juices (cranberry juice, too??), I appreciated the craftsmanship and thought little of it.
Appetizer of croquettes comes to the table, delivered by a coworker of mine at another restaurant (yes, we are in the biz which makes this far more painful to write). They look a bit battered so, just to be safe I ask my friend to check on the corn content, including corn starch and corn flour, meal, etc. He disappears only to come back and whisk away the plate, telling us that yes, there is corn bread used as a binder in the croquette and would we like something else. We explain that we wanted something mushroomy but we would wait for our server, who has been absent through this entire 10 minute interaction.
*As a side note, we were there on a Tuesday and when we were being apologetic about asking so many allergy– related questions, our server responded that we were his only table, so it was absolutely fine to take some time in ordering.
Ok, back to the food. Since our server never came back to the table, we eagerly anticipated whatever the chef would concoct for us, only to be chagrined when a crock of sautéed mushrooms and bacon arrived at the table. Personally, everything thus far looked delectable, but I didn’t want to scarf down food in front of my salivating boyfriend to share something with my bf so again, my buddy dropped by to see how things were going and we had to reluctantly send the food back with our apologies to the chef.
Now, ALL of this could have been avoided had our waiter checked in and taken care of business. Additionally, my buddy let me know that the owner was sitting directly next to us and didn’t even bat an eyelash to rectify the situation, which to me doesn’t bode well for the restaurant. The rest of the meal was laughable. We got our entrees, his with mushrooms missing and when they finally came out, my beau had finished his meal. To top it off, they brought another ramekin of mushrooms (fine) but then tried to serve the mushroom and bacon dish to us again. Really? Really? We got a kick out of that.
FINALLY, a manager came over and basically prostrated herself on the floor in front of us. We didn’t want dessert but she sent it over anyway — mini ice cream cones. My bf didn’t eat the cones bc he knows they have corn starch in them! Crazy, just crazy. All in all, it was a long ordeal and we left exhausted. His bison steak was good, my crabcakes were ok backfin/​filler crab cakes — not quite the $ 29 crab cake I expected. At that point, it didn’t really matter, we were so hungry.
We explained over and over that we understand the overuse of the word «allergy» in restaurants, and we definitely didn’t want to be «that» table, but there were just too many snafus to ignore. It seems as if this chic, hip restaurant has hired chic, hip people that may/​may not know anything about the service industry.
Needless to say, we will not be back.