Bentztown — Restaurant in Frederick

Went for their grand opening, which is always such a great vibe if it is done well, and it was! The two young ladies at the host stand were cool and collected from the get go -- we were one of the first on the list but there was quickly a line of 50 people outside, and they remained organized and sweet even under pressure. I have been to this location in one of its previous lives, and really love what they have made of it. It was nice to see the stage and elevated dining areas getting the use they deserve. We were seated in the dining area by the lounge which felt a little stark when it was empty because of the lack of art on the walls (maybe?) but quickly felt homier as the dining room filled with guests. We were lucky enough to get a very kind moment with the owner as he table touched, and he was also just lovely. Our server's name was Tatiana, and she was the star of your staff. She was hospitality personified. She was welcoming, helpful, and so incredibly gracious. All support staff also did a wonderful job keeping up and keeping our table clear, which I love.

Cocktails were diverse and wonderful. The only picture I took was of my violet empress (I think that was the name) which I now somehow cannot figure out how to post. I love a good floral cocktail and it was beautifully presented as well. I did fail to take more pictures because once the food came I was quite occupied!

The food was outstanding. Not all of it was for me because I can be picky (the smoked salad did not cleanse my plate like I prefer a salad to, but hey! to each their own, it was very unique). But the best on the menu from what we tried were the hush puppies and the awesome butter and bourbon honey combo that I will be craving soon, the deviled eggs, the gumbo (best I have ever had in a restaurant in Maryland), the collards, and my ribeye was fantastic and cooked impeccably. The butter on it was also totally addiction worthy.

I have been a part of a couple of New Restaurant Openings in my 20+ years in the business, and they followed my number one rule: don't let 'em know if you're stressin'. If things were hectic, which they pretty much just are when opening your doors to the public for the first time, we didn't feel it at all on the floor. The service and staff had a collected and relaxing demeanor under pressure and for that, and the wonderful plates served, all should be very very proud!

A few notes -- just because I can't help but see everything when I am in a restaurant... If you pride yourself on craft cocktails, water should be brought to every guest without asking for two reasons: the wait time for a craft cocktail can be understandably longer than a rum and coke, so it is nice to have a water to fall back on, and the drinks tend to be very rich and full of complexity, so water is nice. Of course people can ask for water, but it is sort of a basic need kind of hospitality approach. Also after each food order servers should have a drop point to deliver spoons and steak knives before the meal is delivered. If the order something that would require one of those things it is nice to have them ASAP. It makes a guest feel like you were thought of in advance. And lastly, and this is strictly from a consolidation of resources viewpoint, remove unwanted settings from a table if you are pre-setting. It takes labor and resources to wash and fold napkins and wash and polish silver, and if your hostess pulled what isn't needed as she seats the table those items can be reused!

Overall it was an awesome restaurant with an awesome menu and awesome staff and amazing execution front to back. Please do give Tatiana the props she deserves! I am not an easy person to serve and she was top notch. Great job, team and...

Let’s start with the vibes- awesome! When you walk in, everything feels very cohesive and industrial, yet warm. Want to sit at the bar? Got it. Want to sit on a couch? Got it. Want to sit at a high top bar table? Got it. Want to sit at a low top table? Got it. I also LOVED that the garage door was open - it was a beautiful day and the fresh, open air definitely added a special touch. This place is definitely something that is so different in the Frederick area and I hope it stays around for a while!

We started with drinks and apps and NOTHING disappointed. The deviled eggs, tomato pie toast, and hush puppies were to DIE for. I would have liked the hush puppies to be a TAD more crispy, but it’s probably because they were oozing with this magical butter in the middle- drool! I could tell the deviled eggs were probably made prior and refrigerated, so would have liked to have seen the fresh whisk of filling instead of the “refrigerated” filling (just a different texture- if you know, you know), but I’m assuming they were anticipating it being extremely busy because it was the second day they were open and that’s totally understandable. The basil in the tomato pie toast TOTALLY made the dish, bringing all the flavors together. That said, more pleaseeeee!!!! 🙂

The drinks were very sleek, elegant, and tasteful! The garnishes and flavors were extremely appealing and I didn’t have one I didn’t like- I had quite a few 😉 The violet empress stood out the most boasting a very fragrant and dynamic flavor profile- that of a lush bath bomb, but in the best way possible.

After that, we ordered a couple things for dinner- mac and cheese, potato salad, stickie chickie biscuit, and a crab soup and salad. The mac and cheese flavor and texture (it had potato chips) were great! BUT I feel like the dish could use some….greenery- only for presentation- flavor was fantastic! The potato salad was absolutely phenomenal- great balance of flavor and texture. The stickie chickie biscuit was very interesting. I got it without bacon because I don’t eat red meat, so not sure how that would have panned out flavor wise. I can only speak for the flavor I DID have and it was….interesting. To be honest, the biscuit was so good and the chicken was so good and cooked perfectly, I don’t even think it needed the smoked boursin cheese spread! I think it was a bit overpowering and overshadowed a wonderfully cooked and wonderfully seasoned chicken breast. It was supposed to be “smoked,” but it did come across more…..”burnt.”

Just a small thing….the food items that came in a small cup (potato salad and crab soup) did not come with a plate underneath which I don’t see often. Not particularly important, but wanted to point it out! The waitress had to go back to get a soup spoon which would have fit nicely on a small plate had it been brought out initially.

All in all, it was fabulous. Our waiter, Josh was attentive, patient, and lovely. The general manager, Gerry was so outgoing, eager, and kind! The absolute ONLY thing I felt was missing was some good ole peanuts at my table! We had a wonderful time and will definitely be back. Thanks for a great...

To be fair, this could easily be a one star review, as this was one of the worst dining experiences I've had in quite some time, but I'm taking into consideration all factors and trying to be open minded. We arrived shortly before noon on Sunday. We did not have reservations, and although there appeared to be plenty of open tables, we were told we could be served without waiting if we went to the bar. We took a seat at the bar behind the taps and marveled at the whiskey and bourbon selection, it's massive. From a design point, the bar on the dining room side is very poorly executed, as it is uncomfortably high, especially for eating. We sat, without being greeted, without menus, for a solid 20-25 minutes. Here's where the "to be fair" part comes into play. While we were waiting to be greeted, former Governor Larry Hogan arrived to quite a bit of fanfare. He moved about the dining room shaking hands and posing for photos. This was a big distraction, and at least for a few minutes everyone kind of focused their attention on him. Once he'd moved on and was seated in a large booth with his team, I went to the host stand and explained how long we'd been sitting without being acknowledged. The host apologized and assured us she'd let someone know we were waiting. That was when we decided to move to the other side of the bar, where there were fewer guests and a much more reasonably sized bar top. We still waited another 5-10 minutes before someone finally greeted us, offered us menus and took our drink orders. It didn't get much better from there. We were brought a luke warm cup of coffee before giving our brunch order. By the time our food arrived we'd been there for well over an hour. While my date enjoyed her food, mine was very underwhelming. My grits were lumpy and cold, my eggs were undercooked, as was my bacon, and the hashbrowns, which have the appearance of noodles, had little to no flavor without adding a generous amount of salt and pepper. When it came time to settle our bill, they charged the wrong bill to our card, a bill that was nearly double what our bill was, an error that should've been caught. The manager on duty voided the incorrect charge. All in all it was a mess from beginning to end. They need a dedicated service bartender during these busy times, more staffing all around, better quality food coming from the kitchen, and a overall sense of awareness for whose been seated. My advice, avoid this place till they've ironed out all the kinks and they're running like a well oiled machine. We think there is great potential, as it's a beautiful restaurant, with what appears to be a fun menu, but they have a lot of work to do. I think we'll follow reviews online and maybe stop back in a month or so. I wish them all...