Dinner at Bard's Town

We took friends to dinner at Bard's Town last night. They were still operating off of their Grand Opening Menu, so not everything was available (shucks, I wanted that Coq au Vin) and the cocktail menu was still WIP. The beer list is solid, but needs more NABC selections (only Hoptimus right now).

We started with the Empanadas and the Hummus platter (I'll spare you the somewhat over-themed Shakespearean names and let you discover those yourself). The Empanadas were good, but a little over done and heavier on the potatoes than the chorizo. However, the hummus platter shined. Despite a slight deficit of toasted pita, the three varieties of hummus were outstanding. For me, the black bean hummus was the star of the show. Exceptional and highly recommended.

Since the full dinner menu was forthcoming, we all opted for sandwiches. The brisket and "Carmen" sausage sandwich were recommended so we had those and the fourth in our party opted for the bison burger. Both brisket sandwiches were well-received and the Carmen was exceptional. They make their own sausage in-house and it shows, the sausage was nearly perfect! The sandwich was topped with an italian salad mix, but I would have also enjoyed a warm marinara just as much. The bison burger was a little rough on presentation, looked like maybe it started to fall apart on the grill and was carefully reconstructed on the bun, but our guest stated that it tasted quite good.

Dessert was a little less than spectacular. Our guests had the "Motherlodge" a toffee pudding "soaked in Woodfood Reserve" and we had the Lemon Souffle Cake. We each sampled from both. The toffee pudding was strongly bitter and not as gooey as one might expect from a toffee pudding. I would also take issue with the use of the word "soaked" to describe the amount of Woodford Reserve used on this dish. The souffle cake was likewise unimpressive was much more "cake" than "souffle." I was hoping for a fresh, airy cake scattered with blackberries, blue berries, and maybe a strawberry wedge. Instead, we got a dense, very moist, lemon poundcake that had perhaps been crumbled up in a martini glass with 3 sliced strawberries. Not the "wow" dessert I expected from the menu. It was explained to us that the desserts were still being refined and that the kitchen wasn't 100% percent satisfied with them as well. If you're not satisfied, don't offer or send it out. I'm patient, I'd rather wait than get something you're not 100% confident in.

All in all, I would say our experience was positive. I'm anxious to experience the full menu once the kitchen has more than a week under its belt. I'm hopeful the dessert issue will get resolved, the dessert menu looks lush, but it needs to deliver. The menu is ambitious and exciting and I am hopeful that the kinks will get worked out in the kitchen. Don't let the growing pains keep you from giving the Bard's Town a shot.

The feel of the place was outstanding and exactly what I was hoping for from a place named for a 16th Century poet/playwright. Part hole-in-the-wall English pub, part mid-level Bistro, the decor and ambiance are splendid. I am also excited for the theatre space to open upstairs. The whole place has a great vibe to it and the bar was started to really pick up about the time we were leaving (10ish). I think this spot will be a great place to eat a good meal, see a good show, and then discuss both over cocktails and live music at the bar. I can see a trip to the Bard's Town occupying an entire evening in the future.

Great review with a lot of positive feedback. I hope they will use it, as it is obvious your critique came from the noblest of places.

Great work.

Seeing as how TBT is only a rock-chuck from our apartment, we've been anxiously awaiting their opening to see if they might qualify as our "local". In its just previous incarnation (Big Dave's Outpost), we'd occasionally go have a drink there or a burger in an emergency, but it never became a regular haunt of mine and John's.

Per Ronnie's rec, we had the Hummus Trio (insert something about Shakespeare's witches here). We agreed with Ronnie that the black bean was the star of the plate; the traditional scoop of chickpea was slightly underseasoned, but the edamame was very tasty (and what a pretty color!). But, aggh, the pita chips were greasy, cold and bland. Yuck. I don't need my hummus delivery device to be hot; but if it's fried, it darn well oughta be.

All this time I noticed that while I liked the selection of music coming over the wi-fi speaker, we couldn't abide it because the reception was horrid and scritchity-scratchity; we had to ask them to turn it down or off, which they did cheerfully and quickly (we were seated in the window table on the corner of Bardstown and Speed). There weren't too many other patrons at tables, but the barstools were all full, so they were doing some business.

John had the Carmen (he loves sausage sandwiches and we were excited they make their own - the waitress mentioned this without prompting). I thought the texture was a little too fine, John wasn't bothered by it, but we BOTH thought the black pepper level was ridiculous in this batch, and we both love black pepper and put it all over everything. This was at oh-my-god-the-black-pepper-canister-fell-into-the-sausage-mix-what-shall-we-do levels. Also, the sausage sandwich was weirdly dressed; iceberg lettuce, black olive slices, cherry tomatoes and raw red onion. No mustard or cheese were advertised but perhaps he should have asked for them. The menu says "Joyce's original dressing" was the condiment on the roll, and John said "if Joyce was shooting for a bread soggifier, well done," which brings me to the bread. Both the roll John's sandwich came on and the bun my burger came on were poor examples of bread, both very soft, crumbly white bread (like wonder bread hamburger buns). I know they are just starting out and chefs often think that if the ingredients of a sandwich shine, the bread doesn't matter, but that is a grievous error. I know it's probably cheap, but believe me their food supplier has things available that will only cost them a few cents more a serving, and VASTLY improve the diners' impression. I've had better buns at school fundraiser barbecues. My burger was very tasty and while the fries were obviously frozen, they were fried correctly and properly seasoned.

Service was enthusiastic and decently paced; prices were okay, $56 with tip for drinks, shared appetizer and two sandwiches with fries; my cocktails were fine and John got HOPTIMUS to drink, which gives the Bard's Town at least three more chances to get our steady business. We'll give them another month and re-visit when they start serving their whole menu.

You gotta look at the menu item names, though: http://www.thebardstown.com/uploads/2/7 ... g_menu.pdf

Before we went in, I told John "if I see one piece of velvet or one buckled shoe we are so outta here!" Luckily no one was dressed in costume.

Management, if you're reading this, please choose better breads for sandwich platforms, fry your pita chips to order, and get some stone ground mustard near that sausage sandwich.

We'll definitely go back - how can we not? I can see it out the window as I'm typing this.

I agree, Marsha, the bread was very unspectacular. So much so, I pretty much forgot about it.

I didn't have the black pepper issue you did, must have been a batch peculiarity.

We agree on the Carmen's dressing, though. Mine wasn't so super sogifying, but it didn't bring the sausage to life quite the way I had hoped. The mini-salad would have made a better side than a topping.

On our visit, there was live music, so we were not subjected to the radio static.

We will likewise return in a month or so when the full menu makes its debut!

Ronnie, let's all go together!

Side note - I just met a chef buddy there for beer, they have a pretty good deal for happy hour. $2.50 wells, $1 off everything, some other discounts I can't remember...wonder why?

It was cool and dim and serene; we didn't eat anything. I think there may have been a test run of karaoke or something going on in the other room, but it was quietly done.

They have a BIG staff. I counted at least 10 servers, bartenders and cooks - that's a lot of staff for a Tuesday afternoon. Perhaps it was overlapping shifts/shift change.

We should totally go! I am all for testing out the bar scene there. Like I said, it looks like the kind of place I would go were I to hang about in bars.

I wonder if I ordered the Hummus Trio and asked for all 3 to be black bean, they would accommodate?:wink:

Impromptu offline tomorrow or thursday night?

I don't care what's in the sammich - I love good bread!

But, I am still excited to check this place out . Perhaps next week.