Artfully Tasty: The Brewer's Art

To some, it’s a dungeon where lights are dim and leaning in to whisper is the only way to talk. To others, like myself, it’s a chaotic bar with limited seating and ordering at the register. And to others, it’s an upscale restaurant. Whatever it is, it’s delicious. Chef Dave Newman artfully scores with his The Brewer’s Art in Mt. Vernon. A brewery in its own right, the bar-turned-eatery brews its own beverages in house. Waiting for tables both at the bar and in the restaurant, happy hour crowds fill the bar at 5:30 p.m., eager to take swigs of aperitifs and special taps. The volume is bustling as people strip off their coats and share stories in this avant-garde, speak-easy-type eatery.

The Brewer’s Art offers food for patrons at all price points. The restaurant serves mouth-watering renditions of duck leg confit, braised lamb shank and baked Kabocha squash ravioli, while the bar conveniently serves bar food. Deciding to have a relaxed, quick bite, my friends and I ordered beer and wine while we waited like hawks for a first-come-first-serve bar table overlooking Charles Street. Annoyed about missing out on braised lamb and ahi tuna, I reluctantly took a menu from a girl working behind the bar. If there is anything I hate more than bar food, it’s ordering at the bar. Here, you do both.

To my surprise, the one-sided bar menu was anything but. Light fare including Miso white tuna tataki, Tuscarora beet and blood orange salad, rosemary garlic fries and curried cauliflower bisque adorned the menu. I couldn’t decide between the roasted pork belly and the mixed greens salad with warm Manchego-stuffed dates and 16-month aged prosciutto. With help from someone working behind the bar, I selected the stuffed dates. The crisp salad, sprinkled with Marcona almonds and balsamic reduction, was blissfully sweet with a tinge of saltiness from the ham. It was a perfect choice paired with the Ken Forrester Petit Chenin Blanc from South Africa. The burger with Vermont sharp cheddar and the Caesar salad, beautifully platted, were equally as tasty.

The Brewer’s Art bar food is well worth the wait for a table and ordering at the bar (EK!) if you don’t feel like splurging for a table in the main dining room. Get there quick – the dishes change seasonally and the date salad won’t be around for long. Oh, and invite me, I’m dying to try the salt roasted Bosc pear salad.

The Brewer's Art

1106 N. Charles Street

Baltimore, MD