B&O American Brasserie

This is a unique restaurant that is located within Hotel Monaco and in the Downtown of Baltimore City. It was once the historic Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O) headquarter, hence called B&O American Brasserie. The lobby of the hotel is very elegant with old European style. The restaurant has two floors. Some of the decorations include chairs and table lamps from original B&O dining cars. Their claimed specialty is wide selection of cocktail drinks. Its "fatality" drink was certainly unique with a distinctive BBQ smoke taste that could match perfectly with a rib-eyes dish; its "Vice City" drink, however, was fruity but quite sweet. One of our Brazilian friends requested Caipirinha, a very popular drink in Brazil. Unfortunately, the challenge was unmet. Some of its starters were good especially the Brick Oven Roasted Octopus, strongly recommend it. For my entree, I ordered Spring Colorado Lamb Chops. It was beautifully done. After the dinner, I surveyed satisfactions from five of us.

Great service. The place was very busy. The staff was extremely friendly and was very attentive. Every person did every job, the true benchmark of teamwork. The food was great. I got the chicken and waffle. Mrs. Wally got the French Toast. We each got the chicken sausages, cooked just a bit crispy, juicy and full of flavor. The building is a repurposed train headquarters for the historic Baltimore and Ohio (B&O on the Monopoly board for you game night enthusiasts). Flanked by two bars, the dining room has a map of the original rail line on the wall.

Came here for Mother's Day and it was a bit frustrating at first... line out the door... it was taking so long to be seated that several people gave up and left. They had accepted way too many reservations for the same exact time... and they were short staffed, inexperienced servers and host. BUT we hung in there. The manager stepped in and was very nice, comped us our mimosas... which went a long way toward easing the tension. I had the shrimp and grits... and I must say, they were absolutely delicious, creamy and cooked the proper way... just right! I definitely recommend this dish. A couple of little snafus at the end of the meal were taken care of so all was well that ended well. Everyone is entitled to a second chance... it was a tough day for them but I'd go back for the shrimp and grits :-)