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| - We came to take advantage of a promotion of $35pp for 3 courses. Due to construction we opted for valet ($10+tip). On the second floor we found Blue Hound, with a big modern seating area with a glowing fire, couches and chairs -- nice entry/first impression.
Service was sweet but bumpy. The food runner struggled with the heavy plates and seemed so eager to set them down, we kept having to redirect her to put the right plate in front of the right person. The time between the apps and the main course was way too long. No major foils but for the price level it just should be a lot smoother. To top off our slightly fumbly meal, at the end, we were asked to produce the promotional email for the 3 course deal -- not the confirmation mind, but the original marketing email -- even though we followed the instructions weeks ago that stated all we had to do was email our reservation with the promo code. Causing confusion and an awkward attempt by a few at the table to take out their phones in search of the email. Weird.
But drinks came out quickly (appreciated since they aren't just two-pour deals) and the server was fairly knowledgeable about the cocktail menu. Speaking of drinks ... this place prides itself on its bar offerings and almost every drink clocked in at $10 (at least). Eep. They had a whole section for booze aficionados that uses hard-to-find ingredients/odd pairings but ... I don't know. $20 for two drinks is A LOT, especially if you're experimenting with new liquors and ingredients as their drink menu encourages you to do.
Food pleased/impressed, for the most part. First course we ordered the mac and cheese, and the cheddar scallion biscuits with fried quail eggs and bacon jam (another thing about this place - they're on the bacon train big time, including bacon ice cream ... eh, I think everyone got over that trend before it even started); and roasted cauliflower. For mains we had a pork porterhouse, ribs with bleu cheese grits and pumpkin flatbread. The pork was good but not great, flatbread was a little boring (no pumpkin or sage flavors really popping out) and one of only substantial veggie options on the menu. The ribs were probably the star of the table - it's the size of a dinosaur bone and cooked perfectly. Desserts tried included fresh donut holes, chocolate crème brulee, treacle pudding and lime sorbet. All pretty good to excellent (though I wouldn't bother with the donut holes again, fresh but nothing special, flavor-wise).
In summary, the experience taste-wise was exactly what I was craving after living in the UK for a more than a year: that is, classic American comfort food sussed up gourmet style. But overall I don't know the food or drink prices are justifiable for a return dinner visit. However, atmosphere is modern and classy, the drinks were excellent and the care and passion put toward them is noted and appreciated - they're just a bit expensive for me. I ended up spending $140+tip for two and one of us wasn't even having cocktails!
If I still lived in Phoenix, I would probably file this one in the "only for happy hour" category, since they have discounted offerings for food and drinks.
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