So here we are with the new place, what was once Taverna Corvino is now C&R (Cowboys and Rednecks) Pub (1117 S Charles St., Federal Hill), an offering of theme restaurant meets Federal Hill nightlife establishment. “So what’s it like?” you’re asking yourself 63 times a day. Welll sir, I popped in there the other day to find out.
First thing’s first, the decor. A lot of work has been put into the space, with new appointments and a rather large automated rolling door to open up a revamped patio space out front when the weather permits, and two bars with roughly a dozen or so drafts on tap. The large space has been redecorated with deer antlers, murals of toothless gentlemen with jugs, painted corrugated metal and a menagerie of other, well, mostly Redneck but still some Cowboy themed stuff – essentially, if you’ve ever been to a Lonestar Steakhouse you know what the place looks like pretty much. Oh and wood, lots and lots of wood. Servers were all wearing plaid flannel shirts and various cowboy-type flair, and apparently they’re instructed to greet everyone with a “Howdy Y’all!”
Speaking of drafts on tap, the drafts are fairly reasonable in the price department ($3.50 for a Yuengling) which come in big, hefty and *frosted* mugs, which is always a good thing. A mural on the wall detailed a happy hour which hasn’t gone into effect yet: $2.50 bottles, draft specials, $4 pickle backs and so forth – but why hasn’t the happy hour gone into effect yet? Our server explained that it was only the first few weeks of being open, yet I would think having a happy hour – which requires no additional work – *especially* one that’s advertised on the wall of the restaurant, would be pretty key in drumming up initial business. Eh, either way the drink prices are fairly reasonable and a menu of specialty “C&R” themed drinks are available.
Food wise, the menu offers a healthy sampling of American South and many things meat, with a bit of variety. For instance, Texas Chili Pie ($7.95) is a well portioned-and-seasoned skillet full of minced meat with a hunk of cheese in it, while the shrimp boil ($16.95, the only seafood on the menu pretty much) is loaded with nicely seasoned and buttered potato slices, corncob, and medium skrimps. Unfortunately, and this is a huge drawback, the steak was prohibitively expensive for sampling (coz I ain’t getting paid to do this) – at $24, the lowest priced steak dish is in line with restaurants with established reputation. I find it difficult to reconcile the price versus probability that the quality would be on par with other theme restaurants like Outback or Lonestar, but I could be wrong. Other entrees like pot roast and the rib eye sandwich are in the $16-18 range, while peeking at other folk’s dishes they looked fairly decent – still pretty expensive.
And herein lies the seemingly recent “Bar/Restaurant Identity Crisis Syndrome. *(see below)” If, as a restaurant, you want to put on airs as to the quality of your food, service, etc and price your menu accordingly, go right ahead and do so. But while you’re at it, go ahead and decide whether you want to cater to those who want high quality food and a nice dining environment, or to those who want to hit up cheap booze happy hours and listen to thumping DJ music on the weekends with 20 something brodawgs – trying to accomplish both often results in one of the most awkward scenes I’ve seen at multiple venues that make the attempt: Patrons trying to enjoy a nice meal, usually of a middle-aged or older set, being crowded and forced to interact with drunk, loud crowds of weekend (or weekday) warriors. But then again, it’s Cross Street, Federal Hill, so I suppose this is par for the course. Bottom line, eat there early if you’re there to eat, as the kitchen closes at 10pm and the DJ starts spinning the iPods of steel at 10:01pm.
At the end of the day, I guess C&R will do pretty well. It’s got that new bar smell, reasonably priced drinks and while the menu is a little expensive for my tastes, the nibbles we sampled were actually pretty tasty. If you’re looking for some nightlife action, the DJ on Friday/Saturday spins a healthy mix of pop country and top 20 type stuff, if it floats your boat. Best of luck to you, C&R Pub!
***POST-POST THIRD PARTY MINI REVIEW***
prior to typing up this FI on C&R, a reader emailed me a brief synopsis of their thoughts on the establishment. I figured I’d post it, coz hey, it’s the 80s
This place is loud and first thought of The Reserve. I thought C&R had a huge identity crisis – they have no clue what they want to be, a steak house that serves average and expensive steak with a sports bar that’s loud and obnoxious with a lot of douchebags. I had to ask for A-1, which I should never have to, it tasted like how I would cook it. I will give it another chance but it reminded me of a poor man’s Outback without the flavor or identity. I’m actually mad because I had high hopes for it, I was at least expecting a Ryleigh’s type of place – they should just ditch the steak altogether or do it right, Bluegrass would have made a nice local steakhouse.
Anyone else been there yet? Is this accurate?
I thought of the Reserve initially, too, but in a bit less negative light. We had a very attentive server, and the drinks were good. I could see how the atmosphere could seem a little schizophrenic, but it seemed to work well when we were there early in the evening. The bar was crowded, and the tables were filled with people eating and watching games on the big screen.
There are still some kinks that need to be worked out in the kitchen, however. The bread pudding needs a scoop of ice cream, our 32-ounce “cowboy steak” for two or whatever it was ended up being more bone and fat than meat (though it was seasoned well enough that A1 shouldn’t be a given, as with any good steak), and the caesar salad though tasty shouldn’t be served as a head of romaine with caesar dressing on it and two giant croutons.
I may go back in a few months, but at this point, I’ll say that I liked Taverna Corvino and Juniors Wine Bar before it better, at least for the food. However, C&R does look like it could be a bit more successful with bargoers if it does things right.
The Tomahawk is overpriced and flashy. so what if it has a big bone. Unless a boss is taking you there for a free meal, get your steaks at Cap Grill or Flemings or Ruth Chris.
I’m not sure about the dinner, but I went there last weekend and had a good time. It’s basically the whole right side of Ropewalk. There is space to dance, space to watch people and space to talk. I guess you could say it is similar to Reserve, but obviously a better location. I like the atmosphere and I like how they mixed top 40 hits with some country songs and older songs. Definitely worth checking out.
I went there a few nights ago. I just had the feeling the place belonged in Power Plant. They had all these security guards wearing all black and with the audio things in their ear. The thing I love the most about Fed Hill is it’s laid back vibe, that type of security just seems to throw that off. Their drinks where not cheap either. Maybe their is room for a Mad River 2.0 in Fed Hill, but I certainly think if they tone down a bit they will fit in better, and when your known as a club, people are afraid to try your food!