Casual Dining + Beignets @ Hootch & Banter

On my quest to discover all the culinary adventures that Frederick, Maryland has to offer, Hootch + Banter was my select choice this weekend for a foodie escapade.

Fairly new to the Historic Frederick District, H+B opened their doors on November 5, 2015 (my birthday).

They have a seasonal menu which features Vegetarian, Gluten Free and Vegan options.

The Hubby and I started off the evening with 2 of their cocktail selections:

Per our waiter’s recommendation, I went for the Moulin Rouge.

Perfect choice to say the least, sweet and smooth.

The Hubby went for the What A Hoot-ch, however he didn’t like it much.

Our appetizer selections were very good!

The foccia bread and the butter were amazing!

I’ve never had a butter filled with so much flavor. I could individually taste all of the ingredients.

The crab dip, OMG!

I expected a pretzel-shaped bread and it was surely far from what I imagined.

The bread was EVERYTHING, warm and fresh.

I could not get enough and resisted the desire to request more, though our server had offered to bring us more.

Initially, I thought the crab dip was too cheesy but the more I dug into it the more I tasted the crab and it was delicious!

Now, time for entrées.

I went for the Caramelized Filet, which I loved!

I loved smearing the Celeriac purée on my filet and the maple demi-glace added a little sweetness to this dish.

The potatoes were perfectly cooked and were so easy to peel out of the skin.

I am just now realizing that the Hubby was definitely in a seafood mood that evening.

His entrée choice was the Maryland Crab Cake.

I don’t think that I’ve ever been served a Crab Cake that huge.

The more, definitely the merrier!

It was yummy (of course I tasted some).

You bet after all this food, itis started kicking in and we could NOT have as our next move was seeing Black Panther!

Caffeine is what we needed to stay awake for Wakanda!

We both went for the Spanish Coffee (moi) + Traditional Irish Coffee with Baileys (him).

We agreeing on no dessert when the Executive Chef Christian Blouin walked up to our table.

Of course, we shared how pleased we were with our selections.

He asked if we ordered the Martket Street Beignets and insisted we HAD to try because they were so good.

Couldn’t say NO so we went for it.

That had to be thee best decision ever because those beignets were  B O M B!

They were inspired by the Café du Monde beignets and what a perfect combination with the creme anglaise.

We had a great dining experience.

The service was amazing and Joel (our server) was outstanding.

I heard they have a great Brunch as well.

Can’t wait!

Click for the scoop on Sunday Brunch @ Hootch & Banter.