J and I went out with our neighbors last night to Dogwood.  We don’t get to Hampden enough.

The experience at Dogwood was mixed, primarily because of how busy they were.  There were five of us, and we lucked out, there was another party of five that didn’t show, so we didn’t wait.

The staff is very friendly, and they know their stuff about the menu and wines.  However, they spend most of the evening in the weeds.  Our server did a nice job of timing things for us, but the kitchen struggled with it a bit.  They also didn’t keep things straight on who ordered what – I was brought the wrong salad, for example (I ate it anyway, and it was pretty awesome); they later brought the right one (and to their credit, comped it).

Food was mixed, in my opinion, although again I think the kitchen was struggling with timing. 

I had the Romaine. Local Radish Caesar salad, which was excellent.  (I ordered the Farmers Market salad because I wasn’t sure about the Caesar, but was happy to get the wrong salad.)  My dinner was rockfish topped with crab, which was well prepared, but I think spent a little too much time under a heat lamp.  Good, but not awesome.

The table shared potato chips and dip, which was outstanding.  Cocktails were great, and wines made from noble grapes were 20% off.  They have an excellent selection, not too many, but lots of variety.

The consensus at the table was generally favorable, and with a vegetarian in the group, it’s nice Dogwood has so many vegetarian options, and they don’t overcome (or ruin) the menu.  All in all, a fair experience.  I think we need to go back on a slower night to see what they can really do.

Afterwards, we stopped by the new Dangerously Delicious in Canton.  They have just opened, and have limited selections.  I have to say, there’s something that draws me in about a pie place blaring old school punk.

We ordered a Baltmore Bomb (Berger cookies in butterscotch).  The filling was as incredible as that sounds, but the crust was a little tough; this was not a pie I’d spend $25 (!) on again, I’m afraid.  Maybe they are working out the kinks in the new location.