Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails has gone through a reinvention with their new Chef Sean Currid. It continues to have a very relaxed yet attentive atmosphere but with their new seasonal lunch menu they are hoping you will come in and experience the changes. They were nice enough to take us to lunch recently and let us try out the new menu. This is their spring/summer lunch menu and there is a good amount of variety while still focusing on what is in season. If you are looking for something lighter there are some amazing salads including a Quinoa salad with shrimp which was so tempting. IF you want something heavier and heartier there is the new burger, simple called “The Burger” but there is nothing simple about it. Either way we think you’ll be happy you took the trip downtown.
For our lunch journey we started with the fried green tomatoes with lump crab meat. Perfectly fried without feeling heavy and bready these tomatoes were fresh and with a slight sour taste to it you would expect. It sat on a bed of remoulade and lump crab meat was scattered on top. Fresh, sour, sweet, crunchy, smooth, this dish provided a lot for a starter.
Our main entrees consisted of The Burger and the Mt. Lassen Trout. Both beautifully presented and both on different sides of the health scale, which is exactly what we wanted. Sharing both plates gave us the best of both worlds. The burger is covered in a pimento cheese, bacon, pickle, on a pretzel bun. The best part of this burger was by far the pimento cheese. Not a fan of pimento cheese I had my doubts, but one bite and I was hooked. I am counting the days to be downtown again and devour this burger again. The second entrée was the trout which was perfectly cooked with brown butter on a bed of green beans in a golden raisin and caper sauce that was sweet but complimented both the fish and the beans perfectly. If only my mom had cooked green beans with the same spices I would have been a big fan of them. I cannot explain in enough detail how perfectly crisp, sweet, and savory they were. You will have to experience it for yourself.
Luckily for us, we had a little room left over for dessert. The pineapple upside-down cake was pure bliss. The cake was moist with a wonderful crunchy outer layer. It was covered with just a few pineapple chunks and a scoop of date ice cream. All of this alone would be enough to make us happy campers. However, I saved the best for last. It comes presented in a cast iron skillet with bubbling hot salted caramel. It is smooth, salty, and provides the perfect balance to the sweet cake. So our advice is, don’t forget to save room because you will regret it if you fill up before you get to this sweet ending.
In case you missed our social media posts, here are some pictures to wet your appetite.
For more information on Blue Hound Kitchen & Cocktails, check out our ingredients page.