Charcuterie plate (including house-made pickles, pate and other cured meats) was exceptional. Amazing drink prices and quality selection...Green Flash IPA for $3.25! You can barely buy a miller lite or a cup of coffee for that.

Food and service were tops.

I would like to share my experience at Clementine.

A group of us (party of six) went there recently, on a Saturday night, around 5 p.m. We entered through the expanded area entrance. We could see a table of people seated, but no other diners in the area. After waiting a short time for the hostess to come, we were told that since we did not have a reservation we would not be seated before 8 or 9 p.m. We did not see a clearly printed sign stating that reservations were preferred, nor is there anything on their website which we visited prior to our trek to the establishment. And, to add further insult, we were half-heartedly offered seating at a small piece of furniture right in the front walkway, across from the front door, that looked like a bureau with chairs placed around it. The bureau was so small that it did not seem possible to have enough space for six plates and glasses, and the way it was presented to us, we did not actually feel welcome to sit there. Of course, we left. Now, I must inject here that we had been to Clementine on several previous occasions, for breakfast and lunch, and had a pleasurable experience each time, which is why we decided to go there for dinner. We went a couple of blocks down from Clementine, to a Hamilton Tavern, which was much more crowded, and were seated for dinner less than 20 minutes after our arrival.

We understand the value of keeping to the previously scheduled reservations; however, to turn away 6 diners without making any kind of effort to accommodate them seemed pretty pretentious. My question to the staff of Clementine is when did they get to be so self-important?! I will now have to give considerable thought to ever going back.

My wife and I went for breakfast and hat the cheesy grits and Durok bacon... Amazing.
We went for lunch and had the Mulligatawny soup and a BLT... even better!
And then we went for dinner and had the meatloaf and mac and cheese... wow!

Maybe I have just come to expect too much. I really like the idea of Clementine. I love the space with tables and couches and hip decor; I love the vibe; I love that it is in my neighborhood (well, OK I live in Bel-Ed, but close enough and I like supporting “the hood”); I love the general idea of the menu. Clementine tries to be something really fine and unique. It almost gets there, but falls just short of the mark.

My husband and I did not order an entree, but as usual stuck to apps and salad. The chicken pate was excellent, creamy, rich, I wanted more, but almost all of the rest of my meal was just OK. The duck breast ham salad was a few slices of duck that looked like lunch meat draped over several wedges of yellow and red tomato with an unremarkable dressing. The tuna tartar was delicious with a nice balance of wasabi. The patty pan squash was again OK, but not remarkable. I tasted my friend’s Pad Thai; it was very sweet, drowning in sauce, and the noodles were lost.

The worst was the bread, both the bread that came at the beginning and with our charcuterie. I couldn’t tell if it was meant to be “toasted” or if it was just stale. This was both the bread brought to the table and the bread brought with our pate. Bread can set the tone of the meal, but here it failed to prepare us for anything above ordinary.

Clementine, I want you to dazzle me; I’m still waiting.

In one line - best meal I've had in Baltimore.

4 of us went up on a Friday evening with a pair of bottles of win that the wait staff opened and did a good job keeping keeping our glasses topped off. The service was great ... perhaps a bit slow, but the atmosphere, food, and conversation was good enough that we had a good time lingering.

We didn't get any appetizers, so I can't really comment on that, but the entrees were sizable and remarkable. I was a little hesitant at first - New American? What does that even mean? Apparently typical American dishes with fancy stuff on top ... but it worked marvelously. I got the pork chop with blueberry bacon butter, smoked gouda mashed potatoes, and greens. It was the best meal I've had in Baltimore and one of the top 5 I've ever had.

The pork chop was cooked perfectly ... tender and juicy and the blueberry bacon butter added an excellent zip to it. Others at the table got a steak, and one got the soused shrimp and scallops. We were all equally pleased.

Though stuffed, the desserts displayed in the case looked so good I was forced to try and shove one down. I was full beyond belief, but glad I got the dessert. Homemade coconut layer cake with double boiled frosting ... it was remarkable. Hands down better than the majority of prepackaged desserts at most restaurants.

I will be going back for sure. Best in the city for sure.

Clementine's charcuterie and potato leek soup were excellent. I had never even had fois gras, and was very pleased with this portion of the charcuterie. The sausage and pickles were also awesome. The soup was flavorful and a great consistency.

As for the main course, I had high expectations, but don't think Clementine fully lived up to them. Or maybe I just got a bad dish? I ended up going with an Ethiopian pasta and found the seafood in it cooked well, but the noodles were overcooked and the overall taste was just muddled. The dish was a risk, but it came recommended by the staff so I thought I'd give it a shot. The gf had halibut, but was also underwhelmed. The other folks we were eating with seemed like they were satisfied with the food, but didn't find the main courses to be on par with the appetizers.

And I do love their BYOB policy.

Clementine is eclectic. The service is certainly uneven (although always pleasant) and they are often a bit late getting you seated (even with a reservation), but the food they serve ranges from very good to great. Their charcuterie plate (while definitely not health food) is nothing short of genius -- pate, housemade bread & butter pickles, some kind of triple cream cheese and housemade sausage -- what's not to love? Side dishes like smoked gouda mashed potatoes are often the star of the show. Desserts made by the chef's mother are excellent, if you have room left after your big, fat dinner. Noisy. BYO.

Ok, even though our reservation was for 7 and we weren't seated until 8, we still had a woderful experience here. Our party of 4 had different entrees and they were all good. To make up for the delay, they provided a complimentary appetizer plate while we wait. Once they expand next door, it should be a bit easier to get a table. I definitely recommend this as one of the better restaurant options along Harford Road.

Have heard so many good things about Clementine, but really didn't feel the love when we went. The service was poor -- the waitress was inattentive, she looked at my friend cross-eyed when he asked for his steak "medium," and she never came back to ask us if we wanted dessert. In fact, we had to get up to ask for the check. Won't be going back soon. Also, I don't ever remember if the food was any good -- I guess poor service will do that. Disappointed.

You have to eat there.

I went a few weeks ago - there were four of us. It is a casual bistro, interesting art, and a very friendly owner. To start, excellent baguette - I asked, they wanted the best so they get it from

For the moment it is BYOB. We had the duck pate (great, even better than what i had in Paris a few weeks later), the charcuterie plate with pate - excellent, the and the mulligatawny which was very good. For entrees they had an incredible mix, a sloppy joe, a chicken divan pot pie (amazing) as well as some of the standards.

And for dessert- the cakes and pies were in glass dishes, for all to see. We all split one piece of coconut cake- a huge piece that was light, with fluffy coconut icing. And really affordable. They also have lunch. It is worth the drive!