Update: Went back recently. The overpriced food was really sub par. Doubt I will go again unless I just order beers and fries. Got a little too big for your britches Koco's. It's disappointing, because I would love for it to be my neighborhood pub; however, your food puts you in a kind of run down neighborhood, while your prices make one think you are in midtown Manhattan.

First review: Nice neighborhood pub. Crazy, but you might need a reservation. Very over priced, but I go sometimes anyway, because it is kind of cozy and local and we run into other folks we know from the neighborhood and from St Francis of Assisi.

DO NOT order the over-priced crab cakes ($20+); as much bread cubes as crab. Only folks who don't really know crab cakes would think they were great. Crab cakes should only have enough bread crumb to hold them together, not so much that the texture of bread cubes are clearly part of the cake. So, though the flavor is nice and not destroyed by things like peppers others mistakenly add to "make them special", the size of these cakes is due only to the amount of filling.

Can be child friendly and certainly sends the message that children are welcome with the play corner, but sometimes I feel like children are not so encouraged. Once I was actually rushed out of my table AS I was already putting my coat on though the restaurant was only half seated (I think THAT waiter is no longer there). Still, on most weekend nights you cannot relax long, you will be hustled out of your table if you go much over an hour.

Brook's is a classic B'more restaurant, not great but solid food. The steamed crabs were quite good and very hot (temperature) though a little salty and I would have preferred Old Bay to Brook's own seasoning. The waiter was inexperienced; tried too hard and gave us way more information than we needed, but he was attentive. The views are spectacular. If you want the classic crab experience, it's a good place. Pricey. Don't expect anything fancy or exceptional.

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.