Just Call Me Captain Beefheart or A Quick Review of Parts & Labor

Just Call Me Captain Beefheart

I don't usually go out to eat on back to back nights, but when it's dinner at Parts & Labor in Baltimore I can't resist.

This was our second visit to the restaurant and I have to say that of all the meals I've eaten out during my 15 years in Charm City, both dinners at P&L rank at or near the top. Plus, with the restaurant's ever changing menu I was excited to see what was new – and to see if any old favorites were still being offered.

Started off the evening with a delicious and refreshing Hop Knife IPA from Tröegs Independent Brewing to go with the Raw Cheeseburger (a favorite from our last visit that we were glad to see still on the menu and yes, it's basically exactly what it sounds like), Eggplant Hummus and thinly sliced Beef Heart served with thinly sliced cucumbers and the same sauce that accompanies the steaks. My dinner companions all passed (I think the words "beef heart" are off putting) but had I simply told them it was steak nobody would have known the difference. The rare slices simply melted on the tongue, much like the 14 oz. steak that my wife and I split.

Crazy Corn with Braided Husk

The crazy corn – topped with mayo and cheese – was also too good to pass up and I could have eaten a dozen ears. Naturally, my wife requested that when I grill corn at home I start braiding the husks like Parts & Labor.

Our friends ordered the steak, too, and finished off every bite while their chorizo was spicy without being overly so.

We also enjoyed being seated in a booth rather than out in the middle of the dining room like during our last visit. Conversation was easy and you never felt like you were listening in on your neighbors' conversation or vice versa. By the end of the dinner it almost seemed like we were the only ones there but when we got up to leave that definitely wasn't the case.

If meat's your thing I can't recommend this place highly enough.

Parts & Labor is located at 2600 N. Howard Street in Baltimore, just down the street from the iconic Ottobar (where I once bumped into John Waters after seeing Italian soundtrack legends Goblin).