Herb & Soul

Groupon helped me find a wonderful little place in northeast Baltimore; Parkville to be exact. The concept is similar to the staple of Baltimore: the carry out. They're all over the place; sometimes two on one block serving Chinese, pizza, sandwiches, and the notorious chicken box. The twist is that Herb & Soul strives to bring fresh, sustainable meats and produce. If you cant beat em, join em right? They boast Maryland farmed, cage free chicken and eggs, grass fed beef, pork and lamb, and Maryland grown veggies. My wonderful little groupon included an appetizer, two entrees, and dessert for two. I was able to try a lot of items from their small but diverse menu. I had:

Appetizer: Chicken and Waffles

The chicken was seasoned perfectly. It was juicy and still crispy even though I got it delivered. The waffle had a wonderful sweet potato flavor and it's served with a homemade maple syrup that is to die for.

Entrées: Catfish and Pork Loin

The catfish was fresh, perfectly crisp, and not greasy at all but the cornmeal completely lacked seasoning. The macaroni and cheese was ooey, gooey, and delicious. I'm pretty sure it had nutmeg which is the "secret" to any great baked Mac and cheese. The Liberian collard greens were tender and well seasoned but entirely too sweet for my taste.

The pork loin was tender and juicy but again lacked seasoning. I could have eaten an entire pot of the green beans and I'm not the biggest green bean fan. The candied yams were tender but not sweet enough for me.

Dessert: Cranberry Cupcake

The flavor was good and it was topped with a tart frosting but the cake itself was very dry.

Overall: Good, fresh, local food. I'm going back to try their Indian fry bread taco! And if all else fails get the chicken and waffles!

Native Son

This is a Boston company started in 1997. They're a green restaurant that serves a variety of burritos, bowls, and smoothies made with fresh ingredients. I had a cajun chicken burrito. It comes with cajun spices, corn salsa, sour cream, black beans and rice; I chose a wheat tortilla. The ingredients were fresh but it was nothing spectacular. I can't even say that if I lived in Boston this would be a lunch fav; that's how unremarkable the food was. Despite the fact that there is one on every I was more impressed that the restaurant is certified green.

The Website

The Menu

The Ingredients