foraged. a hyper-seasonal eatery 1709 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

"We went there for the Baltimore restaurant week, and we ordered a three-course meal for $45 per person, and a $12 focaccia to share. The six pieces of focaccia were the only edible thing we had, but it took an hour for the main dishes to come out. The lamb neck was 80% fat, the steak had no seasoning, the potato on the side was raw and cold, the scallops were tiny- a quarter size, the side of asparagus was tough, and the catfish was small and dry. We were so hungry and disappointed, but we hoped the dessert would be better. However, we were wrong. The dessert was a disaster. My boyfriend ordered the carrot cake, and he bit into a thick and hard piece of toffee that cracked his tooth, and we were shocked and angry. We told the waitress, who went to get the shift manager. He came and looked at the tooth, but he said he did not know what to do. He left to talk to another manager, and we waited for another 15 minutes. She came and said the same thing, and gave us an email address to contact the upper management. She did not apologize, offer any compensation, or fill out any incident report. She acted like it was not a big deal, and she just wanted us to leave. I was shocked by how uncaring and insensitive the staff were. After we reported our incident, none of the employees showed care about it. After we paid the meal on the way out, we saw our waitress and two of the managers. The only thing they said was to have a good night repeatedly. No one even cared about how we were doing, or showed any empathy for the incident. We came here with high expectations because of the JB nominee and the Google review. I will give this place two stars for the overpriced food. Zero stars if I can for the customer service and impersonal dealing with the incident. The reason I wrote here was to warn people who want to have a great local food experience - look somewhere else."

"Our waiter Sam was beyond pleasant and knowledgeable of the menu and how everything worked. He was attentive to our table.. Please pay attention to your waiter because their menu can be off putting if you don't come with an open mind. Forage offers very small portions but with good flavors. The atmosphere was really laid back. I just wish they offer more for the price given and the animal parts provided are considered to be some of the cheapest parts of the animal. Our overall bill came $150."

"Excellent meal, especially for more adventurous eaters. Foraged is a nose-to-tail restaurant that sells rarer parts of the pig: ear, heart, face, kidney, etc. depending on what they have for the day. Don’t skip the cocktails—they’re some of the best I’ve had. The service was also excellent; the waitstaff were friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable about the menu. The pig parts meet diners halfway between the conventional and the strange. If you ate everything while blindfolded, you would think you’re eating beef jerky and pork belly. The pickles were much needed to break up the monotony of pork. I sometimes wish there was more going on flavor-wise, but everything felt well-executed according to the chef’s vision. The mushroom “crab cake” was a shockingly good rendition. It totally gives the vibe of a crab cake while being more flavorful than a real crab cake I had on this trip. Portions are on the smaller side. I’d recommend three dishes per person, with some bread and possibly dessert to fill up. Overall, highly recommended. The restaurant might be a bit on the pricier side for Baltimore, but it’s worth it to try something different, perhaps for a special occasion."

"We came here on a Friday, made a reservation about 2 weeks in advance. The vibe of the place was nice. It’s dark and moody. We started with the pig parts which were probably the best part of the meal because it was so unique. We had the back fat and the heart jerky. Both were interesting in texture and flavor, would recommend both. We then ordered the oysters as an appetizer and then dinner. Our oysters came out with one of our dinners, and then had to wait an additional 5-10 mins for the next dinner plate to come out, which is just weird and not expected for a place like this. The oysters were amazing I would highly recommend. The size of the entrees were fairly small as you can see in the photo - not a whole lot of food here. The dessert was awesome. I also recommend adding vodka to their kombucha - very good. Should be on the menu"