Blue Hound Kitchen and Cocktails - Restaurant Review

• Creative menu
• Good balance between seafood, meat and non-meat items
• More than 15 wines by the glass
• Great bar menu with a long list of reasonably priced specialty drinks.

• Small servings, but not small prices
• If you will be there early, there are few tables that are not impacted by the west setting sun in the dining room.
• Bar area is open to the dining room; noise level was high.
• Tables are close together. Nice if you want to chat with the people at the next table, which we did, but not if you are looking for intimate dining or having private conversations.

Blue Hound Kitchen and Cocktails is a cool, modern lounge and restaurant located in the lobby of the Hotel Palomar Phoenix, a Kimpton Hotel. Describing itelf as a "Contemporary American Gastro-lounge" you'll find a vibrant atmosphere in the recently emerged downtown urban environment that is CityScape. Simple, sleek and modern decor accentuates the star of the show -- the menu.

Two of us stopped in at Blue Hound for dinner. We shared two small starters (many are offered in two sizes/price points), two salads, shared a flatbread, ordered two entrees and two desserts. Excluding beverages, tax and tip the dinner came to $97 for the two of us. It sounds like a lot of food. We left about half of the flatbread. We didn't leave hungry, but we were not stuffed either.

One of the objectives of Blue Hound Kitchen and Cocktails is to be a culinary destination not only for hotel guests, but also for other visitors, convention-goers and locals looking for a unique dining experience in Downtown Phoenix. While there are plenty of options for sandwiches, burgers and other casual fare in downtown Phoenix, Blue Hound offers a trendy design with unique menu items designed to share. Fresh ingredients, where feasible, are a priority for the Chef.

It was difficult to narrow down all the enticing menu choices to just a few items -- a good problem to have. We began the adventure with Cheddar Scallion Biscuits with Bacon Jam and Sunny Side Up Quail Egg. The two biscuits were good. We also tried the Hickman's Farms Deviled Eggs, which were delicious. A portion was three deviled eggs. Salads were excellent. The Roasted Beets Salad with feta, watercress and hazelnuts was actually quite a large salad. Bob's Indian Red Peaches Salad, with grilled peaches, almonds, fromage blanc, pepper cress and organic honey was a lovely surprise; I've never had anything quite like it and I would order it again.

The Hamchi Crudo ($15) entree was delicious, but not enough to satisfy as a full entree. The Ancho Chile Braised Pork Neck ($17) with egg, cabbage, hominy, avocado and pickled onion had nice flavor, but I longed for more meat. The McClendon's Farms Shiitake Mushroom Flatbread ($12) with zucchini blossoms and creamed leeks was another star of the evening.

Desserts are a little pricey at $9 each. At the server's suggestion, we tried the Pineapple Upside Down Cake, too sweet and too crumbly for me, and the Whole Wheat Doughnut Holes with Oaxacan Chocolate Sauce, which won our favor in this category.

Business lunch, special occasion celebrations, girls night out, co-worker happy hour cocktails (with a side of special Tater Tots), date night, snacks before the game or the show -- it's all good at Blue Hound Kitchen. Get there early and leave extra time if you are going to a concert, play or sporting event; this is not fast food.