Editor’s Note: Fork & Dagger is 828newsNOW’s anonymous restaurant review series, written by our independent Grub Scout—no freebies, no press perks, no agenda. Grub Scout pays full price, visits unannounced, and takes notes on food, service, atmosphere, and value. Each review reflects a recent, honest experience rated on our 1‑to‑5 fork scale. We aim to help you discover standout dining spots—from casual diners to white‑tablecloth affairs—one bite at a time.
Bone and Broth has been serving a fine dinner since 2016. I remember being so excited that good food had finally come to the north end of Charlotte Street. I had not visited in a few years, as it’s rather difficult to get a reservation on a weekend, and that is often a great sign. We finally made it last Saturday night.
The overall aesthetic of this space is very nice. It’s warm, inviting and not abrasively loud, even when full of intoxicated patrons.
For beverages, I had the High Wire Zirkusfest, a traditional Oktoberfest marzen made with Munich malt, giving it the taste of a biscuit with honey and a perfectly dry finish.
She had the See You Amaro, a cocktail of Woodford Reserve bourbon, Amaro and Luxardo, which tasted mostly like a Manhattan, but she enjoyed it.
We began dinner with an appetizer of whipped feta dip with honey crisp and house pickles, served with rosemary focaccia, and it was just perfect. Then we tried the lion’s mane mushroom broth, and that was beautiful. I’d definitely like to try their other broths over the course of this winter.
Her entrée was the pan-fried ruby trout with braided collards and cheddar grits and pomegranate molasses. The skin on the trout was nice and crispy, and it was cooked accurately. But they forgot to salt it, which is a tragedy when there’s no salt on the table. Thankfully, the collards passed my Southerner’s test, as did the grits.
I was feeling traditional, so I had the steakhouse burger, a ground beef patty with lettuce, tomato, bacon, steak sauce, caramelized onions and Swiss cheese … and it was extraordinary. This is one of the best burgers in town, and the shoestring fries were right on the money.
The special aspect of the steak and burger options and Bone and Broth is that it all comes from Chop Shop next door, an independent butcher shop offering the finest selection of local, grass-fed and ethically sourced and humanely treated meats.
For dessert, we had the housemade vanilla cheesecake with a fig and orange glaze. It was very basic but good.
Our server was good, however, the rest of the staff stopped by the table too many times, attempting to clear dishes that weren’t even half finished. This would be fine if we were seated at the end of the evening, but our reservation was an hour before the last seating. I despise feeling rushed at a fine dining establishment.
Overall, the Bone and Broth experience was good, and I will visit again. I hope it was an off night; otherwise, it’s just not as good as it used to be.
