Beautiful windows line one whole wall of Lock 50 but unfortunately they look out over a dreary street. No view to speak of but beautiful light streaming in thru a gorgeous set of windows. Another side wall showing old exposed brick really helped to make this place unique. The dining room we sat in was very loud. In fact I found it extremely hard to have a conversation with my dining companions and we sat at a table for six.
Our server explained to us how the menu worked: there were small dishes that she urged us to share so that we could try more options and told us ordering 2-3 dishes per couple was a good idea; then to finish off with a share-able dish at the end. This is exactly what my husband and I decided to do.
Our three dishes started with Crisped Fontina cheese with fresh crostini which was the single most amazing thing I put in my mouth all evening. It was truly a delight and this would be something I would order each and every time I go back to Lock 50. Our second small dish to share was the Buttermilk fried Quail in a cranberry gravy; while this wasn’t bad in any way it wasn’t anything to write home about. My husband I and both enjoyed it but we both agreed it wasn’t something we would order again. Our third small dish was the Cured meat board, which was delicious and I would order this again in a heartbeat, it came with three different cured meats and a pepperoni paste that we spread on the crostini bread that came with the board. For our “share-able” meal we ordered the “Porchetta, Grilled Sausage, Pork Rib, Stewed Lentils and Fried Polenta. With the exception of the fried polenta this share-able plate was delicious. The Polenta was so heavily salted that my no one at our table could eat it. I do believe there was a mix up in the kitchen with this. But the rest of this plate was excellent.
Our server, Madison, was very knowledgeable about the menu and was happy to share with us her favorite dishes on the menu. She was prompt and was very quick to respond to our requests throughout the night.
I was very happy with most of the food we ordered and consumed. The service was excellent. I enjoyed pretty much everything we ordered with the exception of an overly salty Fried Polenta. I would most certainly go back and recommend this to my friends and family. There was a lot of thought put into some of the dishes I had last night and I look forward to seeing more of what this chef has to offer.