Poets Modern Cocktails & Eats, which opened in June at the new Hotel Indigo, the 162-room (and 23-suite) beauty in Mt. Vernon, gets an “A” for effort. The bright room, with its mod art, charcoal upholstered banquettes and wingback chairs, is a lovely place to meet a friend or have a professional tête-a-tête whilst sipping cofee, a Stillwater draft or a build-your-own Old Fashioned.
The food itself, while more prosaic than poetic, is serviceable and filling—a juicy burger on a challah roll oozes Swiss cheese; the Asian-style lettuce wraps are overstuffed with tangy chicken and slaw; crab cakes come as sliders on croissants or as a platter with roasted tomatoes and corn salsa. And who wouldn’t love the locally made Tanners pickle plate?
The Hotel Indigo, a chain from Intercontinental Hotels (which also owns the more upscale Kimpton), is a mid-priced boutique brand with a mission to appear homegrown. Poets is gussied up some to have the same kind of local vibe. 24 W. Franklin St., 410-625-6200, baltimoreindigohotel.com
