In a moment of spontaneity, I finally ventured off to visit Bloodhound Brew. There’s been plenty of talk about this “pub & eatery”, especially amongst the hospitality crowd. When they first opened I jumped online to view their menu and was immediately intrigued by the “frog dog”, a vegetarian sausage. Plenty of other creative, seemingly elevated bar and street foods decorate the menu.
Sitting at the outdoor bar, enjoying the fall weather, a smile crept onto my face. I enjoyed the atmosphere and felt very hopeful about finding a new hangout. I ordered the “frog dog” anticipating and imagining what a vegetarian sausage would taste like, husband ordered the wings “bloodhound” style.
As we nursed our beers, a live guitarist took the corner stage. The sun began to set and I was feeling good. Then our bartender reappeared informing me that “the frog dog is unavailable indefinitely.” I browsed the menu again, but in my disappointment and in an attempt to stay healthy, I ordered the veggie soup. A few minutes later I decided that soup alone would not be enough to satisfy, so I ordered a side of veggies and a side of braised greens to round it out to a meal.
We enjoyed the music, talked about our workdays, observed the crowd… practically everyone was a local. Things looked good. 
A total of 40 minutes passed and finally our order of wings and soup were placed in front of us. I took one spoonful and was taken aback… honey and cayenne pepper. Whoa! Honey and cayenne pepper…. in a soup?!?! I took another spoonful, making sure to get some veggies in the spoon this time. It was horrible! It tasted as if they took their wing sauce and tried to make veggie soup with it.
Sadly, I just couldn’t stomach the soup. I sent it back and told the bartender I would just have my two sides. Ten minutes later, a side of veggies arrived, along with another disappointing announcement: the braised collard greens are no longer available. The bartender said she went ahead a placed another order of the veggies instead. When I looked down at the wilted, soggy veggies I told her not to bother. After my first (and only) bite of the veggies, I felt confident in that decision.
It took an additional fifteen minutes to get the bill. I wanted to like this place, I really did. I looked forward to our first visit. Admittedly, going to a bar and trying to eat healthy is an uphill battle.
I have heard nice things from locals, but it mainly pertains to the alcohol and crazy indulgences like mac n’cheese chicken wings. The atmosphere is nice, especially when the weather is pleasant. There is live music all through the week. It is located in a prime spot, right on the corner of Kirkman and Conroy – in the Universal Orlando neighborhood. I encourage you if you hear good things about this place as well, then give it a try yourself and form your own opinion. Hopefully, your visit will prove much better than my own.
Related articles
- A Local’s Favorite Orlando Watering Holes (thisfloridalife.com)
- A Very Happy Hour at Margaritaville (thisfloridalife.com)
- The Hourglass Brewery: Time Well Spent (thisfloridalife.com)
thisfloridalife.com 