Conduit Road Public House

Excited this place finally opened!! Stopped in for a drink and dessert while in the neighborhood. (I'd already eaten elsewhere). The menu looked good, bartenders were really friendly, and bathrooms were very pretty. Ice cream was rich and not too sweet. Only complaint was how bright the lights were for dinnertime - they eventually turned down - but probably could've gone down even more. I look forward to checking out more of their menu.

We came to try Conduit for a birthday dinner and called ahead to make a reservation for the evening. Although the presentation on everything we had was pretty good, the only dish that really stood out were their crispy brussels sprouts and kohlrabi appetizers. The lobster flatbread was ok, the roasted mirepoix pieces were chunkier than they really should have been and made you feel a bit jipped on the amount of lobster used for the dish (probably would have been better with langostinos). Despite being rather sparse in the dining room, we were surprised at the slow pace of service.

They have a lot of kinks to work out. There is a lot of potential but the service isn't great and the food is mediocre. You can see a lot of potential but it just doesn't deliver. Will give them a few months to figure things out before trying again.

We were so excited to have a new place in the neighborhood, but, truly Et Viola and Bistro Aracosia have no competition with this lack-luster establishment. I was never in the space when it was Salt & Pepper, so I don't know what it was like before, but all the tables are high-tops in the main room, which is not great for many reasons. There doesn't seem to be a cohesive attempt at decor or ambiance. I tried the Mac & Cheese bites first: lacking in a strong cheese presence, overcooked Mac and bland to boot. For my entree, I ordered the grains and veggies with shrimp. The farro was soooo salty, I couldn't eat it and the shrimp were dripping in butter. Our server was pleasant, but, he forgot my child's entree (and she was kinda hangry) so everyone else had their dinner and she did not. When her chicken tenders finally arrived, they looked a bit overdone and she said that 'they were not very nice tasting.' So she and I went home hungry. :( My husband said the fish in the fish & chips was fine; the chips are pretty clearly Sysco or some other food service grade. My older child got the Impossible burger, and it was totally fine (but, hard to mess those up & I can make that at home). This isn't an inexpensive place either; some entrees are $30-so, for that I could be across the street at Et Voila getting a very good dinner with attentive service. We were hoping for a solid, middle priced pub type restaurant for the neighborhood--alas, this isn't it. If I were the owner, I would be having a conversation with the chef and be rethinking the offerings, the quality of the ingredients, and what actually ends up on the plate.