Southern charm seems to be permeating through the local dining scene. On the heels of Southern Provisions’ Lowcountry-style rebranding across the harbor in Canton, stalwart Western bar Cowboys and Rednecks (C&R) has also gotten a makeover in Federal Hill.
Under new ownership, the spot best known for its country vibe and honky-tonk soundtrack has been rebranded as Wayward Bar + Kitchen—a new concept that draws on C&R’s Southern roots while introducing more upscale food and drink options and an enhanced interior.
The team behind Banditos Bar + Kitchen across the street jumped at the opportunity to take over the space earlier this year, after hearing through the grapevine that the old owners were looking to sell.
“We thought that it would be a good business move to stay in the neighborhood and look after two places at once while also being able to create a new concept that is more food-forward,” says operating partner Andrew Dunlap. “Federal Hill has this overpopulation of ‘bar’ bars and we didn’t want to pigeonhole ourselves into that same category. We wanted it to be a food destination, but also a fun place to hang out.”
Wayward’s new executive chef Dave Trivette, who was brought on from Bandito’s, has created a menu full of more refined options that span far beyond C&R’s traditional pub grub. Among the Southern-inspired offerings are dishes such as smoked brisket mac and cheese, braised pork poutine, smoked boar sausages, seared salmon with corn succotash, and rockfish with green apple fennel slaw.
Dunlap says that the restaurant has formed relationships with local purveyors, and does all of its own smoking, braising, pickling, and baking in house.
The rebrand also highlights a renovated interior, complete with refinished flooring, updated lighting, marble bar tops, wild boar murals, and reclaimed wood (salvaged from landmarks like Union Wharf and the old Echo Theater on Fort Avenue) furniture made by local carpenters Sandtown Millworks and Lukeworks—who collaborated to create the bar’s signature communal table with a concrete beer trough running down the middle.
Dunlap says that, in keeping with this sentiment, partnering with local businesses is something that he hopes to do more of as Wayward finds its footing. In fact, in establishing its drink program, Dunlap consulted Bookmakers bar manager Ryan Sparks to train his staff in the art of creating classic cocktails.
“We just really wanted everybody to be knowledgeable of the craft,” Dunlap says. “We want our bartenders to be able to actually make the drinks instead of just opening bottles and pre-pouring vodka sodas.”
The bar menu will focus on bourbon, but will also include a wide array of classic cocktails, local craft beer, and hand-picked wines. The new owners hope to implement new nightly specials (such as adding wine pairings to the menu on Wednesdays and amping up acoustic live music performances throughout the week) and—although the space has seen major changes—they’ve decided to maintain the old C&R Thursday night “Flip Night” tradition, where bartenders flip a coin to determine drink discounts.
Wayward has remained open throughout the entire renovation process, but an official grand opening date is set for Wednesday, May 11.
As its name signifies, Dunlap says that all aspects of the restaurant are meant to reflect Wayward’s outside-of-the-box philosophy: “The idea was to put together something that’s undefined and leads you to be curious,” he says. “We want to exercise that in all aspects of the business, whether it’s in our food and drinks or just having a good time.”