I know it's taken a while. But as far as we are into the new year (half a month!), I've finally narrowed down my favorite eating experiences of 2009 down to tens: ten restaurants (and then some), ten recipes and ten foods.
Ten (Plus) Restaurants of Note
13.5% Wine Bar (Italian, American, wine - Hampden) - A smallish wine bar, hip but not in an in-your-face sort of way. But it's got so much more than that. It's got beers and cocktails. It's got appetizers, panini, salads, a roving cheese cart, and a massive wine selection. And you can buy whole bottles if you want. Even on Sunday. Plus, their desserts are walked over fresh from the nearby Puffs and Pastries (see below). My favorite dish: the "Mack N. Cheese PhD" which sports mascarpone and several other cheeses ($10 except on Sunday evenings, when it and several other small plates are 1/2 off).
Carlyle Club (Indian, coastal Indian - Roland Park) - The formerly Lebanese restaurant now serves haute coastal Indian food. Specifically try their dosas, though most things are good to eat. And much of it is local.
El Nayar (Mexican, Western Mexico - Catonsville, Elkridge) - It's very difficult to find particularly good Mexican food in the Baltimore area, but it is there. The favorite place I found this year has been sitting in Elkridge for a while now. I had the chance to eat at their new Catonsville location. I was impressed by the quality, variety and reasonable price of their soft tacos, a quality of which I just haven't found in Baltimore yet.
Grano (Italian - Hampden) - Not only has it stuck around (unlike most of the businesses in its same location on the Avenue) but it's expanded to a second location down the street. The mix-and-match pastas with sauces are a revelation to me, and you have to try very hard to spend more than $15 to $20 there. Their coconut flan is also tasty, more coconut milk than coconut flakes.
Joong Kak (Korean - Charles Village / Koreatown) - The filling, tender, flavorful Korean barbeque is just the tip of the iceberg. The soju, the pajeon, the panchan, the homey atmosphere, the pleasant and quick service - well, here's the rest of the delicious iceberg. A fave of my friends.
Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon (burgers - various locations, depending on the day) - I love a good burger, but lately they have gotten tiring. Kooper's has helped by delivering deceptively juicy burgers, available in beef, turkey, bison and veggie. I first found them at Tide Point, where I got a juicy, packed beefy hamburger for about $8. And they cook it to your taste. The next time I found them they were at the Rotunda, where I benefitted from their Rotunda lunch special: $5 for the burger of your choice, plus sweet potato fries.
Minato (Japanese - Mount Vernon) - This has become my favorite sushi restaurant, though certainly not my only favorite. It's more than just a flashy interior: their rolls, their selection of martinis, their sake and wine selections, and (especially) their sashimi are all consistently delicious, and their service is regularly friendly. My favorite thing to order: the sashimi, which is juicy and comforting.
Puffs and Pastries (bakery - Hampden) - Yes, there's a lot from Hampden. I am biased by the places I spend the most time, and I pass through often. This itty bitty and inviting bakery has some of the most amazing cookies I have ever eaten. They've had to raise the price of their humongous chocolate chip cookie, about 7" across, to $2. Considering most places would likely charge at least thrice as much for half the quality, I mean it's a steal, people. A delicious, buttery, sinful steal. I just hope they don't read this lest they raise the prices of their wonderful cookies.
Tamber's (diner, Indian - Charles Village) - I went here with a large group after a Christmas concert (I was in the concert). They all raved about this diner that I hadn't heard of before. Tamber's has two diverse sides to its menu: its diner side and its Indian side. the chicken tikka masala was buttery and wonderful, and the naan soft and hot. It's not difficult to please me with Indian, but in a place that makes it just one of its specialities, it was kind of a surprise to me. Plus, the service was pretty quick for a large groups such as ours.
Trinacria (Italian, deli - Downtown) - Why did I never stop in here before? They sell quality groceries from Italy, quality pre-made foods in their refrigerated section, and inexpensive wines, bulk pastas and ready-made sandwiches. Try their tiramisù, in the refrigerated section. It's rich and light at the same time, and I don't know how they manage to do that. Wonderful stuff.
Also deserving of high praise
Dukem (Ethiopian - Mount Vernon) - The service was a wee bit slow the last time, but still friendly. The food was rich and spicy as always.
Mughal Garden (Indian - Mount Vernon) - Now serving dosas! But their northern offerings are still filling and flavorful.
Sotto Sopra (Italian - Downtown) - I haven't eaten there in a while, but I'm really, really looking forward to going back.
Wine Source (wine, beer - Hampden) - It's a market, not an eatery. But their constant tastings, extensive cheese section and always helpful staff have made it my favorite beer-wine-and-liquor store by far.
Woodberry Kitchen (Chesapeake, slow food - North Baltimore) - They really pride themselves on serving up local foods with local ingredients, in unique, somewhat pricey ways. I ordered a helping of their bacon wrapped Chincoteague clams ($9). Small, but every bite was lovely.
And if you're in...
Inland Empire and LA County: In addition to all the praise I must heap on Fresh and Easy (that is, Tesco stateside), I also have great things to say about Pepito's (Mexican - Riverside) who serves a darn fine soft taco, the Ocean Star (dim sum - Monterey Park) with all the dim sum you can eat (I think they undercharged us, too), and the consistently delicious tapas to be found at Café Sevilla (Spanish - Riverside).
New York City: My summer trip to NYC was actually the first trip where I was truly happy with everything I ate. Among the best things I found: the Northeast's answer to In-N-Out: the Shake Shack (burgers, shakes - Manhattan, Upper West Side), who make ALL their burgers from freshly ground meat and ALL their shakes from freshly made ice cream. La Carbonara (Italian - Manhattan, Chelsea) was also a good food find thanks to a lucky recommendation. I haven't been able to replicate those caramelized zucchini slices yet. Plus, for those of us who aren't from New York, we often forget how much great stuff can be found outside Manhattan. The spacious Jackson Diner (Indian - Queens, Jackson Heights) has a buffet that'll knock your socks off, including ready-to-order dosas.
Raleigh: The delicious Asian fusion of Duck & Dumpling (pan-Asian - Inside the Beltline) is a bargain in a beautiful space, just a few blocks away from the city's museums. I am now sold for good on cha chiang noodles. I just hope I can find some in my neck of the woods. I also enjoyed my stop at Flex (Inside the Beltline), one of the friendliest gay bars I've ever had the pleasure to set foot in.
Savannah and the Fort Stewart area: If in Savannah, pass on the Lady and Sons unless you've reserved a few months in advance, and head for the Moon River Brewing Company (Lowcountry, burgers, brewpub - Savannah), whose samplers of microbrew and selection of Lowcountry favorites should have a wait, since it's pretty damn good. And please don't leave Savannah until you stop by the Savannah Candy Kitchen (candy - Savannah and various other locations). Get a warm chocolate praline if you're able. There are also many, many places to find wonderful barbeque in the area, such as the Clubhouse at Rye Patch (Southern, Lowcountry, barbeque - Ludowici). But I am surprised to admit that the ribs and mac & cheese at the Kroger of all places (supermarket - various locations), though not nearly as good as at the Clubhouse or most other restaurants, is better than from any other supermarket.
Washington: ThaiPhoon (Thai - Dupont Circle) gives you some hearty tom kha gai and a hearty and satisfying pad thai. But they give you so much that you might not be able to finish it. Just a warning.
Ten Recipes of Note
Cantonese style stir fried greens and/or seafood - I found myself stir-frying a lot of things this year, Cantonese-style, using Chinese rice wine, sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic, among other things. Sweet potato leaves, beet greens, bok choy, Boston lettuce all work quite well. Swiss chard? Well, okay, I don't like Swiss chard.
Hot Milk Cake - A classic Baltimore sponge cake, if done right it is velvety and moist and will keep for a while. It's also extremely sweet.
Irish Soda Bread - 2009 was a year that I started using the bread machine I bought from my landlady in California for eight bucks. She used it three times. I've already used it about ten times as much. I've made a dizzying variety of breads and rice dishes in this thing. My favorite was an Irish soda bread I found from a recipe on the ChefMom website. It was so much better than the store-bought version that comes out every St. Patrick's Day, with juicier raisins, softer bread and a strong caraway flavor that holds up ridiculously well to the pre-made stuff that I can only describe as "grainy" and "cardboard-flavored".
Mozzarella Cheese - What can I say? I made mozzarella! And it was much creamier than the store-bought kind. Again, it'll be difficult to go back.
Nataing - The first main dish I made in my new Food Ethnography project, this Cambodian meat dish from The Elephant Walk Cookbook is extremely rich with all that pork and coconut milk and fish sauce. I had to make a second for Dara's blogger dinner party.
Neapolitan Tomato Sauce - I haven't used a jarred tomato sauce since I learned how easy it was to make it from scratch, and to freeze it so I can have more later. It freezes very well.
Old Bay Boiled Peanuts - After eating so many boiled peanuts and driving in Georgia this past summer, I had to make my own, with a Chesapeake twist. But you have to add a lot of Old Bay to get the flavor. These also freeze very well.
Old Bay Caramels - I swapped out the sea salt in a Fleur de Sal Caramel recipe for some Old Bay, in a kitchen experiment. While it didn't turn out at first, particularly the ones that I added extra Old Bay to since I couldn't taste it at first, the ones with less Old Bay ended up tasting quite nice after sitting for a week or two - the perfect blend of crumbly, sweet caramel and salty, spicy Old Bay. A strange mix, to be sure, but an interesting one.
Pan-Fried Soft Crabs - Most Baltimore families have a soft crab recipe, I imagine. My mother's mother pan-fried hers with nothing more than some flour and butter. I added cornmeal since I like the taste. Even better in a soft taco with some sliced onions or scallions.
Roasted Vegetables (peppers, chilis, tomatoes, broccoli) - Quite simply, there are fewer things more satisfying than a nice oven-roasted tomato or flame-roasted pepper. Don't even need bread crumbs or anything like that. Just drizzle in olive oil and salt and bake for about an hour at 350°F.
Ten Other Food Items of Note
anything made by Fresh and Easy - Despite their almost-Scientological zeal, the folks at Fresh and Easy (supermarket - various locations throughout Southern California) have every reason to be enthusiastic about their wonderful products, which often end up half-priced in a special, prominent aisle when they are a day or two old. Their lemon bars, brownies, and many of their bottled sauces are sorely missed in my apartment.
Dogfish Head Punkin Ale - On tap during the fall months at the Hippo!
Farmers' Market Milk - Like most milks bought at a farmers' market or CSA, South Mountain Creamery's rich homogenized and cream top milks (available year-round at Waverly Farmers' Market on 33rd Street) have spoiled me for supermarket milk in the same way that Fractured Prune donuts have spoiled me for Krispy Kremes. Just tastes like water now.
Fat Tire (and beers like it) - Since we still can't get Fat Tire in Maryland, the best we can do is the Gordon Biersch Märzen out of San Jose. It has a similar fatty and rich feel in the mouth, I have found.
Fresh Berger's Cookies - The fresh ones you buy at the booth in Lexington Market have now spoiled me for the Berger's Cookies you buy at the store. But if I can't make it downtown, the ones at the store'll do, hon.
Mo's Milk and Dark Bacon Bars - The Dark Bacon Bar (available at Ma Petite Shoe and Whole Foods, among other locations) is better, but the Milk Bacon Bar is still pretty good.
Mrs. Holmes Boiled Peanuts - Fresh out of South Carolina, you had best stop in almost any convenience store to buy some to eat along the way to wherever you're going. Plentiful in Georgia.
Palmiers from Sarabeth's Kitchen at Chelsea Market - I know, I'm the last foodie to ever realize that the Chelsea Market is where the Food Network offices are located (and I'm the first one to accidentally stumble upon the place without that knowledge). The wing-shaped (or "elephant ear") palmiers cookie is the only palmiers cookie I have ever eaten that is, well, edible. And its buttery flakiness makes up for all those other nasty, gummy, sticky, cardboard-flavored ones I've eaten in the past.
Southern Tier Choklit Stout - My favorite part of Baltimore Beer Week was a beer from a brewery I already knew quite well. Southern Tier's Choklit Stout is among the best from a brewery that puts out some of the best beers on the East Coast.
Whoopie Pies - My first exposure to whoopie pies, ever, was this year. Before I just thought they were some type of moon pie. Silly me! They really are tasty, with a rich buttercream filling (or marshmallow, or "bettercreme" - yekhkh - depending on where you get yours) sandwiched between two soft and moist devil's food buns. I guess this Yankee-slash-Amish dessert has crossed the Mason-Dixon Line for good! My favorite is the one Trader Joe's puts out in a six pack (regular or pumpkin). Not so good: the one from Giant, but hey, Marylanders are just learning about whoopie pies, okay?
That's it for what I liked the most in food in '09. Coming soon: what I disliked the most.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Best of 2009 Part II: 10 Places, 10 Recipes, 10 Items, and then some
Friday, August 07, 2009
Baltimore Restaurant Week: Ambassador Dining Room
Two things always pop up in my mind when I hear the phrase "Ambassador Dining Room" - "Indian" and "expensive". I did not realize just how (as our British friends might say) "posh" it is as well when I stopped by to kick off my own personal Restaurant Week. And "posh" it is. Inside that regal stone exterior that makes the phrase "A Separate Peace" pop up in my head, is an almost castle-like interior that leads out onto a lush garden with a direct view of the big Masonic center next door. On a beautiful August day such as this, it is a lovely place to eat.
I've heard great stuff about the Ambassador's food, too, but again, that's always coupled with "expensive" - as in "It's good but I don't get why Indian food is so expensive here." Yes, I am in that camp, but I am used to eating most of my Indian food at all-you-can-eat buffets. Yes I have eaten Indian for dinner, with no buffet to be found, but you gotta admit: the fabled Indian buffet is a wonderful dining experience. The Ambassador serves up some luscious Indian food (and, ironically enough, a buffet). As I would progress through lunch, I would find out what I usually miss outside the buffet box. I would also find out that the food and the view are pretty good reasons to go, despite some minor annoyances throughout the meal.
For $20 I got three courses and bread: the first course was an appetizer (such as soup, raita or a samosa); the second course was a main dish (and there was a dizzying array of both traditional and not-so-traditional ones) plus choice of one bread (various selections of naan and paratha); and the third course was dessert (sorbets, cake or kheer). I perused the menu, chose my lunch selections, and ordered an utterly forgettable Diet Coke, which had that wonderful dishwater-y flavor that fountain sodas usually have (NB: If you want to drink cheap at the Ambassador, don't order the damn soda. Just go with the free water and leave it at that).
Lamb samosaMy first course was a lamb and pea samosa. Usually the samosas I get are beef and pea or potato and pea, inside a heavy, greasy deep-fried pastry crust. But I love 'em anyway, so I keep ordering them. The samosa I got here was not greasy, and had a thin and very buttery crust, filled with soft ground lamb. It was perhaps the best samosa I've ever eaten, and that's before mentioning the tamarind chutney that came with it. I could eat these all day, and my waistline would not be happy.
Shahi korma with garlic naan
Rice puddingI can't stress enough that the food and the view are two things that are really special about the Ambassador. This is despite some minor annoyances, such as, oh, the price? But I didn't get hit as hard by that since I was paying Restaurant Week prices. I've already mentioned the soda - again, just stick with water. The major problem I had was the choppiness of the service. I have never seen anything like it! It was, literally, equal parts doting, clueless and "Who really gives a fuck?" While it was a nice touch to open my napkin for me, it was a less nice touch to have the waiter stand there watching me wait for him to get my plate when he wasn't helping anyone else (another waiter finally directed him to grab it). The mildly rude - or moreover, socially inept - end to my dinner was when I turned away from the not terribly busy dining area to discretely wipe my nose. By the time I had turned around, the waiter plunked my check on the table and thanked me for coming. Odd enough as it is. Even odder since I was only about a third of the way through my dessert. Dude! Don't drop the damn check in front of me while I'm still eating! That's, like, rude! Don't act rude when a customer isn't being rude to you (if he is rude, then all bets are off). And since the place was about empty, it's not like they had to hurry me out (though they were hustling tables by mine to set up for the dinner rush, so maybe they just wanted me gone so they could move my table). While that didn't exactly ruin my dining experience, it was an unpleasant way to end it, basically sending that fond, special message of "Leave, bitch" that just makes you want to come back for more.
Okay, come back for this.Despite that "Don't let the door hit you in the ass" sendoff, I still have to say I loved both the food and the view. I would go back if: 1) I had the money, and 2) I liked mildly rude service. Really the service isn't bad (I've definitely seen worse). But for a place that pricey and "posh" the service needs to be better than it is. Don't let it deter you: the Ambassador had some absolutely wonderful Indian food.
Sunday, July 05, 2009
Carlyle Club
I don't think I've written about the Carlyle Club since it changed its menu from Lebanese to what I would call "haute South Asian" (more specifically, South Indian). I don't know why. I've eaten there twice, and both times I was quite satisfied. Last night I went with friends who live in walking distance (lucky bastards). It was pretty slow last night, but heck, it's a holiday weekend.
Eric & Alan got wine, but I went for a podina lassi ($4) - a mint, honey and cardamom lassi (yogurt drink if you're unfamiliar) that filled me up just like the milkshake it so closely resembles. Of course, I had help from our appetizers and my entrée. We all shared two appetizers and a salad. The salad was made of arugula and acorn squash ($6), and was a pretty simple and satisfying salad at that. Added to that was a helping of cochin calamari (also $6) - I'm assuming it's calamari flash fried a la Kochi, Kerala-style. It comes with a smooth tomato chutney and is not the kind of calamari you'll find in Little Italy. It's different, and tasty, but went too fast. The other appetizer was just a helping of onion pakora (I didn't catch the price). I've found most pakoras to be a little on the tough, gritty side. This one wasn't tough, and was only a little gritty, and otherwise quite tender. Yes, I'm saying you should order this when you go. It's one of the better pakoras I've had.
My entrée was a dosa, but I'm afraid I caused a little confusion - almost exclusively for myself, since I can't make a decision to save my life - by wanting to mix two dosas together. Their dosas make for good appetizers, but for someone with a small stomach and bank account it can be a very good choice for your entrée. I ordered the habanero and mango dosa ($9), which had a traditional filling of onions, lentils and potatoes with an habanero and mango sauce on the side. But I wanted some paneer as well, so the waiter proposed putting some paneer in with the traditional filling. I don't know why I am so dense, but I was the only at the table who didn't quite understand this at first!
The dosa was served not like a crepe, as I've seen it other places (such as at the Mango Grove), but was instead decoratively shaped in a cone sheltering the filling that sat on the plate. I thought the filling could have used a small dash of salt, but it otherwise tasted delicious. The dosa itself had to be filled like a tortilla, in which you put food and then eat it with your hands (at least that's how I ate it). It's a tasty dosa and a tasty filling. The Indian pickle ($1.50) I ordered on the side was a nice, sharp, salty and tangy contrast to the dosa.
What I ordered cost around $20 to $25. The guys just asked me for a twenty. I didn't ask questions. I'm looking forward to going back again sometime.
NB: Starting with this post, I'm going to begin using the "locally grown" tag when I talk about restaurants. What I mean is that the restaurant in question (in this case, the Carlyle Club) goes out of its way to use local ingredients, such as plants and meats, as part of its menu. For now I will try to use it with restaurants as well as markets. Things that won't be lumped in with tag include beers and wines (those will get the "Maryland products with pride" tag instead. It also won't include crabs, because it's assumed that those will be local. For my purposes, "local blue crabs" means Chesapeake - Maryland and Virginia crabs, not ones from North Carolina, even though those are good, too. If a local crab house does not primarily use local blue crabs, I'll be mentioning that (*COUGH**COUGH*Phillips*COUGH**).
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Preakness Weekend Tidbits...
A few thoughts:
1. If I had to choose between Loco Hombre and Alonso's, I'd choose Alonso's in a heartbeat. That's the conclusion I came to last night with my friend Scott when we went for Mexican. Easily a third of the items on Loco Hombre's menu was from Alonso's (to be fair, you can order several of Loco Hombre's items on the Alonso's side).
But it seemed that Loco Hombre's food was a bit on the, um, charred side for Scott. We ordered their Loco Nachos ($10) as an appetizer. They came out a good while after we ordered them, but they were indeed piping hot, with nice, cold guacamole and cream cheese on top. They can't be faulted on their presentation, and honestly I did like the nachos. But they were, again, a little burnt for Scott's taste.
The main courses were more overall underwhelming. Scott got the chicken fajitas ($14), with lots of chicken, onion and bell pepper - half of which was burned onto the fajita pan. It smelled good to me. Scott couldn't finish it. My tacos ($13) were soft and juicy, but a little dull. On the plus side, the meat was pretty good in those tacos. The chicken was the best, followed by the shrimp - both were juicy and tasty - and then the steak, which was also pretty good. It was the rest of the entrée that underwhelmed me. I wish some salsa had come with them, to at least spice things up - maybe their very different nopal cactus salsa, for example. Also, the tortillas were a little bland, but that's really a failing of flour tortillas in general and I can't blame Loco Hombre for that one (give me corn tortillas any time). The sides were bland to the point of inedibility. I can't remember when I've last had such forgettable rice. The refried beans had an interesting presentation, lumped onto the plate like an ice cream scoop, which did nothing for their flavor. I wouldn't have minded the tacos, despite the problems with the sides, had they not cost as much as they had. But I was still more satisfied than Scott.
Since it was Preakness Day, and since I had just posted about the Black Eyed Susan, I thought I would try one. Scott has made them before, and the recipe I described was completely unfamiliar to him.
What I got for my $7.50 seemed like an orange juice with a kick. Not a hard kick, just a kick. I didn't get much of a buzz off of it. Each of the Yuenglings I had later at the Central was stronger.
Next time I think I'll just stick to Alonso's.
2. Speaking of the Preakness, there was many a woman in a big silly hat coming in for food after the big race. Yes, we are Big Hat Country.
3. Clothes easily add almost five pounds to your total weight, as I found out this morning. Not counting drawers, which weigh nothing:
- Jeans - 2 lbs
- Belt - 0.2 lbs
- Socks - 0 lbs
- Tennis shoes - 2 lbs
- T-shirt - 0 lbs
- TOTAL - 4.2 lbs extra
5. Oh, and just as I Tweeted yesterday, I have officially passed graduate school!!! Next task: finding a job for the upcoming school year. Now I can officially celebrate.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Exit 25: MD-139 (Charles Street, to area colleges)
COLLEGE TOUR! (Well, sort of...)
Exits 25 through 27 take the hapless driver to Towson. There is a lot to eat in Towson. Too much, and not all of it is of the fast food variety. To be frank, I was not sure exactly how to approach Exit 25. Of course, it took a while to dawn on me that this is the exit to use to get to most of the major north Baltimore area colleges - Towson, Loyola, College of Notre Dame of Maryland (or CONDOM - hey I didn't make that up), and Johns Hopkins University. None of these is anywhere near the exit, so to get to anything food-related along Charles Street, apart from either Eddie's of Roland Park (map), you have to head toward the colleges. And so that is what I did. (By the way: their chocolate top cookies are quite good, but it's mostly due to the fudge. The cookie part is a throwaway.)
Towson University
You can just as easily get to Towson from Exit 26 or 27 as from 25 (it just takes a little longer but it's mostly a straight shot via the Towson Bypass), so anything in the "downtown-y" area of Towson will wait for future posts. For Towson I headed the opposite direction on York Road, toward home. I passed up Bill Bateman's Bistro (map) - not in a "wings and beer" mood, even though I should make it a point to stop in. More so, I have never ventured into TU's University Club (map). I only mention it because it regularly participates in the semiannual Restaurant Week. As a grad student at Towson, I rarely am there with enough money or time to eat more than a semi-thawed pesto chicken croissant sandwich (ick).
Going further down York Road, I wanted to seek out food from the smaller businesses toward the city line. China Fun (map) passed me by - or more to the point, I passed it. Farther down is a whole slew of restaurants featuring sandwiches from Robby's Deli (map), ice cream from Uncle Wiggly's (map) and food from all different regions of China. Since it was the only one open at this hour and I was in the mood, I went for the last option, Mandarin Taste (map).
It was pretty sparse the night I went, with coloring books and a phone book piled up in one booth. But the atmosphere was a bit brighter and less cramped than most Chinese takeouts I have been to. The proprietor recommended the Sha Cha Chicken, which was a favorite of many customers. At about $4.50 it wasn't bad for the price, and neither was the eggroll I got for about $2. When I got it home I found they gave me a lot of food. And though it's not what I'd call orgasmic, they do know to put actual chunks of pork in their pork fried rice - big (for pork fried rice), juicy chunks of it. And I liked the sha cha chicken - a little spicy, even though it wasn't spicy enough for me. It also had lots of vegetables - carrots, bell pepper, broccoli, onion. I'd definitely get it again, though I wouldn't go out of my way for it. I liked the egg roll too.
Johns Hopkins University
Farther down Charles Street, past Loyola and Notre Dame (yes, I am doubling back), you hit Johns Hopkins, one of the most prestigious universities in the country. As with TU there are a few good eats in this area. JHU is particularly blessed to share sidewalk space with the Baltimore Museum of Art (note to self: go round there at some point), home of Bawlmer boy John Shields' area-famous Gertrude's (map), which I hear has a killer brunch. Also didn't get across the street to all the cafés and shops in Hopkins Square, which encompasses (among others) a Record and Tape Traders. Again, another time.
On University Parkway, across from the National Lacrosse Museum, are two places I have enjoyed in the past. The Carlysle Club (map) is dependable and delicious Lebanese food. it's also expensive, so I don't go there much. Last time I went was, I think, sometime in 2006 with some friends. I had this great lamb dish but I can't put my finger on exactly what it was anymore. Oh well - a reason to go back. A hop, a skip and a jump away from that is the happily vegetarian One World Café (map). They bake most if not all of their food on-site, and I think it's all vegetarian, or at least vegan. This includes their dizzying array of baked goods. And wow - they have this wonderful nutless vegan carrot cupcake (about $2.50). With a small cappuccino (about $2.50) it was a very satisfying snack. The icing is sugary and though it isn't cream cheesy at all (of course not - it's VEGAN), it's very tasty. It's still a fattening cupcake: the greasiness in the cupcake paper was demonstrable. Just save it for a special occasion. Like tomorrow?
I think this is actually one of my better photos.Loyola College / College of Notre Dame of Maryland
I must confess: going back around Loyola brings back memories, because it's where I got my (first) BA, around 19 ninety-something. I don't know about now, but the food back then was horrendous (CONDOM's was little better). Because of that, I often meandered away from the dorms and down West Cold Spring to the restaurants nearby. When I wanted a bagel for breakfast, or wanted to get away from the occasional drunken dorm mates, I would often find myself at Sam's Bagels (map). The ubiquitous Sam's now has several locations around the area, including the one in Catonsville that completely does away with my need to go back to this one. But it did coincide with my biggest brush with movie stardom, the one time I accidentally walked by the shooting of Serial Mom at the Video Americain - yes, I saw them shooting Serial Mom - with an egg and sausage bagel sandwich on an everything (my favorite flavor of bagel). Yes, I went there that long ago.
Another place I stopped was the often-lauded Alonso's (map), well known specifically for its massive, 1 lb. hamburger (with or without bacon). It is one West Cold Spring institution amid a sea of more recently opened businesses - Miss Shirley's (map - affiliated with Alonso's), the new Evergreen coffee shop (map - where lots of students and a few professors were lounging, using their laptops over - well actually I didn't see what they were eating), even the Loco Hombre (aw hell, just see the map for Alonso's) - of which Alonso's is apparently a part - is now opened up after I last went round. You see, I haven't been here in well over a decade. There's also the new S'ghetti Eddies (map), part of that big Loco Hombre/Alonso's/Miss Shirley's conglomeration. Only the Chinese takeout is still familiar, besides Sam's and Alonso's.
Today, Alonso's is much sleeker looking, and no nasty smoke smell (one reason why I never went back). Today there is sports paraphernalia all over the walls - signed jerseys, footballs, baseballs and soccer balls from the Ravens, the O's (minus all the drugs) and the Blast (in order of prevalence). The waiter just let me seat myself - it wasn't full, since it was at the tail end of the lunch hour.I started with the three-salsa tortilla chips ($4). I did this even though I planned to get that massive burger, because I wanted to try the nopal (or nopale) salsa. If you haven't had nopal cactus slices from a jar, be warned - they are very salty and very slimy. This nopal salsa was not at all slimy, but still salty. I did like it, and I have to say it was the most interesting part of my meal. With it came two more salsas, a sweet tomatillo salsa and a chunky salsa fresca. Plus a deep basket of tortilla chips in enough colors to make a gay pride festival planner happy.
Then it came - THE big-ass burger of legend ($13). I got the cheapest of them, with no bacon (add $1.50), and not blackened ($15 before bacon). I cut it in half and automatically set one half aside to take home. I don't know how I got through the other 1/2 lb. I asked for the burger medium rare to rare - and they do indeed know how to make a rare burger (not like in SoCal where "rare" means "medium well"). I wasn't sure if it was safe to eat for a second, it was so rare. The burger itself was tasty, though I am not ordering the bleu cheese on it the next time - they gave me a massive dollop of it, which actually sank into the burger. It was ridiculously strong and took away from the burger. It's my own fault - I should have known better, I guess. The flavor of the burger is pure beef, and that's really all I could taste - no herbs, spices, etc. But again, that may be due to the strength of the bleu cheese. Not to make it sound bad though, because I certainly wasn't disappointed in this burger. I'd definitely get it again, just without the bleu cheese. I was, however, disappointed in the fries - plain, ordinary, some were a little dried out. But I wasn't there to order the fries (still, they could've been better). Since half of them are sitting in the takeout container with the other 1/2 lb of that burger and a ton of multicolored tortilla chips and large blobs of tomatillo, fresca and nopal salsas, I can try the fries with some other condiments and see if they can be improved upon.
The half I ate for lunch yesterday. That vegan carrot cupcake would be a pretty funny complement to this burger, no?Along with a soda (about $2), tax and tip, the bill came to $23. I haven't spent that much on a lunch outside of Restaurant Week in a while. Again, I'd go back and get it, though next time I may just settle for the cheaper and more subtle Alonso sliders instead ($9 for lunch).
Oh, here are the salsas - the lumpy one in the back is the nopal cactus salsa. I'm not a fan of nopal, but I'd get it again. Probably not that often, but I would get it again.Places I visited:
Alonso's / Loco Hombre (burgers / American / Tex-Mex / bar & pub - both locations share the same menu and building space) - 413-415 West Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21210; Phone: (410) 235-3433
- Would I eat there again? Yes
- Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Again, yes
- Would I eat there again? Definitely
- Would I go out of my way to eat there again? Once again, yes
Towson, MD 21212; Phone: (410) 377-8040
- Would I shop there again? Yes, but not too often - I need to pay bills
- Would I go out of my way to shop there again? Probably not, again due to the expense
Baltimore, MD 21212; Phone: (410) 377-2500
- Would I eat there again? Yes
- Would I go out of my way to eat there again? I don't need to, but I might
- Would I eat there again? Yes
- Would I go out of my way to eat there again? I was just thinking of doing that
- Would I eat there again? I often do (but at the Catonsville location)
- Would I go out of my way to eat there again? I don't need to, but sure
Bill Bateman's Bistro (bar & pub / wings) - 7800 York Road, Towson, MD 21204; Phone: (410) 296-2737
China Fun (Chinese) - 7206 York Rd # B, Towson, MD 21212 - (410) 321-4212
The Evergreen (coffee / deli) - 501 W. Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21210; Phone: (410) 235-8118
Gertrude's (Chesapeake / brunch) - 10 Art Museum Drive (located in the Baltimore Museum of Art), Baltimore, MD 21218; Phone for reservations: (410) 889-3399
Miss Shirley's (American / bakery / brunch) - 513 West Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21210; Phone: (410) 889-5272
Robby's Deli (deli / sandwiches) - 6321 York Rd, Baltimore, MD 21212; Phone: (410) 337-8755
S'ghetti Eddie's (pasta) - 410 W Cold Spring Lane, Baltimore, MD 21210; Phone (410) 235-5999
Uncle Wiggly's (ice cream) - 6911 York Rd, Baltimore, MD 21212-1510; Phone: (410) 377-3373
University Club at Towson (American) - 10 West Burke Avenue (in the Burkshire Marriott Conference Hotel), Towson, MD 21204; Phone: (410) 324-8202
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Brasserie Tatin (Baltimore Restaurant Week)
Tonight is the last night I am eating out for a good while. Truly. I need desperately to start saving some real money for Amsterdam at the end of next month. So no more eating out for a while. Probably the occasional slice of pizza or something, but no more.
So at least I made the last meal out for a while a good one. I went to Brasserie Tatin with a friend for the tail end of Restaurant Week. I wasn't planning to watch the Super Bowl anyway. I rarely do. I'm not the biggest football fan, though my interest creeps up when the Ravens are having a good season. Besides, we all knew how it would turn out, right? (Quite a shock, no?)
Just to let you know: Brasserie Tatin is extending Restaurant Week for another week, and has a special Valentine's Day deal after that. We got there right at 5, when our reservations were scheduled. And they were getting ready for the dinner rush at the time. I really didn't expect so many people to show up on Super Bowl Sunday, but it was crowded. If you can get there sometime this week like the rest of us did, you'll find delicious stuff like this:
- Escargots under a pastry shell, swimming in a peppery garlic butter sauce (that is, Snails under a Hat). I don't eat many snails. These were juicy, hot and very hearty. The sauce they swam in, and the "hat" they hid under, were a delicious and delicate complement. Eric got the scallops in bourbon cream sauce, which I tried. Tasty, but I liked my dish better.
- Grilled salmon on a carrot butternut squash purée (I thought it was sweet potato at first), and a Harissa broth. The olive and lemon confit on top was a nice addition, but the salmon and squash was great with or without it. The duck that Eric got was, again, tasty, but I again preferred the salmon.
- Marjolaine, a deceptively small slice of hazelnut and chocolate cake that belies its richness and thickness. I thought it was pretty puny in comparison to the Tarte Tatin that Eric got (very good, I might add), but it soon became obvious that any bigger a slice would be way too much to handle. Blissful.
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Petit Louis Bistro (Baltimore Restaurant Week)
There's a reason why Petit Louis Bistro in Roland Park often gets mentioned when someone asks what is the "Best French Restaurant" in town, or at least one of the best (check out the City Paper and Baltimore Magazine - you have to scroll down on the BM page to find it). Is it the location? Great location, but no. Is it the lovely ambiance, including the stone table tops? Maybe a little, it is a beautiful place. Is it the price? As high as they are? Hell no, bitch! Maybe the service? It is excellent, attentive service. That's a big part of it. But hands down, the biggest reason is their food. Such wonderful food!
And it's food I would never have tasted had it not been for Baltimore Restaurant Week. Man, I love this week!
It was my sister and I again, this time meeting with two former co-workers (now doing well for themselves as assistant principals on opposite ends of Baltimore County). I got there a little late, and everybody else had finished some hearty, crusty bread with butter. The waitress almost immediately came out to us (it wasn't crowded - yet). She filled us in on the other specials, including this $44 prix fixe menu of tomato dishes. We knew what we wanted - the $30.07 menu (Restaurant Week menu), so when she came back we all asked for that.
We wound up getting, among the four of us, everything on the prix fixe menu. For our first course, our friends ordered the Salade de Tomates, Fromage de Chèvre, Basilique (Salad with Grape Tomato, chèvre - French goat cheese - and Basil). My sister and I ordered the vichyssoise, that classic cold potato and leek soup. I don't know what the salad tasted like, but they seemed to like it. As for the soup. Oh my God. It was wonderful - absolutely, totally, fucking wonderful. Thick and rich, and as buttery as it was potato-ey. I could eat this stuff all day and gain ten pounds. It was also a great way to counteract my workout the previous hour, where I found out I was three pounds less than I thought!
For our main course, we all ordered different things. Our friends each ordered the Saumon Grillée - a fabulous grilled salmon (I tried it, okay? Some of the best salmon I have ever tasted off of someone else's plate) with a rice pilaf in a beurre blanc sauce. My sister got something I was eyeing, the Steak au Poivre (steak with pommes purée - French mashed potatoes - in a red wine reduction sauce). Again, wonderful stuff, especially that steak. If I go back (which would likely be next year's Restaurant Week), I'm getting that. Such a tender steak. I got the Confit de Canard (duck confit with sautéed spinach). The fat on top was so flavorful and good - okay, there goes my workout and the next two). The duck, as is most duck I have eaten, was a little tough. The spinach was good. I liked my dish, don't get me wrong. But I wish I had ordered the steak or salmon. I liked it that much better (NB: the sis liked my dish more than I did). Note that I was sipping on a red wine recommended by my waitress, who also doubled as a sommelieuse. I couldn't tell you what wine I drank, only that, unlike most red wines, it didn't disagree (hey, I'm not the sommelier, here, she was).
Dessert was a choice between the Sabayon aux fruits locaux (local fruits with sabayon, like a zabaglione - similar linguistically, no?), which our friends got - very tasty - and the Mousse au Chocolat - good old fashioned chocolate mousse, with Grand Marnier! Wowie wow wow, that was some good mousse.
The grand total for dinner was $145 - the four prix fixe dinners, plus two glasses of wine (mine and someone else's) and two Diet Cokes. What a great dining experience. The next time I win the lottery (which will be, well, the first time I win the lottery), I'm going to Petit Louis to celebrate.
