Top Ten Tuesday: Little Italy
(Lloyd Fox/Sun Photographer)
One thing I've learned about Little Italy over the years. Whether it has authentic Italian food or even whether it has the best Italian food in Baltimore is simply beside the point. Locals and tourists alike love Little Italy the way they love Disneyland: Because it evokes an earlier, more wonderful time.
Maybe it's your actual past. (Your parents took you to Sabatino's for special occasions.) Or maybe it's just how you imagine the past to be: The feeling that you're safe strolling the streets, the fact that you get service that's warm and caring, and the fact that you can count on big portions of comforting food.
I wouldn't presume to rank Little Italy's restaurants. Most Baltimoreans have ones they love for very different reasons. (The chopped salad at Chiapparelli's, for instance.) But here are ten suggestions: ...
* Best restaurant with its own bakery: Della Notte. Good, crusty Italian bread is a given, and desserts are a cut above the usual tiramisu and cannoli from the local sweet shop.
* Place to go when you're feeling like luxurious excess: Aldo's. Try the signature dish, tournedos Rossini, with pink-centered filets, foie gras, a wild mushroom sauce and black truffles. Very expensive.
* Restaurant with a wonderful pasta Bolognese: Ciao Bella. The classic meat sauce is ramped up with cream and a slug of vodka.
* Place to go when you're in the mood for a bargain: Amicci's. This is about the closest you'll come to cheap eats in Little Italy. The menu is small, but at the moment entrees are still under $20.
* Best place in Little Italy to eat outdoors on a warm summer evening: Petalo's. You aren't sitting right on the street, but on a handsome, multi-level covered balcony.
* Easiest restaurant to get to: Da Mimmo. A complimentary limo will pick you up if you live downtown, and it has free private parking. Known for its good food and international wine list. Also very expensive.
* Place that understands the value of emphasizing a particular region's cuisine: Germano's. The region is Tuscany, not a bad one to specialize in. Think bruschetta, spiedino toscano (mixed grill) and tiramisu.
*Restaurant with career waitresses and service that's flawless in a down-home, comfy, motherly sort of way: Chiapparelli's. (And that's what you want in Little Italy, isn't it?)
* Best "forgotten" restaurant: La Tavola. People always mention Sabatino's and Velleggia's, but don't overlook this pleasant place with good food. Half-Priced Wine Wednesdays just started last week.
*Most reliable: Boccaccio. That may sound like faint praise, but over the years this is where I've had the most consistently good Northern Italian food and professional service. It's expensive, though.
If I haven't mentioned your favorite, it's because I haven't been to it recently enough to have a reliable opinion. Feel free to let me know why it's worthy of note.
Comments
The very best Italian food is served in Baltimore's Little Italy. Having grown up on Bond Street the taste for Italian food comes naturally.
I now live in Dalllas Texas and would kill for a good cannoli. Enjoy them while you can.
Henry Nelson
Posted by: Henry Nelson | June 19, 2007 9:18 AM
we need to go to Little Itlee.... pasta's good.... wine's good...
signed,
Vincent Vega
Posted by: Anonymous | June 19, 2007 9:54 AM
Just wanted to mention a few things:
1) The city has recently buit a garage for Little Italy. It takes both cash and credit cards, and is CHEAP...around $4 for the entire evening. The main entrance is at 400 Central Ave. Please remember that a large portion of the population of Little Italy is eldery, and needs to be able to park near their houses.
2) Aldo's is absurdly expensive. I used to live in DC, and Aldo's would be considered expensive there.
Posted by: Frequent Little Italy Restaurant Visitor | June 19, 2007 9:58 AM
How about Best Deli or Quick Lunch Spot... Il Scalino. Their pizza and sandwiches are out of this world. They even have a great little wine section in back.
Posted by: Selina | June 19, 2007 10:03 AM
CAESER'S DEN WOW!!! Pasta that reminds my family of Denittis which had a huge loyal following from the 50's on. It was sad to see Denittis close.
Posted by: Jim | June 19, 2007 12:16 PM
i cooked at denittis from 82 untill the end in 94. what a great bunch of people, their will never be another like denittis
Posted by: edward peters | April 9, 2008 2:00 PM
any time something old comes up in the comments side it turns out to have been spammed. But interesting conversation circa 2007.
spammer at 1:11 AM and 1:25 AM.
Posted by: Joyce W. | March 4, 2010 5:19 AM
Link spam at 8:35 PM!
Posted by: hmpstd | March 5, 2010 9:19 PM