When word leaked out that Cindy Wolf and Tony Foreman, the owners of Charleston, Petit Louis, Pazo and Bin 604 Wine Sellers, would be opening a new restaurant in Harbor East, those who love to eat out wanted all the details.

And they wanted them immediately.

Those details have been kept very quiet. If the secrecy was a publicity ploy on the Charleston Group’s part, as some grumbled, it worked. 

But now it's official. Cinghiale, a northern Italian restaurant, is scheduled to open across the street from Charleston in September. ...

(Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art) 

"It's a relief to finally be able to talk about it," Wolf told me over the phone this afternoon. The couple wanted to wait to make any announcement until everything major was finalized.

Cinghiale, which is pronounced ching-GYAL-lay, means "wild boar" in Italian. I can tell them right now they're going to have trouble getting people to pronounce that first syllable correctly.

The restaurant will be a combination of an enoteca, a place to drink wine, and an osteria, or tavern.  The osteria will be the dressier dining room of the restaurant, with mahogany, leather banquettes and white tablecloths. Architect Patrick Sutton, who worked with the couple on Pazo and the redo of Charleston, is Cinghiale’s designer.

Stefano Frigerio, a native of Italy who got his culinary training there, will be Cinghiale’s executive chef. He worked as senior sous chef at the highly respected Italian restaurant Maestro in McLean, Va., before coming to Baltimore.

“I believe you will find my food is a modern interpretation of time-honored Italian dishes,” said Frigerio in the press release I got from the Charleston Group.

Foreman began developing Cinghiale’s wine list over a year ago, concentrating on wines from northern and central Italy. The restaurant will offer some 400 labels and 40 wines by the glass. There will also be several flights of three to five wines daily. A sommelier and two assistant sommeliers will work under his direction.

Customers will enter through the enoteca, which Foreman says he hopes will get people involved with wine “in a fun, unscary way.” Next to the bar will be a selection of cold cuts, cheeses and other antipasti prepared in full view of the patrons.

For more serious dining, customers will continue on into the osteria, where entrees will be priced from $12 to $35. Seating in the restaurant is available for 208 guests, with 26 seats at the bar and outdoor seating for 40. Valet parking will be complimentary.

Unlike the Charleston Group’s other two downtown restaurants, Cinghiale will be open daily for lunch as well as dinner. A late night menu will be available Friday and Saturday until 1 a.m.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Who knew people were so interested in (and knowledgable about) German food? You have to wonder why restaurateurs are opening up all these trendy little bistros and tapas places.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, take a look at my inquiry yesterday about German restaurants in the area. It's been getting as many comments as anything I've posted.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

(Christopher T. Assaf/Sun Photographer)

Call them sleepers. This Tuesday's Top Ten started off being Great Restaurants You Probably Don't Know About...Yet. But great restaurants get known about pretty quickly, so I'm going to change it slightly. These are good restaurants that, perhaps because of their locations or some other reason I don't understand, just don't get the buzz they deserve.

The first one I thought of, the Peacock Cafe in the Pier 5 Hotel, was the photo with my post announcing this Top Ten Tuesday. But when I called the hotel, I found out it had quietly closed about five months ago. Its pretty space is where the hotel now serves breakfast.

Sad, but that's the danger of being a sleeper.

Here's my list: ...

*Green Leaf, 11313 York Road, Shawan Plaza, Hunt Valley. This pretty little Asian fusion place, hidden away in the shopping center, has fresh, for the most part healthful, food and good service. The emphasis is on fresh seafood and steamed fresh vegetables. (Not to worry. There are also tempura and deep-fried wontons available if that sounds too healthful to you.)

*Himalayan House, 1522 E. Fort Ave., Locust Point. The Indian food here gets rave reviews, but the problem is that so far there's only one table, which seats four or five at most. The owner said, "We'll see" when I asked if he's going to add more tables. But you can call in advance, and he'll save the table for you -- and what's more, cook you anything you request. Otherwise it's carryout.

*Tabrizi's, 500 Harborview Drive. OK, it's not opening till later this summer. You could say that's cheating. But it's on this list for two reasons. 1) Judging from Michael Tabrizi's previous restaurant of the same name, the Mediterranean food will be very good, perhaps even wonderful, and 2) Given the location and the history of that location, it will have to be wonderful for anyone to remember it but the people living in the same complex.

*Kolpers, 1520 Clipper Road, Hampden. If you can find it, you can get a satisfying meal of Maryland favorites, tavern fare and a few more upscale entries like mussels fra diavolo or a chicken breast in white wine. Yes, it's a restaurant and lounge, but it's also kid-friendly.

*La Cazuela, 1718 Eastern Ave., Upper Fells Point. If you're looking for the mythic hole-in-the-wall where you can get enormous portions of delicious ethnic food for next-to-nothing prices, this is where to go -- except it's not a hole-in-the-wall but a cheerful little dining room. The food is Ecuadorean, and it's family-owned and -run.

*Mia Carolina, 4844 Butler Road, Glyndon. When Baltimoreans mention restaurants that are worth the trip, they never seem to think of this one. Owner/chef Jay Cohen has good credentials. His previous experience includes stints at Linwood’s, the Harryman House, and Filomena in D.C. The food is traditional and contemporary Italian. Look for renovations and other changes to update the place by the end of the summer.

*Cynthia's, 522-I Governor Ritchie Highway, Severna Park. If you've had enough of clever little bistros for the moment, Cynthia's is a throwback to white tablecloths and glamorous cuisine -- you know, the kind of restaurant where you order your dessert souffle with your entree. True, the decor doesn't have the pizazz of the mostly French food, but it's very comfortable.

*Harvest Table, 1000 Hull St., Locust Point. A sunny little restaurant -- not much more than an upscale coffee house -- where you can get eclectic salads and sandwiches, homemade soups like roasted red pepper gouda bisque, and delicious brunches on Saturday and Sunday. Free wi-fi is a plus.

*True, Admiral Fell Inn, 888 S. Broadway. Usually a restaurant that's imaginative and tries to use local, organic and seasonal ingredients -- and does it pretty well -- gets a little more love than this one. It may be that it's simply too expensive for its neighborhood, but Savannah managed to flourish here (and eventually moved and became Charleston). Maybe it's the name.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

I got this e-mail from Jerry over the weekend:

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

This threesome deserved to be on my Top Ten list of special deals last Tuesday, but somehow it slipped through the cracks.

Babalu Grill in Power Plant Live! has 2 for 1 appetizers and mojitos on Tuesdays, half-price bottles of wine on Wednesdays, and half-price selected entrees, cubatinis, and babatinis on Thursdays.

(Karl Merton Ferron/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

What you knew intuitively turns out to be true: Menu prices are rising quicker than overall prices, according to numbers from the National Restaurant Association. The biggest problem is wholesale food prices, which have skyrocketed.  Forbes.com says that they rose nearly 8 percent in the first half of '07.

In the past year, prices have gone up 3.1 percent at full-service restaurants and 3.3 percent at quick-service places. Here's the link to the Forbes story. One thing I learned of interest was that consumer traffic has dropped off at most restaurants, with the biggest drop being in casual dining. My sense has been that everyone was just eating more and more meals out these days.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Yes, I do know the difference between strawberries and peaches. The photo was taken last month when the new menu was announced. That must have been the spring version, and now that it's later in the summer Pazo's kitchen is making the appetizer with peaches.

This, by the way, would be an easy and delicious hors d'oeuvre to make at home. Just wrap the prosciutto-like ham around chunks of ripe summer peaches (or use prosciutto, for that matter), decorate it with a watercress leaf, and stick a toothpick in to hold it together.

Maybe I should copy the photo here so you'll see what I mean. Only use peaches instead of strawberries. 

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun Photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Sams Waterfront Cafe, a longtime Annapolis hangout, has a new name (Sams on the Waterfront), a new owner, a new chef and a new menu of contemporary American cuisine. Renovations are in the works to spruce up the place to match the loftier ambitions of the kitchen.

No matter what, you'll have a pleasant view of the water if you eat here; but the food needs to be very, very good at these prices ($30-$35 for many of the entrees). Find out if it is  in my review next week in the new Arts and Life section.
 

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Review Preview
        

OK, it's official. The next Top Ten Tuesday will be Ten Great Places You Probably Don't Know About...Yet. Thanks to Henry for the suggestion. 

The reason I'm looking forward to making up the list is that it gives me a chance to write about restaurants I don't often write about. My worry is that you'll know about them anyway.

If anyone can guess what the restaurant is in the photo, then I may have to rethink the whole thing.

As always, suggestions are welcome, although that sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? 

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

It sounds like Charlie Gjerde has had enough of fine dining. I finally got him on his cell, and he told me that he is indeed one of the owners of the new Alexander's Tavern, which will be opening where Gemini was in Fells Point. (See previous post.)

It turns out that Alexander is the name of the son of his partner, Carrie Podles. The two are opening a kid-friendly tavern in Fells Point, which is pretty amazing when you think about it. Of course, there will be a bar (this is Fells Point), but there will also be foosball, shuffleboard and a pool table.

The menu is still being developed, but Gjerde says it won't be buffalo wings. The hoped-for opening is early to mid-September.

(Monica Lopossay/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I'm having trouble coming up with the next Top Ten topic. So many restaurants, so few Tuesdays. Anyway, here are a few suggestions I got recently: ...

*Top Ten Wackiest Baltimore Restaurants

*Top Ten Places To Propose (anyone who has ever proposed in a restaurant, been proposed to in a
restaurant, witnessed a proposal, etc will want to tell you all about.  I guarantee over 12 comments.)

*Top Ten Old-Fashioned Diners

*Top Ten Places You're Most Likely to Spot a Local Celebrity (you'd make it a mix of the high end spots
and hole-in-the-wall favorites)

*Top Ten Places You're Surprised To See Succeed in B-Town

Any of these that strike your fancy? If not, as Stevie Francis once said after a Terps game when the interviewer congratulated him on his play, "I had some moves. But I got some more moves you ain't even seen yet."

I got some more Top Tens you ain't even seen yet. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

(Gene Sweeney/Sun Photographer)

Get out your party hats. Tonight is the first night the new Lime tequila bar (1803 West St.) in Annapolis is open to the public.  The owner, Brandon Smith, also has a Lime in Baltimore on Fort Avenue.  

His new place has more tequilas, more signature drinks and an expanded menu of Tex-Mex food. Unlike the Baltimore Lime, it will serve lunch, and there's outside seating.

The restaurant is located where B. F. Biggins was, and before that, the Crabcake Factory. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Carry Out Sam Sessa gave me a timely tip yesterday. Gemini (710 S. Broadway) in Fells Point has closed, and Sam kindly wrote down the names of the new owners listed on the Liquor Board notice for me.

The new place will be named Alexander's Tavern, and according to the Liquor Board, it will be expanding into 712 S. Broadway.

What caught my eye was that one of the names on the notice was Charlie Gjerde's. That's Charlie of the late, lamented Spike & Charlie's, along with several other restaurants.

I called his brother Spike Gjerde at his newest venture, Artifact Coffee in Hampden, to get Charlie Gjerde's cell phone number. While I was at it, I asked about Woodberry Kitchen, Spike's farm-to-table restaurant that will be opening next door.

Spike Gjerde said, "It's looking beautiful. I'm not allowed to give an exact date of when we'll be open, so I'll say by the end of summer."

Meanwhile I only got a voicemail when I called Charlie Gjerde's cell. I'll keep you posted if and when he calls back.

By the way, that's the now-closed Gemini in the photo. I think I had dinner at that second-floor table, and I liked looking out the window while I ate.

(Doug Kapustin/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

A reader asked me if I knew anything about restaurant.com, which provides information about eating places, maps and online reservations. Its raison d'etre seems to be selling dining certificates. In the Baltimore/Annapolis vicinity, there are 93 restaurants listed.

So, for instance, if you wanted to go to Germano's Trattoria in Little Italy you could buy a $25 dining certificate for $10. In Germano's case, you have to be a party of four or more.

It seems legit, but I haven't tried it. If anyone reading this has, please post your experience with Restaurant.com below.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

This is the before picture of Mia Carolina in northwest Baltimore County, now a little more than two years old. (It's where Mezzanotte Bistro used to be.)

I've heard good things about the restaurant, although it's slipped under my radar. Apparently it does the true Italian trattoria thing very well. Everything, including the rustic bread, is made in house.

 Major remodeling should be finished by mid-September, says owner-chef Jay Cohen. He's thinking in terms of a wine-centric restaurant and liquor store like the Wine Market downtown. His wine list will double, to more than 100 bottles, and the menu of contemporary and traditional Italian food will be updated.

"It will be more of a food and wine lovers destination," he says.

(Photo courtesy of Mia Carolina)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I got a comment from Nancy on July 15 that I found puzzling. It was under an entry called "Greetings," and at first I didn't remember posting an entry called "Greetings." (I read each comment as it comes in because I'm the one who "publishes" them. If you wondered why yours took 6 hours to appear, it's because I was asleep.)

Anyway, back to Nancy. ... 

I realized she had posted on my very first blog entry, which was more than three months and 262 entries ago. I like to think she sat down and read them all while she was at it.

People do post on old entries all the time (just not quite that old), so if there's a subject that interests you, like outdoor eating, I recommend you take another look at the original entry.

It's easier than it used to be with the new Web site. If the search function that's now on the right of your screen was there before, I couldn't find it. The Categories on the right of your screen aren't as useful, but that's the blog software's fault. Sometimes it lets me categorize my entry and sometimes not. It's easier just to search for barbecue.

I'm beginning to like this newest version of The Sun's Web site. I admit it has its glitches -- what happened to all the italics in the blogs? -- but at least the blogs are easier to find. And all I had to do was search for "Greetings" to get to the post I wanted.

It's not just entry names either. Keywords also work.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Riordan's Saloon in Annapolis, which has been a City Dock staple for more than 30 years, will close this Sunday for good. I called and spoke to owner Mike Riordan. When I asked he said, "That's a confirmed kill."

Apparently he had a couple of Baltimoreans interested in buying the place, but the lease terms couldn't be agreed on.

 Here's a link to the story in the Capital Online.

(Photo courtesy of Riordan's)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

 Before I wrote the previous post about Dogwood restaurant's being closed for renovations, I wasn't able to talk to the owners directly about their plans because they were out of town.

Bridget Sampson, pictured with her husband Galen, sent me this e-mail today telling me more: ...

(Glenn Fawcett/Sun Photographer)

"...The restaurant will be closed for all of July and most of August. We will be putting in the bar--a beautiful old deco-inspired bar rescued from an old stand up bar in Canton, called Girly Hoffman's. We bought the bar from Denise Whiting of Cafe Hon--she told us she wanted it to have a good home, and it was the first item we bought when we secured the lease on the space in Hampden. It's been in storage ever since!  So, we are working on a liquor license, which we are anticipating will be finalized early October.

We are also opening up the space and redesigning it with the help of our designer, Myrna Poirier. She is trying to help us design space that reflects our mission of working with local farms and using as much organic as possible, so we are trying to lighten it up and create more cohesion (not hard to do, as there was very little before!) and emphasize the natural and organic nature of Galen's food. We are very excited about the cork floor that is going to be installed in the newly opened space. (The other half of the space was basically walled off by a temporary wall, so now we will have twice the amount of space.)

We are also trying to rectify many of the glaring problems we've had with the space over this first six months. So, we're installing new acoustic ceiling tiles and using some fabric treatments to help with the noise issue. We are also hoping that the new cork floor will absorb some of the noise, as the dining room gets extremely loud when full. We are working on getting the air conditioners working effectively and in simply making the space prettier, understated, comfortable and elegant--an appropriate showcase for Galen's food.

We are trying to let everyone know that the deli is open during all the renovations and that we are also doing catering out of the kitchen and deli over the next few months. ..."

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Poor Mr. Ecks. He's the owner of the Chez Casa di Trattoria della Parma. (The names have been changed to protect the innocent.) He's upset because his special deal -- half-price squab covered with nightingale tongues and a side of mashers on alternate Sundays -- wasn't included in my Top Ten today.

Well, tough, Mr. Ecks. I've been asking for suggestions for a week. What, you're too modest to post your own specials? So you should have had your mother do it. Or post it yourself under an assumed name. I'm not psychic, you know.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

If you're willing to eat out when things are slow, say a Monday or Tuesday night, there are some great meal deals out there. Here are ten good ones, but I hope people will let me (and other readers) know about others by posting comments below.

And, of course, don't forget Baltimore Restaurant Week starting next Monday, when the more than 80 participating restaurants -- some of the city's finest -- will offer three-course dinners for $30.07.

Now here's my list: ...

(Steve Ruark/ Special to the Sun)

* Aficionados say that Iggies has the best gourmet pizza in town. This is an unbelievable deal for a Saturday night; but I guess it makes sense because the special is only in August, the dead month for restaurants. Bring in a bottle of wine or a six-pack of beer (Iggies is BYOB) and get a large pizza for half price. Dine in only.

* It isn't exactly a well-kept secret, but any list of deals has to include Tuesdays at Gerties. From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Gertrude's at the BMA offers a menu of nine $10 and three $12 dinners. With the food you can choose from a list of $18 bottles of wine.

* If you like imaginative food (there is skate wing on the menu, for instance, and mac, cheese and chocolate), Jack's Bistro in Canton serves $12 entrees in the bar only on Sunday nights.

*The Sly Fox Pub in Federal Hill has a lobster dinner with two sides for $14 on Tuesday nights. You can also get half price bottles of wine. Thanks to Mather for alerting me to this one.

*If you want to go more upscale, Captain Harvey's in Reisterstown has a one-pound lobster dinner  with a "chef's choice" potato and side salad for $19.95. Thanks, Christine!

* Every Monday is Neighborhood Night at the Wine Market. Fort Avenue's contemporary American restaurant and wine bar offers 20 percent off its entrees and has a list of 30 wines for $15. Walk-ins only.

* Helen's Garden in Canton has a three-course wine dinner for $29 on Tuesdays, $12 entrees and half-price glasses of wine at the bar until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays, and $14 bottles of wines on Thursdays. No reservations are taken for Wednesdays.

*I'm a fan of the pasta bolognese at a particular Donna's, the one in Charles Village, so I appreciate the fact that on Tuesdays all pastas are $10.

* C Mac recommends the steak specials at Claddagh Pub in Canton. It's been awhile since I've eaten there, but the beef was good. Mondays' 14-ounce T-bone steak with fries and a salad for $12.95 and Tuesdays' 14-ounce New York strip with veggies and mashed potatoes for $14.95 seem like good deals to me.

* Someone wrote me about $5 pizzas at Velleggia's in Little Italy on Thursday nights, but I must have killed out the e-mail by mistake. (Stand up and take a bow if you're reading this.) It turns out the pizzas cost $5.70, still a great deal; and when I called the restaurant to confirm, the owner told me about an even better deal. This is the restaurant's 70th anniversary, and through August you can order from a special menu of 3 appetizers and 12 entrees, each for $7.70. Salad for a table of four is also $7.70. These are real meals, he stressed.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

I don't ever remember such a furor over a restaurant that isn't built and doesn't even have a name yet. It's the Charleston Group's newest venture, which may or may not be called Osteria somethingorother when it finally opens in the area east of the harbor.

Two readers sent me a link to a story about it in the online Baltimore Business Journal today, which had lots of juicy details about the supposed new chef and menu. Within a few hours it disappeared from the site.

When I got in touch with Tony Foreman by e-mail, he made it clear that the information hadn't come from the Charleston Group.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

While I was checking Joss Cafe & Sushi Bar in the 2007 Zagat guide for my last post, it struck me once again how odd it is that the two restaurants in the guide tied for top-rated food are Joss in Annapolis and Sushi Sono in Columbia. I would think Charleston, Prime Rib and Tio Pepe would be right in there with them, given that this is Baltimore.

I know that the category is "top rating for food," not most popular; so...

(Amy Davis/Sun Photographer) 

My theory, and I could be totally wrong, is that since Zagat moved the voting online, the outcome has skewed younger. And even though boomers enjoy sushi, generations X and Y eat a lot more of it more often, and think of it as no more exotic than a hamburger. They aren't as likely to get to Charleston either, given the cost of a meal there.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I'm hearing that the empty Kawasaki space  at 413  N.  Charles  is going to be reopened by  Joss Cafe & Sushi Bar, the popular Annapolis restaurant. By popular I mean it was one of the two restaurants top rated for food in this year's Zagat guide for the whole Baltimore/Annapolis area.

I went by the spot yesterday afternoon, and it still looks totally deserted. The transfer-of-ownership Liquor Board notice is posted on the door. When I got home, I called Joss to ask what the plans were and spoke to a Tong Boun, who said she was an owner, but, "I am not in the position to give out that information."

She said she would have general manager Heather call me. When I asked when Heather would call, Boun said Heather would be on vacation this week and she would call me next week. When I asked if someone else could call sooner, she said maybe another general manager could. Obviously nothing is going to happen very fast, including my finding out anything.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun Photographer)

When Pazo opened two years ago, the tapas craze was at its height. It became one of Baltimore’s hottest tables. Now it sounds as if at least some Baltimoreans are ready to return to more traditional dining; and Pazo has obliged, with a new menu of entrees as well as small plates. 

The format suits the restaurant, which always seemed like it should be more than just a glorified tapas bar; but how well is the new menu executed? You can read my review next week in the Modern Living section of the Sunday Sun.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Review Preview
        

A friend, knowing how much I admire Ray Lewis because he likes to keep his body fat from dropping below 7 percent, sent me this link to an article about his Full Moon Bar-B-Que in the Baltimore Business Journal Friday.

It looks as if this story in the Birmingham Business Journal would tell us more (the chain originates in Alabama), but you can only get the full text if you're a paid print subscriber, and I'm not willing to subscribe just yet.

No one has told me whether there have been any noticeable changes in the restaurant or its food since the Lewis family has been operating it without the out-of-town investors.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Someone recently asked me where the Best Restaurants in Baltimore list was on The Sun's Web site. Or if it wasn't on the Web site, if we had a dining guide of best restaurants. We don't.

These days instead of simply picking  what we think are the area's top eating places, our dining guides have a theme like "special occasion restaurants" or "cheap eats."

But back to the reader's question. There is no list of Baltimore's best restaurants on The Sun's Web site, although it might be good to create one. Say, a list of every place that gets three stars or more from one of our reviewers with the date when it was reviewed next to it.

Maybe with our newly redesigned Web site there is such a list, and I just haven't come across it yet.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

You probably don't think of nouvelle and traditional Persian cuisine when you think of Sunday brunch, but why not? 

At the hard-to-find  Orchard Market & Cafe in Towson, brunch is a fixed price from 11:45 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and then a la carte until 4 p.m. (But then can we really call it brunch?)

When I called to find out the price yesterday, the woman who answered the phone said $13, but she didn't sound as confident as I wanted her to. I'll call later when the place is open today and make sure.

The restaurant is BYOB, which makes it a little tricky if you must have mimosas or bloody marys with your brunch.

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun Photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Brunch
        

I got this e-mail from Shayna today, but I couldn't tell her anything. The one time I tried to eat there it was closed, even though it was supposed to be open, which worried me. I haven't tried again. Can anyone help?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

You don't need your restaurant critic dissecting Artscape food. I think of it like popcorn at a movie theater. Whatever its flaws (it was popped in Wisconsin, it's too salty, it costs too much), you know you gotta have it.

Same with Artscape eats.  It's going to be the same  global "street" food that you get at all the fairs, and it's going to be expensive. But who can resist?

Should you go with Greek, Thai, Mexican, Jamaican or stick to plain old American?

I can't answer that for you, but I can tell you that I wimped out and got a crab cake, and it was surprisingly better than I thought it was going to be. Crab cakes are sold just to the left as you walk into the food court from Mount Royal.

I was also thirsty, so I bought the first lemonade I came across for five bucks. You can do better, I found out. On the other side of the food court, Oasis Lemonade was selling 16-ounce cups for $3.

Definitely get a peach ice cream from South Beach's stall, a bit outside the food court proper. It's homemade and local. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I'm off the have some international street food for lunch. In other words, I'm off to Artscape. Check back here later, and I'll let you know what I find.

The photo was taken at last year's food court.

Also, check the arts blog, Critical Mass, later this weekend for updates on everything but food at Artscape.

(Colby Ware/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

"We barbecue everything but the baby. We boil him." Big Shoe's, Terra Haute, Ind. That's one of three "Great Barbecue-Joint Slogans" in the new edition of Real Barbecue, by Vince Staten and Greg Johnson, first published 20 years ago. (It quickly became a barbecue bible.) The others are "You don't need teeth to eat Mr. Jim's beef," from Mr. Jim's Barbecue in LA, and -- yes -- "Hogs smell better barbecued" from our own Andy Nelson's Southern Pit Barbecue.

Andy Nelson's is one of two Maryland places reviewed in the book. The other is Johnny Boy's Ribs in La Plata. This is where I would usually ask if anyone reading this has eaten there; but frankly I don't think I would get any takers. From the photo it looks like one of those places that you either live in La Plata or you have to be writing a book on barbecue to find it. ...

(Robert K. Hamilton/Sun Photographer)

Correct me if I'm wrong here.

Those are the only two Maryland places highlighted in the book, but the reviews are leisurely, and the authors start reminiscing about the now defunct Cafe Tattoo -- "RIP to the only barbecue joint where you could chow down on great 'que and get Mother stitched on your bicep in one stop."

I'd forgotten all about the Cafe Tattoo, which was on Belair Road. I can't even remember when it closed, but when I get into work I'll hunt around in the Sun archives and see if I can dig up the year, unless someone else knows.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Bar-B-Que
        

Say what you will about expensive steakhouses, one of their great virtues is that the staff is usually accommodating.

Good Eater Diane wrote me an e-mail telling me about her dinner at Morton's. She's a slender woman, and she can't pack 'em in the way some can. ...

(Amy Davis/Sun Photographer)

Here's part of what she wrote:

"I challenged them to accommodate me with a smaller portion of their shrimp cocktail which typically comes with 6 huge shrimp – a dinner in itself.  I asked for only two which they were happy to accommodate and was the perfect portion."

(She didn't go hungry; she followed it with a steak.)

This isn't something that it would occur to me to do, but I like it. You can't exactly ask for a doggie bag for four shrimp. Well, maybe you could, but I wouldn't have the nerve. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Limo driver Harvey tells me he took some ladies to the Dogwood restaurant in Hampden for dinner, and it was closed.

I called and was told that the dining room is being renovated and expanded, and it will reopen in mid-August. The deli will be open for business the whole time.

Usually I would be worried about a restaurant this new being "closed for renovations," but they seem to have been doing well, and the deli's being open is a good sign.

(Amy Davis/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Next week's Top Ten Tuesday will be specials like this pastas for $10 on Tuesday nights.

I have several, but not ten yet. If you know of any, please post below or e-mail me, and I'll make one phone call do the rest of the legwork.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

If I had  my way, my reviews would disappear from the Sun's archives three months after they appear. But I'm beginning to wonder if they aren't often outdated long before that.

What started me thinking about this is the recent moves by several chefs who have made a name for themselves in this area. I was all set to go to the new three... near Patterson Park when I heard it was closed on a Saturday night; one of the owners who was also the chef had left. It reopened the next week with a new chef. (See previous post "Call It Two.")

Then I got an e-mail from Mark Schek (l.), who had a loyal following as the owner/chef of the now-closed Rooster Cafe in Columbia, He had resurfaced at Abacrombie near the Meyerhoff, only to leave again. I wasn't able to get in touch with him by phone, but it sounded legit. I called the bed and breakfast, and the innkeeper hadn't known anything about who was cooking. (The restaurant is now under separate ownership.) He promised to have someone call me back, but so far no one has.

The point of all this is simply to state the obvious: The restaurant business is incredibly volatile these days. Use reviews as guidelines, not gospel.

(David Hobby/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The paper got an e-mail from a nine year old recently suggesting a restaurant review column for kids, which he would write. His credentials were impeccable: He liked all kinds of food, from seafood to Thai, and he pointed out that parents are often guided by their children's choices when they go out to dinner.

 "Well, he'd probably be cheaper than I am," I told my boss.

But joking aside. ...Wow. Times have changed. When I was nine years old I liked to eat a lot of different stuff; but the idea of wanting to write about what I ate -- or even think about it -- instead of going out to play would never have crossed my mind. Going to a restaurant seemed like fun, but usually turned out not to be because the grownups always took too long.

I wonder who his audience would be. Other kids? Parents trying to figure out where to take their families? Don't most people just go to the best chain restaurant near their homes they can talk their children into until they turn into teenagers?

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

July 30 through August 5 is the week when participating Baltimore restaurants will be offering three-course dinners for $30.07. (Some have three-course lunches for $20.07 as well.) This year there are more than 80 places taking part.

Here's the link.

At first glance, it seems like a win-win situation for everyone. Restaurants get new customers who might otherwise not try their places. Diners get a good meal for less money than usual.

I didn't try it last year, so I don't know if that's true or not. If you feel like posting something about your experience with restaurant week, I'd like to hear about it.

Care to guess the restaurant in the photo? It's one of the ones on the list, obviously.

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

(Photo courtesy of the Naked Crab)

Just how lazy are you? I have to admit this sounds pretty good to me. The Naked Crab, a new carryout in Ocean City, takes the back off its crabs, pulls out the organs, replaces them with seasoning and then steams them. Hence the name.

Not to worry, you traditionalists. The place also has regular steamed hardshells.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun Photographer)

New research from GfK Roper Consulting finds that bars shouldn't be unduly alarmed about smoking bans. The reason? Underlying the smokers' drinking is a pattern of emotional "and even sensual" need. GfK suggests that bars meet those needs to keep smokers on their bar stools.

The market research firm is one of the top five in the world, so bar owners may listen to its advice. Here it is: ...

"Far more than as an indulgence, US smokers’ motivations for drinking are distinguished by a tendency to see alcohol as a stress-reliever. ... As much as any tactic, a strategy of bars’ keeping business by addressing smokers’ psychological needs should include a stepped-up effort by bartenders to be their patrons’ counselor/confessor/psychotherapist/friend. ...

This analysis is based on GfK’s Roper Reports® Worldwide’s in-person 2007 survey of nearly 32,000 consumers. ..."

So don't be surprised if your bartender suddenly gets a lot chummier. After all, he or she doesn't know whether you're a smoker or not.

(French smokers, by the way, supposedly drink because they need an indulgence, and it's a "cuisine centric" culture. So the advice for French bar owners is to give smoker/drinkers plates of hors d'oeuvre to keep them coming!)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun Photographer)

Well, with "Top Ten Not Your Parents' Restaurants," I managed to offend everyone over 30, which isn't easy to do with just one posting.

Unfortunately Karen Nitkin's suggestion, from Idaho Falls where she's on vacation, came a little too late to include, but it's a good one: a hookah restaurant like Zeeba Lounge in Federal Hill.

No one's going to argue with that one, right?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

(Monica Lopossay/Sun Photographer) 

When parents and in-laws visit, I say err on the conservative side when you pick a restaurant. (See last week's Top Ten.) Save these ten places for yourself and your friends. I know, I know. Your parents have been to every one of these and loved them all. I'm talking about other people's parents. ...

* Rocket to Venus. This hip Hampden eatery is guaranteed to make anyone over 30 feel ancient, with its retro sci-fi decor and well-pierced staff. The food is fine, but most of the clientele doesn't look old enough to vote.

* Lime (801 E. Fort Ave.). You go for the 80 different tequilas and the margaritas. You perch on a stool at a high top table and never notice they aren't as comfortable as a banquette. You enjoy the limited Tex-Mex menu. Believe me, your folks won't.

* Ixia. Every generation deserves to have a special occasion restaurant of their own, expensive and with great food. Yes, your parents would love chef Kevin Miller's cuisine; but when they see the edgy, theatrical setting they're going to wonder why you didn't take them to Tio Pepe.

* Red Maple. Are your in-laws beautiful enough and young enough to eat here? I think not. Plus they are not going to appreciate the seating (extremely low) or the tiny Asian dishes, each one an objet d'art that they'll have to eat with chopsticks. 

* Tsunami in Annapolis. The name says it all. It's like eating in a tidal wave when the place is packed. The noise is almost balanced by the wonderful Pacific Rim cuisine, but you'd do better to wait to see if the Baltimore branch, which should open in August, is a little less edgy and a little quieter.

* Dukem. Their idea of adventuresome foreign food is fajitas at Chili's. Not kitfo, tibs, kornis, and alicha. They are so not going to enjoy eating very spicy food containing ingredients they don't recognize with spongy pieces of bread rather than knives and forks.

* Mama's on the Half Shell (2901 ODonnell St.). The oysters are fabulous. Love the warm Old Baltimore look of the place. But at peak hours the noise level is staggering, and the in-laws won't appreciate the first-floor bar crowd. Arthritic knees won't enjoy going up and down those stairs to the dining room when things are hopping.

* Martick's (214 W. Mulberry St.). Even good French food won't make up for the unfortunate neighborhood and the creepy locked entrance. Your parents will be freaked out before they even get inside, and the fact that Martick's is a Baltimore institution won't cut much ice with them.

* Papermoon Diner. If they're over 40, they probably won't understand why you even need a place that's open 24/7. Papermoon's eye-popping colors, quirky decor, casual servers, student clientele and diner food -- none of it is going to go over well.

* Zodiac (1724 N. Charles St.). Your in-laws will think the astrologically-themed decor is silly, it can be crazy on the weekends, and what's appealing to you -- the variety of good vegan and vegetarian dishes -- will mean nothing to them. 

Thanks to Marty, Sam, Mather and Steve for their help. 

ps: Today's photo is the answer to yesterday's photo. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun Photographer)

One of partners in the new restaurant three..., Jack Starr, has parted ways with the other two. Unfortunately, he was the chef.

Three... closed last Wednesday and will reopen tomorrow with Peter Livolsi, who opened Pazo, running the kitchen. Thanks to Hal for alerting me to the closing. ...

I gave the restaurant a call, and Livolsi happened to answer the phone. He's revamped the menu, which will now feature his Mediterranean style of cooking. There will be small plates, of course, entrees, salads and a daily seafood menu.

Pictured in the photo are Michael Harmel and Jack Starr.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

(Monica Lopossay/Sun Photographer)

Don't forget that tomorrow's Top Ten Tuesday is places you shouldn't take the parents or in-laws for various reasons, but they have good food. There's still time to nominate your favorite. And does anyone want to take a crack at identifying the restaurant in the photo?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Thanks to Umberto for posting this weekend under a previous entry "Purple Orchid" about the restaurant's longtime owner/chef Richard Wong. (Other readers had wondered what happened to him when his Inner Harbor location closed.)

I followed up on Umberto's info and gave Harborplace's marketing department a call. They told me that Wong's two kiosks in the Light Street Pavilion are Chicken Gourmet and Thai Noodle Bowl.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

(Monica Lopossay/Sun Photographer)

According to the Passion for Coffee Web site, our senses can detect 800 flavor characteristics of coffee as compared to only 400 for red wine. This led the pr person for Saeco USA, which is launching seven new home espresso machines this year, to send me a release saying that coffee tastings are a "hot new trend" in home entertaining.

Well, I don't know about that, but if you're interested in trying a coffee tasting, or "cupping," as it's called, here's how: ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I won't embarrass my friend by talking about the excellent meal she made, but isn't that a great olive dish above? Talk about specialized pieces of equipment.  The olives were fat, spicy and filled with feta, and I think I ate all of them myself. She got them at the olive bar at Eddie's on North Charles Street.

Her husband made a blueberry pie in a crumb crust for dessert. He poured the cooked filling (made with fresh berries) over some berries  that hadn't been cooked, so every once in a while you would get a burst of blueberry flavor. Neat trick. Maybe everyone knows about it but me, but I've never made a blueberry pie you didn't bake.

They also served tomato and goat cheese tarts on puff pastry. The recipe, my friend told me, is from The Barefoot Contessa cookbook. 

OK, maybe I am talking about the meal. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

(Christopher T. Assaf/Sun Photographer)

When Minato, which was a sedate Japanese restaurant in a basement on Mount Vernon Square, moved north recently I didn’t realize it planned to change its style so drastically.  The menu remains much the same, but the look is now edgy and fun. Is it time to rediscover this midtown sushi bar? Read my review next week in the Sunday Modern Life section to see what I think.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Review Preview
        

One of the unfortunate side effects of being a restaurant critic is that no one wants to cook for you, even though whatever my friends might fix for me will probably be better than 99 percent of the restaurant meals I get.

Brave Patti has invited us over for dinner tonight. (Even her son said to her, "Is she going to write it up? Ha ha.")

In fact, the worst thing about being a restaurant critic is that...

The words just slip out of my mouth. "Gee, I've never heard that one before. Good one."

Or, "That should make our hostess feel more relaxed."

I remember not long after I first got this job my mother, probably the best home cook I've ever known, said that even she felt a little uncomfortable cooking for me. That was unnerving.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Report from the Waverly Farmers Market this morning: Cindy of Glenville Hollow Farms has a new corn variety that looks fabulous. She couldn't tell me the name except that it's an Indian name that begins with an M. (If anyone has any guesses, please post below.)

She says she asked whoever sells her the seeds (does corn grow from seeds? kernels?) to give her a variety that isn't the artificial-tasting supersweet. I hope Kathy who posted a while back reads this. I agree with her: I want corn that tastes like corn, and is sweet only because it's so young.

Cindy doesn't come to the Baltimore market tomorrow; she goes to Takoma Park. But you can catch her at the Towson market on Thursday.

Of course, you still have three hours to shop today if you're checking this blog first thing on Saturday mornings the way you should.  

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun Photographer)

Micho's  food is Mediterranean; but brunch sounds pretty eclectic, with dishes like Eggs Micho's, a variation of eggs benedict made with a poached egg and crab cake with hollandaise on ciabatta  ($15.95), and New York strip and huevos rancheros ($17.95).

OK, not exactly your light summer brunch, but then you won't have to eat again that day.

Micho's has opened a couple of outdoor eating areas if it's not too warm, a patio and a second-story balcony.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Brunch
        

 I got this info from a local pr person about the pricing. I couldn't eat enough to make it worthwhile personally, but readers spoke so passionately in the Brazilian chain's defense in response to an earlier blog entry, I'm guessing a lot of people can:

The Baltimore Fogo de Chão will seat 300 guests, including tables suitable for large groups and semi-private dining areas. Diners pay $22.50 for lunch and $42.50 for dinner, which includes unlimited trips to the salad bar and all meats and side dishes. Drinks, dessert, tax and gratuity are priced separately.

A mid-August opening is still being planned at 600 E. Pratt St.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

My daughter, who is absolutely On Trend always (hey, she lives in LA, doesn't she?) tells me that Pinkberry is the next big thing.

I'm skeptical, because I just can't believe that most Americans will happily eat tart frozen yogurt. In other words, ...

...yogurt that tastes like yogurt rather than disguising itself as ice cream.

Plus, it only comes in two flavors: plain and green tea.

But I've seen the lines snaking out the doors of franchises in California, and there are now four Pinkberrys in New York, so maybe I'm wrong. Devotees refer to it as "crackberry."

Remember, you read it here first.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun Photographer)

While cutting my hair this morning, Hairdresser Extraordinaire Tomm told me about the rehearsal dinner he threw for his son last week. I was particularly interested because I get so many readers wanting to know about restaurants that have private rooms for parties. ...

I wouldn't have thought of Mezze, the "tapas" restaurant in Fells Point, because it's small; but apparently they rent out the upstairs for private parties up to 60 people. Tomm knows his food (I think he owned a restaurant once) and he said it was excellent. For $30 a person the party got more than they could eat.

The servers brought out tray after tray of Mediterranean small plates, then salads, then crab cakes and lamb chops, then four different desserts.

The price didn't include liquor, of course. Red and white wine and beer were served. The owner warned Tomm to let his guests know that hard liquor wasn't part of the deal. In the past, apparently, guests have gone downstairs, had a few drinks at the bar (and maybe bought a round for the house), then told the bartender to put it on the host's tab upstairs.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

(Sun Archives)

Foodies won't be surprised to learn that the fast-casual category of restaurants is the fastest growing in the country -- up 14 percent compared to 6 percent for other chain restaurants. What is surprising is that Panera dominates the category, according to...

...Technomic, a food industry research company.

Nothing against Panera, but is it really that much better than the other contenders in the fast-casual category? Those would be Panda Express, Chipotle, Boston Market and El Pollo Loco. Panera had $2 billion in sales in 2006, up 20 percent from 2005.

 Is it the bread? (Food Editor Kate tells me her husband loves its bagels.) Is it the type of food? The atmosphere? I've eaten there, but then not given it another thought.

The photo is from the Panera in Towson Marketplace, circa 1999.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun Photographer)

Next week's Top Ten Tuesday will be restaurants you won't want to take your visiting parents or in-laws to. These will be places that have good food but, for instance, your parents/in-laws would have to perch their backsides on teeny weeny uncushioned chairs.

Like last week's Top Ten, it's a given that I'll be doing some serious stereotyping here. ...

I know your very cool parents don't mind extremely loud restaurants if they can get a good meal, or being packed in like sardines, or being surrounded by 20-somethings, but I'm going to pretend they do for the sake of argument.

I also know that they are slim and vigorous and haven't gained two pounds a year as they age, which is what my nutritional guru, Robin Spence, says is normal. (This is a plug for next Wednesday's Make Over My Meal in the Taste section.) But pretend they would prefer a spacious, comfortable dining room.

And if you think you're hip enough, take a crack at identifying the restaurant above.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

(Photo courtesy of Michael Tabrizi)

I talked to Michael Tabrizi this morning, and he told me after he left Tabrizi's in the hands of his partner, Susan Daniel, he went to Europe for a year -- basically an extended vacation. He then...

...returned to Baltimore and worked as a private chef for three years. After that he got out of the food business altogether and started an internet shipping company in Owings Mills.

The restaurant business must be in his blood (something I'll never understand, seeing how difficult it is) because he's opening a new Tabrizi's this summer. He looked for a space for two years before settling on 500 Harborview Drive, where Lillie's was last and before that too many restaurants to mention. He's planning to open his new place the first week in August, but we all know how slippery opening dates are.

The restaurant has, he says, about 200 seats on the patio overlooking the marina, where neighborhood people can come casual, and then inside (with 120 seats) will be what he hopes will be a destination restaurant.

The food will be southern Mediterranean and Middle Eastern and (for some reason this was the quote that  stuck with me) "there will be no salt and pepper shakers on the table." I guess he's serious about the seasoning being perfect before the dish ever gets to his customers.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

(Amy Davis/Sun Photographer)

I just got a voicemail message from Joshau Hill saying he was scrolling through the blog and saw his name mentioned yesterday. (See previous post "Good News, Bad News.")

His deal fell through with Red Fish, he told me, the day I announced in my Table Talk column he was the new chef at that restaurant. Anyway, he is the one highlighted on Tabrizi's Web site.

I also got a voicemail from Michael Tabrizi (I had sent him an e-mail from the site). He gave me his cell number, so when I talk to him I'll let you know about the new place here. And for those who prefer knowing exactly when it will appear rather than checking back, I'll also put it in Table Talk next Wednesday.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

This, boys and girls, is a Cherokee Purple. My Cherokee Purple. As many of you probably know, it's a variety of heirloom tomato. I bought it Sunday from the Brown's Cove Farm people at the farmers market under the viaduct, and it was the first of the season that I've seen.

In case you've never had a Cherokee Purple, ransom your first born to buy one (and you'll probably have to; they don't give them away). Cherokees are meaty and blood red, with traces of green. The flavor is full bodied and sweet. I say it's the best tomato out there; but if you know of a better one, I'd like to hear about it.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

(Sun archives)

Check out this link to the Web site of what looks like the reincarnation of Tabrizi's, a popular Middle Eastern restaurant in Federal Hill that closed in the '90s. The photo above is the only one I could find in the archives, and it was taken after Michael Tabrizi -- the original chef -- had left the restaurant.

I called the number on the site, but no one answered and there isn't any voice mail yet.

There are a couple of things that worry me about this news, wonderful as the old Tabrizi's was, and beautiful as the new Web site is. First, 500 Harborview Drive has been a Bermuda Triangle for restaurants -- good, bad and indifferent.

Second, isn't this the same Joshua Hill a.k.a Joshau Hill who was chef and part owner of Red Fish in Canton only a few months ago? I've put in a call to the restaurant, but haven't heard back yet.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

And happy birthday to you, too, if your big day falls on this Friday, July 13. That's also the date of Krispy Kreme's 70th anniversary, and participating locations will give you a dozen original glazed doughnuts free if you have the proper identification showing your birth date.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

(Paul Hilton/Bloomberg News)

Just kidding. Dim sum is a Cantonese tradition consisting of a series of small dishes, including steamed and fried dumplings and other tidbits. The Chinese restaurants that serve it around here do so either on the weekends as a brunch or daily until about 3 p.m. for lunch.

What inspired this was an e-mail:

Are there any Dim Sum restaurants in Baltimore, and what are the best ones? I'd appreciate your advice.Thanks.BOB FLEISHMAN

Chinatown Cafe, 323 Park Ave., Baltimore

Jesse Wong's Hong Kong, 10215 Wincopin Circle, Columbia (but not the other restaurants in the Jesse Wong group)

Oriental Manor, 9180 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City

Oriental East in Silver Spring

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

(Sun archives)

In a comment under the "No Review Preview Today" entry on Sunday, Robert asked why The Sun doesn't use a guest reviewer when I'm on vacation.

It's not my decision, but I'm just as glad I don't have a substitute. I have two selfish reasons and one more altruistic. ...

The first selfish one is that I don't want to give up any restaurant to anyone else. What if the one time Happy Eater Rob goes in my place he gets the four-star meal and I miss it? (Of course, I realize how extremely unlikely this is, but I'm the kind of person who hoards chocolate. Only another foodie would understand.) 

The second is that half the readers will think it's me anyway because no one looks at bylines. No matter how big the box is announcing that I'm on vacation, people will still think they remember me saying I hated that new sushi place.

The more altruistic reason is that readers rely on my opinions being consistent, so to throw in a reviewer for one week doesn't give them any context to judge whether they would agree or disagree.

I thought Robert's idea of running very old reviews of iconic restaurants an excellent one, but I don't know if relative newcomers to the city would agree.

I've also thought of writing up capsules of recently run reviews to print when I'm on vacation -- say, the last five -- but I don't know if readers would find that useful or not.

No one was able to identify the Peppermill in the entry yesterday. How about an easier one: What's the restaurant in the photo above? Would you want to read a 17-year-old review of it?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

(Karl Merton Ferron/Sun Photographer)

I got this request from Scott Wright while I was on vacation. The only suggestion I could come up with for him was the Lebanese Taverna, now open for lunch. It's not in Canton, but it is nearby. Thinking about it some more, I should have also recommended the Austin Grill. (But is Mexican food even "ethnic" anymore?)

I promised him I would post his e-mail on my blog to see if anyone had any other recommendations:

any suggestions for great "ethnic" to take work colleagues to lunch?
 
baltimore sun website difficult to find this information.
 
thank you.
 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun Photographer)

Unless your parents or in-laws are the exception, they are going to want certain things in a restaurant besides good food.

It should be a place that's comfortable (no tiny tables too close together or hard little chairs), the noise level should be acceptable to older ears, and the wait staff should have a minimum of piercings and tattoos.

These are the places where you impress them by showing you are willing to put on a jacket or even a tie (OK, in this weather maybe that's not realistic, but anyway no jeans) and act like a grown up.

What do you get out of it? Maybe a better meal than you might otherwise be able to afford, and definitely brownie points.

Here's the list. Mather is right on with his suggestion of Patrick's in Cockeysville, and for some reason it slipped my mind, but I won't include it in my actual list since I just reviewed it.

Other suggestions welcome: ...

* Best place for traditional tastes:The Peppermill (1301 York Road) in Lutherville. The cuisine is Maryland comfort food and it's affordable. The staff is attentive. And your parents won't feel old here by any means.

* Restaurant for adults who want more imaginative food: Christopher Daniel in Timonium. The dining rooms are pleasant and comfortable, but definitely not as stylish as the New American cuisine.

* Classic example of an Old Baltimore restaurant: Sunset in Glen Burnie. We don't have Haussner's anymore, so this is the next best thing.

* Best place if they're looking for seafood (the sky's the limit): Oceanaire Seafood Room in Harbor East. The menu boasts 25 different varieties of fish.

* Best place for seafood (economy version): "Tuesdays with Gertie" at Gertrude's in the BMA. You can get $10 dinners of salmon or catfish and $12 dinners of crab cakes, crab imperial or fried oysters.

* Best choice for ethnic cuisine: The Ambassador Dining Room in Homewood. There may be other ethnic restaurants in the city that are quieter, better looking and more comfortable than this one,  but I can't think of any. The cuisine is Indian.

* Best Italian: Of course there are several places in Little Italy that would fit the bill, but that was a previous Top Ten Tuesday. How about Cafe Troia in Towson?

* Best place for brunch: The hotel buffet brunches are out; they involve too much getting up and down. My vote would be for the Oregon Grille in Cockeysville. Brunch is expensive, but not as expensive as dinner.

* Steak lovers choice: You know all the chain steak houses, and you're going to get good beef at them, but if you take the parents to Jordan's Steakhouse in Ellicott City, you can wander around the historic town afterwards.

* Prettiest dining room: Brightons in the InterContinental Harbor Court Hotel. I'd go there for afternoon tea, offered on Fridays and Saturdays.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

(John Makely/Sun Photographer)

Tomorrow's Top Ten Tuesday will be restaurants to take visiting parents and/or in-laws to. Thanks to Eric for the suggestion.

This is assuming, of course, that you don't have incredibly hip, edgy parents or in-laws like mine.

Ha ha. Just kidding.

I haven't made up the list yet, so feel free to post any suggestions below. And you get extra points if you can name the restaurant in the photo above.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Well, you can read this entry; just don't click on the link to the Baltimore City Health Department's list of food establishment closings before lunch.

Thanks to Bill S. for reminding me of this. He also makes a good point in his e-mail -- to keep an eye out for repeat offenders.

Unfortunately Maryland doesn't require eating places to post their letter grades from the health department in a prominent place the way California does. So it's up to us to keep an eye out and avoid the ones that don't clean up their act.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I was amazed to find that the Einstein Bros. bagels my brother brought up from Atlanta when I was on vacation didn't taste anything like the bagels I get here from the Towson franchise. They were dense, the kind of bagels everyone in the universe prefers except me. I like the Towson ones that are lighter and crisp-edged when you toast them, and the butter melts into the little holes on the surface in a really appealing way.

But what's happened to egg bagels? I didn't notice that they'd disappeared until yesterday, when I couldn't get a full dozen of the poppy seed. Is this a universal problem, or are there still egg bagels around? They are so superior to plain. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

That's because the review I didn't write while I was on vacation won't be appearing next week. It will say I'm on vacation next Sunday, but actually it will be my column that will be on vacation. I'm back in town and I'll be at work tomorrow.

I know, it's confusing.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Review Preview
        

(Photo by Gailor Large)

My daughter says there are more rocking chairs on porches in Sewanee, population 2,361, than in the whole city of Los Angeles. Just a thought.

Dinner tonight? It looks like high tea in the Nashville airport. Mmmm. That will be yummy. For sure Southwest isn't going to come up with anything more filling than salted peanuts.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I just got back from Sewanee's farmers market, which consists of a few locals who sell whatever their backyard gardens produce on Saturday mornings from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

I wanted corn and tomatoes for lunch, but there's no corn this year because of the drought. I was also looking for the woman who used to bake a fabulous loaf of bread from whole wheat flour and olive oil. But she's not there anymore.

It seems pretty rinky dink compared to where I'll be shopping tomorrow morning, at the farmers market under the viaduct in Baltimore. On the other hand, the green beans were picked this morning and the blackberries are wild from bushes in the woods. And if there had been corn, I could have had the water boiling only a couple of hours after it had been picked.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

If I ever opened a restaurant of my own, which of course I wouldn't, it would be a place like Pearl's Foggy Mountain Cafe, only with better food.

The dining room is basically a big screened-in porch, or you can sit outside on the terrace or covered porch. There used to be a large old tree growing through the dining room, but an electrical storm took it out last year. 

The food is... 

...local and organic whenever possible, and the cuisine is High-End Southern.

The problem is that Pearl's now has Baltimore prices, with most entrees in the $25-$28 range.

That means I'm not quite so forgiving when the fried green tomatoes with decorative squiggles of chipotle mayonnaise also come with raspberry vinaigrette that looks like raspberry Kool-Aid on the plate. Or the "horseradish smashed fingerlings" under the Grilled Natural Ribeye Steak With Porcini Jus taste like horseradish instead of mashed potatoes.

Oh, well. The setting (and my picture above doesn't do it justice) almost makes it worth the cost. You sip wine and look over the lawn strung with fairy lights and the woods beyond. If you're lucky, a deer or two will step out from among the trees. 

Here's a better image from the restaurant's Web site:

 (Photo courtesy of Pearl's Foggy Mountain Cafe)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

What I didn't tell you about our dinner the other night at the Smoke House was that there were ten of us, including three kids three and under. Obviously we couldn't go back to the Smoke House last night, and maybe never.

That meant leaving the mountain for dinner and driving down to Cowan, six miles away. We ended up at Sernicola's, next to the railroad tracks.

There's probably a joke in this somewhere:

How do you know your Italian restaurant is in Middle Tennessee?

The wine list consists of 24 beers (not exaggerating) and tells you what the corkage fee is if you bring in a bottle of wine. ...

The good thing about your Italian restaurant being in Middle Tennessee can best be exemplified by the salad bar, which had only iceberg lettuce but also big, ripe, juicy chunks of tomatoes straight from somebody's backyard garden. That meant every dish made with tomatoes was also good.

Besides, Sernicola's has great sweet potato fries. Can you say that about any of Baltimore's Italian restaurants? 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

When I checked my work e-mail today I saw I got a query about the ex-Saffron chef, Edward Kim, and Curious4Food also posted a comment under an earlier entry on this blog asking if I knew anything.

The short answer is no. But Kim did get in touch with me when he was about to leave Saffron, so maybe when he lands somewhere else he'll let me know that, too. If so, I'll post it here.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

(Photo and one below by Gailor Large) 

It was a great Fourth. My only regret was that I didn't stop on the way up the mountain at Loony Luke's Fireworks Supermarket (or Crazy Ed's). I fell asleep before the fireworks last night.

It's no use stopping on our way back to the Nashville airport. Southwest for some reason has this policy (and signs up everywhere stating it) that you can't pack fireworks in your luggage.

Not that I would buy anything more dangerous than sparklers and a Happy Families Chinese Lantern or two. A high school friend of mine had two fingers blown off when he picked up a cherry bomb that someone had thrown into his car. But that's Tennessee for you.

As for the food, there was plenty of it around yesterday. ... 

Vendors were grilling chicken, hamburgers, corn on the cob, ribs and hot dogs and selling them. Local places like Crust pizzeria had stands. There were the cakes from the cake decorating contest. And for dessert, people in the parade threw Tootsie Rolls, hard candies and bubble gum to kids along the route. (One of these days someone is going to get killed darting out in the street for candy.)

For dinner we headed to the Smoke House, and its Holiday Buffet ($14.95). I had a celebratory glass of champagne on the front porch swing of the house we're renting for the week, then fried chicken, ribs, pulled pork, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, flat beans, turnip greens with cubes of turnip in them, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and corn muffins and biscuits.

I skipped the banana pudding for dessert. 

(Photo and one below by Gailor Large) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

No, not really, but sometimes it seems that way. I snapped his picture just after Troop 14 raised the flag this morning in a wooded area on the Sewanee campus. I go every year to this Fourth of July ceremony and there seem to be fewer and fewer of them.

The university has a summer music school, so while everyone sings "America the Beautiful" and "The Star Spangled Banner" there's serious music playing. The chaplain says a prayer and we recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

The good feeling is palpable -- except for the woman with the really big camera who pushed me out of the way while I was trying to take a photo. She said, "I do this for a living."

I was going to say I do, too, but I didn't think my Digital Elph looked convincing.

There is some food in this story. After the ceremony we all walked out of the woods and had a potluck breakfast buffet.  

More pictures below. ... 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Dear LB,

You raise a good point in your comment under yesterday's Top Ten Tuesday:

If you are going to review something, please please please have sampled it in recent memory.  Why would I try something in your "Top 10" that you haven't ever eaten??? 

I think you'd enjoy the list more (since you say you read it anyway) if you wouldn't think of it as a bunch of mini-reviews. My reviews are only of restaurants I've eaten at recently. I think a review's shelf life is six months at most. After that I ask our Web Masters to take it off the site.

Top Ten, on the other hand, is a starting point for discussion. After all, I only review a restaurant once a week, so in the past six months I've maybe gone to 25 places. And of those I don't try everything on the menu. I wouldn't have much material to work with if Top Ten were ten mini-reviews.

I try to be upfront about which ones are my professional opinion and how up-to-date it is. I think you'll enjoy Top Ten more if you think of it as a compilation of information I've gotten from my own experience, my colleagues and friends I trust, and readers who have posted often enough that I can tell they know their restaurants. It's supposed to entertain, inform (as long as you understand its limitations), and most important, give other people a chance to agree, disagree, or let me know that a place no longer has the dish I've put in my Top Ten.

Thanks for reading, even though you get annoyed with it every week, and Happy Fourth,

Elizabeth 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

The excitement mounts. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

It's an unfortunate name. The Burnt Wood Roadhouse, new this year, replaced a very nice restaurant that burned down. The fire was started by a disgruntled employee, so the scuttlebutt goes.

I didn't know ribs could be so... 

...dreadful, blackened almost to a crisp with no discernible flavor of sauce or dry rub. The fried catfish was better, but it came with packages of Heinz tartar sauce. The list of sides included fried broccoli and cheese.

The place does have free internet. 

Surely tomorrow during the Fourth of July festivities, somewhere between the flag raising at 8 a.m. and the parade at 2 p.m. -- with stops at the dog and cat shows, the cake decorating contest and the cloggers -- I will get some decent All-American food.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

(Sun Archives)

Here I am in Small Town USA for the Fourth expecting to get some great All-American food and so far, not so much. But I'm still hopeful for tomorrow, starting with breakfast after the flag raising in the woods at 8 a.m. Details later.

So here's my list of excellent All-American dishes I've had at restaurants in Baltimore. There were more I could have mentioned, like the chocolate milkshake at Cafe Hon, but I ran out of numbers. If you think of any others, please post below. ... 

* Apple pie: It's been awhile, but the Cinnamon Tree in Hunt Valley had a good one, spilling over with apples raisins, and walnuts. Tell the waiter you don't want it microwaved to warm it up, or it might get mushy.

* Hamburger: For a regular hamburger,  Five Guys in the Inner Harbor. The burgers are made from fresh, not frozen, meat, and they are shaped by human hands. The buns are baked daily for the franchises. If you like oversized burgers, McCabe's in Hampden or Alonso's in Roland Park. I've heard the Pioneer Pub in Hereford has a fine one, too.

*Corn on the cob: Jack's Bistro in Canton. The restaurant's signature dish is grilled corn seasoned with Parmesan cheese, red pepper, butter, sea salt and a squeeze of lemon. You don't really need to do all that to fresh corn, but it's a decent variation. And I don't remember when I had undoctored corn on the cob in a restaurant.

* Potato salad: Andy Nelson's BBQ in Cockeysville. Thanks to Hon, Regina and Andy, who helped out when I was stumped. See the comments under "Wanted: Potato Salad" for the details and other suggestions.

* Spare ribs: I have to go with Big Bad Wolf's House of Barbecue in Lauraville, which uses a secret dry rub before cooking. But I'm looking forward to giving the Alabama BBQ Company's version a try. (It's several blocks south on Harford.)

* Lemonade: At the Waverly Market's Neopol stand, the "mixologist" uses 1 1/2 lemons for each drink, so it has lots of flavor. You decide on the amount of sugar. He lets customers have a taste to make sure it's OK before he pours the whole cup.

* Fried chicken: Gertrude's at the BMA has a good one, but only on Tuesday nights.

* Hot dog: What can I say? It has to be from the ball park. Fat, juicy and salty, about as bad for you as it can be. Or maybe it just tastes good because of where you're eating it.

* Mac 'n' cheese: I have to go with Rub's in South Baltimore. It's made with cream and butter.

* Cole slaw: Faidley's in the Lexington Market. So good Nina Zagat got the recipe when she visited Baltimore.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

(Photo by Gailor Large) 

What do you do for excitement in Sewanee? You go out for ice cream, of course. There's a new ice cream parlor in town this year, the Mountain Breeze. It serves Clumpies ice cream, produced in Chattanooga, which if it isn't the world's greatest, is in the running. Or is that only because I'm on vacation? 

I have two facts for you: ...

a) It contains 16 percent butterfat.

b) It's produced in 10 gallon batches. 

I recommend the French silk made with tiny chips of chocolate.  

Impressively the Mountain Breeze doesn't mess around with frozen yogurt and such. It just does the pure, old-fashioned ice cream experience: cones, floats, milkshakes, and sundaes in tulip-shaped glass dishes.

(If you don't believe me that Clumpies is good, try it yourself. The Web site says the company is going to start shipping its ice cream soon.) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Eating out in Sewanee has had its highs and lows (the low being Mi Casa, where the one time I went we were seated in a booth next to a window sill that had a sprinkling of dead flies).

On the other hand, there's not much else to do but have dinner out once the sun goes down.

Last night we decided to go upscale, or about as upscale as this area gets. ... 

We drove about six miles away to High Point, a restaurant in Monteagle. It's in a grand old house that Al Capone supposedly bought for his mistress (although why Al Capone would have a mistress in Monteagle, Tenn. is beyond me).

Now it's just another too-expensive restaurant, but weirdly, the mahi was excellent. (I say weirdly because I've never eaten any seafood but catfish and fried shrimp in Tennessee.)

And yes, it does have a wine list. It wasn't so long ago that this was a dry county. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Your restaurant critic was a little naive when she said she'd have time to look into the restaurant scene in the Southwest terminal before her flight to Nashville on the way to Sewanee, Tenn.

I haven't checked a bag in a decade, and I had no idea... 

...it would take 45 minutes to get to the counter.

When we got to the Nashville airport, we found that the restaurant there closes at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday night.

Dinner was pinto beans, turnip greens, and cornbread at a Cracker Barrel off the highway as we headed to Sewanee in our rental car. There's a Cracker Barrel at every exit on route 24.

The beans were cooked to mush, but the greens with ham and onions were great. The cornbread was the way I like it, made with white cornmeal and no sugar. There was a fine chow chow on the side.

No wine list. In fact, my husband and I were once kicked out of a Cracker Barrel for attempting to bring in our own bottle of wine from the motel bar after a long day's drive. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

(Colby Ware/Special to the Sun)

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Patrick’s of Cockeysville has many of the same characteristics it did when I reviewed it 11 years ago; but the new owners, Mary Lou and Carole Brosso (new as of last year) have tweaked the menu in small ways. 

 As was true before the Brossos took over, classic Maryland seafood dishes are still the star, while the house specialty is a very good sangria and the Spanish pine nut roll rivals Tio Pepe’s (not surprisingly, given that the executive chef was for years Tomas Sanz, formerly of Tio Pepe).  The daily specials are where Chef Carole shows what she can do.

You’ll find my review of Patrick’s in next Sunday’s Modern Life section.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Review Preview