top 10 Charm city charms:
Tusk Lounge
Embassador dining room
Little Havana Deck (the boat's gone!)
Boog's BBQ pit @ Camden Yards
Lexington Mkt food court
Owl Bar
13th Floor
Brewers Art
Obrycki's
Bay Cafe
Assuming 1) Charm city= in Balt. city
2) "Places" refers to location/ atmosphere more than cuisine

I think Golden West puts the charm in Charm City. It's a funky space surrounded by the quirkiness of Hampden. Also, I love the old-school vibe in some of Little Italy's restaurants. They're classics. And The Brewer's Art...it's a beautiful space.

How about the Owl Bar? It used to be a Baltimore "institution." Is it still?

I nominate Dizzy Izzie's in Remington for next Tuesday's Top Ten. A true neighborhood bar, with friendly service, great happy hour specials and best of all, a surprisingly tasty menu. They have an extensive and always-changing selection of daily specials on the menu. I highly recommend their seafood skins and turkey club. The decor is Baltimore through and through...I mean, where else can you sip on a (cheap) Stella Artois while sitting in an authentic barber's chair, and swivel around to make your selections from a loaded jukebox? Also love the classic black & white "nudes" that border the mirror behind the bar. If you don't know what I mean then go check it out!

How about Nacho Mama's in Canton? All the Baltimore memorabilia (especially the Johnny Unitas and Natty Boh items) remind us of our history. And, their unique take on north of the border Mexican cuisine provides some of the most interesting food in town. This is a great place to take out of town visitors for a snapshop of how this city actually feels - warm, inviting and just a little quirky.

In a convenient grammatical fluke, "put" can be either present or past tense. Using that as a license, I nominate dear, departed Marconi's for the top of the list.

I know we had some issues when this place came up in the past but I think Matthews should be on there.

Bo Brooks? Angelina's on Harford Road? Sab's? Bertha's in Fells Point?

This top ten sort of overlaps the one about hidden treasures ... Martick's was on that list and now that I think about it, the Italian deli/grocery Trinacria belonged there, too.

As for Baltimore charm, I second the previous comment about Paper Moon and add Pete's Grill (grille?). Also, I've never eaten there, but doesn't the Prime Rib emanate old-school Charm-with-a-capital-C?

It's technically in Baltimore County (Charm County?), but I've always found Sanders Corner on Cromwell Bridge Road to be a charming, cozy, off-the-beaten-path place for a quiet meal.

I'd like to suggest Mike McGovern's. It does have Baltimore charm. Also Ixia.

I'll second Dizzy Issie's -- although I'm not sure that "charm" is the operative word. On the other hand, if you ever do a top ten of neighborhood "finds," Dizzy's goes to the top of the list. The decor is delightfully random, right down to the scattered tavern lights and no-two-alike chairs. The burgers, sandwiches (especially the addictive chicken salad) and more elaborate specials (like mussels swimming in a tangy wine sauce) are extraordinary. And I've had steaks there that rival the town's better steak houses at a fraction of the price. Elaine, the proprietress-cum-chef, has created an oasis of good cheer and unexpectedly good food reminiscent of what the British call a "great local."

In Andrew's spirit of grammatical flexibility, let's harken back to the good old days of Haussner's. Uniquely Baltimore through and through.