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If all goes well, Baltimore’s first CakeLove (2500 Boston St., 410-522-1825) should open at 8 a.m. tomorrow in the Can Company in Canton.
Warren Brown — lawyer, baker and Food Network star — will be selling his baked-from-scratch cakes, many of which come in unusual flavors and have interesting stories behind them, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday. The store has seating for 10.
(Andre F. Chung/Sun photographer)
People are already starting to post their Restaurant Week experiences under various entries, so I better create one place for them. This worked well in the summer (I got a story out of the information), so let's repeat it here.
Let us know how your meal was, either positive or negative. Do you think you got a good idea of what eating there would be like when it isn't Restaurant Week? Does RW really introduce people to a place they might not otherwise try and now will go back, or is it just a way for people to get a less-expensive-than-usual meal?
(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)
We're one month into the new year, and I have a suggestion for a doable New Year's resolution, now that you realize you're not going to exercise every day or give up chocolate.
I think you should bookmark this blog and check it three or four times a day.
Don't know how to bookmark a page? Just ask your resident computer techie (aka your 10-year-old -- and don't look at his or her list of bookmarked sites). If you don't have a 10-year-old, it should say "bookmarks" or "favorites" on the toolbar at the top of your screen. Just follow the directions and then you can get here with one click of a key.
I know this is shameless self-promotion, but it's not just me. Something changed on this blog this month. ...
I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it seemed to reach some sort of critical mass with commenters. People (with notable exceptions) stopped worrying so much about what I was saying ("You're a fraud, Ms. Large, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG; you must take kickbacks and your mother wears combat boots") and started having conversations with other posters.
True, some of those conversations got a little ugly, but we moved on. I've been learning about places I didn't know about because there's only so much ground I can cover, and I hope other readers did too. One result is that I and the other foodies at The Sun may end up writing about a wider range of restaurants when we do round ups and dining guides. (See my post on the G & M Effect.) This may irritate readers who insist that we be the only experts, but realistically I think it's a good thing.
Anyway, here are what I think were the highlights of the first month of '08 in case you missed them:
* The fact that we got 91 comments on burgers
* The in-some-ways even more amazing fact that 40 people had something to say about fries. Love 'em when I'm craving salt and grease, but it still surprised me.
* The ongoing discussion of whether chains are worthy of foodies' consideration
* Our 3,000th comment posted by none other than Owl Meat Jerky
* A discussion of foods of our youth that have since disappeared
* We tried to define diners. Diner-o-philes should use the search function to the right to find all the posts on diners, and there were several this month.
* The foie gras debacle. The three posts on the subject are now closed for discussion, so please don't bother to comment on them. (This was a first for this blog.)
* The more good-natured locavore vs. global discussion, which I'm sure will be ongoing
* The very helpful advice on how to get rid of bats
(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)
I got a very nice e-mail this morning from the Oceanaire Seafood Room, part of which I'll reprint here, in response to my previous post:
My name is Nate Beachler, I am the General Manager of The Oceanaire Seafood Room. ... I read the blog regarding the gentlemen not being able to reserve a table here for his wife’s birthday and was hoping you could get me in contact with him. I just so happen to have a 7:30 reservation on Thursday and would love to give it to him. ...
Alas, as Faithful Readers know, Michael's son is sick so he and his wife won't be able to take the Oceanaire up on its offer (see his comment under the post), but it suggests that if you are dying to go to a restaurant during Restaurant Week and haven't been able to get a reservation at the time you want, try again. There must be cancellations -- maybe more this time of year when everyone is getting colds and flu than in the summer.
(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)
I was interested in the discussion under the Market in Winter, which like many good discussions had nothing to do with the topic at hand.
People were talking about specialty retail grocery stores they liked or didn't, and Trader Joe's came up in a negative way.
I was surprised because I'd only heard good things about them. It's not convenient enough for me to shop there regularly; but when I did a story on store brands, I remember they had the best sandwich cookies.
I do remember being surprised at how limited their meat and produce selections were, but now I know those aren't its strength.
Anyway, I called my Trader Joe's expert, ...
...my daughter in LA, and asked her what she recommended. Obviously it would be different, but maybe not too different to be helpful. She says the big thing is rock-bottom prices for healthful/gourmet foods.
Some of you readers must shop at our Trader Joe's regularly and be able to tell us if the good things on this list she e-mailed me are a feature of the stores in Towson, Pikesville, Columbia and Annapolis, and whether it's worth our while to make the trip:
pear & gorgonzola pizza
frozen turkey meatballs (i really think their frozen
foods/dinners section is their forte)
frozen green chile and cheese tamales wrapped in corn
husks
best cheap fresh flowers and pumpkins - at least at
the LA stores
spinach, blue cheese... and dried
cranberry salad
raw nuts (esp almonds)
dried mangos and dried cranberries
fresh cut mango slices
wall of energy bars (best selection, and cheaper than
anywhere else)
tubs of chocolate-covered espresso beans
Altoids, jellybeans, and organic chocolate bars at
checkout
...and [her uncle] likes their frozen desserts/pies.
(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer)
Don't miss Midnight Sun Sam's story on pizza places beyond the usual suspects that appears in the Taste section today. It came about as a direct result of the 10,000 posts about pizzerias on this blog.
Where would The Sun be without us? First foie gras protests, and now this.
If you're a fan of any of these places (several of which I had never heard of), tell us if you agree -- or disagree -- with Sam's assessment before we venture out to try them.
Also, you diner fans, Sam reported yesterday that the Gold Depot bar at Fort Avenue and S. Light Street is going to become a 24-hour diner. Here's the link.
...and might even destroy a marriage.
Ha ha. Just kidding. I got this sad e-mail from Michael:
...my wife's birthday is next Thursday (31st). I've been slacking until today on getting reservations somewhere for dinner downtown. I decided today to try Oceanaire and when I called I found out the first reservation is 10pm!!! The hostess reminded me it was RESTAURANT WEEK!! I checked the Prime Rib, same thing. Now I'm stuck. Do you have a few good recommendations for an upscale restaurant that does NOT participate in restaurant week? BTW, that would be a good Top Ten Tuesday...
Unfortunately, Michael, I'm stuck with diners, a can of worms I wish I'd never opened. But I do have a few suggestions: ...
I don't see Abacrombie, Boccaccio, Charleston, Cinghiale, Ixia or Kali's Court on the Restaurant Week list.
And why not consider the suburbs, and such restaurants as Cafe Troia, Milton Inn, the Kings Contrivance or Oregon Grille? Posters may have other suggestions.
Maybe you'll give us an update Friday on where you ended up and how your meal was.
(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)
I was hoping the foie gras discussion would die a natural death, but apparently that's not going to happen. I think both sides have said about all there is to say about their positions, and now it's devolved into name calling. I'm invoking Rule No. 2 here and declaring a moratorium on the whole subject.
Let's move on. If you're still feeling cranky and want to yell at someone, you can tell me how WRONG, WRONG, WRONG I am in my choice of diners.
Why do I think it might be a good idea to remind new readers of my Official Disclaimer before they read this list? For one thing, I rarely eat at diners. (I'm not a complete snob about it; if I had a good one conveniently in my neighborhood that might be a different story.) I don't review diners, with one exception. (See below.) I like to eat breakfast at home. But I talked to the foodies I trust here at The Sun and listened to what you folks had to say before I came up with this list.
There were many suggestions under the previous post that sounded good; I just didn't have enough information about them to include them. But if you like diners and greasy spoons, it's well worth your while to go back and take a look at what the real experts have to say.
By the way, I'm calling these diners and/or greasy spoons because we never agreed on a definition. I still feel a diner has to involve at least a little bit of chrome and neon. ...
* Best bargain omelet: Bel-Loc Diner, 1700 E. Joppa Road, Parkville. When he was doing his takeout column, Midnight Sun Sam anointed the Bel-Loc's Western omelet. That's important because about the only characteristic everyone agreed on was that diners serve breakfasts all day.
* Best chain: Double-T Diner, area locations. When I asked a friend in Annapolis for a recommendation for there, this was not only the best diner, it was the only diner she could come up with in the area. Other suggestions welcome.
* Best diner with entertainment: Forest, 10031 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City. OK, at the moment the Thursday Night Dinner Shows for $25 are on hiatus, but they should be starting back up in the spring.
* Best charitable endeavor: Hollywood Diner, 400 E. Saratoga St., Baltimore. It benefits the Chesapeake Center for Youth Development. The program teaches at-risk teenagers job skills, and some work there.
* Most famous breakfast in Baltimore: Jimmy's, 801 S. Broadway, Fells Point. Low prices, a beer and wine license, and a fine spinach pie are also noteworthy here.
* Only diner reviewed by me in recent memory: Nautilus, 2047 York Road, Timonium. Why? Because it was new and it billed itself as an upscale diner, with everything from eggs to lobster tail. The best thing we had was the lump crab cake.
* Best post-modern, ironic diner: Papermoon, 227 W. 29th St., Baltimore. See previous post and comments.
* Best place to spot a sports celebrity having breakfast: Pete's Grille in Waverly. The owner of Darker Than Blue a few doors down told me he decided not to open for breakfast because everyone, including him (and Michael Phelps), eats at Pete's. I thought that was quite an accolade.
* Best clean classic diner decor: Silver Moon, 9605 Pulaski Highway, Middle River. The owner runs the kitchen, always a good sign. When LIVE reviewer Karen Nitkin wrote about it recently she had a somewhat uneven meal but particularly liked the Maryland crab soup and shish kebab.
* Top city landmark in the greasy spoon category: Sip & Bite, 2200 Boston St., Canton. I couldn't sell it as a Baltimore icon when I listed it on my Top Ten Late-Night Places, but maybe I can get away with it on this list.
(Doug Kapustin/Sun photographer)
I wrote about Todd Conner's in Fells Point in October, and now it's finally opened.
Midnight Sun Sam brought me the menu, which is more than pub grub but still down-to-earth. For instance, there are burgers and crab cakes, but also a grilled tuna over mixed greens with an Asian vinaigrette, sauteed snap peas and wasabi mashed potatoes.
One interesting thing is that this Fells Point tavern has...
...a kids' menu, like Alexander's Tavern. The area is changing, I suppose because more young families are moving downtown.
One impressive thing is that when I wrote about it in my Table Talk column in November, co-owner Nikki Popovich told me they planned to open New Year's Eve, which is exactly what they did.
The place is named after her and her husband's first born, she told me. At the time, she wasn't even pregnant yet. I'll have to ask her if that's changed when I talk to her again for next week's Table Talk.
(Photo courtesy of Sam Sessa)
Dear Woodberry Kitchen,
You know I love your space and think your food is good, but I can't understand why you would treat our friend Owl Meat Jerky this way. We are very proud of him, in spite of the weird name. After all, he was our 3,000th commenter, and to honor that fact, BaltimoreSun.com's crack marketing manager Anne Burger decided to send him a gift certificate to your restaurant. The $100 was charged to her MasterCard on Jan. 9.
As you know...
...she never received the gift certificate.
When she called you, you agreed to cancel that one and send another one directly to Owl Meat Jerky, whose feathers were starting to get ruffled. Well, now it's Jan. 28 and he still hasn't received his prize.
Is it the name? I don't think so. After all, you have his real name and address. I know our post office system is suspect, but I've gotten mail quicker than this from Afghanistan. Can two gift certificates to two different addresses from the same place really get lost in the mail in the same week?
Is it because you're the hottest ticket in town right now and don't have time for us? If so, can Anne have her $100 back so we can send him a gift certificate to another restaurant? Please advise.
(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)
I doubt if you'll miss it, but just in case here's the link to Jill Rosen's excellent story on the foie gras protests that appears in today's paper. It came about, if you want to take a little secondhand credit for it, because of comments posted under a foie gras entry on this blog. Before Chef Ambrose wrote in, my editors hadn't realized that the protests had been anything but peaceful.
One thing a blog does, which I didn't realize before I had one, is make clear what the hot-button issues are.
So many new restaurants have been opening up downtown lately I haven't had time to revisit some of the classics in the burbs.
I would put the Kings Contrivance in that category, part of the restaurant group that includes the Brass Elephant and the Milton Inn among others.
There's comparatively little in the Columbia area that's not a chain and offers fine dining, so it was definitely time after 13 years for me to take another look.
You'll find my review -- and what I think of the restaurant's major renovations that were just completed -- in next Sunday's Arts & Life Today section. I'm hoping the page will be in color because of the beautiful photos Sun photog extraordinaire Algerina took. But if not, I'll post some here.
(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)
With all this talk of locavorism, I hope you headed for the Waverly Farmers Market at 32nd and Barclay this morning. (There's still time; it's open until noon.)
This winter for the first time there are enough stalls to keep them on the street as well as the parking lot.
Of course, you have to ignore the sellers who have brought produce from Jessup if you want to buy local, but there's still plenty to choose from. I brought home spinach, broccoli, arugula, mesclun and a loaf of farm bread.
Dress warmly; it's cold out there.
(Photos by me)
When I ate at Victoria Gastro Pub in Columbia the other night, I was impressed with the soft, hot buttermilk biscuits (not exactly typical pub fare) that came with dinner. It occurred to me then that brunch might be a good way to experience this offbeat restaurant, which looks like a chain because its building used to be a Bennigan's but is independently owned.
Brunch includes everything from housemade granola to elaborate concoctions like the one pictured, Victoria Eggs Benedict with a biscuit, poached organic eggs, prosciutto, crab meat and citrus hollandaise.
Not to worry if that sounds like a bit much to you. You could get scrambled eggs and bacon or French toast. Sandwiches, burgers, salads and a few entrees are also available for brunch.
Brunch at Victoria Gastro Pub is served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
(Doug Kapustin/Sun photographer)
I just heard from Sam Louie, the owner of the soon-to-be-opened Asian Court at 9180 Baltimore National Pike in Ellicott City. He's hoping for an opening date of Feb. 5, but maybe I better just say early next month.
Louie, a native of China, says the restaurant will specialize in dim sum. There will be a pushcart on Saturdays and Sundays until 3 p.m., but the items can be ordered from the kitchen any time. When I asked him about the rest of the menu, he said, "authentic Chinese, sushi, and American Chinese."
Louie and his wife also own Asian Bistro in Silver Spring, and in the '80s, they had Jade Palace in Columbia. Louie is also involved with the China City stalls in several area mall food courts.
(Detail of photo by Marty Katz)
I may not have learned anything more about Phat Pug for you, but here's the latest from Patrick McArdle, chairman of the Sylvan Beach Foundation, who apparently reads this blog, or at least read your comments about the two locations that sell ice cream. ...
"The Sylvan Beach Foundation has operated out of 7 W. Preston Street since 1999. We have tried several business models over the years including ice cream, coffee, catering, and a lunch cafe. We learned, mostly through trial and error, that this lack of business focus was not serving our young men well.
"Going forward, we will be focusing on making our award winning super premium ice cream. This upcoming year will see the development of a new ice cream brand that Baltimoreans will be proud to call their own. I am unable to give detailed information at this time, but it will include a re-branding and expanded retail opportunities.
"The 7 W. Preston Street location mentioned in the comment of your blog is owned by the foundation. So, while we are not currently in a position to reveal the plans for the cafe on the first floor, we continue to make our ice cream at that location, our offices remain there, as does the residential portion of the Sylvan Beach Foundation. Our Mt. Washington scoop shop is currently open on the weekends until the spring time when hours will be expanded.
"We specifically want to thank the Baltimore community, both individuals and local foundations, for continuing to support the mission of Sylvan Beach. We are truly blessed to work with some great young men from Baltimore City and to have great customers who 'get' our mission."
(Photo by Chiaki Kawajiri)
I've been waiting for someone to mention the Papermoon Diner on 29th Street, but unless I missed it, nobody has yet.
It fits all the criteria listed in previous posts: It's open 24 hours a day, it has a counter, it serves breakfast all day.
It even calls itself a diner (unlike Cafe Hon), which has to count for something.
I have a certain fondness for it for two reasons. ...
Once my daughter came in at 2 a.m. from a party, I woke up, and somehow she talked me into going to the Papermoon for a lark. People who know me know that it's probably the only time I've ever seen 2 a.m., so it was quite a departure for me.
And then once I had something to do early on a nice summer morning, and when I got out of bed the power was out. (As my husband says, with BGE it's like living in a Third World country -- but that's another story.) Anyway, we ended up having breakfast at 5:30 a.m. there.
But in spite of all that, Papermoon just doesn't seem like a diner to me. Maybe I can't define what a diner is, but one thing I know a diner isn't: funky. Just take a look at Papermoon's Web site.
But maybe I'll put it on my list anyway.
(Mauricio Rubio/Sun photographer)
One of the big food trends of the past decade and longer has been global cuisine, and now suddenly the 2007 Word of the Year is, groan, locavore.
Love the concept. Hate the word. But locavores do have their own Web site.
Now that restaurants are rushing to get into the act and to prove that...
...they're better than the competition at finding local sources for fish, meat, dairy products and seasonal produce, I worry that they'll go overboard.
I think if you asked a locavore, he or she would say the important thing is not to buy ingredients from some distant supplier that you can get at a farmers market. But some restaurants may be willing to take it even further. (I don't think this has happened yet. So far it's all been good.)
I wonder in the long run what's going to happen to the whole global cuisine thing. Are chefs going to stop using ingredients like wasabi and mangoes so their restaurants won't be considered passe?
Is fusion cuisine out now? Things could get pretty boring if cooks started just relying on local foods.
Of course, that will never happen.
I think.
If I started eating truly locally (beyond what I already do, which is shop at the farmers market every Saturday), what I would miss most would be tropical fruits and green vegetables in winter. When we took a trip to Russia in January a long time ago, I got a taste of what eating locally really means. I lived on soup, bread and ice cream for ten days and dreamed about broccoli.
(Photo by me)
Warthog brought up an interesting point about the responsibility of this blog as a source of up-to-date news as opposed to comment, ruminations and discussion. It was under the post The Latest on Phat Pug, Part Deux.
Here's what he said: ...
The food business is tough enough without a major source of restaurant reviews telling customers a place doesn't exist (if in fact they still do).
Granted, given the story so far, I wouldn't be surprised at either outcome, but if they are still in business, I think we owe it to them to not leave the story at "presumed closed for good" without verifying that for certain, one way or the other.
I'm a natural pessimist after so many years observing the restaurant business. Too often "closed for renovation" is code for "closed." And I also think no news is not good news. Still, I'm happy to keep trying to get in touch with Mr. DePasquale -- Warthog was right in assuming I'd forgotten about the place because so much else is going on, and I'm glad of the nudge.
Also, I'm assuming the owner will let us know if and when Phat Pug reopens because he let us know when it might reopen in the first place. If not, some of the many pizza lovers who have posted here about its coal-fired pizzas in the past will surely have something to say if it reopens. The instant updates are one of the best things about this blog.
I just learned that the Brass Elephant in Mount Vernon has a new chef (more about him in next Wednesday's Table Talk) and, as of the beginning of March, will introduce a new menu of Italian dishes.
What's interesting about that is the Brass Elephant made its mark in Baltimore as a northern Italian restaurant, and then gradually morphed into what it is now -- most accurately described, I guess, as New American with some Italian accents.
That got me thinking about the Charleston Group's opening a traditional Italian restaurant as its latest project (Cinghiale)...
...and Pazza Luna in Locust Point, where the owner is trying to recreate a traditional Italian trattoria with considerable success. Come to think of it, Sammy's Trattoria in Mount Vernon is probably the restaurant that's done best in that particular location -- and there have been several of them.
Who would have guessed that Italian might be the Next Big Thing in Baltimore?
(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer)
I hate to send you to another paper, so please come back after you read this article from the New York Times today on dangerous levels of mercury found in tuna sushi from NYC restaurants.
More fuel for my love/hate relationship with raw fish.
The National Fisheries Institute has sent out an outraged press release saying: ...
"In a poorly-sourced, sensational article in this morning’s New York Times, reporter Marian Burros presents a distorted report on sushi and seafood that is at odds with widely accepted science. The story is unreliable and contradicts broadly-held medical advice that tuna and other kinds of fish are an essential part of a healthy diet."
Details can be found on the institute's Web site.
(Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images)
Matt Hudock has proposed environmentally guilt-free food as a topic -- actually a Top Ten, but it's one I don't feel qualified to tackle. Here's part of Matt's comment:
For example, I think tilapia is both good for me (as fish) and good for the environment as being both farm-raised environmentally friendly. The more I learn about orange roughy the worse I feel about how much I ate in the early 90s. Obviously, things like transportation costs and suppliers factor in, but I want to at least feel less guilt about what I eat, specifically that my children will be able to eat it in the years to come. I again want to emphasize that I do not mean "cruelty-free" food, but simply "not-evil."
There is plenty of...
...information out there on the net; I just don't think it's altogether reliable.
I first realized how complicated these issues are when I did a story on "green wear" and found out how many things that seemed eco-friendly actually weren't. Along the same lines, here's a response from Darlene to Matt's comment. I hope she'll expand on it.
Matt H.--Farm-raised fish doesn't necessarily mean it's environmentally friendly. Quite the contrary, according to recent reports I have read.
If anyone else wants to weigh in here, please do.
I'm presuming we're talking about continuing to eat fairly high on the food chain. If so, here's a pretty good article on the "Top Ten Eco-Friendly Reasons to Buy Organic Meat & Dairy."
(Photo courtesy of sofia.usgs.gov)
I want to thank the people who helped me with the story on how to approach Restaurant Week that ran in the Taste section this morning. I used the advice of more posters than I could credit because my editors didn't want me to identify anyone with just a user name. (But thanks, Linz.) So if I didn't have your e-mail address, I couldn't write to ask permission to use your full name.
After Feb. 3 I'll post a request for people's experiences again, as I did this summer. I thought those comments were extremely interesting.
Web Editor Extraordinaire John Lindner was in rare form yesterday and sent me this when I asked him what his favorite diner was. And he's not some foie gras-loving, brunoise-dicing wimp either, but our Resident Cheeseburger Expert:
I got this e-mail this morning from Will in Annapolis:
...do you know of any Sushi/Asian restaurants in Baltimore that serve brown rice sushi on a regular basis? My girlfriend and I both love sushi but she's a little more of the nutritional mindset and we haven't found any in Annapolis. I appreciate any suggestions you might have.
Not only do I not know of any that make brown rice sushi on a regular basis, I don't know any sushi places that do it at all. Obviously, it's not traditional. The best I could do was this recipe from Epicurious.com. But if you can help Will out, please post below.
(Photo courtesy of Epicurious.com)
Last night I reached my low point of crankiness this winter. It inspired me to write this post, even though I know I'm opening myself to ridicule after complaining that Copy Desk Chief John encroached on my territory. I expect to hear from the Science Matters guys or Weather Blogger Extraordinaire Frank momentarily.
Here, with apologies to Letterman (with apologies to John McIntyre), are my top ten reasons for hating this winter:
10) Winter tomatoes. They make this a legitimate food blog post.
9) You have planned a trip to the supermarket before the snow was forecast, and now you are a) mercilessly teased by friends and co-workers about panic shopping and b) can't find a spot in the store parking lot.
8) Having to wait an hour in line to get a car wash you know will last maybe one day, two at the most.
7) Other drivers. You, of course, know perfectly well how to drive in snow/ice/freezing rain.
6) Schools closing before a flake of snow has fallen.
5) Paying incredible amounts of money and still having to keep the heat lower than the human body can tolerate.
4) Having a cold for three weeks and your doctor's only response is to tell you that she's had a cold for six weeks.
3) The fact that airfares to every warm destination in the universe have suddenly doubled.
2) Two words: wintry mix.
And now the No. 1 reason I hate this winter: ...
1) Bats.
OK, one bat. It came in with my husband when he took out the trash last night and proceeded to circle the dining room and living room.
I thought fast, told my husband I would run upstairs and Google "bats, getting rid of," and shut myself in the study.
The problem with getting rid of bats when it's 11 degrees outside is that's why the bat came in in the first place. So even if you are willing to let all your expensive heat escape and open the windows until he flies out, unless it's a heck of a dumb bat he's not going to fly out.
Interesting scientific fact: Bats make weird squeaky sounds when you wrap them in a towel.
(AP Photo/Len Lazure,The Telegram & Gazette)
Thanks to Alan for suggesting this week's Top Ten. I thought I would have trouble coming up with ten. But there are more out there than I thought, and I bet readers will come up with even more.
Under another post, Kevin pointed out the problem with including Irish pubs -- there are so many that have live entertainment and good food. I ended up picking one that offered a lot more than just traditional Irish music. (I also wanted to include at least one restaurant north of the city.) I'm not making the case it's the best Irish pub in the area. For that we'll have to wait till March.
Here's my list: ...
* Aida Bistro & Wine Bar in Columbia. The good Italian food tastes even better with live jazz Wednesday nights. Starting after Valentine's Day, there will be music Friday nights as well.* An Poitin Stil in Timonium. I was told the music is "hardly ever Irish" and is usually bands. Sometimes it's rock, sometimes jazz, sometimes blues. Monday is open mic night so there might be three or four performers.
* Austin Grill in Canton. Go for the grilled wings and margaritas, stay for live music many Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, from bluegrass to jazz to contemporary.
* Cazbar downtown. Neither Orchard Market & Cafe nor Lebanese Taverna has belly dancers anymore. But you can find them at this Turkish tavern Fridays at 9 p.m. and Saturdays at 10 p.m. Stick to the kebabs and mezze and you'll be fine.
* Della Notte in Little Italy. Good and fairly pricey Italian food is not the only draw. There's live piano (pop, jazz, blues) nightly. Sunday brunch features a jazz trio, and Sunday night is Broadway night, when the pianist sings show tunes.
* Domenica's in Annapolis. This well-regarded upscale Italian has serious live entertainment -- mostly local musicians who provide smooth jazz, r & b and torch songs six nights a week. The schedule is posted on its Web site.
* Joe Squared on North Avenue. The live entertainment schedule at this popular pizza place is fairly fluid, but there is regularly some kind of music, from dinnertime jazz to rock 'n' roll that starts later in the evening.
* Sascha's 527 in Mount Vernon. This arty New American restaurant that specializes in inventive small plates has live jazz 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Thursdays and 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays.
* Waterfront Hotel in Fells Point. I checked and the same chef (Kenny Plant) is still there who was there when I had a pretty good meal a couple of years ago. There is live music every night, usually local acts ranging from top 40 to slightly country to folk.
* Ze Mean Bean in Fells Point. The menu includes both Eastern European comfort food and New American dishes. Friday and Saturday nights feature a classical pianist or guitarist playing soft mood music; for Sunday brunch there's a jazz trio.
(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)
Darlene suggested a post on foodie movies, which coincided with the fact that I rented the DVD of Waitress on my vacation -- and enjoyed it. But I enjoyed it because of Keri Russell's performance, not because of the pies involved.
In fact, for some reason I don't go to films because they are about food. I've never seen Big Night or Babette's Feast, although I liked Chocolat and sat through Sideways.
What can I say? The Food Network doesn't do it for me either.
However, I know I'm in the minority here, so here are some other suggestions: ...
Like Water for Chocolate
My Dinner With Andre
Eat Drink Man Woman
Super Size Me
Tampopo
These are all pretty obvious, though. If you have some others you would recommend, please tell us not only the names but their appeal.
The other day my husband asked where I'd like to be taken to dinner for Valentine's Day. I looked at him with horror. My idea of a romantic evening is not to eat packed in like sardines with a lot of other couples, being served food from an overwhelmed kitchen by a rushed waiter.
But you may be at a different point in your relationship, in which case you'll get in trouble if you don't take out your Significant Other to a romantic dinner for two at a nice restaurant. If so, you may need a little guidance from me and from readers of this blog.
Start with...
...my entry last September, Top Ten Romantic Restaurants. At the time, Lauren was looking for a restaurant to celebrate her wedding anniversary, and I liked the idea of doing a list of romantic restaurants then rather than wait until this time of year when everyone would be doing them.
The problem is that now the list is slightly outdated. Several restaurants have opened that deserve consideration, including the one pictured, Woodberry Kitchen, and Cinghiale. And now that more people are commenting, I'm hoping other readers will have suggestions -- in all price ranges.
If so, please post below.
(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)
I've noticed lately that more people whose names haven't appeared before have been taking part in discussions, and that's great. If you happen to be new readers, I want to point out a feature of the blog that you may not have noticed.
On the right of the main page under Categories and Recent Posts is an update of Most Recent Comments. If I've been lazy about posting a new entry, like today, some of the commenters have probably picked up the slack. I love that.
It's not literally the most recent comments, but the most recent comments under five different subjects, so there might actually be several new comments under the entry you're interested in. It's particularly helpful when someone has gone back and posted under an old subject, as Clark did under Top Ten Cheap Eats.
Don't miss the fried chicken recipe the chief of The Sun's copy desk, John McIntyre, has posted on his blog, which is ostensibly about grammar and such.
Of course, I feel a little bit like he's encroaching on my territory, but I'm trying to rise above. And he did use the comparative form of the dreaded food word "crispy," something I've been waiting for him to tell us will be banned from the paper, which makes him seem delightfully human.
But enough is enough, McIntyre. No more of this talk about dry-cured ham and biscuit recipes to come.
Last Sunday I reviewed the new Lemongrass in the Tack Factory complex behind Little Italy, and next week I take a look at Tsunami, its sister restaurant. The two are separated by an interior courtyard.
Lemongrass, a Thai restaurant and lounge, is already a certified hit -- impressive considering it's a little out of the mainstream of downtown hot spots. But that doesn't mean Tsunami automatically will be. Standards will be higher for this Asian fusion and sushi restaurant because prices are.
I'll tell you what I think in my review next Sunday in the Arts & Life Today section. But one thing I didn't mention in the review is that after dinner at either of these restaurants, you can extend the evening's fun by getting on the elevator and going up one floor where Baltimore's most upscale bowling alley is located.
(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)
The general consensus seems to be in both the chains vs. groups discussion and the diner discussion that definitions aren't necessary. You just know what they are.
I'd like to make the argument for definitions, for clarity's sake if nothing else.
For instance, Flipkid doesn't consider McCormick & Schmick's or the Oceanaire Seafood Room chains, while I do. I'm guessing that's because price factors into his definition, while it doesn't into mine.
More importantly (because I have to come up with ten of them in a couple of weeks)...
...I don't agree that Jimmy's and Sip & Bite are diners. To me a diner has a physical structure that looks like, well, a diner, along with all the other characteristics people have been talking about. Diners are often free-standing and kind of retro looking, either real retro or faux retro.
Too bad "greasy spoon" has such a negative connotation. If there were a more positive equivalent, that's the category I'd put Jimmy's and Sip & Bite into. Whatever. Grills maybe? But not diners.
Of course, Top Ten Greasy Spoons doesn't sound very appetizing.
Earlier Robert (the Single One) asked the question, "When does a locally owned group become a chain?" I want to devote a post to it before we got too far away from the original discussion.
I know that all the national upscale chains refer to themselves as "groups." There's something derogatory about the word "chain" that they are trying to disassociate themselves from. It still brings to mind McDonald's and Applebee's -- food for the masses -- while the upscale chains want to be...
...ranked with the city's finest. (Of course, Applebee's and other midscale chains don't want to be considered chains either.)
For me, the word "chain" has nothing to do with the price of a meal there. It simply conveys a certain uniformity and a number -- although I don't know what that number is. The Country Fare Inn Group is a consortium of very different restaurants, so even though there have been a lot of them over the years, I don't consider it a chain. The Lebanese Taverna Group seems to me to be a regional chain. (There are five of them now.) The Prime Rib isn't quite a chain yet because there are only three of them. I'm on the fence about Donna's: There are a lot of them, but the look and the offerings are quite different at the various locations.
Does it matter? Not really, except that everyone of these places would prefer not to be called by the c-word.
Note to Applebee's: If you want to be considered a restaurant group, not a chain, you can't have a really annoying talking apple on your Web site home page.
Feel free to take a guess at the identity of the restaurant in the photo. This is a tough one: The picture was taken in 1995. While you're at it, tell us why it's relevant to this discussion.
(Sun archives)
Kit Pollard, who has a good food blog called Mango & Ginger, sent me a link to an amusing story about kitchen hazing on the James Beard Foundation's Web site. The local angle is that Jason Ambrose of Salt is quoted, and it's nice to be able to mention him in another context.
If you go to Kit's blog, you'll see that the author of the article posted a comment under Kit's entry. She worked with Ambrose at John Steven Ltd. in Fells Point.
(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)
This is not good news for me in the middle of winter when there is nothing to look forward to but another "weather event" and then temperatures in the 20s Sunday.
Two respected medical journals have published articles questioning the health benefits of chocolate.
Now I'm not saying I ever ate chocolate because I thought it was good for me, but still it was nice to hear medical professionals saying positive things about it.
But now...
...the British journal Lancet suggests that many manufacturers remove the flavanols, which help neutralize free radicals that damage human cells, from the chocolate because of their bitter taste. Without mentioning it. The flavanols were why doctors were recommending a little dark chocolate in the first place.
However, you'll still get the sugar, fat and calories.
Even worse, the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published research this month suggesting that eating chocolate actually has negative effects. The scientists found that women who indulge in chocolate daily have an overall bone density 3.1 percent lower than those who eat chocolate less than once a week. The study wasn't huge, though -- 1,001 women aged 70 to 85 participated -- so maybe there's still hope.
(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer, chocolate pate at Annabel Lee Tavern)
I need more than just one work day (I'm off Monday) for diners. It's a complicated subject. First of all, there are a lot of them, none of which I get to eat at very often, so I'm going to have to rely on other people. Also the category doesn't seem different enough to run right after the burgers list.
Second, and more important, Matt Hudock made a good point when he said we need to define what a diner is. Is Jimmy's one? Is Cafe Hon even trying to be?
So my plan is: ...
The following Tuesday: Top Ten Diners. By the middle of next week I'm hoping to come up with a working definition with help from postings below.
Care to guess where the photo was taken? I won't say immediately if you're right to give others a chance to guess. Please also post the names of any restaurants you know about that have live entertainment.
And I have a back up plan. If I can't come up with ten legitimate ones, I'm going to simply make up a list of the french fries places you recommended. There are some great suggestions there, but you have to wade through a lot of entertaining posts to get to them. It wouldn't be bad to have the short version.
(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer)
Now my problem is that I have too many good ideas for next Tuesday's Top Ten. But of course I can use some of them simply as posts, like one on fries, which I was already planning after this eloquent plea from Louie under the burger post:
Next top 10 topic has to be french fries.....need good fries to go along with the burgers.
Make it another topic please...
Posted by: Louie | January 15, 2008 6:49 PM
Why not a Top Ten? I'm not sure I could come up with a list of ten french fries that were so superior to other french fries I could justify my choices. As long as they contain two of the four major food groups (grease, salt) and are the right texture (crisp-edged) and temperature (hot), I'm happy. ...
But feel free to post the names of any places that have great fries below. Just let us know what makes them great.
I'm not a native Marylander, so I've never quite understood why Thrashers and similar boardwalk fries are so revered. Is it just childhood memories, or do they actually have qualities that make them objectively better than other fries?
And then there are sweet potato fries. Purists may not approve, but the sweet-salty-greasiness of them is irresistible to me.
For regular fries, my favorite dipping sauce is vinegar; but I'm perfectly happy with ketchup, although I don't like it on anything else.
I was thinking about all this last night while I was drifting off to sleep, and I came up with a great concept: tempura-battered french fries. Please tell me no one has thought of this. I love how light and crisp tempura batter is, and these would start with a crisply fried french fry and then be fried again with the tempura batter. I've even got a name for my franchise: Fuji Fries. The stands will have a colorful Japanese decor and only sell these fries with maybe -- what? -- wasabi mayonnaise for dipping.
While I was Googling around to make sure no one else had thought of Fuji Fries (some know-it-all is going to post a comment saying there's one in NYC), I came across a recipe for something perhaps even more awesome than tempura-battered fries:
Beer-battered fried avocado wedges.
Here's the recipe. Note that a three-wedge serving has 510 calories. I love that.
It must be winter.
(Sun archives)
The time has come to get serious about next Tuesday's Top Ten, and I'm just not inspired. I have several ideas waiting in the wings, but none of them seems more timely than any other. Plus with Monday being a holiday, I'd like to get started right away.
It seems like the kind of day to write about soup, but of course we've already done that. Favorite winter comfort food? By Tuesday it may be 45 degrees and sunny.
Any ideas? Even if I don't do yours next Tuesday, I'm keeping a list.
(AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
I actually cut out this photo of "cc" when the news story about the first cloned kitten appeared and stuck it on my computer. So you can see that even though it's totally irrational, I have trouble with the concept of cloned meat. The kitten keeps popping into my head.
Anyway if you missed the story that the FDA says cloned meat is safe to eat, here it is. And if you want to take a quick survey on what you think about cloned meat, it appeared yesterday on The Sun's Science Matters blog.
I almost hate to sic my band of merry men and women on those folks. Please make me proud of you. And if you have any nonreasonable responses to make (you'll see what I mean when you get there), feel free to post them on this blog.
Besides the ego-boosting photo below, Good Eater Marty also sent me this pictorial news. Oriental Manor in Ellicott City was one of the most respected Chinese restaurants in the area. It closed quietly, and nothing has taken its place until now. I'll give Asian Court a call and see what I can learn.
(Photo courtesy of Marty Katz)
Judging from the number of comments I get any time I post anything about pizza (note that I haven't worked up the nerve to do a Top Ten Pizza yet), I'm guessing many of you have plenty more to say on the subject.
Here's your chance.
Send an e-mail to food@baltsun.com describing your favorite pizza at your favorite pizzeria (or pizzerias) -- heck, it can be your favorite bistro that has great pizza if you want. The best of the e-mails will be published the week before the Super Bowl at BaltimoreSun.com.
(AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, File)
Several readers have written me wondering where Stefano Frigerio ended up once he left Cinghiale. He's the chef who arrived in Baltimore with such fanfare from the highly respected Maestro in McLean, Va., then left a couple of months after the latest Foreman-Wolf project opened. When I talked to Frigerio over the phone after he left, I asked him to let me know where he would be next. (It couldn't be a Baltimore restaurant because of a noncompete agreement.)
True to his word, he had his PR person send me a press release announcing that he has just started as executive chef at Mio Restaurant in downtown DC. The release went on to say...
...Mio opened in May 2007 and has fallen off the radar since losing its Chef, JohnPaul Damato, one week after opening. Chef Frigerio comes to the restaurant with a set of strong kitchen credentials and innovative new menus of American cuisine with Mediterranean influences. After a month of training the kitchen to prepare food in classic European techniques of whole animal cookery, diners can now feast on dishes such as grilled venison loin with sautéed cauliflower and gin-juniper sauce and slow-braised pheasant with parmesan, roasted pumpkin and crispy parsnips.
Interestingly, in listing Frigerio's impressive culinary history, the press release makes no mention of his stint in Baltimore.
I'm sitting here reading the very entertaining comments under my Top Ten Burgers post this morning and thinking:
* I love the fact that even a couple of vegetarians posted their favorite burgers before they stopped eating meat.
* I wonder why only Alonso's of the local places generated such controversy, both pro and con.
* I should have divided burgers into separate Top Tens (Best Diner Burgers -- love this category, Best Fast Food Burgers, Best Frou Frou Burgers, Best Bar Burgers etc.).
* Should I be surprised that in a seafood town like Baltimore a post on where to find the best raw oysters got 1,000 hits while a post on burgers got 10,000?
* Why didn't anyone at the Sun mention until today that Five Guys opened a franchise at Centre and Park (a closer walk than the harbor)?
* Why won't Richard Crystal tell us what he really thinks of the Prime Rib?
Everyone has dreams, so when I got this e-mail just after New Year's from the much-traveled chef Joshau Hill (pictured here on the right with Michael Tabrizi when he was still at Tabrizi's), I simply asked him to let me know when his new restaurant was open. I know how long the turnaround time for new places usually is, so I was thinking 2009 if at all.
Was I wrong.
...When I left Michael Tabrizi's restaurant I went down south to visit my family in Memphis and New Orleans. I had the opportunity to eat a lot of wonderful southern cooking that I realized I had been missing, the kind that took me back to the days of Sunday supper and I thought I would like to take familiar foods and make them seem new again. I met a gentleman named Phil Myers who owns a successful high end casual restaurant "Night at the Cookers" in Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Myers and I discussed that he had invested in some property in Baltimore. We discussed the need in Baltimore for...
...a good southern cuisine that has seasonal influences of the "Low Country," Creole and Cajun foods combined with an array of desserts done in a tapa style with a southern flare. ... We will also offer Southern BBQ cooked low and slow which will bring all the flavors together at Night of the Cookers & Sweetwaters Lounge. The building is the old Southern Blues @ 885 N. Howard Street. ...I want to build an upscale restaurant that has a come-as-you-are atmosphere. I have put together a beautiful wine list in which many bottles are under 40 dollars so you can enjoy wine with dinner. ...
The next thing I know I'm getting an e-mail from Chef Hill saying that Night of the Cookers is open and packing 'em in. I'd love to know more. If anyone has eaten there, please post below.
(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)
Faithful readers of this blog know that I don't consider myself a hamburger expert, although I've eaten plenty of them in my time. The one thing you can say is that I usually like my burgers simple -- just good meat, a non-kaiser roll, lettuce, tomato, and mayo. No cheese, no bacon, no sprouts.
I would just as soon eat a hamburger from the West Coast chain In-N-Out Burger as one of the huge, handcrafted, char-grilled bar burgers on a kaiser roll that true aficionados appreciate, so I'm not a good judge of them. Luckily I'm surrounded by experts who helped me with this list, and I had plenty of input from readers.
Consider this Top Ten a starting point for your own investigation, and report back if you think there are any worthier candidates than these:
(AP photo)
* Alonso's in Roland Park. For as long as I've lived in Baltimore, this has been the burger to beat. If size is what matters, this is a one-pound burger. Midnight Sun Sam Sessa gave this his Best Bite when he was still doing the takeout column.
* Dizzy Issie's in Remington. Recommended by several readers and beloved by many Sun staffers, it offers one that's a cut above the usual dive-bar burger, and it's reasonably priced.
* Duda's Tavern in Fells Point. I haven't had a burger here, but everything I have had has been good, and I got recommendations for its burgers from all over the place.
* Five Guys, area locations. This is my favorite chain burger locally. The beef is fresh, not frozen, and the buns are baked for the franchises daily and FedExed out.
* James Joyce Irish Restaurant downtown. Our resident cheeseburger expert, Web editor John Lindner, likes the burger on a ciabatta roll here, but also says "my read is that greater bawlmer burgers tend to be blah. Tragic really. Worst feature: med rare requests often make it to the table well done. Criminal."
* Jennings Cafe in Catonsville. This is where Zagat editor Marty Katz says you can find the best burger in Bmore "if you talk to Miss Peggy just right." Finish it off with the homemade cucumber-and-onion topping.
* Kooper's Tavern in Fells Point. Happy Eater Rob Kasper says this burger "delivers juicy meat with a good sandwich build." I sort of get what he means, and it sounds great.
* Mamie's in Aberdeen. LIVE reviewer Karen Nitkin just had this large, juicy, hand-formed burger and recommends it highly.
* McCabe's in Hampden. This is a classic neighborhood bar that's also a destination restaurant -- and the main draw is still the superior hamburger.
* Prime Rib in Mount Vernon. It's a cheeseburger with applewood smoked bacon that they only serve as part of their Thursday night casual menu. Food editor Kate Shatzkin says this is this best burger she's ever had. Who would have thought?
(Photo of In-N-Out on Sunset Boulevard by me. Note blue sky and palm trees. What's not to like?)
Wondering what those funny little icons are that have suddenly appeared below my posts? Web Editor Mary tells me they are sociotags.
"Each icon will let a reader add your blog post to a different social bookmarking or social news site, like digg.com or fark.com. (You can hover over each icon to see where it leads.)" Of course, if you understand what that means, you probably don't need me to tell you that they are sociotags.
Read this blog. Learn about foie gras and sociotags.
I wanted to start a separate entry on the foie gras (fattened goose or duck liver) controversy. The comments under the earlier post have started to get heated, which is fine, but I hope everyone also remembers Rule No. 2 when responding.
I, too, would be interested in the answers to some of the questions readers have raised. ...
Why, for instance, of the restaurants that serve foie gras in Baltimore, has Salt been singled out? Have the others decided to take it off their menus?
And why has foie gras recently become more of an issue than veal?
Just by being a carnivore, I know I shut my eyes to a lot of things I don't want to think about concerning my food. But this discussion does remind me of an earlier post in which I quoted Anthony Bourdain's Overrated Menu, where he comments on some overhyped phrases, including this one:
Cruelty-free Berkshire pork with shallot reduction and Yukon potato gnocchi
"You killed the thing -- what's cruelty free about that?"
(Photo courtesy of VinetPassion.com)
I just got an e-mail from Marty Katz, Maryland editor of the Zagat survey, telling me that the voting is now open for the Zagat 2009 DC/MD Restaurants. I know from the mini-reviews many of you have posted on this blog that you are both knowledgeable about restaurants and would have some entertaining things to say, so I hope you'll put your two cents in.
This could be the year that Clyde's in Columbia loses its place as Most Popular. (Nothing against Clyde's, but really.)
Voting is straightforward and free. Just...
...visit Zagat and go from there. You have six weeks, and those who participate by Feb. 24 get a free copy of the guide when it comes out.
I like how Marty puts it: "To keep our ratings current, we need fresh comments and ratings--and they don't need to be nice."
You'll be rating restaurants you've visited recently ranging from St. Michaels to Frederick, based on their food, decor, service and cost.
I don't participate -- I feel I have a big enough forum for my views -- so I hope if you do you'll let others here know how the process went.
So far the Black Palm, a Latin restaurant in Pass-A-Grille, has had the best food we've found around here. It's not traditional Florida seafood, but you can't argue with a plantain-crusted snapper fillet with a tamarind tartar sauce, mashed potatoes and glazed carrots. Corn cakes with queso fresco for a first course.
We'd go back tonight but the dressiest shoes I brought were flipflops, and I felt underdressed even for the beach.
So far...
...we've eaten at a Latin restaurant, a tapas bar, a Japanese restaurant, a funky little Italian place, a Thai restaurant, and, of course, the Reef. We didn't make it to the New York Kitchen and Crab House (Steaks, Seafood, Sushi and Chinese Food).
It's not like beach food used to be when I was a kid.
(Photo by me)
I haven't discussed the foie gras controversy or the local protests on this blog yet, mainly because I haven't gotten around to it. But while I've been on vacation one of my editors sent me the following item from a Baltimore Foodies newsletter. It's sort of an anti-anti-foie gras dinner. Use the link for more information. ...
For our second dinner party, we are returning to Salt. Why? To do what we do best: support the independent restaurants of Baltimore. Salt has been the victim of weekly anti-foie gras protests. While we hope to explore this controversy in a future foodie file, in the meantime, we at Baltimore Foodies feel we should come out in support of small businesses/restaurants like Salt. Chef Jason is creating a very special foie gras tasting menu for us. Please come down and support this great local independent restaurant.
People occasionally ask me why I blog when I'm supposed to be on vacation. Well, if I hadn't this time, I never would have discovered Gulfport, courtesy of Kitchen Goddess.
I've been coming to St. Pete Beach for several years, but nobody ever told me about this charming Old Florida town -- a real pleasure after the ticky tack beach ambience of St. Pete and the manicured loveliness of the development where this condo is.
However, I haven't eaten at her recommendation, Pia's, yet because...
...I'm at the beach. I want seafood. Florida seafood. That's why I haven't tried the Brass Monkey's crab cakes either. I want to eat grouper and mahi and stone crab claws in places with names like the Wharf and Sea Critters and the Reef.
Last night, though, we hit our low point when we tried the Reef. I knew it was going to be bad when my salad came with packaged iceberg lettuce mix, chickpeas, raisins and Italian dressing. I won't bore you with the rest of the details except my husband turned to me as we walked out and said, "Let's not ever eat at a restaurant like that again ever."
There's a lesson to be learned here. It's, Don't ask the Hertz Rent-a-Car guy to recommend a seafood restaurant.
I'm not blaming anyone, just saying it was someone else in my family who asked, not me.
When I ate at the new Tsunami in the Tack Factory complex downtown recently, I did what I often do: I asked our waiter what he would recommend.
It always interests me when servers recommend the two or three most expensive dishes on the menu.
Now I'm not stupid. I understand why and I don't blame them for it: They probably are among the best dishes because they involved delicious cuts of beef or lump crab meat or whatever. And the size of tip depends mostly on the size of the check. But I do think...
...upselling could be done more subtly. For instance, suggest one expensive dish and one mid-priced item that has a good reputation. Or don't suggest the most expensive entrees, but instead make sure you're there to offer another drink when the customer has emptied his glass. Or describe the appetizers or desserts in loving detail.
I was amazed when a waitress at another restaurant talked my husband out of a $10 glass of wine recently and suggested instead a $7 glass of wine she thought was better. I was so impressed that she had downsold, I upped the tip.
The picture, by the way, isn't of a Baltimore waiter. That didn't seemed fair. It's just one I pulled from our archives.
(Photo by Jock Fistick/Bloomberg News)
OK, nobody ever called me a coward. Matt described my position on Top Tens exactly, so I'm going to take on the burger issue next Tuesday. My job is made even easier (or iffier, depending on your point of view) because I don't review the kind of places that have burgers usually, and if I do I'm often trying something different on the menu. I'll have to rely on foodies around the office and respected posters, plus my knowledge that it's the kind of place that has good food in general.
To make the list even more controversial, I'm going to open it up to chains, if you can defend your position. Er, if I can defend my position.
How nice of David to remember my obsession with Brownberry bread. On my second visit to the Publix supermarket I scanned shelf after shelf of prepackaged breads, and no Brownberry. Then I looked away and magically this one loaf, like Brigadoon, appeared.
It looks exactly like a loaf currently being sold in Baltimore supermarkets only without ...
... the "original recipe/back by popular demand" part. I foolishly bought the Baltimore loaf and it tasted like all the other Arnold "healthy" breads -- not dense enough and too sweet.
I took a chance and bought this loaf, and it is indeed the original recipe. Good as ever, as far as I can tell with cold-deadened tastebuds. Brownberry bread does one thing, but does it superbly: It makes great toast. But I'm wondering if it's worth taking loaves back to Baltimore. Maybe I should just get over it. Move on.
I wonder why Arnold thinks only select areas, like central Florida, can appreciate this particular loaf. When I get back I'm going to have to call their PR person and find out. I understand why Yoplait yogurt comes in delicious tropical flavors like passion fruit and mango here but not in Baltimore. I understand why Floridians keep the really great grapefruit and strawberries here for themselves. But I don't understand about the Brownberry bread.
And here's another random thing I don't understand. Why does Kashi, the Seven Whole Grain Company, think that anyone who cares enough about his or her health to buy its Heart to Heart cereal wouldn't look at the ingredients list and know what the third ingredient, evaporated cane juice, really is.
I think I'll go have another piece of toast.
An ongoing discussion on this blog has been whether chains should be included in Top Ten Tuesday recommendations.
I understand the reasons not to include them: They get enough publicity as is, local places deserve my support, etc. All of which I agree with. It was years before I started reviewing chains...
...and that was only because I realized if I didn't, I'd be ignoring places that half my readership wanted to know about.
But now I think there are more positive things to be said about chain restaurants. Although they are never my first choice because I love small, personal places, I try to appreciate the virtues of the decent ones like McCormick & Schmick's, P.F. Chang's and Bonefish Grill. The quality of the food at upscale chains can be quite good. The service is often fine because they have the resources to train their staff. And these are often handsome restaurants.
And they are a known quantity. I'm one terrible fried seafood platter away from heading for the St. Pete Bennigan's.
Ha ha. Just kidding.
I should do a Top Ten Chain Restaurants.
Speaking of which, I need to come up with a Top Ten for next Tuesday. I'll only have next Monday to work on it, a day when some restaurants are closed, so many of the ideas on my list that involve calling won't work. Suggestions welcome.
(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)
I took a closer look at the Brass Monkey in Pass-A-Grille today. This is the bar and grill opened by Marylanders. They turned out to be Kelly and her husband Barry, who owned the Bay Cafe in Ocean City for 18 years before they came down here and replaced my favorite Italian restaurant. ...
I never ate at the Bay Cafe, and I'm not about to start eating Maryland dishes in St. Pete Beach, Fla. But I got a menu and noted that the Chesapeake Bay foods were limited: the "award winning" jumbo lump crab cakes, crab imperial and the flounder Annapolis (stuffed with crab imperial). There is a "Colt's Bay Burger" seasoned with Old Bay.
Don't they mean Ravens' Ray Burger?
We had dinner at Thai Landing in Mount Vernon recently, and I noticed that the tables were all set with a fork and a spoon.
If I had noticed the spoon before, I must have thought it was for serving or something, but now I know better because ...
...of Robyn's post.
Here's how she describes it:
I lived in Thailand for 6 months and Thai people eat with a spoon. They also use a fork but it is to get the food on the spoon.
I could be wrong, but I think Thai Landing is the only restaurant I've been to around here that sets the tables with a spoon for authenticity. I admire the restaurant for it, although I've never actually seen anyone eat with a fork and spoon at Thai Landing the way Robyn described. I hate to think of all those unused spoons getting washed over and over again for no reason.
(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)
Dinner at the new Mosaic in Pass-A-Grille turned out to be quite an experience, and not a good one. But it raised an interesting and more general question.
There weren't that many tables occupied, and although we got sangria, bread, and soup pretty quickly, we then waited and waited and waited for our main courses. Clearly the kitchen was in the weeds, but instead of saying something, the waitress carefully avoided our eyes. She never even stopped by to ask if we wanted more sangria, water, or bread. ...
Finally we asked when our dinners would be ready and she said ours were "up next," which they weren't. Then she brought two of the three dinners but said nothing about the missing one. It was quite awkward for those who had their food, and the third entree never appeared until we complained.
The person paying the check left a 10 percent tip. I couldn't decide how I felt about that. It was clearly the kitchen's fault. The waitress was young and sweet and didn't know how to deal with the situation, and she was clueless enough not to realize that she would have gotten a bigger tip if she had just acknowledged the problem and been sympathetic. I'm sure she thought she was being punished for something that she had no control over.
I must be softer hearted than usual because I'm on vacation.
For this Top Ten on where to get the best raw oysters, I enlisted the help of Happy Eater and Beer Blogger Extraordinaire Rob Kasper and listened to the advice of various people who commented under my earlier post. I couldn't include all the suggestions because I wanted to offer a variety in terms of price and location, so do check out what others had to say. And please post below if I left your favorite out.
Here's my list: ...
* Blue Sea Grill next to Power Plant Live. The raw bar has always been my favorite part of this chic restaurant. Right now the selections are Chesapeake Bay oysters, Blue Points from New York, Island Creek oysters from Canada, Moonstones from Rhode Island and Cape May oysters.
* Faidley Seafood in the Lexington Market. This was where Happy Eater Rob had his best oysters in December, $8.40 for a half dozen "primes" from Oxford.
* Mama's on the Half Shell in Canton has salty Chincoteagues for $6 a half dozen during happy hour. Otherwise they are the same price as the Blue Points ($9.50). If you don't want them raw, the oyster stew, fried oysters and oysters Rockefeller are fabulous.
* McCormick & Schmick's in the Inner Harbor. When I called last week, I was told they had "about ten" varieties, and they cost about $10 or $11 a half dozen.
* Nick's Inner Harbor Seafood in the Cross Street Market, a favorite if you love traditional Baltimore places, had oysters from the Chesapeake Bay, Chincoteague, Va., and Louisiana for $7 a half dozen when Rob visited.
* McGarvey's Saloon & Oyster Bar in Annapolis offers Delmarva oysters from private beds. Normally they are $13.50 for a baker's dozen, but from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday until April 15 they are $5 a dozen or $2.50 a half dozen.
* Ocean Pride in Lutherville has been getting big, salty "primes" from the Delaware Bay for the past three or four months. They sell for $7.99 a half dozen except on Wednesday nights from 6 p.m. to close, when they are half-priced.
* Oceanaire Seafood Room in Harbor East says on its Web site "on any given day dozens of the freshest, most flavorful varieties can be found on our menu. Wellfleets from Massachusetts. Malpeques from Prince Edward Island. Kumamotos from Oregon." I called Friday and there were eight, with prices ranging from $2.15 to $2.50 apiece.
* Ryleigh's Oyster Bar in Federal Hill prides itself on offering a good variety, anywhere from four to eight kinds. A half dozen costs between $9 and $13 except at happy hour Tuesday through Friday when they are $1 each.
* Woodberry Kitchen in Woodberry/Hampden. I'm including this first because I was just there and I know the oysters are good now, and second because local oysters are a separate category on the menu. I love that. When I ate there the offerings were Choptank Sweets, Rappahannocks, Stingrays, Snow Hills, and Olde Salts. Prices fluctuate.
(Photo courtesy of Rob Kasper)
This is a photo I took last night of a couple looking out over the ocean and eating their ice cream in front of Paradise Sweets in St. Pete Beach (and feeding their dog sitting between their chairs). I didn’t want to startle them by using my little point-and-shoot’s flash; that’s why it’s blurry. But you get the don’t-worry-be-happy feel of this vacation.
On a more somber note, as far as I can tell, I’m the kiss of death for St. Pete Beach restaurants. A few years ago we discovered a tiny mom-and-pop operation that was the best Italian restaurant in the universe. People came from as far away as Tampa to eat there. The next year ...
...it had changed hands because the pop had to have a knee operation and couldn’t stand at the stove anymore. No longer worth a visit.
The next year we found a very good upscale Italian restaurant in Pass-A-Grille, the old section of St. Pete. But when we went back last year, it had become the Brass Monkey, a bar and grill. And to add insult to injury, it had been bought by Marylanders who have introduced crab cakes and other Chesapeake Bay dishes to St. Pete Beach.
I’ve gotten over the shock this year. Maybe I’ll go talk to them out of curiosity.
This year our find of last year, a good fusion restaurant called Banana Leaf, has become Mosaic, a tapas place. Stay tuned.
I noticed when I ate at Lemongrass, the Annapolis Thai restaurant that's opened in downtown Baltimore, that it had not one but two communal tables.
Very trendy.
These are the large tables where individuals can come and mingle with others, only over food instead of a drink at the bar. ...
And for once, Baltimore isn't behind the times. As you can see from the photo, the Lebanese Taverna has one, as does Tabrizi's, and the Iron Bridge Wine Co. in Columbia. I'm sure there are others, and feel free to post below if you know of one that deserves mention.
The concept has been around for awhile, but slow to catch on. Restaurateurs like the idea because it's an efficient use of space. Customers, particularly younger ones, are more open to communal dining, particularly if they've been to Europe and seen it in action there.
I don't have much in the way of tips for you on how to strike up a conversation because I've never eaten at a restaurant's communal table, but I guess you could always start talking about the food. Maybe someone else has tried it and has something to add.
(Monica Lopossay/Sun Photographer)
Here's an e-mail I got from faithful reader Charles Grene.
Dear Elizabeth Large:
One of the humor sections of the current issue of the Reader’s Digest has one comment and 5 one-line entries from restaurant critics. This is my favorite:
“Everything about this place is so dreadful that writing about it feels like an intrusion into personal grief.”
I know just what he/she means. I wish Charles Grene had sent me the other five.
Practically since the day it opened, Lemongrass has been one of Annapolis’ most successful Thai restaurants — so much so that the owners opened “Lemongrass Too” on Housley Road. Now they have brought their formula of moderately priced Thai food, good-looking surroundings, and incredibly cool servers to Baltimore.
Lemongrass Baltimore is located at 1300 Bank St. in a renovated tack factory behind Little Italy. It has more style that you can shake a stick at and a jazzy night life scene, with a limited menu from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. seven nights a week. Nothing on the menu is priced over $16. But what’s important to most of us is whether the Thai food is any good. To find out what I thought about our meal there, you’ll have to read my review in next Sunday’s Arts & Life Today section.
(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)
This, my children, is a map of Florida. Tomorrow I'm going to get onto the AirTran airplane with my drippy nose and low-grade fever and head for warmer climes. I'm going to be the one they warn you about when they talk about how dangerous recycled plane air is.
But I'm not planning to abandon you. Unlike Italy, I'll be in the same time zone with a desktop computer. (I'm staying at a friend's condo in St. Pete Beach.) I'll have access to my e-mail and blog software.
Of course, I won't be able to resist talking about Florida restaurants, but I promise to post something relevant to Baltimore places at least once a day. And don't worry: If there's any breaking news, I'll have to beat my editors off with a stick to keep them from posting it.
Just be patient if there's a time lag in approving comments. I might be down by the pool.
This is very exciting: Owl Meat Jerky has just posted the 3,000th comment on Dining@Large:
Screaming Yello Zonkers
Remember the great Quisp versus Quake war of the early 70s? It all turned ugly when they showed graphic photos of Quisp's POW camps.
As you may remember, Hal Laurent was installed in the Commenting Hall of Fame last September for being our 1,000 commentor with the immortal words: ...
I was just mentioning this discussion to my wife, and she said that a place that she really misses is the old Harvey House on Charles St.
He was awarded many exciting prizes, not the least of which was the stainless steel BaltimoreSun.com travel mug and an advance copy of the dining guide, which I forgot to send him.
So this time I'm turning the prize-giving over to BaltimoreSun.com's crack marketing manager, Anne Burger. I will let you know what she's come up with as soon as she tells me. Owl Meat, I'm assuming it's OK with you that I send her your e-mail address so she can get in touch with you. Otherwise she will be flooded with people pretending to be you to get the fabulous prize.
And while I'm at it, I want to thank all of you for your insightful, entertaining and provocative comments -- or even for just letting me know you're out there reading. I'm very proud of the fact that around the newsroom when people mention my blog they often talk about what you've said rather than what I posted. That means a lot to me.
A friend and I were talking about foods of our youth that are no longer available, and not surprisingly, they revolved around candy. For some reason, the ones I miss are what I call (but I don't think it's the right name) Whitman's peppermint puffs. They came in a bag, weren't individually wrapped, and melted like cotton candy when you put them in your mouth. No, they were definitely not the soft "Bob's" ones sold now.
Looking around on the net, I see...
...that Whitman's stopped making them in the '80s. I love the fact that someone at Roadfood.com cared enough to call. I do that kind of stuff all the time.
The other thing I'm struck by is there used to be a thousand kinds of chewing gum (remember Beemans Pepsin Gum?), and now there are very few by comparison. I wonder why.
I wonder if each generation has a food of their youth that evokes memories and has disappeared by the time they're adults, particularly these days when change is happening so rapidly. I couldn't find mine there, but you might be able to get your lost candy at NostalgicCandy.com.
I think someone suggested doing a Top Ten Foods of Our Youth in a comment somewhere, but I couldn't find it when I looked just now. Of course, everyone's Top Ten would be different, and I hope they wouldn't all be candy. My daughter's, for instance, would be Maruchen brand ramen noodles. They are still available, but by the time she's my age they might not be.
(Photo courtesy of NostalgicCandy.com)
While the rest of us are worrying about how we're going to be able to fill our gas tanks, restaurateurs are grappling with an even more serious problem: last year's poor truffle season. The bad-for-us dollar/euro exchange rate isn't helping either.
Joe Bastianich, who owns Del Posto in New York with Mario Batali and mom Lidia Bastianich, reports that he spends enormous amounts on truffles each week.
In 2006, he paid $1,500 for a pound of truffles. Last year the price went up to $4,500 a pound.
Life is tough for everyone. No word yet on how the exquisite Del Posto autumn truffle menu went this season.
The subject line is "Valentine's Day -- It's Sooner Than You Think."
OK, I guess. It's always good to think ahead. And if you're planning to take your sweetie out to dinner, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make reservations at your favorite restaurant pretty soon. (Valentine's Day falls on a Thursday this year, in case you're wondering. See how informative reading this blog can be?)
Anyway, I trashed the press release, from a company called Pure Romance, when I got to the second Valentine's Day Tip: ...
I'm still brooding about the concept of health cocktails from yesterday's post on 2008 trends.
These are alcoholic drinks that are supposedly better for you because they're made with "organic" liquor, or because fruit or vegetable purees are substituted for sugar syrup, or because antioxidants are involved. Pomegranate syrup or green tea is sometimes part of the mix.
I'm not much of a cocktail drinker, but if I do drink one it's not because I'm fooling myself into thinking there are any health benefits. And I certainly don't think mixing something "healthy" with the alcohol would do anything for the hangover I would get if I had more than one.
But like every other trendy thing, I guess, there's nothing much practical behind it.
I haven't found any place around here serving health-conscious cocktails yet, although I made a few calls. (If you know of any, please post below.) It must be a New York and LA thing.
(Photo by Matthew Paul D'Agostino / Special to the Sun)
Eric's excellent review of Woodberry Kitchen got me thinking about the relationship of cutting edge and hip to really uncomfortable seating in the restaurant world. As he put it about the Woodberry chairs:
They sat us by the windows (cold!) and their chairs I think are made of aluminum (colder! our company had to sit on her coat).
This doesn't always hold true, but when did hard or teeny (or cold) chairs somehow get equated with the Next Big Thing? Having roomy or soft-seated chairs or, God forbid, arms on the chairs these days suggests that you're catering to an older clientele -- or maybe just don't know good design. When did good design get equated with discomfort? Don't hip 20-somethings like to be comfortable too?
Look at the chairs in the accompanying photo carefully. Judging from the chairs alone, what can you say about this restaurant's clientele?
(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)
Is your restaurant critic on top of things or what? No, I didn't know the centerpiece of today's front page was going to be on oysters when I posted yesterday.
It does seem as if a Top Ten on places to get oysters is inevitable next Tuesday, doesn't it? Especially as readers are clamoring for it.
Well, SGI did mention something about it in her latest comment. ...
There are many restaurants that have good oysters this time of year. I'm looking for places that offer something more. For instance, if you read the Taste section's story on 2008 trends this morning, you know that "varietals" are important. So some of these ten places might be chosen because they offer several different kinds of oysters. I'm thinking raw here, but maybe I won't be able to come up with ten and will have to include places that have great fried oysters or whatever.
In any case, suggestions welcome.
(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer)
I promised Janet I would find out where this photo was taken. I should have labeled it when I posted it earlier, but it wasn't until I got home and looked at it on my Mac screen that I realized how gorgeous the sushi was.
Anyway, it was taken at Sonny Lee's Hunan Taste at 750 Main St. in Reisterstown. The plate was prepared by sushi chef Jinshu Jiang.
(Doug Kapustin/Sun photographer)
I almost hate to tell you that locavore has been designated the Word of the Year by the New Oxford American Dictionary. I would have said Food Trend of the Year, OK, but Word of the Year?
I already hate the word. It makes me crave some out-of-season ingredient shipped in from Tunisia.
I'm sure you can guess what it means even if you haven't heard the term; but in case not, it's someone committed to the whole seasonal, local farms, sustainable agriculture, eco-eating trend that we've talked about endlessly, particularly with places like Dogwood and Woodberry Kitchen opening up. (And many restaurants were doing it before them without as much fanfare.)
That got me looking around for stories about other food trends we'll be seeing in 2008.
There are no surprises, but here are some of the things I came up with: ...
*Probiotics. The potentially helpful bacteria found in yogurt and now in many other food products.
*Umami. Check out my earlier post.
*One-ingredient restaurants. You read it here first.
*Water backlash. Well, not really. But bottled water is no longer a Good Thing.
*Health cocktails. Only made with alcohol. It's an oxymoron, but the idea is to use fresh, even organic ingredients. Not only that, ethanol may boost the antioxidants in fruits like strawberries and blackberries. So enjoy your pear bellini.
Here are some more '08 trends from Andrew Knowlton, Bon Appetit magazine's restaurant editor, as reported on CBS News' Web site:
*Oysters. They are showing up more and more on restaurant menus and are now available online.
*Meat cookbooks. Apparently a lot of high-profile ones are being published this year.
*Slow cookers. Several companies are releasing new ones.
*Heirloom beans. Like heirloom tomatoes, only beans.
*Eco-friendly bags. Choose paper, not plastic, or better still, bring your own.
*Boutique bakeries. We've talked about the ones that specialize in cupcakes.
And here's Food & Wine magazine's "100 Tastes to Try in '08." In case you don't feel like reading the whole article I'll just say if you want to be considered au courant, you better know what a yumberry is.
What happen to the whole locavore thing?
(Photo courtesy of the Zhejiang Yumberry Juice Co.)
Wilbur Reeling sent me a link to his blog Quintessential Cuisine. I had just been surfing the net doing some research on the hot trends coming up in 2008 (see tomorrow's post), and one of them was oysters.
I know they don't sound very trendy, but I have noticed seafood restaurants offering more varieties lately. And this I didn't know: There are more and more places now where you can order oysters online.
Anyway, Reeling's photos taken at local places will make you hungry for them.
(Photo courtesy of Wilbur Reeling)
Well, this crew is certainly planning to eat healthier in the new year. I asked for suggestions and got exactly one response. I've gotten more recommendations asking for Turkish-Irish restaurants that serve sushi.
Thank you, MD Canon. Not only does he/she have a suggestion, he/she explains exactly how to eat healthily there. I couldn't do any better, so I refer you directly to the post.
I didn't want to make this just a list of vegetarian restaurants. (That's another Top Ten.) Instead these are places that are promoting the idea of healthy eating in various ways. Because of that, I think they will be sympathetic to whatever your special dietary requests are.
I also didn't want to fill up the list with ethnic restaurants, but you should always consider them when you're trying to improve your eating habits. They tend to go easy on the meat, heavier on the vegetables and whole grains; and if you stay away from the deep-fried offerings, they can be lower fat.
But keep in mind that with Asian restaurants you may very well be getting more sodium than you should be eating.
I wanted to put Liquid Earth in Fells Point on my list, but I haven't heard anything about it lately, and when I called the phone rang and rang and there was no voicemail message. I know it's closed Mondays, but even so I wasn't comfortable including it.
*Black Olive in Fells Point is expensive, but that's partly because this Fells Point seafood restaurant with a Greek accent uses organic produce (whenever possible from local farms), beef, dairy, flour, and sugar. The restaurant's specialty is whole fish. Many people think of it as a special occasion place, and don't realize you can eat healthfully while you're celebrating.
*Dogwood in Hampden was the first of the city's high-profile eco-gourmet restaurants, focusing on local ingredients, organic when possible. The menu includes at least one interesting and well-done vegetarian dish so you don't feel like a second-class citizen if you don't want meat. Plus I hear they're getting their liquor license soon. (Doesn't a glass of wine a day help prevent a heart attack?)
*Donna's, area locations, was featured last year in Cooking Light's article on cities with the healthiest cooking. The local restaurant group has lots of fat-free and vegetable-filled menu items like the signature roasted vegetable salad, vegetarian soups and a nightly seafood special. They are also happy to oblige special requests.
*Flying Avocado in Owings Mills is a small natural foods cafe that's sunny and fun and doesn't preach. It's vegan-friendly, but there's also plenty to like if you aren't a vegetarian. Try the avocado nicoise salad or the blackened chicken and Brie sandwich.
*Great Sage in Clarksville is known for its organic, vegetarian menu done well, but if you have special dietary concerns, you should also note that dishes are marked "vegan," "gluten free," "peanut free," and "soy free" so it's a good choice if you have food allergies. The latest menu features dishes like cranberry pear salad and Korean bulgogi made with seitan.
*Green Leaf (Shawan Plaza, 11313 York Road, Hunt Valley, 410-771-0030) promises "Japanese healthy cuisine." That's only partially true (you have to skip the deep-fried food), but its heart is in the right place. Dishes like salmon teriyaki with broccoli, snow peas and zucchini deliver on both the good-for-you and tastes-good fronts. Nice atmosphere, lots of healthy choices.
*Olive & Sesame (1500 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, 410-484-7787, and 2 W. Pennsylvania Ave., Towson, 410-494-4944) is one of our few Chinese restaurants that even pays lip service to the concept of healthful food. You can get the American-Chinese standards, but the oils are olive and sesame, there are entree salads, plus many other healthy choices. Japanese dishes are also on the menu. Just stay away from General Tso's chicken.
*One World Cafe in Homewood specializes in chemical-free, low-fat, organic foods, with entrees made up mostly of grains, nuts, tofu, vegetables, and sauces. Soy products are often used as meat substitutes. But like other places on this list, it isn't obsessive about its healthfulness, serving sweets, organic beer and wine, and organic, fair-trade coffee.
*Woodberry Kitchen in Woodberry/Hampden emphasizes local, organic when possible and "green" more than healthfulness (the rib eye, white bread and rich desserts are highlights), but you can eat very well here if you are a vegetarian or on a weight-loss diet if you don't let yourself be tempted. There are dishes like "shell beans and gold rice, radish salad, pumpkin seeds" and "various beets, yogurt cheese, lovage oil."
*Zia's Cafe in Towson is owned by Daniela Troia of the Cafe Troia family. She is also the cook. That means her juice bar and cafe has a good pedigree. While not a vegetarian restaurant, there are plenty of vegetarian and vegan offerings, the produce is organic, and the meat is nitrate- and antibiotic free. If you want more than salads and sandwiches, entrees packaged for take out can be microwaved there.
(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)
At the most I only review 50 or 60 restaurants in a year. Let's say it's 50. If I made a Top Ten only out of those places (and even some of those early ones would be out of date in a year) that would take care of five weeks of Top Ten, leaving nothing for me to do for the other 47 Tuesdays.
So these Top Ten Tuesday lists are for entertainment purposes only, made up with the help of other Sun foodies with input from knowledgeable readers of this blog. They are to get the discussion going, and I appreciate your corrections, disagreements and substitutions -- posted without profanity or actionable statements, please -- and I understand that mean comments only reflect your passion for the subject.
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