Great! BYOB place: Sonny Lee's,
Owings Mills, Asian

Samos does have a corkage fee. It's $2 per person.

Thanks. They didn't charge us when I reviewed Samos for the last dining guide. I'll correct it as soon as I can call to confirm -- which may be awhile. I tried a couple of times over the weekend to see if the policy was the same, and the number was always busy.

Corkage fees have been around for years.

Thai Arroy is by far the best restaurant on this list. Definitely a popular place - when did they start taking reservations?!

Here's what I said in my review: "... the first time we called we were told they don't take reservations. When a friend called back to ask how early we would have to get there not to have a wait, they took our reservation, no problem." But from your comment I'm gathering I shouldn't say recommendations recommended.

WOW! What a list! The range of Baltimore dining in all genres continues to happily surprise me. Thanks!

And don't forget to check out the ones people recommended that I didn't know enough about to include.

the link for Orchards is to Iggies, and sorry about skewing the whole S&M discussion.

No longer. Thanks for heads up. I dunno. I thought it was pretty entertaining until the blog police started to take interest.

Thai Arroy doesn't take reservations - but their food is excellent.

I'm not sure which sushi restaurants you went to, but Asahi on Broadway in Fells Point is wonderful and BYOB. I've been going there for six years and have never had a bad meal. JC rolls the best fish and has delicious Korean dishes on the menu as well.

Several people recommended Asahi last week as well. Is there a corkage fee?

Blog police???

I always worry that my editors will actually read my blog. Maybe I should say our blog, since I was being good. :-)

Two things...

Isn't Fazinni's a BYOB? I thought I remembered that.

About Thai Arroy and reservations, if you call about an hour before you go, they will take your name and make sure that if there's not a table when you arrive, that you'll be next up. Also, if you go there without calling, they will take your cell phone number and call you when the table that will be yours gets their check so you can go get a drink at someplace else and come back.

Matsuri has also done this for me.

Chopstix in White Marsh also is BYOB and has NO corking fee.

Zeeba Lounge in Fed Hill is a BYOB place. Belly dancing, good food and drinks.. Can't beat that!

Someone needs to check out Shahrazads Neo-Soul on Washington Blvd in Pigtown...no corking fee, that is by FAR the BEST place I've been to in Baltimore...and its all home made...I mean, the cook comes out and opens your bottle for you!

Michael, yeah, Zeeba is BYOB but for beer, they charge a buck a bottle, don't they? Plus, their food portions are small and expensive. I'm not a big fan.

Elizabeth, I wouldn;t worry about your editors reading your blog. I have been watching the Baltimore Sun on The Wire and apparently the internet has not yet been invented!

Wow. That's a great relief.

Kitchen of India in East Towson/ Parkville area, Joppa Road near Perring Pkwy has wonderful food and is BYOB. No corkage fee. Prices are reasonable, and many side dishes you can add on for not too much extra. A quiet and friendly atmosphere.

Its in a little strip mall, and there is a liquor store nearby, with a nice selection of wines. Very convenient!

Salsa Grill even provides glasses

Aaarrgh, I forgot the Salsa Grill. They should definitely be on this list. I just don't know which one to take off.

Yuki Sushi in New Town is a very good BYOB place. My favorite though is Mari Luna Mexican Grill. The Wine Source's website has a listing of BYOB restaurants.

Mark, where were you last week with this info? :-) Alas (I think) when I called Mari Luna they told me they now have a liquor license.

Vito's in Cockysville

Bruno does the best veal in Baltimore

This place is great also. I don't remember them charging me a fee for corkage.

Winks Hill Top Grill
Brewers Hill
834 S. Conkling St.
Baltimore, MD 21224
410-276-9465

Uh oh--Butch mentioned veal. Fasten your seat belts!

I think the Sushi thing comes down to neighborhood and atmosphere. There are a lot of very good places to go for Sushi, but am I going to trek down to Fells Point, when I have some very acceptable places right in my area? Probably not (for me anyway). Sushi is probably the one food I prefer BYOB and have availed myself of the option.

Edo Mae in Owings Mills has a nice quiet (most of the time) atmosphere, with a liquor store right next door. For me there is nothing better than a good glass of champagne with my sushi.

That's my feeling, too. I guess I'm not as much of a connoisseur as some who have posted here, because I'm not scornful of the area's sushi restaurants, and I think we have a good number of acceptable ones.

No corkage fee at Asahi on Broadway and glasses are provided should you need them, including sake glasses.

How about a top ten of unusual ethnic restaurants. Salsa Grill is South American, and there's a new Himalayan one, isn't there?

Good idea. I'd like to hear some more suggestions, though, to make sure there are 10 of them. For instance, does Ethiopian count? We have had several, but they come and go.

Of course Ethiopian counts. And I'd include Persian as well.

I'm a fan of Kitchen of India on Joppa Road in Parkville (http://kitchenofindiamd.com/). The food is delicious and the owner and staff are really a delight!

Champagne, white wine, even Pinot Noir but no Cab/ Merlot and the likes with sushi. Soy sauce and wasabi will make the wine undrinkable, from my own experience.

Here's one that might have slipped below radar: Belvedere Market
You can BYO and get something nice from one of the many spots there like Atwaters or the sushi place, or let Grande Cru pull the cork for you for a fee if you didn't plan ahead and BYO cork screw as well!

Oh, the Blog Police, the Thought Police, the Fashion Police...where will it end?

Fortunately, sometime around 1978 we were able to shake the Dream Police.

I guess I'm not as much of a connoisseur as some who have posted here, because I'm not scornful of the area's sushi restaurants, and I think we have a good number of acceptable ones.

I think that has a lot to do with exposure to cuisine. If you grew up here, eating the sushi from here, then that's you're baseline.

However, when you've lived elsewhere and eaten properly prepared, traditional Japanese style sushi and then come here, the results are quite disappointing.

It's kind of like going somewhere else where the locals tell you they have the best blue crab - only to find out they boil them water and slather them in barbecue sauce.

It may be "blue crab" but it ain't Maryland Style Blue Crab...

Speaking of police, one of our friends will call the "mayo police" if you use anything but Hellman's.

I just don't see why anyone should object if Janet and Robert tSO and I should go off topic onto ... books.

I'm with them on Hellman's. Use it or make your own.

When I don't make my own mayo, I use either Hellman's or Trader Joe's. I had originally switched to Trader Joe's when I was very seriously low-carb eating and Hellman's lists sugar as one the ingredients. I'm a little less meticulous at this point.

This brings to mind a question for those that make their own mayo. Do you add sugar?

Not me. But I don't add sugar to anything much that it isn't a key ingredient in, if you know what I mean.

It's tangent time! Speaking of sugar...what's the difference between the use of evaporated cane sugar to molasses to honey to just plain sugar in organic or more healthful foods? I know high fructose corn syrup (HFCS 'cuz I love an acronym!) is the devil, but of the ones I mentioned above which is the best or most healthful choice when buying a product?

Iggies pizza on Calvert in Mt. Vernon. C'mon people!

Iggies pizza on Calvert in Mt. Vernon. C'mon people!

Reading comprehension alert: Iggies was mentioned in the original post (number six in the list).

Maybe I can help with this ...Evaporated cane juice: squeeze juice from sugar cane and let dry.
Refined sugar: take the juice from above and refine the bejesus out of it , removing everything but the sucrose sugar. The "junk" that's left is molasses (full of iron and other nutrients). Add some molasses back into refined sugar and you get "brown sugar".

HOney is a whole other topic, but the most healthy honey is unpasteurized, something like Really Raw HOney, which is made in Canton locally but I believe is distributed widely. It has the bee pollen and other untidy yet healthy parts of the honey comb. Why are whole foods more healthy? I suppose because the "impurites" that are refined out contain vitamins, mineals, amino acids, and flavor. That's why one reason why extra virgin olive oil is considered more healthy, it is never refined: the vitamins and natural anti-occidents and flavors are all still there just like MOther Earth intended!

Hope I was helpful! :)

does anyone else think that "Kitchen of India" is a bad name for a restaurant? I laugh every time I drive by. But glad to hear so many people think it's a good place to stop.

Thanks Terrier Mom! Very helpful. I'm going to assume, then, that evaporated cane juice is the best option. I had originally assumed sugar, molasses and honey were better and ECJ would be listed as last since I thought they were more natural methods of instilling sweetness into a product. Boy was I wrong!

Dancing Monkey, I don't think "Kitchen of India" is a terrible name for a restaurant. Now "Potbelly"--THAT is a terrible name, almost as bad as "Phat Pug."

2 places mentioned are my new favorite places: First, Cafe Gia at the corner of Albemarle & Eastern {the old Iggy the Sandwich King}; the owner {Gia} is nice, the food {Chef Bruno} is to die for, by far the best eggplant parm I have ever had;
and you Could walk to Bin 604 for a bottle, but you Should walk 30 paces away to "India Rasoi", they will sell you a good bottle of wine to take back to Gia.

2nd, Dogwood Deli on the Avenue in Hampden {the old Mama's},
we've never had anything less than a great meal there;
Listen kids: the thing to do is stop by the Wine Source on a Saturday afternoon, grab a nice red, then walk through the alley and down the ramp to the really pretty dining room. The food is excellent, the service is friendly & easy-going {in the good way}, the produce/cheese/etc is locally supplied if at all possible.
Think Global, Eat Local, Eat Dogwood.

One more place off-topic {I don't think it's BYO}: the best Indian food in my area {I live in Beverly Hills} is Bombay Garden on York Rd, just north of Woodholme Ave......
if you're in the area for lunch during the week, you could stop in to the very busy Belvedere Sq, or you could drive 2 minutes south and drop in for a $6.95 all-you-can-eat buffet, except the food is anything but all-that-"all-you-can-eat" can mean....
Fresh, home-made, nice folks.
Thank you for your time........

Is "dave the suave" pronounced "dave the swayve" or "dahv the suave"?