Don't take this in the wrong way or being insensitive, but I've never understood when writers, like yourself, are "away on vacation."

I mean, it seems to me that you could easily do two or three restaurant reviews in one week - which would compensate for the week you're away and the paper could run the reviews and the readership would never know the difference.

Is there more to the job than eating and writing about it?

BTW - I'm asking sincerely because I don't know what the life of a writer is like.

Sure, Elizabeth, I'll hand in a review for a very recent dinner. I've never had a bad meal or bad experience at Brasserie Tatin, and the dinner I just had there was no exception. The two of us shared the Crab Tian for a first course and it was so, so good. It is a cold dish, and with the combination of chayote, lime and other contributing fruit/ vegetable flavors it is a revelation. Perfect for summer, but I saw no reason to reject it on a chilly Spring night. We each had the scallops with butternut squash risotto and both elements were perfectly cooked. It was a wonderful dish. Both of these dishes are on the regular menu, but I have no idea if it changes much with the seasons. I tend to prefer homemade tarte tatin to the versions found in most restaurants, but theirs is quite good.

Service was mostly very good and friendly. There was one small gaffe and one big whopper though. At one point the server pulled the plate with the crab tian away without asking if we were finished; he walked away and then suddenly returned with it apologizing for not asking. Good thing--we weren't actually finished. The whopper was that when he brought an Alsatian Reisling instead of the Alsatian Pinot Blanc that we'd ordered, he insisted when questioned about it that the Reisling grape is what is used in Pinot Blanc. I just let it go because it was one from their list of $20 wines and I didn't feel like arguing about it and I knew the Reisling would do just fine. I should have metioned this to the owner when we left but I didn't think about it at the time.

Tatin is also a great place to eat at the bar, AND they have a parking lot.

I'm a Tatin fan, too, chez G. They have a special "April in Paris" prix fixe menu that sounds scrumptious--now to cook up a reason to celebrate (having the taxes done, maybe? If there is any money left ...)

Last evening we ate at Rocket to Venus. They have an extensive menu, but I go for the shrimp and grits. The grits were creamy, just wish they had some garlic and cheese in them. The dish has fennel and tomatoes which worked well. I also like their house salad and the dressing is very good. Our server was inspired by Elvis. We also had a Rod Stewart sighting. If you like grits, try them with salsa and shrimp. Had it in Charleston and it's excellent.

'Cook up a reason to celebrate ..' well there is always the reliable the sun came up in the East, this morning.

I went with my dad to Linwoods on Saturday and had one of the most wonderful lunches that I can remember. I started with a perfectly chilled and spiced gazpacho and followed that with the warm goat cheese salad which was really a hit with me! I seldom deviate from the french onion soup so the gazpacho was truly a treat, but the salad stood on it's own as a wonderful lunch treat also. Dad had the crab soup which he thought was delicious and then a very huge juicy cheeseburger with shoestring fries which was a success as well. A bit pricey for lunch but so very good all the same. Of course, the enjoyable company made it even better!

It's not a restaurant, but a bakery that was represented at the recent Culinary Extravaganza in Baltimore by its owner-chef, Charmaine Baker. The cakes on offer there were a chocolate cake with a lighter chocolate icing and samples of blueberry muffins. They're worth a mention because thy were a) delicious, and b) completely vegan in content. No milk, butter, eggs and certainly no trans fats. Not that the taste would suggest anything but the richest ingredients. And yet, here are cakes that are good to eat and not at all likely to clog the arteries or strain the digestive system. The bakery is located in the 800 block of Howard Street, right in the midst of Antique Row. I've never been anything close to being a vegetarian, but after trying these desserts, I may reconsider.

What happened to the promised review of Salt by OMG? And for that matter what happened to OMG and VDP? Did they OD on D@L?

Funny that Chez G should ask that question. I spent yesterday catching up on the blog entries for part of February, and all of March and April. I was a little stir crazy when I finished but one of the things I kept looking for was Owl's Salt review. Hope it is coming soon because I can hardly wait to see what he has to say.

To defend the feathered one (so the feathers don't get ruffled) a short (4 - 6 line) comment was posted. The garrulous one was very restrained.

There's some love here for Brasserie Tatin, but think it's best to share some bad news - they were shut down for one day by the Health Dept. in January for mouse infestation and unsanitary conditions. Sorry all. I've had good experiences there, too, but...

http://www.baltimorehealth.org/closures/January08.pdf

I try and visit the site regularly to stay on top of these things, although sometimes I find some of my fave restaurants or solid go-to places are listed. Boo...

Peter's Inn has become a favorite for my husband and me since we moved back to the Baltimore from D.C. My only complaint is that they're always out of dessert by the time we get there!

I'd love to read a new review!

Yes, I knew about the mouse infestation when I said some nice things about Tatin. Hey, there was a mouse in my office yesterday morning--I'm not going to get too bent out of shape about that, as long as they don't shut down on my birthday!

I've had mice in my house*, but I still eat here.

*They don't survive long, though, with three cats in the house.

Oh, good--another cat person! I knew Hal VoR was a great guy.

^^

I've had mice in my house*, but I still eat here.
*They don't survive long, though, with three cats in the house.

Ditto.

Only one of my cats is a real mouse chaser, though. The others seem to have lost the instinct. But she was outside longer before we rescued her and we think she had already learned to catch her own food.

I don't know why, but for some reason the thought of mice in a restaurant doesn't bother me as much as roaches. (I sent the question about returning to a restaurant with roaches.) As for cats, when I lived in an apartment with roaches, even the cats weren't interested in chasing them. But they did catch the one mouse that got in!