With me, ambiance--and attitude--are equally as important as the food and service. If the food is terrible, however, great ambiance is all for nought.

Well, I for one go to CiCi's and Bob Evan's for the screaming children :-)

Ambiance is tricky. I'm far more concerned with the food, but what is charming in one type of restaurant is offensive in another. I like the informal, neighbourhoody ambiance of Chicken Rico, but if I were paying $40 for an entree, blasting Spanish language soap operas on TV would be offensive, not part of the experience.

About the only time ambiance is really an issue for me is when I'm going out with someone who uses hearing aids. They won't be able to hear or to carry on a convo if the place is loud.

In fact, the more I think about it, the less sure I am I know what "ambiance" means.

I don't know if it comes under the heading of "ambiance" or not, but yeah...things other than food and service matter a lot to me.

Number 1 on the list: I avoid some restaurants totally, because they are noisy. Dining out is as much social for us as culinary and I want to be able to have normal conversation with my dinner companions.

And I like outdoor dining, so a having patio will get me to a restaurant and then I'll check out the menu. (That's a problem in the winter, obviously, so I have a couple of favorite places that have large windows and great views...)

There's two that jump to mind right off the bat.

Ambiance matters quite a bit to me. There are a few places where I go primarily because of the ambiance (defined broadly), though most are not "fine dining" like the places EL mentions above. Arcos and the Owl Bar are on that list.

Poor ambiance will keep me away, no matter how good the food is. It's hard to enjoy great food in a sucky atmosphere (unreasonable noise or so quiet you can hear everyone's conversation, annoying co-diners, tables too close together, decor issues, uncomfortable chairs).

Well, it kinda depends. Sometimes we want to dine near the water, so we'll pick a place that has a good view (whether that be down here or up there). Other times, we'll go to a place for a specific food, like Koco's for crab cakes. They have great crab cakes, but ambience, not so much. How about the Original Sports Theater out on Joppa Road? Great steaks, but all those TVs?
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I just re-read your post and thought, well, maybe there aren't a whole lot of Baltimore restaurants with a lot of ambience.
Now that I've moved away from there, quite a few places that we visit when I'm in town have a certain "Baltimore ambience" to them, and I like that.
I need to stop typing, I'm getting a tad homesick!

Um, so where is this Ambassador Dining Room terrace? The place looks very nice.

Rob in PCB FL, the Ambassador is a grand old lady of a building near the Homewood Campus at Johns Hopkins, just north of campus.

The cuisine is now Indian (I can remember at least one previous incarnation in that space). At lunchtime there is a buffet which is reliably good (at $12 or so not quite the great bargain it used to be unless you are very hungry). In the winter the paneled dining room is warm and cozy, and they sometimes have a fire in the fireplace--sort of an old "Raj" atmosphere. Very nice.

For me, any restaurant which has televisions get a minus in the ambiance department, unless they are confined to the bar area.

Are going for the food? Then the ambiance is not that important. Some of the best Italian and Chinese,Texas barbecue and New Orleans seafood places I've ever eaten in were humble, unstylish hovels served by unpleasant people.

But the food was great.

If you want to impress someone however, then go for it. As long as the food is adequate and the object of your desire is not that sophisticated about their food, image is everything.

Go to Italy if you consistently want both.

Venkmann suggested going to Italy if you want both great food and great ambiance. Si! Nothing like a full moon over the piazza to make anything taste better!

Venkmann, your comment reminds me of a barbeque place I was taken to in Oklahoma City back in the 70's. (Beasley's, I think it was called.)

As we were driving to the place, I noted that we were in a rather seedy part of town. My host said, "Oh yeah, I should warn you. When we go in, they are going to pat you down, to see if you are carrying a knife or gun."

He paused for a couple seconds, then added. "If you aren't, they'll give you one."

The barbeque was great.

Ambiance is broad word. Attman's and Faidley's in a blue collar way. Petit Louis in a french bistro way, although I wish they would convert the parking lot into outdoor seating. The Brass Elephant in an elegant way. the Prime rib in a old school steakhouse way. Mount Washington Tavern in a preppy way. Golden West in a retro kitsch way. The Antrim in Taneytown in a country estate way.

Ok, that's enough for now.

Some people might equate ambiance with the cost of the entrees. In other words if one is going to pay in excess of $30 for a meal one would expect a certain level of ambiance. IMHO, I do not consider the ambiance at the Prime Rib to be all that great because the tables are too close together, but the food is always great. On the other hand, I'll go to the Mt. Vernon Stables repeatedly because it's a comfortable place. It's all a matter of taste and preference.

I agree, ambience depends what "food mood" I'm in. I don't expect luxe surroundings in a BBQ joint, and neither will I go to a dive for a "haute cuisine" meal. Both have their places in the culinary world, but they shouldn't overlap.

neither will I go to a dive for a "haute cuisine" meal
I agree with this with one exception - Martick's is a dive. But it is a dive with great character.

Brass Elephant, Gertrude's, Cantler's...yeah, for me ambiance is a big part of the meal. Second to FOOD, of course.

There are times that ambience can almost be as important as the food. Using the Ambassador as an example, If we need a quick vacation tonight, a lovely evening dining outside at the Ambassador with great service and good food, is a small price for an instant attitude adjustment.

I go to Rainforest Cafe for the ambiance....and the periodic thunderstorms. haha.

Back Patio at Black Olive....so romantic and absolutely perfect.

The comments about noise levels in "good" restaurants allow me to bring to the blog an issue I have raised offline with EL several times.
I don't return to some otherwise excellent restaurants because I am unable to sustain a conversation with my companions. Enjoying the company is an important component of a pleasant dining experience.
Two newspapers that will not be otherwise identified (one published 40 miles to the south and the other 200 miles to the north) now include a rating of noise levels in their reviews. I would find that very helpful in The Sun's reviews.

One newspaper that is 1,500 miles to your west includes a noise rating, too. (Generally, if I see "noisey" I skip the review. I know I won't be going there.)

Do we get a prize for guessing?

Ambiance is very important to me. The important factors in picking the right restaurant:
What is the occasion/reason for dining out?
Who am I with? (possible diet concerns/interests)?
Location?
From there it becomes a list of potential places to go which can either be 1 place fits the bill or a serious list of establishments.

If I were dining out on a romantic date with my boyfriend I'd not go to the corner bar for a beer and burger... unless beer and burger means romance. I'm more apt to choose a restaurant with good atmosphere for quietly talking, holding hands, pleasant scenery perhaps.

The food is just as important as the ambiance.

I usually have the opposite problem as Federal Hill Jim. I'd definitely take too loud over too quiet. This is "smalltimore." When I'm dining out I don't want anyone to be able to hear my conversation clearly. If I think anyone can hear it, then I can't really talk about anything interesting because you never know who knows who. You can talk in code, but it's a lot of work.

I went to the Chameleon Cafe one night and it was so quiet that I could hear every conversation at every table, crystal clear, and assumed they could hear mine. It sucked. And it cost me almost $100 to eat very very fine food with a very fine friend, but talk about nothing but the weather. Argh. I haven't been back.

Yes, please include a noise level rating in your reviews, Lady Elizabeth. Of course that might require several trips plus a check on Saturday night to gauge accurately. I'd be glad to offer my hearing-impaired services to help you judge!