When people told me the Buenos Aires New Year's Eve celebration was something special, I just shrugged. I was considering going to bed early. But then I agreed to have dinner at Sottovoce in Recoleta, with some of the wedding party who are still around. 

Dinner etc. will cost around $100, which includes almost everything.

What it doesn't include, and this is what fascinates me about New Year's Eve in Buenos Aires, is any way to get to the restaurant. ...

The front desk of my hotel explained that after 6 p.m. or so it's very difficult to get a taxi, and by 10 p.m., impossible. (Our reservations are for 9 p.m.) They simply stop running so the drivers can celebrate.

When do they start again? I asked, and was told not until 4 a.m. or 5 a.m. or maybe 6 a.m. I'm not sure I would want to get into a taxi after the driver had been partying that hard all night.

Everyone celebrates New Year's here, by staying up all night apparently, and I'm anxious to see what that involves. I asked the concierge what happens if you want to go to a bar after dinner, and she made the little walking gesture with her fingers. I guess that's what I'll be doing after dinner. Luckily the restaurant is only 10 or 12 blocks away from the hotel.

The weekend started last evening, when things began shutting down, and today almost nothing was open, including a lot of bars and restaurants that aren't having special events. The streets were deserted. 

I never thought I'd get excited about a New Year's Eve. After all, I didn't stay up for the turn of the millennium. But I am.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

There was enough restaurant news just before I left to fill a Table Talk column for today, so I wanted to be sure to link to it for those who don't get the print edition.

Last week during one of the periods when I couldn't publish comments myself, Multimedia Editor Steve Sullivan kindly took over for me. He said he killed out one comment that was outraged (and not in a nice way) because I was encouraging people not to buy the paper. ...

I couldn't figure out what that could have referred to, but maybe it was my making it easier for readers of the blog to read other parts of the paper online.

One thing I've been told, though, is that the readership doesn't overlap as much as they used to think. Certainly people talk to me about my Top 10 lists in the paper as though they have no clue they appeared on the 'net a week ago. Here's the link to today's Top 10 with comments, reprinted from last week, although the comments were severely curtailed. I guess there wasn't much room.

While you're at it, check out Steve's blog, Sullicom, to thank him for taking over for me -- above and beyond his work description. 

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Only a mind as devious as Multimedia Editor Emeritus and Cheeseburger Expert John Lindner could come up with this post. Who knew he even knew Cinghiale existed, let alone had insight into the inner workings of its customers' minds?

This would be a good time to wish John a very happy new year and many happy returns of Shallow Thought Wednesday, which makes my life just a little bit easier every week. EL

Top five reasons food fights never occur at Cinghiale:

1. All potential projectiles taste too good.

2. All potential projectiles cost too much.

3. Flying food could inadvertently spill wine.

4. Do you have any idea how much the goose suffered for that foie gras?

5. Ready access to steak knives discourages warriors armed only with Bananas Foster.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

* I didn't understand what all the fuss about Argentine beef was until I learned the phrase a punto, which means "medium." (It ends up being medium rare.) The meat will probably be cooked medium well unless you specify otherwise.

* There is a difference between visiting a warm climate like Florida or LA in the winter and going where it's summer, and the difference is that it gets dark here between 9:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. 

* Flan is a good thing to order in an outdoor cafe.

* When in Buenos Aires, you end up drinking a lot of malbec.

* It's nice to be in a country where a 10 percent tip is generous. ...

* For some reason, black pepper isn't a staple on restaurant tables the way it is in the States. You don't think it matters that much until one restaurant does put a pepper grinder on the table and you use it on everything, including the flan.

* If you buy a set of language CDs and learn just enough Spanish to order a bottle of water, your pronunciation and intonation will be much better than your vocabulary, so you will then get a torrent of language in response that you can't understand and you would have done better to ask if they spoke English in the first place.

* Buenos Aires has the best taxi system in the world (cheap, plentiful and no tipping), but you are only allowed to get in Radio Taxis or you will be kidnapped and your body cut up into little pieces. 

* Argentines line up in a neat row to wait for buses (pictured below), and if some people aren't getting on the bus that comes first, they step neatly to the left and form a new line so as not to get in the way. I expect that of the Brits, but not anyone else.

* My favorite restaurant for a casual dinner: Rigoletto, Rodriguez Peña 1291, Recoleta,Tel: 4814-4777. When I asked for vegetales with my main course, OK, lomo, they brought me steamed carrots, zucchini and pumpkin for no charge. Warning: The menu is only in Spanish and the staff speaks little or no English.

 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

I was delighted to get this restaurant review recently from one of our Commenting Hall of Fame winners, LEC.

Writing a review isn't a requirement, of course, but it's much appreciated. And a nice little Christmas present for me, because it makes an easy and entertaining post while I'm on vacation. EL

So, I was given gift certificates (Restaurant Association of Maryland, BTW) worth $100 for being the 20,000th poster to D@L.  How do I spend this unexpected money?
 
The responses to the announcement on the blog reinforced my intention to share this gift with the membership of the sandbox, (not excluding anyone who rejects the term), but I remembered in past attempts to form meet ups, most boxers’ schedules don’t allow enough flexibility to gain a substantial critical mass at any one time; not that the meets didn’t have substance.
 
Adding to the dilemma was the fact that I live 550 miles from Baltimore.
 
Of course, I complicated the problem by vowing in a somewhat rational response to an anti foie gras incite-ist (word?) that I would use the certificates in Baltimore to have a meal including the dastardly offal and would wear a fur hat and take a picture.
 
My search began for a restaurant that served FG, and it had to be one we had never been.  Many were downtown and after having attended a wedding reception at the Belvedere on a Saturday night in September, I decided it was too busy in downtown for us to comfortably search out new places and worry about where to park.  The search ended at the Milton Inn as it served the foie gras. They had it on the lunch menu, it was convenient to where we were staying, and we had never been there.
 
This decision meshed nicely with my intent to take a dear sweet friend who had been my secretary in a previous work life more than 25 years ago.  This vivacious young thing is nearing 80 and was widowed a few years ago.  When I told her where we were going, she was very excited and told me she had had her first date with her husband there, had gotten engaged there, and had had her 40th anniversary celebration there.  She would have been married 58 years had her husband lived.
 
We had a magnificent luncheon experience.
 
We were seated in the hearth room, a picture of which was recently posted in connection with restaurants with fireplaces.  We started with a bottle of Piper Sonoma Blanc de Noir, which was perfect for a festive beginning to the occasion as well as a crisp accompaniment to the meal.
 
While we waited for the wine to arrive and be poured, we reminisced about the many restaurant lunches we had when we worked together.  While we were mentioning some that were now closed, Marconi’s came up and Peter Angelo’s plan to reopen it elsewhere.  The maitre d’ who was serving the wine joined our conversation (we had joked around with him upon our arrival) to say that certain restaurants would not be the same if they were moved and Marconi’s was one. 

We then moved on to Martick’s, and he agreed and then started telling Morris Martick anecdotes from the past.  We were all laughing.  He finished his discussion by mentioning another Mulberry street restaurant that wouldn’t/couldn’t be the same if moved, and that is the famous Mee Jun Low and the “Lone Waitress” Irene.  They sure don’t make them like that anymore!  (The restaurant or Irene.)
 
The Milton Inn has a great menu for lunch including a prix fixe menu with a choice of an appetizer, entrée and dessert for $18.  The ladies ordered from it; both having Caesar salad, one having the veal offering and the other the trout.  From my observation and their comments the dishes were great.
 
From the standard lunch menu, I had the Star Anise Dusted Foie Gras that was a nice-sized portion of the “forbidden fruit” of some, squash brulee and a micro fennel salad.  Excellent!  My main course was a grilled fillet cooked perfectly to the requested medium rare/rare topped with a Gorgonzola butter accompanied with potato and veg.
 
The ladies finished with desserts and coffee.  They were pleased.  I was full.
 
As I intended, the bill came to a little over $100 before tip.  Had I skipped the wine and ordered from the prix fixe menu, it would have been an excellent 2-and-1/2 hour experience for three for less than $50.  A good deal!
 
This meal brought to mind the importance of the “front of the house” to the overall restaurant experience.
 
We left after a fine early afternoon repast on a glorious mid-October day and moseyed through My Lady’s Manor horse country to Jarrettsville Pike into Dulaney Valley Road to return our guest to her condo in Towson.  What a fine meal and memorable experience; Thanks, Sun!

(Photo of Milton Inn chef/partner Brian Boston by Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun phtoographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The toasters in my hotel's breakfast room are incredibly slow, so I always put in a couple of slices of bread when I walk in, then gather butter, jam, a cup of tea and so on while I wait. Then I go back and stand by the toaster another 10 minutes until they're done.

Today while I was standing there an Australian came up and put two slices in the other toaster. I wandered off, and when I came back I saw he had taken MY TOAST.

He was at another table getting eggs, so I went up to him and said, "HEY, you took my toast." ... 

He turned, looked sheepish and said, "Oh, I thought it had been abandoned [no, you didn't], but there are two pieces in the other toaster. Or, er,would you like these?"

Er, no.

So five minutes later I'm still standing there waiting for his toast to get done, and another Australian comes up to me.

"Those are the slowest toasters in the world," he said, I thought by way of apology.

"I'm going to kill your friend," I told him.

While I was eating breakfast I realized the two Australians were sitting at different tables with different people, so afterwards I got up to apologize to the second Australian.

"I thought you were a friend of the guy who stole my toast," I explained.

He laughed. "I sort of wondered at your response," he said, "but I thought maybe it was a level of profundity that was simply beyond me." 

So now I like Australians again. 

(As for the photo, I figure you would rather see a random street scene of Buenos Aires than my hotel's toasters.) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Last week when I made up a list of the best restaurants I reviewed in 2008, I didn't really get a chance to to talk about the food, except to mention how many stars each got. This week I went back to the archives and read through my reviews to come up with 10 memorable dishes.

I'm a big red meat eater (and pork), so I was surprised that not one made the list. I guess that was just in the nature of the restaurants I went to this year. Not one great steak house among them.

Every time I came upon a dish in the archives I raved about, I copied and pasted it. Then I looked at my list and had to eliminate a few. Finally I tried to put them in order of fabulousness and memorability.

Here's my list: ...

1) Grilled oysters on the half shell in a lemon-butter chive sauce so luxurious it ought to be against the law.  (Oregon Grille in Cockeysville)

2) Rockfish stuffed with crab imperial. This was probably the best version of this classic I've ever tasted, with nice big lumps of crab, just enough mayonnaise, and beautifully cooked fresh fish. It will knock your socks off. (Tark's Grill in Lutherville)

3) Seafood bouillabaisse "Thai style." It was beautifully presented, with fine somen noodles, large scallops, pink shrimp and bits of lobster meat. A confetti of fresh pineapple added an unexpected note of sweetness to the spicy coconut broth. (Kings Contrivance in Columbia)

4) The delicate, beautiful cioppino, with shrimp, scallops, clams, calamari and whatever fish is freshest delicately swimming in a saffron-tinged broth with chopped fresh tomatoes. (Fin in Fells Point)

5) The creamy risotto studded with pine nuts and flavored with fresh basil, with grilled shrimp sitting jauntily on top. It's an enticing dish that would be a good supper with a salad. (Crush in Belvedere Square)

6) The best fish and chips any of us has had in Baltimore, with very fresh, white, flaky cod in a beer batter, homemade tartar sauce and salty gourmet chips instead of french fries. (Corks in Federal Hill)

7) Tender young half-chicken, impossibly juicy and flavored with an edge of smoke. Creamy grits and fresh chard complete an almost perfect plate. (Woodberry Kitchen in Woodberry/Hampden)

8) A seafood version of pho created especially for Baltimore, or so the menu says, with a delicately flavorful broth, a meaty crab claw, a mussel on the half shell, a shrimp, a scallop and a square of perch. (Baltimore Pho in the Hollins Market area)

9) Very fine vegetable lasagna, made with a touch of truffle oil. But even without the truffle oil I would have loved the just-tender pasta layered with perfectly cooked eggplant, squashes, red pepper and more. (Stone Mill Bakery in Lutherville)

10) Moist citrus poundcake, soaked in honey, with a delicate homemade honey ice cream.  (Meli in Fells Point)

(Photo of Seafood Bouillabaise "Thai Style" by Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (55)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

I'm on my own as far as meals go, at least until New Year's Eve. "An adorable little parilla" is how the bride described Lo de Jesus in Palermo Soho, where I was wandering today.

That's where I ended up for lunch, and what I ordered was the grilled vegetable plate, with tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin, mushrooms, and  onions. Not one piece of meat anywhere in sight. The cost was 22 pesos, less than $7. I'm meated out.

I'm not a good food photographer, first because I simply forget about taking the picture until my plate is almost clean. That's why you're getting the front of the restaurant instead. ...

I've been doing my usual thing of wandering around the city all day and not visiting any sights. I did get to the Recoleta Cemetery, which is filled with tombs and mausoleums of famous Argentines, including Evita. What I ended up photographing was more feral cats than tombs. In fact, I have enough photos of feral cats to publish a book, The Feral Cats of Buenos Aires.

Also the building in the third photo I took just because it astounded me. It looks like Magritte built it. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Yesterday my year-end wrap up appeared in the paper where my review usually is.

While I was writing it I was struck by how there didn't seem to be any exciting new trends to discuss, except maybe that more places were offering upscale burgers and we even had some gourmet burger joints opening up or in the works. But burgers somehow didn't seem like an exciting new trend, but more a sign of rough economic times. 

Tomorrow's Top 10, the best dishes I had in local restaurants this year, is the last of my year enders.

If you have any thoughts about the past year as far as restaurants go, or if you want to give us a list of the kinds of places you'd like to see open up in the next year, please post below. 

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

Awhile back Lissa posted this comment, and after I finished laughing out loud, I got to thinking about what I do at home:

[M]y idea of styling food is making sure there is no dog or cat fur on whatever I'm serving other people.

When I entertain, which doesn't happen all that often anymore, I always pay attention to the looks of the plates I serve my guests, although I never go so far as to decorate my poultry with flowers. ...

But there is something fundamentally different about how a plate looks at a fine-dining restaurant and how it looks at my house.

If I tried an artistic squiggle of raspberry coulis on a dessert plate, it might seem a wee bit precious to me. But if I served -- say -- a spoonful of chocolate mousse on a plate, I would arrange it artfully (I hope) with another spoonful of softly whipped unsweetened cream by its side.

I go for the artfully natural look, or maybe the naturally artful, at home.

Or maybe I'm just jealous that I don't have the time or patience anymore to pay attention to detail in the kitchen the way I used to.

Is that true of the rest of you (Bucky and jl, you may not respond to this post in any way), or do you enjoy the bells and whistles? There's nothing wrong with that, it's just more trouble than I'm willing to go to these days.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

In another era, every detail of a wedding this grand would be reported in the newspaper, from a description of  the bride's dress and the flowers in her bouquet to the names of the most prominent guests. In the internet age, I find myself being careful to keep things anonymous without any real reason, except that it seems like an invasion of privacy not to.

The wedding, which started last night at 8:30 p.m. and ended at dawn, as Argentinian weddings do, was held in the Nuestra Senora del Pilar church, at the Recoleta Cemetery. (More about it later.) Everyone then walked to the Alvear Palace Hotel, where the reception was held. ...

I snuck in and took a photo of the ballroom in advance, but the picture doesn't convey the elegance of the room. (The bride added the disco balls to make it livelier for dancing later.)

I had learned my lesson the two nights before, so I didn't touch any of the hors d'oeuvres being passed around before dinner. I also only had one glass of champagne, even though it was harder to get a glass of water than champagne during the reception. I turned down the foie gras mousse canapes, the savory creme brulees served with tiny spoons, the fried shrimp on a stick, the cheese puffs, the lomo empanadas and more other treats than I can remember.

I did laugh when the crab balls came out in honor of the bride's hometown, even though they didn't look like any crab balls a Marylander would recognize. And because the bride's mother is from the deep South, the carving station was ham served with little biscuits. Those two must be a first for the Alvear Palace kitchen.

I was glad I'd restrained myself when I sat down at my table and read the dinner menu, which I'll try to reproduce in its entirety. (I seem to have misplaced mine, although I thought I stuck it in my purse.)

It's like a joke: What's the vegetarian option at an Argentinian wedding?

Answer: A quarter-pound instead of a half-pound of beef tenderloin. 

First course 

Assortment of seafoods (which included shrimp, salmon mousse, caviar and various smoked fish) 

Main course 

Beef tenderloin (huge) with duxelles and a Malbec sauce with potatoes Anna 

Dessert 

Alvear signature cake (fabulous) 

Coffee and petit fours

Wedding cake

Dessert stations

End of the evening 

Veal sandwich station 

In case you weren't counting, those were four different courses of desserts spread out over the evening. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

It's very confusing, I know, because as a Dining@Large reader you know when I'm actually on vacation, and then in the print edition -- usually about two weeks later -- it says there will be no review this week because Elizabeth Large is on vacation. I work farther ahead than I really need to just in case something comes up (like the stomach flu, or it turns out the chef left the day after I ate there so I have to quickly go somewhere else).

But next week I will have a review in the paper because I didn't need to use the one I did before I left for today's paper because today was my year ender. And, no, I'm not going to link to it today because then what would I do for Monday Morning Quarterbacking tomorrow? ...

Anyway, next Sunday I review the Abbey Burger Bistro in Federal Hill. This is a place that Richard Gorelick could have done in the weekend section; but I was interested because it's where Christopher Paternotte, the chef who opened the presently closed Vin in Towson, ended up.

You would think a burger bar -- er, bistro -- would be a one-trick pony, but there's more to the Abbey than that. Sometimes it's an unexpected "more" for a bar, like having a children's menu. Check out my review next week in the Arts & Entertainment section.

(Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Review Preview
        

My second major meal in Buenos Aires was the rehearsal dinner at La Rosalia in San Telmo last night. This was probably my best shot at an authentic Argentine steak house. Even more people had arrived from the States yesterday, so this private party was even larger.

There was just as much wonderful food and wine as the night before, perhaps even more, including rump steak, veal ribs, flank steak, pork flank steak and loin steak. You had to throw yourself on your plate and say, "No mas" to get the servers to stop piling meat on it.

The setting was as lovely as Bella Italia's, each in its own way. This was in a 19th-century colonial house with an open patio at the entrance and a courtyard dining room inside.

Mmmmm. I wonder what the wedding dinner will be tonight. Vegetarian? Seafood?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Even though Christmas is officially over, there are still a lot of cookies around. You'll feel better about overindulging if you remember Rosebud's 10 Rules for Cookie Eating. EL

Christmas cards went out yesterday and I only just baked last night for the first time for this holiday season.

I am so far behind on what I'd planned to do that I'm ready to give up and just eat the cookies I've made and forget about the rest.

My friend Terry came up with this for the cookies:

1. If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test and thus calorie free. ...

2. If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie calories.

3. If a friend comes over while you are making your Christmas cookies and needs to sample, you must sample with your friend. Because your friend's first cookie is calories free rule #1 is yours also.
It would be rude to let your friend sample alone, and being the friend that you are makes your cookie calorie free.

4. Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and eventually fall off as you move. This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.

5. Any calories consumed during the frosting of the Christmas cookies will be used up because it takes many calories to lick excess frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.

6. Cookies colored red or green have very few calories. Red ones have 3 and green ones have 5 - one calorie for each letter. Make more red ones!

7. Cookies eaten while watching Miracle on 34th Street have no calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.

8. As always, cookie pieces contain no calories because the process of breaking causes calorie leakage.

9. Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate has no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate. We all know how calories like to CLING!
And finally...

10. Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed have no calories because cookies used for medicinal purposes NEVER have calories. It's a rule!

Posted by: Rosebud | December 23, 2008 8:18 AM

(Photo from King Arthur Flour/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MCT) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

One of these days I'm going to take a trip out of the country and actually read up about my destination before I leave, maybe even think about what I want to do and see.

The problem was I couldn't imagine being in Buenos Aires until I was actually here. What with the company I work for filing for bankruptcy protection, the nasty weather and the stomach flu, I was particularly sure I wouldn't be here.

But here I am. 

I have to tell you the end of the story of Christmas dinner at the beautiful Bella Italia restaurant. ...

If you read my earlier post on being invited to Christmas dinner there and the comments that followed, you know that Katy from British Columbia who is traveling here wondered if it was a private party or if the restaurant was open.

It was a private party, and when I got there the hostess pulled me aside and took me to the owner, who seemed worried.

She showed me the e-mail she had received from Katy who "had read on Elizabeth Large's blog that she was having Christmas dinner there" and was wondering if she, Katy, could make reservations. I got the feeling the owner thought Katy was a friend of the wedding party and had printed the e-mail out to show it to the hostess.

I did my best, but blogs are difficult to explain if you don't know about them. Later when the hostess told some of the other guests, there was even discussion of finding Katy at the nearby Bella Italia Cafe where she was having dinner as a second choice and inviting her to the party; but nothing came of it. At that point the champagne was flowing freely. 

I didn't expect my first meal in Argentina to be Italian, but apparently Buenos Aires has a sizable Italian population. Hors d'oeuvres had been passed with the champagne, which I ate perhaps too many of because it was late.

Dinner started with plates of olives and cheeses being passed around, followed by pizzetas de jambon rudos y rucula (with prosciutto and arugula), then an upscale version of eggplant parmigiana. When a plate of one was finished another one appeared, so it was hard to stop.

The main course was a choice of escalope de lomo (remember what lomo means; you'll need it to follow this trip) in a wine sauce, ravioli, or risotto with calamari. (It was the first of my four beef meals here so far. I've had a lomo sandwich with roasted peppers for lunch twice.)

In a moment of admirable restraint, I chose for dessert the spuma de lima, a light, citrusy mousse over fresh orange segments and a fruity sauce, instead of the tiramisu or chocolate mousse.

At the very end, each table was presented with the most beautiful panettone I've ever seen in honor of the holiday. Only one person at our table cut herself a piece, though, and that was only to wrap it up in a napkin and take it home for breakfast. 

I'm doing very well on this schedule by staying on Baltimore time the whole trip, so I have no trouble staying up for 9 p.m. or 10 p.m. dinners. The only reason I'm up to write this is that the man in the room next door must have gotten in a fight with his girlfriend/wife/significant other because he or she locked him out naked and he banged on the door and yelled until he was finally let back in. 

When I leaned out the door to inquire, he responded with a flood of apologetic Spanish; but since all the Spanish I know comes from watching The Magnificent Seven, and anyway he was naked, I just ducked back in my room.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

So I get the following e-mail from Stacee:

I am trying to find the recipe for Tio Pepe’s Sangria for my Father as we are originally from Maryland and he has fond memories of the sangria at that restaurant.   Do you know where I could find this?

Thank you

I, as usual, say I have no clue and why don't you call the restaurant, only politer than that. Then about an hour later I get the following e-mail back. Embarrassing. ...

Here is it – I found it – just in case you ever need it. :-) It was in the Sun’s Recipe Archive:

Tio Pepe Sangria

Publication date: 06/19/2002

Yield: Makes 8 glasses or 1 pitcher

Ingredients:

1 bottle of wine, a heavy red or a white that is not too sweet

1/2 cup triple sec

1/2 cup brandy

3/4 cup sugar

1 apple diced, with peel

1 orange cut in wedges, with skin

1 lemon with skin, quartered then cut into smaller pieces

Mix ingredients together. Serve over ice.

Mmmm, sangria. I think I'll order a pitcher and go sit by the pool.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I was depressed enough about 2008 to hope that 2009 would hold better things for me. It turns out that's not true, if I'm to believe my  horoscope. And it's almost impossible not to, isn't it? (I'm a Pisces.) Thanks, Bucky. EL

The Official 2009 Bucky Horoscope

(And zodiac food selections, so I meet the “dining reference requirement.”)

Capricorn (December 22 to January 19)

New Year 2009 will be one that proves the old adage, “When one door closes, another one opens.” But not for you. When your door closes in 2009, you will be left standing out in the cold, in your bare feet. This year will be a composite of all your worst dreams: it will be like you are flying, naked, around your old high school, trying to find the room where you are suppose to take a test, while being chased by a mob of demons, all with big cigars.

You should avoid travel, relationships and, above all, career changes during 2009. It is a year full of promise and opportunity but—pay close attention here—not for you.

Zodiac food selection:  Capricorn-on-the-cob ...

Aquarius (January 20 to February 18)

You will be put to the ultimate test in New Year 2009 when finance, romance, your career and your love of travel all intersect during a business trip with your married boss. Trust your instincts: insist on getting separate rooms—the added expense and lost promotion will be minor consequence compared to the alternative.

Zodiac food selection:  Watermelon

Pisces (February 19 to March 20)

New Year 2009 will be a time to jealously protect what you have and forego trying to improve your life in even the most insignificant way. You should make no new friends, travel nowhere you haven’t been before, eat only foods you ate during the 2008, cash your paychecks and keep your money in a washed-out peanut butter jar stashed in the back of your closet. Buy no new clothes; do not change brands of deodorant, shampoo or soap, even if others are buy-one-get-one-free. Do not read newspapers or magazines, watch any television, listen to radio, see any movies or engage in any conversations where you might learn something new. Take the same route to work each and every day.

“Status quo” is your mantra for 2009.

Zodiac food selection:  Lemon Meringue Pisces

Aries (March 21 to April 19)

New Year 2009 is a perfect year for you to get a pet gerbil. The reason will not be apparent until well into 2010, but if you don’t do it, don’t come crying to us later when the light goes on inside that hat rack you call a brain and you finally understand why, for you, 2009 was “the year of the rodent.”

Zodiac food selection:  Lamb chops

Taurus (April 20 to May 20)

Early 2009 will provide unbridled opportunity as Happiness tippy-toes up behind you, taps you on the shoulder and whispers seductively in your ear, “I want you.”

When this happens, you will follow your normal instincts, spraying Happiness in the face with the little key-chain pepper spray that you carry to ward off attackers. You will then kick Happiness in the groin and run away, screaming at the top of your lungs, “Leave me alone! Police! Help! I’m being attacked by Happiness!”

The rest of the year would be a good one for staying at home and hiding under your bed.

Zodiac food selection:  Ranch dressing  

Gemini (May 21 to June 21)

Born under the sign of Gemini, you always run the risk of developing a dual personality disorder, so 2009 might be an opportune time for you to begin psychotherapy. Both of you.

Zodiac food selection:  Hostess Twinkies

Cancer (June 22 to July 22)

In 2009 you should concentrate on your career and building a strong financial base, since you share the name of your astrological sign with a disease that requires vast sums of money to treat but is, nevertheless, often fatal even after spending all that money. You should just forget about romance and relationships since your astrological symbol—crab—is also the nickname of a sexually transmitted disease, making you largely unattractive to potential partners.

Zodiac food selection:  Maryland crab cakes, of course

Leo (July 23 to August 22)

New Year 2009 will provide many opportunities to fulfill your wanderlust. You will be able to travel to near and distant places, seeing sights you thought you would have neither the time nor opportunity to experience. This is, of course, because your employer will file for bankruptcy early in the year and you will be laid-off in the resulting cost-cutting frenzy. But you should look at the glass as being half-full. Spend your severance and every last dime of your savings on travel. There’s a better-than-even chance you will be able to get another job next year.  Or the year after.

Zodiac food selection:  A big cut of beef, rare.  No, rarer than that, even.

Virgo (August 23 to September 22)

New Year 2009 will be one of discovery for you. Because the wavelength of electromagnetic radiation corresponds to a specific energy, the wavelength of gamma rays emitted by silicon and sulfur atoms equals E...no, wait. That’s not astrology, that’s astronomy... Let’s start over. New Year 2009 will be one of discovery for you. You will identify the cloud of noxious gas around Uranus. No, wait...that’s not astrology, either. That’s a Wayne and Garth joke. Ha Ha Ha. Uranus jokes always crack us up. Ha Ha Ha. There’s another one, right there.

The coming year will be just like the past year, and every other year. You won’t accomplish anything of importance and you’ll be irritated and cranky most of the time. But you can be glad you aren’t a Capricorn or a Taurus, who will have a lot worse year than you.

Zodiac food selection: Bloody Mary, hold the vodka

Libra (September 23 to October 22)

Born under the sign of Libra, you are a Librarian. Go check out a book on astrology if you want to know what New Year 2009 has in store for you.

Zodiac food selection: Exactly 1.653 lbs. of chocolate

Scorpio (October 23 to November 21)

New Year 2009 is one of expanding horizons for Scorpions. You should take risks this year and do adventurous things you have never before considered doing. Jump out of an airplane. Climb a really high, pointy mountain. Learn how to sing hip-hop. Buy a motorcycle and ride it to work, ignoring all traffic signals that are a color beginning with a consonant. When the temperature goes below freezing, go outdoors and lick a metal surface. Cook and eat the legs of a reptile. Jam a pencil in your ear, just to see if it really hurts as much as it sounds like it would.

C’mon, Scorpion: 2009 is a time to start living life the way your mother told you not to.

Zodiac food selection: a Stinger (does anyone drink Stingers any more?)   

Sagittarius (November 22 to December 21)

Zodiac food selection:  In-N-Out Double-Double

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

In honor of being in the Beef Capital of the Universe, I feel I should have at least one post about beef in
Baltimore so you won't get jealous. ...

I got this e-mail from Eric, which is a potential Top 10, if you can come up with enough good suggestions that I don't have to do any work the Top 10 reflects a broad range of options.

I have lived in the city for nearly 6 years and have always hoped for a list of the best restaurants for steak besides the obvious Ruth's Chris, Prime Rib, etc.  I hear that Peter's Inn does a nice job when on the menu.

If you are ever lacking an idea for the Top 10, please feel free to study the Hidden Beef of Baltimore.

So how about it? Where can you find the best steaks in the Baltimore-Annapolis area at restaurants that aren't steakhouses?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

Now that the holiday is winding down, and you're on your computer anyway, take a moment to check out Richard Gorelick's excellent wrap up of the year's best in inexpensive dining.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

It's always scary when our friend Owl Meat's regular Funtastic Thursday post happens to fall on a kinder, gentler day like Christmas. But here he is, mellower than usual. Perhaps he's gotten into the eggnog. EL

Here at stately Owl Manor, we have eschewed the usual sturm und drang, weltschmerz and schadenfreude today and have given in to Christmas - Owl Meat style.  The result is a feast that combines the Mexican and German parts of my family.
 
First up is El Vez doing a killer version of Feliz Navidad.  If you don't love this video, you have no soul.  For those not familiar with El Vez, he is the Mexican Elvis and he LOVES Christmas.  Does it get any better than Melvis dancing with a giant inflatable Santa and Frosty, while his band lays down some chunky Ramones-style thrash?  I want his suit.  

The Germans have an interesting character named Krampus.  Krampus is Saint Nick's evil assistant.  He is bad cop to Santa's good cop.  Krampus Night is celebrated on December 5, the eve of Saint Nick's birthday.   So what does Santa's assistant do?  He, meaning any able-bodied man, roams the streets sometimes wielding a small birch tree branch and wears a scary mask to frighten children, Halloween-style.
 
Now how do we combine such seemingly non-intersecting cultures and traditions at Christmas?  With food, of course. ...

No Mexican Christmas would be complete without the special pork tamales.  What makes them special?  The addition of one or more secret ingredients, which I think is cinnamon and rabbit.  One can never be sure.  Tio Toro always brings his guacamole with mango and some amazing ceviche to celebrate his roots in Veracruz.  The best of all is his ceviche de pulpo - citrus marinated octopus.  Mmmm... que bueno.
 
The German part of the feast is short on tradition and long on meat.  Cousins Dieter and Elsebeth grill something Dieter has recently bagged on a bow hunting trip.  In the past we have had elk, bear, and Canadian snowshoe hares (with a bow?).  Elsebeth's bear paw soup was delicious and not at all frightening.  Naturally there is homemade sauerkraut and a fermented beet juice that has purported rejuvenating qualities.
 
Another thing that unites both sides of the family is beating something with a stick.  Since Krampus is not known here and would likely get them locked up, we have allowed the German side to make their own version of the piñata.  Last year it was stuffed with homemade venison jerky and gherkins.  I guess we will have to wait to see if Uncle Klaus and cousin Dieter's hunting trip to Canada was successful.  The form of the piñata will be of whatever public figure has aggrieved them most this year.  It could be anyone from Rod Blagojovich to Hugh Jackman or even Billy Mays.
 
Of course the evening always ends with drinking and dancing.  Uncle Flaco acts as DJ, spinning vinyl copies of his favorite Norteño music, which sounds like Mexican polka to me.  The night usually ends with Great Uncle Fritz announcing Archimedes-in-the-bathtub style that the Mexicans stole their music from the Germans, as if he just discovered this.  But harmony prevails, as bellies are full of elk jerky and pork tamales as El Vez rips into "Feliz Navidad" again.
 
Frohe Weihnachten de Carne de Buho.

(Merry Christmas from Owl Meat.) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (56)
        

What do you give to your cyberbuddies who already have everything? (Everything that counts, anyway, like intelligence, the right level of nuttiness, good humor and forgiving natures.)

The only thing I could come up with was an easy way to find the directions on how to link to other Web pages in comments. So I'm making this entry a category of one. Anytime you feel like linking, just click on the category "Linking" on the right side of the page.

Here's the format. Just copy it and plug in the Web address and the word or words you want to make a link.

 <a href="the Web address here" rel="nofollow">the link here</a>

I'm in Buenos Aires, by the way, where it's sunny and 80 degrees, and three hours later. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

What he (Multimedia Editor Emeritus and Venison Non-Expert John Lindner) said. EL

My hesitation to eat reindeer steak (or stew) can no doubt be traced to childhood's tendency to anthropomorphize Santa's eight horsepower aircraft engine. On the other hand, I'm inclined to believe that were Cindy Wolf or the wonderful chef at Peter's Inn to plate Prancer au Poivre, I'd cave. With gusto. Disneyfied sensitivities be damned; in the hands of the right saucier, Rudolph himself becomes persona au gratin.

All of which is to say that this season, whatever metaphor animates your celebration, I am, despite our differences, in some way with you and hope for you the best.

My phrase for love and peace, this time of year, to whomever or whatever you might be, is "Merry Christmas." Translate at will.

Thank you, Sandbox, dear Elizabethans. Blessings, good yontif, good karma, true enlightenment on you all.

Because after the first of the year, it's back to spittin' and whinin'. And I, frankly, can't wait.

--jl

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Here's the link to my Table Talk column today, in case you wanted to read more about the changes at Brasserie Tatin. I also talk about the new Restaurant Sabor in Timonium.

And here's an interesting thing. I noticed today (it may be the first time) that last week's Top 10 with comments that appeared in the print edition today is online. The whole idea originally was to have it only in the print edition, because it had already appeared on my blog. ...

Those of you who want to check to see if your comment made it into print can now do so without buying the paper. Don't take the ones chosen too seriously though, because the higher ups don't like us to be as wild and crazy in the paper.

(Photo of Brasserie Tatin by Karl Ferron/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

One of the intriguing things about Open Table, the online reservations system, is that restaurateurs can keep tabs on their customers' likes and dislikes. As Open Table, explaining why restaurants should join, puts it on its Web site: "Improve service with a powerful guest database."

I thought that was a good thing, at least until I got this e-mail from Erin: ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Here I am, desperately trying to get a million things done before I go on vacation, and feeling queasy like I was coming down the stomach flu, and what pops up in my inbox but the following e-mail from John McIntyre.The subject line is: Paula Deen's revolting Krispy Kreme bread pudding recipe. And I thought I felt queasy before. EL

The comments at the end are from Craig Lancaster, who posted the recipe on Facebook.
 
* 24 Krispy Kreme glazed donuts, cut into cubes.

* One can of condensed (not evaporated) milk.

* Two 8.5-ounce cans of peaches in heavy syrup.

* Dash of salt.

* Three eggs, beaten.

* Two teaspoons of ground cinnamon.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. ...

Put the donut cubes into a large bowl, then cover with the remaining ingredients. Let it sit for a few minutes, then stir until the donuts have soaked up most of the liquids. Then pour the whole shebang into a 13x9x2 baking dish and spread evenly. Cook for one hour, or until the center congeals.

With about 15 minutes left in the baking time, you gotta make the butter rum sauce:

* Melt two sticks of butter in a saucepan.

* Slowly add the entire contents of a 1-pound bag of confectioner's sugar, stirring it into the melted butter.

* Add rum and heat as needed to get a sauce-like consistency (there were about four shots of rum in my recipe, which seemed about right -- it needs a little kick).

Remove the bread pudding from the oven and let it cool a bit. Cut into squares, and top each with the butter rum sauce. Put square on plate or in bowl and proceed to shove into piehole with spoon, fork or fingers.

Have defibrillator at the ready.

Here's the link to the original recipe, as posted on the Food Network's Web site. EL

(Photo courtesy of foodnetwork.com)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)
        

To balance the Top 10 I did of recession-proof restaurants recently, I thought I should give folks a chance to put in a plug for their favorite recession-vulnerable restaurants.

I was struck by the comment about Baltimore Pho this morning under my Top 10. I have to admit I worry about it, too, because it's off the beaten path for a lot of people.

Anyway, if you have any places you want to urge readers to support that seem in danger because of the economy, let us know by posting below.

(Photo of Baltimore Pho by Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

To make up this list, I went to the Sun's archives and started reading my old reviews. What I found was that the stars awarded weren't always an indication of whether I would love to go back. Sometimes it's not something you can put in words (or stars) that pleases you about a restaurant and makes you want to return.

For once, I didn't put my list in alphabetical order. This is the order I'd like to eat in these restaurants to see how they are now. (After all, I ate at Woodberry Kitchen in January and Abacrombie in March -- plenty of time for things to have changed drastically.)

There were other excellent restaurants that got as good ratings as some of these 10, but these were the ones that tickled my fancy most.

Let us know if you've been more recently than I have and don't think they deserve such praise now -- or let us know that they are even better than they used to be.

Here are the best restaurants I reviewed this year: ...

1) Abacrombie near the Meyerhoff: Food: 3 1/2 stars, service: 3 stars, atmosphere: 3 stars

2) Woodberry Kitchen in Hampden/Woodberry: Food: 3 stars, service: 3 stars, atmosphere: 3 1/2 stars

3) Fin Steak & Seafood in Fells Point: Food: 3 1/2 stars, service: 2 1/2 stars, atmosphere: 2 1/2 stars

4) Corks in Federal Hill: Food: 3 stars, service: 3 stars, atmosphere: 3 stars

5) Mari Luna Latin Grille in Pikesville: Food: 3 stars, service: 2 stars, atmosphere: 3 stars (I think the comparatively low service rating was a fluke because it was so overwhelmed by its success at the beginning.) 

6) Clementine in Hamilton: Food: 3 stars, service: 3 stars, atmosphere: 3 stars

7) Catonsville Gourmet in Catonsville: Food: 3 stars, service: 3 stars, atmosphere: 3 stars

8) Stone Mill Bakery in Lutherville: Food: 3 stars, service: 3 stars, atmosphere: 3 stars

9) Baltimore Pho near the Hollins Market: 3 stars, service: 3 stars, atmosphere: 3 stars

10) Hamilton Tavern in Hamilton: Food: 3 1/2 stars, service: 2 1/2 stars, atmosphere: 1 1/2 stars (for noise)

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (52)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

I really haven't done much about Christmas. It has something to do with the fact that it will be 80 or 90 degrees on Christmas Day. Or maybe it's just that nobody seems quite in the holiday spirit this year.

I was looking back at last year on Dining@Large, and I had a whole series on Festive Foods. Not this year. In fact, last night we were supposed to have our traditional holiday dinner at the Ambassador, and we ended up rescheduling in January because my life is so busy right now. ...

Last December I did a post on the meringue mushrooms I made, and this year I haven't baked one cookie, although I fleetingly thought of it for our office potluck because the meringues were a hit.

Looking back at the blog archives for December it seems like every other post had a holiday theme, from Dogwood's three-course Sephardic celebration of the Hanukkah season to my Top 10 Restaurants Open Christmas Day.

Is everybody doing less holiday stuff this year, or is it just me?

(Photo of last Christmas dinner's centerpiece by me)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

I just got this e-mail reminiscing about an earlier Hilton dining room in response to my review of the Hilton's Diamond Tavern yesterday:

Thanks for the report,, Poor, like most new Hotel  restaurant, however you omitted to mention ,,,...MillarBros "the place to eat ", at the old Hilton on Fayette St, where I was the Maitre'd until it closed in 1984 ?. Now that was a Beautiful Restaurant, and the Sun did a review of it the Sunday after it closed, I remember calling the then Food -Critic, and telling him that  Millar Bros was closing, he then told me that the Review had to be publishd??.
 

I guess he's referring to John Dorsey, whose reviews appeared in the Sun Magazine, when we had a Sun Magazine. It printed way ahead, so there's no way a review could be pulled last minute. I don't have any distinct memories of Miller Bros., except that it was fine dining plus, and about as far from the dining room in the current Hilton as you can imagine; but the Diamond Tavern, it seems to me, is better suited to its location (across from Camden Yards) and to the times.

(Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (40)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

Sometimes I look at a story one of my fellow journalists writes (not, of course, at the Sun) and think, "This is just nutty."

Consumer blogger Liz Kay is one of my best sources for odd items, and she passed along this story, which appeared in the Los Angeles Times. I know I contributed to the bad press for the holiday potluck by publishing Bucky's post, but saying everyone brings desserts when they promised to bring casseroles is a little different from saying you're likely to be ingesting e. coli. ...

Of course, you could conceivably get food poisoning from something one of your co-workers made, although I've never heard of that happening; but you could also get sick from something prepared in a restaurant's kitchen.

This is turning into an example of what I think of as the Fruitcake Effect, which has been magnified a thousand times by the 'net. When I was a little girl, fruitcake was a perfectly acceptable holiday food. People liked getting them as gifts if they were good fruitcakes.  Then someone made the first fruitcake joke, and then there was another, and then journalists started writing stories about how people were grossed out by fruitcakes. The whole thing snowballed. I stopped making my wonderful Virginia fruitcake because I couldn't give it away.

Some reporter is going to remember the holiday potluck gross-out story next year and write it in a slightly different form. I give holiday pot lucks five years max before they go the way of the Great Auk.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

I'm sure you know by now that I have ambivalent feelings about my Top 10 Tuesday lists. On the one hand, it's hard to come up with new and exciting topics; on the other, they generate two to three times as many page views as I get on an ordinary day -- sometimes more. My hope is that some of those people will stick around and become regular readers, even commenters.

So I'm sitting in my dentist's office last week reading the current issue of Time, which just happened to have as its cover story...

The Top 10 Everything of 2008.

I LOVE that. 

Naturally I had to turn to Top 10 Food Trends first. 

Some of it I'm just not buying, both literally and figuratively, like goat (No. 7). Nothing against goat. I just can't believe it was one of 10 top food trends in 2008.

But some of them are right on, like the backlash against local food (No. 8). When I start getting tired of hearing about local is so great, you know it's getting old. Likewise the war against bottled water (No. 4), which we've discussed here.

I'm not sure what my list of Top 10 Food Trends for 2008 would be from a Baltimore perspective, but it wouldn't be the same list. If anyone wants to take a crack at it, go ahead. Just post below. But not me.

I've just decided what Tuesday's Top 10 list will be: Top 10 Best Restaurants I Reviewed in 2008.

(Photo of goat courtesy of Time.com)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Next week, as usual on the last Sunday of the year, I'll be writing about the events of the past year on the local restaurant scene. It probably won't be too hard for you to guess what the main theme will be.

However, I'll also be giving out my Golden Whisk awards, which honor, if that's the right word, the highlights and lowlights of 2008. ...

This was the first year I felt compelled to give them a name, and I'm not happy with the one I came up with. Golden Whisks are something that would be handed out a chefs' convention. Not much I can do about it now, but if you can think of anything better that I can use next year (if the fates allow), please post below.

Feel free to post your highlights or lowlights, too, if you feel like it. 

(Photo of Fin Steak & Seafood by Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

I'm not sure what I'm trying to do with the Comment of the Week except highlight some comment that deserved more discussion, contained useful information or amused me, which is, after all, the main purpose of Dining@Large. Here was the one that caught my eye. EL

Lissa -- What a great idea for a top ten list: Best restaurants on the bus line. You are usually traveling on the east-west routes (I think) but if you can get on the #3 or #11 going north on Charles St. you will surely encounter a number of decent places. There's Donna's, Akbar, Sotto Sopra, Ixia, Brewer's Art, the Helmand in Mt. Vernon, then Tapas Teatro, Sophie's Crepes, and Zodiac in Midtown as well as some Korean places near North Avenue. Up in Charles Village there's another Donna's and Gertrude's at the BMA. Further north at 39th Street it's about a block's walk to Brasserie Tatin, The Spice Company, and The Ambassador Dining Room (disclosure: I used to be married to the owner of that last place and still am interested in its welfare). If you stay on the #11 you'll eventually end up in Towson (no, you won't need a visa Lissa) where you'll find a bunch of eating establishments though I'll leave it to you to decide if any are really worth the ride. You could take the #8 back downtown on York Road but I wouldn't recommend it. Better take a taxi at night. One day maybe they'll design a rapid transit line from Towson to East Baltimore (just dreaming).

Posted by: Laura Lee | December 16, 2008 10:19 PM

It was a tough call, because I also got my first nomination for Comment of the Week, from Bucky, who liked this one. It was particularly funny because it was so not hmpstd's very serious persona:

Joyce W. -- the water bottle chemical leaching thing appears to be mostly an urban legend, at least according to Snopes.com.

Personally, I've reused plastic bottles and microwave trays for years, and it hsa'nt affffectde mmmme yte.

Posted by: hmpstd | December 14, 2008 8:32 AM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I wanted to say a little something about my Christmas lunch with Helen, a copy editor for the Sun. This has been a tradition of ours for years, and I think we two will be the last ones there, the ones who finally turn out the lights.

Anyway, we walked up to the Dogwood Cafe in the Woman's Industrial Exchange for our lunch. Dogwood in Hampden, the parent restaurant, has always had the old-fashioned-virtues feel that suits the Exchange very well. More could be done with the decor, which is a bit  bare bones at the moment, and yet it works -- maybe because of the holiday decorations. My photo doesn't do it justice, but I didn't want to call attention to myself. ...

I don't think the place is doing a booming business for lunch yet, but I don't think it has to to survive. One of the owners told me they needed the space for Dogwood's catering business. 

Anyway, I recommend you try it. Not so much for the lunch, which is good but nothing that will surprise you. (Chicken salad and the like.) There isn't much on offer yet. But the holiday baked goods, like the cranberry upside down cake and the charming cookies, are homey and very appealing.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I won't get over to the Waverly farmers market at 32nd street this morning. I've got too many other things to do, including finding some shoes to wear to a wedding. Mmmm. I bet shopping at Towson Town Center the Saturday before Christmas is going to be fun.

Waverly is the only farmers market open year round, just in case you didn't realize. They have Christmas wreaths; breads and pastries from local bakeries; local hormone-free milk, cheese and eggs; organic greens and herbs grown in a greenhouse; some preserves and cider; crafts -- that kind of thing. I like to support them this time of year. (They sure don't need my support in the summer.) ...

Some of the farmers go to the Jessup wholesale market and sell produce they didn't grow, unless you want to believe that bananas and oranges can be grown in Maryland in December. I like to support them, too, because it helps keep them in business so I can have local produce like heirloom tomatoes and 10 different kinds of peppers in the summer.

I hope you'll go over there today if you've got the time. And, just to satisfy my own curiosity, if there is something you buy at the supermarket like bananas or oranges that you know the price of, tell us how the price at the farmers market compares by posting below.

The photo (I took it this summer) is just to remind you why we care that the market stays in business.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

All of you German food, beer and, OK, polka fans, rejoice. Blob's Park, the beer garden in Jessup, will be reopening -- maybe as soon as New Year's Eve. In case you missed the bit in the paper today, I'll link to Midnight Sun Sam's post on it.

He couldn't be more excited, but then he does a mean polka.

(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

If you're a fan of Brasserie Tatin in Homewood, make your dinner plans soon for your last meal there. Next Tuesday it will close its doors. Co-owner Gerard Billebault told me he's sold his French restaurant to his general manager, Dino.

He couldn't pronounce Dino's last name, he said, well enough to give it to me, so he gave me his cell phone number instead. I called and left a message, but I haven't heard back yet. 

Apparently Dino came from the presently closed Boccaccio in Little Italy, and plans to open an Italian restaurant in the handsome Art Deco-ish setting sometime in January. ...

I'm hoping I'll hear back from Dino later today so I can write about the plans for his new restaurant in next Wednesday's Table Talk column in the food section.

Meanwhile, Billebault told me, he's planning to focus on his French pastry shop, Bonjour, and his bakery. Another Bonjour, he said, may be in the works. Apparently the bakery business is good now because more people are eating at home.

"And people are ordering a lot of buches de noel," he said.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

For someone who says he knows nothing about food, I think our friend Bucky is progressing nicely. In today's bit of culinary nostalgia, our guest poster from the big rectangular state out West even gives us a recipe. EL

Which is your favorite meal of the day? Mine is lunch and it has been for a long time.

 Lunch is on my mind because a bunch of us had one of our periodic grilled-cheese-sandwich-and-tomato-soup lunches at work the other day. We do that, sometimes, when it gets cold. I bring in my long electric griddle and a couple of people bring in crock pots to heat the soup in.


I never ate “hot lunch” at school; I always brought my lunch from home. In elementary school, I carried it in a Roy Rogers lunchbox. I still have that lunchbox, and every once in a while, I look on eBay to see how much it’s worth. (A lot.) But I would never sell it. ...


This will surprise absolutely no one who knows me well, but I’m very firm about how a bologna sandwich should be made.  Go figure.  It’s a bologna sandwich.  But I am. 

I like my bologna sandwiches like this: You lay down one piece of white sandwich bread. On that you place one slice of b-o-l-o-g-n-a (You are hearing the same song I’m hearing, aren’t you?) Then you squirt out some mustard, starting out around the outside and going ‘round toward the middle. Use yellow mustard. You don’t need Dijon or any fancy mustard because you are, after all, putting it on b-o-l-o-g-n-a.  Dijon isn’t going to make any significant difference and would just be a waste of money.



Now, for the key ingredient: on the second piece of white sandwich bread, you spread a healthy layer of butter. (I prefer Land O’ Lakes.  I used to say that it is one of the two good things to come out of Minnesota, the other one being I-35.  Now I know there’s a third — Abigail Carlson.)

The butter, however, is not just for taste. 

The butter keeps the second piece of bread from soaking up all the mustard which would make your sandwich, well…GACK!  The butter is a culinary vapor barrier, which is not something you’ll ever learn about by watching the Iron Chefs or Emeril. You learned about it here, in Dining@Large.



You make a b-o-l-o-g-n-a sandwich according to this recipe, wrap it up in waxed paper, stick it in a Roy Rogers lunch box with some chips and a few devil’s food cookies and, well, there you go. Lunch might just become your favorite meal, too.

(Photo by Uncle Larry)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

I was doing a little last minute Christmas shopping at the Village of Cross Keys. It was late, and a lot of the shops were closed, but I did see that the Village Square Cafe was finally open.  (It was shut, obviously, when I took this photo.)

I called and talked to an owner, and you can read about what she said in next week's Table Talk column, which I'll try to remember to link to even though it's Christmas Eve. ...

One interesting thing about the cafe is that it has a liquor license, even though it's only open until 4:30 p.m. every day. Another is that Ruth Shaw (of the venerable Cross Keys fashion boutique) is one of the names on the liquor license. It turns out she's the mother of one of the owners. My theory is that she was hankering for a restaurant to replace the old Cross Keys deli and decided to help open one of her own, but that's just conjecture. Her daughter-in-law says she hangs out there frequently, though.

While I'm telling you about the cafe, I also want to mention that La Terra (in Hampden) has just opened a second store in Cross Keys, and it has some pretty neat things. It's where I ended up buying the Christmas presents I needed because everything else was closed. I know this home accessories and gift shop has nothing to do with food, but I wanted to give it a plug because so many of the Cross Keys stores are now national chains.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

Thursday reviewer Richard Gorelick must get almost as much flak for his name as I do for mine. (I'll never forget that the year I started reviewing I got a mention in the "Best and Worst" issue of Baltimore magazine for "Worst pseudonym for a restaurant critic.")

Anyway, Richard graciously answered someone who wanted to know how he pronounced his name with this comment:

Our family pronounces GO-REL-ICK with three syllables; however, I have met people with this last name who do it in two. ...

All this is by way of introducing his review in the Thursday paper of the Hudson Street Stackhouse in Canton.

Meanwhile Rob Kasper reviewed the new Dogwood Cafe in the Woman's Industrial Exchange for takeout. It's where my friend Helen and I had our Christmas lunch today, and I'll tell you more about it later.

(Sandwich from the Dogwood Cafe by Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

This is such a good Funtastic Thursday from Owl Meat that I'm going to let him get away with shilling his blog not once but twice in one entry AND publish another weird photo that looks like he created it while on crack cocaine. Not to mention that my heart stopped when he linked to Porn Flakes. EL

It's been a busy week.  While I have been collecting unusual and sometimes frightening food poetry over at the Owl Meat Apocrypha, I have been slacking on my funstasmic duties.  Not too worry, I found a list that purports to name the very worst foods in America.  None of them has murderous intentions or inspires sleeplessness, so how bad could they be?  Killjoy rag Men's Health has come out with their list of "The 20 Worst Foods in America."  Oh really? ...

20. Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal - Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's (5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce

That's not as bad as Popeye's Beaks n' Gizzards Supreme with Lard Poppers and White Gravy.  

19. Worst Drink - Jamba Juice Chocolate Moo'd Power Smoothie (30 fl oz)

Not even close.  The vodka and Ranch dressing shooters at the Dew Drop Inn are much worse.

18. Worst Supermarket Meal - Pepperidge Farm Roasted Chicken Pot Pie (whole pie)

No, the worst supermarket meal is always from the salad bar.  You know which one.  He or she puts a thin later of lettuce at the bottom and then ladles on flagons of creamy dressing, piles of hard-boiled eggs and bacon bacon bacon.  

17. Worst "Healthy" Burger - Ruby Tuesday Bella Turkey Burger

Healthy burger?  Get real.

16. Worst Mexican Entree - Chipotle Mexican Grilled Chicken Burrito

The worst Mexican entree that I've had was the Burrito Surprise at El Gato Loco in Oaxaca.  ¡Sorpresa!  It's a burrito, an actual little donkey.  ¡Sabroso!

15. Worst Kids' Meal - Macaroni Grill Double Macaroni 'n' Cheese

They suggest the plain grilled chicken and steamed broccoli instead.  And cue screaming child.  I still say that Porn Flakes are worse, in a moral sense.

14. Worst Sandwich - Quizno's Classic Italian (large)

When your food is measured by the foot, you pretty much know what you're getting.  Compared to a footlong Monte Cristo?  I think not.

13. Worst Salad - On the Border Grande Taco Salad with Taco Beef (Taco Bell)

Still better than their Spicy Goat Nugget Salad (discontinued).

12. Worst Burger - Carl's Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger

Not even close.  I worked briefly as a cook some time ago and some drunk jerk complained that the burger was too expensive.  Since I was quitting anyway, I did the only logical thing -- I made the biggest burger possible.  My guess is that that bad boy weighed in at about two pounds and had eight pieces of American cheese and twelve pieces of bacon.  And that was the first time I killed a man in Reno, just to watch him die.

11. Worst Steak - Lonestar 20 oz T-bone

The worst steak is no steak or overcooked steak.  They say that you should never eat a T-bone steak no matter what size.  I say make mine rare.

10. Worst Breakfast - Bob Evans Caramel Banana Pecan Cream Stacked and Stuffed Hotcakes

Or the best breakfast ever.  Can you melt some butter on that?  Thanks.

9. Worst Dessert - Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream

Compared to a cheese cake milkshake with Bailey's?  No chance.  Don't laugh, a bartender made that once.  Ice cream, a slice of cheese cake and lots of Bailey's in a blender.  It was exactly as good as you would expect.  

8. Worst Chinese Entree - P.F. Chang's Pork Lo Mein

Not as bad as Golden Palace's Angry Crow Lo Mein that also haunts your dreams.

7. Worst Chicken Entree - Chili's Honey Chipotle Crispers with Chipotle Sauce

Not nearly as bad as Hillbilly Pete's Weasels in Grease (well it tastes like chicken).

6. Worst Fish Entree - On the Border Dos XX Fish Tacos with Rice and Beans

I'm starting to think that they have something against Taco Bell.

5. Worst Pizza - Uno Chicago Grill Chicago Classic Deep Dish Pizza

Yeah, if you eat the whole thing.

4. Worst Pasta - Macaroni Grill Spaghetti and Meatballs with Meat Sauce

Now that's just straight-up pasta hating.  I think the Alfredo Council™ must have paid them off.

3. Worst Nachos - On the Border Stacked Border Nachos

Come on, does anybody expect healthy nachos?  The worst nachos are the ones where all the cheese comes off in one lump.  Worse than that?  When your friend gets that keystone tortilla chip.

2. Worst Starter - Chili's Awesome Blossom

You are in the United States, chowderheads.  You shouldn't borrow food words or ideas from the English, anymore than you should take romance tips from, well, the English.  They are appetizers!  Besides, it has the word "awesome" right in the name.  They couldn't lie.

1. The Worst Food in America - Outback Steakhouse Aussie Cheese Fries with Ranch Dressing

2,900 calories, 182 g fat, 240 g carbs

What, no bacon?  They aren't even trying.
 
Good job, Men's Health.  You are one step closer to convincing every man in America to wax his chest, draw in "six-pack" lines on his abdomen with an eyebrow pencil, and develop an eating disorder.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

This would actually be a popular Top 10, and I'd be interested to hear what recommendations you would have for this person, who works at the Sun.

I'd like to give her a good list, but to me most of the restaurants within easy walking distance of the Hilton Baltimore are going to be very tourist-oriented. But if you had to suggest some. ...

...during the MLK holiday weekend, Guild leaders from across the country and Canada are coming to the new Hilton for a three-day meeting. For maybe one or two evenings, they'll be wandering out into the city for dinner. I know enough to tell them that almost any restaurant in Little Italy is good. Would you say the same about Canton? The Inner Harbor?

If you were to give recommendations for the 10 best restaurants (and price will be a concern) within walking distance of the hotel, could I trouble you to give me a list?

(Photo of the Hilton's Diamond Tavern by Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

For those of you who don't read the print edition, I like to link to my Table Talk restaurant news column each week. It's not always easy to find. I do try to save news for it, while I think of the blog as more musings, trendwatching and general dithering.

But you miss seeing the print edition of the previous week's Top 10 list if you don't get the paper with the Taste section in it. I send the Top 10 to my editor with a few appropriate comments (given space constraints and wanting to give various people a voice), which will appear under the heading "Readers Talk Back."

But by the time I open the paper I can't believe I really picked some of the comments that are there. And sometimes I haven't. ...

For instance, today there's a quote from Owl Meat, something I try strenuously to avoid, not wanting to get fired or, worst case scenario, the blog more closely watched.

Here it is in its entirety:

"How many of these fireplaces burn real logs?"

Just think if that was the only Owl Meat comment you had ever seen, and then you decided to read Dining@Large for the first time because you liked what he had to say.

This week's Table Talk, by the way, features news about Miss Irene's in Fells Point and Patrick's of Cockeysville.

(Picture of Miss Irene's ahi tuna by Monica Lopossay/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

We just finished the Sun's feature department's holiday pot luck, and it was so far from Bucky's version you wouldn't even recognize it.

First of all, it was incredibly, gloriously meat-heavy. And because Gailor has been in charge of dinner the past three nights (salad and squash soup the first night, whole wheat linguine with eggplant and tomatoes the second, veggie stew last night), I lept like a ravening wolf on Rob's fabulous brisket (two helpings), Mary's Heavenly Ham, and Susan Reimer's fine steak salad with blue cheese. ...

What did I bring? Well, actually I forgot about the party, as did Music Critic Tim, my long-time deskmate;  Movie Critic Mike; and Midnight Sun Sam. So Tim, Mike and I convinced Sam about an hour before the party that he wouldn't have to contribute money if he would go pick up a vegetable platter from the supermarket for the four of us to bring. This worked very well except that no one, including me, ate any of the vegetables.

I think I'll go check to see if there's any leftover brisket. Rob just came by my desk and asked me, "You know what makes it so good?" We said in unison, "Fat."

The photo is of the remains of some excellent little appetizers brought by Editor Liz. My meat photos were too ugly to publish.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

Shallow Thought John Lindner is making up his Christmas wish list. Sorry, John, your toy is no longer available in the U.S. EL

What do I want for Christmas?

Among other things, the Condiment Gun.

Talk about beating swords into plowshares, this little number's got peacemaker written all over it.

It's the best play-with-your-food toy since the pea shooter.

But there'll be no trend. In short order, Mothers Against Fun will sue it off the market, claiming it desensitizes little Moonbeam to the dangers of real gats and there we'll be, safe at home.

Till then, it's the perfect kitchen gadget for the home chef who has everything but this.

And yes, I hope to get kickbacks from the manufacturer.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

It's that time again, boys and girls. I need a Top 10 topic for Dec. 23 and one for Dec. 30.

The latter has to be so easy I can do it before I leave for Argentina in all my free time.

I'm tempted by Joyce W.'s suggestion of Top 10 Restaurants With Good Parking, but the catch would have to be Within the City Limits or the possibilities are too endless.

Does it have to be free parking?

I worry, though, that the list won't be sexy enough. I mean, parking. It's not like, say, french fries. So I'm open to other suggestions.

I checked past e-mails just now, and MD Canon suggested Top 10 Off Season Beach Restaurants. Barie wants a Top 10 Places for Great Cream of Crab Soup.

And Bucky is interested in a Top 10 Uses for Old Bay (Other Than Crab Cakes). The one advantage to that is I could knock it out fast, and it's totally subjective. The disadvantage is that I have no clue if anyone would read it or if it would get more page views than french fries did.

(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

I know what my unhappy readers need to cheer them up.

A bacon post.

I've been collecting bits and pieces of baconmania, which I probably can't lay my hands on now. But I can share with you this link that mmmcorn sent me. How does a bacon-and-cheese roll sound? You just have to be able to weave bacon. Hey, no problem.

I have a feeling someone else sent it to me also, but I can't find the e-mail. If so, I apologize for not giving you credit. ...

There's a book I've been meaning to tell you about called Bacon: A Love Story by Heather Lauer. It's not going to publish until next May, but I'm already getting press releases about it. They must know my audience. It promises to have everything, including profiles of "Bacon Nation" and recipes for such delicacies as Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots, Bacon Brownies, and Bacon Bloody Marys. I may never eat bacon again.

And, of course, you may want to participate in BaconTalk.com

There. Feeling better?

(AP Photo/Larry Crowe) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

A friend asked me if it was his imagination or were people particularly testy on the blog today. I had to admit yes. Maybe it's the looming holidays, or the gray weather, or the recession. What's up?

Anyway, I got a surprising e-mail from Avid Reader today. It was so courteous and otherwise complimentary I had to take it seriously. But it's really a point of view that never crossed my mind.

Here it is: ...

I read your column all the time and enjoy it very much.  I envy your job!  But in the last review regarding Junior’s, I felt you were a bit unfair about the service.  You said the waitress could have wiped the table between your courses because it had gotten dirty.  Isn’t that the diner’s responsibility to keep their area decent while they eat?  You were sharing food so of course it may have gotten messy but I think it is your job to wipe up any crumbs or little spills that might occur.  Aside from a major spill, that is not the waitress’s job and I feel you were wrong for bringing that up.  Would it have killed you to ask for extra napkins for the mess YOU and your party made?  The waitress already has a big responsibility but this shouldn’t include babysitting the customer to make sure every drop of food goes where it is supposed to go.

Avid Reader

(Photo taken last year of Juniors by Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

I liked this suggestion by a reader for a Top 10 Tuesday because it got me to thinking about what makes a recession-proof restaurant. Of course, no place is really recession-proof, and I'm sure each of these has been hurt by the present economy. It's just that they have a better chance than many of our local restaurants to survive.

It's a completely subjective list, although I've asked for suggestions from friends and colleagues. I've tried to give you the reasons they seem to be doing OK. Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong or if you have some better choices.

If you're a Top 10 first-timer, please click on this link: ...

* Clementine in Hamilton. It's relatively new with good buzz; kid-friendly; and BYOB (which in another economy could be a negative). Everything on the menu, with one exception, costs less than $20. And the food is comfort plus.

* Helmand in Mount Vernon. It isn't as cheap as it used to be, but it comes darn close. Inexpensive, good ethnic food is usually found in a hole-in-the-wall, but at the Helmand you can dress up and celebrate a special occasion. Plus it's had a national rep ever since a critic from the Big City Up North discovered it.

* Mari Luna Latin Grille in Pikesville. People love the original Mari Luna, and this has the advantage of newness, plus the quality of food, fair pricing and service that the Mexican grill has. It's festive at a time when we need some festiveness.

* Matthews Pizza in Highlandtown. The perfect balance of an incredibly loyal fan base, cheap eats, landmark status, and a hard-to-get table, in part because the place is so small.

* Mr. Bill's Terrace Inn in Essex. This has acquired a mantle once owned by Bo Brooks before it moved: The place that's most recommended by critics when people want steamed crabs in authentic, non-touristy digs. In the Baltimore area, that's pure gold.

* Peter's Inn in Fells Point. Locals take their out-of-town company here for the same reason they like it, to show them the "real" Baltimore or the "secret" Baltimore: Fells Point funkiness combined with haute cuisine. No one can ever get in because it's tiny and doesn't take reservations, so it's even more desirable.

* Phillips in the Inner Harbor. I would feel more sure about this choice if it weren't the dead of winter, but there are always enough visitors to Baltimore who want to go to the Inner Harbor and want Maryland-style seafood. Not to mention the fact that Phillips is now such a large operation it can weather most storms.

* Sabatino's in Little Italy. Obviously I had to include one Little Italy restaurant because the neighborhood is such a tourist attraction. I eliminated the most expensive choices and thought only about the ones that are considered institutions. I chose Sabatino's over Chiapparelli's because the late-night hours give it a slight edge in my mind.

* Samos in Greektown. Baltimoreans have always headed to Eastern Avenue for good, cheap ethnic cuisines; but over the decades Samos has replaced Ikaros as the restaurant most adored for its Greek food. Customers are so fanatically loyal they don't even mind that no credit cards are accepted.

* Woodberry Kitchen in Hampden/Woodberry. It's still the hottest table in town, and if "philosophy-driven restaurant concepts" are a top trend, as we've been told, then its greenness and locavorism will continue to be a drawing card.

(Photo of Mari Luna Latin Grille by Monica Lopossay/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (80)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Over dinner tonight I appointed Gailor in charge of Dining@Large when (notice I say when and not if) I get the stomach flu. Everybody but me in Baltimore has the stomach flu.

I'm obsessed with this. I've never missed a day's post since I started April 18, 2007, even through various illnesses. But I've never had to post during a serious stomach bug. ...

Now, though, I'm getting paranoid. Everyone around me -- although not my immediate family -- is about to get the stomach flu  or is just getting over it.  (I know, I know. Technically it's not the flu. But it involves a lot of distressing gastrostuff.)

Anyway, I tried to persuade Gailor she would really enjoy being a guest blogger for three to seven days, with friendly commenters telling her what an idiot she is, but all she kept saying was, "I don't want to. I'm on vacation."

Not to worry, I think I can persuade her.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

Sharon was looking for dim sum, but while she was at it she told me some news I hadn't heard before:

Jesse Wong’s Hong Kong in Columbia apparently closed at the beginning of December (said the man at the Asean Bistro who just answered the phone).  I had been calling and the phones were disconnected at the lake front place.

I am without a clue as to other dim sum possibilities in the Baltimore area.  Have you done a “Top 10” on this subject?

I called and, yes, the phone at Jesse Wong's Hong Kong is disconnected. ...

I then called Jesse Wong's Asean Bistro in Columbia, another restaurant in the local group, and the manager confirmed to me, too, that Hong Kong had closed Dec. 1.

Meanwhile I sent Sharon to last year's dim sum entry, but if you have any other suggestions for her, please post below.

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I wasn't happy with the photos taken for my review of Juniors in Federal Hill that appeared in yesterday's paper.

Not because of the pictures themselves -- Chiaki is an accomplished photographer -- but because of the restrictions that were placed on her. ...

I had asked Chiaki to take photos of the dining room decor, customers and maybe some details like a wine glass on the pretty bar, so I would have art for future blog entries even if they weren't about Juniors specifically. But when Chiaki called to confirm before she went, Chef Anthony Marini told her she couldn't shoot anything but him or the food.

Odd. I would think the place would want the free publicity, especially in this economy.

Anyway, if you've been to Juniors since it got its new chef and would like to comment on your meal, or have anything else to add to the conversation, please post below.

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

Last night my family wanted pizza delivered while the game was going on. A friend had told me that he had gotten a good pizza delivered from Joe Squared, which I'd never tried, so Gailor put the game on pause and gave them a call.

First of all, she was stumped by the pricing: $10 for a 10-inch, $12 for a 12-inch, $15 for a 14-inch and $18 for a 16-inch.

I'm sure there's some rationale behind it, but I kind of agreed with her. Doesn't the large economy size usually cost less per unit? Or is it one of those math things involving numbers squared again? ...

Then when she called and ordered a 14-inch cheese with eggplant, bell peppers and tomatoes and a green salad, she was told the total would be something like $32. Whoa. It turned out when the person who answered put her order into the computer, each vegetable rang up as $2.50 extra.

I pointed out that on the Web site, each veggie for the 14-inch was $2 extra. Meanwhile my husband was in the background gnashing his teeth because the game was on pause and the minutes were ticking away. My daughter was getting antsy, too, and told them just to make it a plain cheese pizza and salad. The total then came to $22.70.

It arrived just when the person had told us it would: one hour later. (Well, it was during the game.) I like that. And I loved the pizza itself: thin, charred crust, not too heavy topping. Of course, it suffered from delivery, but nothing getting stuck in the oven at 300 degrees wouldn't fix. However, I can see this is definitely not a pizza for everyone.

Sorry about the ugly photo. My family attacked the pizza before I could get my camera.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (40)
Categories: Pizza
        

I'm afraid I've let the whole plastic water bottle discussion go for too long without starting its own thread. I think a lot of people would be interested in this. I don't want to just link back because people tend to comment under the old entry, so I'll repeat some of the more salient comments.

My contribution to this discussion is although I know I can and should wash plastic water bottles before I reuse them, the reality is that I usually don't. My bad. Here's how it usually goes: ...

I'm late for tennis and forget to bring water, so I scrounge an old empty water bottle that I got from my holiday lunch that's ended up under the car seat for some reason. It's still a third full of water. Not only do I not wash it out before I fill it from the sink at the tennis club, I don't even pour out the old water. I just top it off because I'm in a hurry. Talk about bacteria. If I'm lucky, it's not a bottle that Gailor actually drank out of first.

I do wash out my Brita pitcher religiously, because once I noticed the water had a pale green cast to it, and when I dumped the water out and examined the pitcher closely, I saw a thin film of pale green mold (I hope it was mold) had grown on the bottom of it.

Here are a few comments from the earlier thread:

I have 3 Wegman's Spring Water bottles that have lived in my frig for about 3 years, now. They get refilled a couple a three times a day and I always have cold water to drink. I'd like to say I'm green, but its the green of money: I'm cheap. Oh, and I'm green, too.

Posted by: Robert (the Single One) | December 12, 2008 9:28 PM

to Robert-- I actually heard that re-using those water bottles are not healthy because they become infested with bacteria faster. I'm not sure if the research was put out by water bottle manufacturers...but it would be worth checking out.

Posted by: Nakiya | December 12, 2008 10:35 PM

water bottles are not healthy because they become infested with bacteria faster

Faster ... than .. what? Wash your body, wash your dishes, wash your freakin' water bottles. Not brain surgery.

Posted by: owl meat gastrocreep2000 | December 13, 2008 2:58 AM

There were also rumours around that reusing those water bottles leached nasty plastic chemicals into the water. Which didn't pass the smell test to me, and, indeed, reusing water bottles doesn't lead to more nasty plastic chemicals in your water than the first fill does.

Posted by: Lissa | December 13, 2008 9:12 AM

RtSO, I also use recycled water bottles to store tap-water in the frig. I have heard what Nakiya is referring to -- it was from a bottled water spokesman who was trying to emphasize that those bottles are designed "for single use only". While he certainly has an interest in limiting liability due to misuse of proprietary water bottles as well as continuing the revenue stream with sales of brand new bottles of water, I do think there may be legitimate concerns with reuse. As owl meat noted, the bottles should be washed out periodically. I personally do not use plastic for food or drink storage for a number of reasons. Plastic is harder to get clean than glass or ceramic. Tiny scratches can harbor bacteria and provide a rough substrate for foreign matter to cling to. If you are only storing water then these problems are not as apparent and may not actually be a problem. I went out and bought a few bottles of S. Pellegrino which I use for tap water storage. The bottles are glass and they have metal caps which are more durable than the plastic caps found on most other brands. My children like the smaller size bottles for personal use and I can place the larger one on the table for meals.

Posted by: Laura Lee | December 13, 2008 10:10 AM

I recall reading recently that the re-usable plastic bottle thing was chemical not biological. Somehow, if my feeble memory is right on this, more of some dangerous chemical leeches out into the water via dishwashing and re-use. I'm not sure though, maybe hmpstd knows.

Posted by: Joyce W. seeking condos in Miami Beach | December 14, 2008 7:30 AM

Joyce W. -- the water bottle chemical leaching thing appears to be mostly an urban legend, at least according to Snopes.com.

Personally, I've reused plastic bottles and microwave trays for years, and it hsa'nt affffectde mmmme yte.

Posted by: hmpstd | December 14, 2008 8:32 AM

The chemical everyone is disturbed about is called bisphenol, and doesn't occur in the PETE plastics used for water bottles. It's in the harder polycarbonate hiking-style bottles. It's supposed to disturb hormones (it mimics estrogen), especially in small children. But still, it only leaches into water if it's been in the bottle for months or if it's heated. In fact a lrger source is the lining of cans. Apparently some baby products like bottles and sippy cups are made of the stuff, and people extrapolated the alarm to all plastic bottles, which just isn't true.

Posted by: fizzy | December 14, 2008 8:52 AM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

The closing of the Hyatt Regeny's Pisces got me to wondering what new hotels were doing when they had to open a dining room downtown where the competition is fierce.

The Hilton Baltimore decided on a hybrid: not fine dining, but not a sports bar either. ...

The Diamond Tavern (that's diamond as in baseball diamond), located within viewing range of Camden Yards, doesn't really have a sports theme; but it has 20 or so flat screen TVs, many tuned to ESPN. The New American menu is pared down, with a range of prices.

My favorite part is the vaguely Asian look to the contemporary decor. That way if the New American thing doesn't work out for them, they can switch to being a Pan-Asian restaurant without having to renovate the dining room.

But how's the food? Is it going to draw people who aren't staying at the hotel? To find out what I think, look for my review next Sunday in the Arts & Entertainment section.

By the way, the photo is of the Hilton's bar, not the Diamond Tavern itself, although the decor is much the same. It was shot for a more general piece that ran earlier on the hotel. It was the best I could do because the review photos haven't been taken yet. 

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Review Preview
        

Posted by: matt hudock | December 8, 2008 7:42 AM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

First, a confession. I missed Midnight Sun Sam's birthday, and only discovered it by reading his blog. After I apologized and wished him a belated happy birthday, he told me about his birthday dinner. He and his fiancee went to Ruth's Chris for its $36 economy-proof meal, which he had read about in my Table Talk column.

When he called to make reservations, the person who answered the phone asked if it was a special occasion. Sam, no fool, told them it was his birthday. ...

"Wouldn't you think," he said to me, "that having asked, they would have acknowledged it in some way?"

(I'm guessing he was thinking free dessert, although he didn't exactly say that.)

Later, when I thought of it again, it did strike me as odd. I mean, why ask if you aren't going to at least wish him happy birthday or stick a candle in his filet?

By the way, Sam thought the special was great: a salad or soup, a beautiful filet mignon and a side big enough for two for $36.

(Sun photo archives)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
        

I'm getting ready to go home, and I pick up the Poland Spring water bottle that was part of the holiday lunch yesterday. And for some reason I start reading the label.

It says, "Did you know this bottle can be recycled? [duh] But fewer than 25 % of all plastic bottles actually are recycled. We need your help. Visit polandspring.com to learn more."

Should I? ...

OK, here I am on the site, and the word "recycle" is not  immediately evident. However, there is a lot of information on how I can get Poland Spring delivered to my door for about a dollar a day.

I click around, and now finally I've gotten to the page about how the "Eco-Shape" bottle uses 30 percent less plastic.

I'll click on "What You Can Do." That must be it. And here's the information on recycling in its entirety: "What can you recycle? Plenty! Contact your local town hall to find out about recycling programs in your community."

I think I'll go home.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (58)
        

This is one of those days when everything I post is weirder than the last. I need to roll up my sleeves and get to work on the kind of entry that I know you're waiting breathlessly for -- the kind other food bloggers post. You know, like the 208 Hottest Menu Trends for 2009. But until then...Here's Bucky. EL

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

Ever alert reader Retired in Elkridge snapped this excellent photo of the Wienermobile for us outside his Giant in the River Hill Village Center in Clarksville. Eat your heart out, Owl.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

I hope you read the story, which my husband heard on the news yesterday, about the Italian government buying 100,000 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano to prop up the country's cheese industry. I hunted around and came up with this link to an article in the Wall Street Journal about it.

Doesn't there seem something much more civilized about bailing out cheese makers as opposed to the Big Three or big banking?

You never know when an industry is in trouble, though. I mean, unlike gas guzzlers, who doesn't buy parmesan cheese?

(Photo courtesy of FreeFoto.com)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (72)
        

Today in the weekend section Richard Gorelick reviewed Teavolve, the alternative to coffee houses in Harbor East. It's a tea house, but it also has food like panini, waffles and a hummus plate. (Mmmm. That sounds odd, doesn't it?)

Rob Kasper's Takeout column featured the International Food Market on Reisterstown Road.

Meanwhile I spent the afternoon digesting our complimentary holiday lunch from the Sun cafeteria like the cobra and the suckling pig or whatever cobras digest. ...

It was festive in a bittersweet way because no one likes free food as much as a reporter, so the place was packed. And not one person made the joke about was I going to review it, which made my day.

Sign of the times: A meatless pasta dish was offered as an alternative to the turkey, mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce. I don't think that was true last year.

Just now I went back and checked my last year's post about the holiday lunch. It seems sadly prophetic at this point.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

Today Owl Meat goes boldly where no man has gone before for his Funtastic Thursday, one of the most fun Thursdays we've had in quite a while. EL

Today is a grab bag of things rattling around in my head. 
 
Wieners?  Dogs?  Wiener dogs?

Paging Dr Freud:  Sometimes a giant wiener is just a ...car.  If you have a desperate need to tour the country in the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile, now is your chance.  Do you have "an appetite for adventure, a friendly personality and boundless enthusiasm"?   They are accepting applications now.

I hate the word "gastropub."  I think most of us do.  So why are people labeling their businesses with this abomination?  I was thinking that there are plenty of words that could be coined with "gastro," just not "gastropub."  It has a particularly noxious macaronic quality.
 
Gastronaut. Cooler than "gourmand."  Way cooler than "foodie."  Go boldly indeed.
 
Gastrobot.  Someone who orders the same thing at restaurant and never tries anything new.
 
Gastroknob. Habitué of Gastropub.  Swirls his Belgian ale in a goblet like wine and hold it up to the light to admire.  Uses the word soupçon way too much. 
 
Gastro-Enterologist.  That's a hostess.

Œnophile. A real word used by wine snobs.  It sounds like the creepy guy with the van who asks kids if they want to see a box of kitties.   If you describe yourself as an Œnophile, I probably don't like you.  Suitable substitute?  Wino?  No.  How about Grape Ape?  Note: I used that cool oe character for extra pretension.  It's a grapheme!
 
Have you heard servers pronounce "Beaujolais" like they are trying to scare you, as in "BOO-jolay"? 
 
Did you know that Blue Moon is a fake craft brewery?  Check the label next time and you will see that it is brewed in ... wait for it ... Golden Colorado.  Yup, another sleight of hand from Coors.  Remember when they had the fake Killian's Irish Red?  Maybe they still do.  I know of one bar that sold it as an imported beer -- imported from Golden Colorado.  There was an excellent article in the New Yorker recently on Dogfish Brewery and the development of "extreme beers."  It's a fascinating in-depth look at the magic behind real craft brewing.

Just as I was about to send this to EL, a strange thing popped up in my browser feeds.  Today's FoodScope.  What?  It's a food horoscope.  Aries, the stars compel you to eat a salad and a chicken sandwich today. 
 
Revolting product alert: Howard's Crispy Fried Chicken Skins.

Because ... it's low carb?  Even a gastronaut can go too boldly.
 
Product line that haunts my dreams:  Dwight Yoakam's Family of Quality Foods.  A whole family of foods from Dwight Yoakum!  Finally -- inbred food.  That's not nice.  Culinary innovator Yoakum has really outdone himself.  You like chicken fingers, but they're so daggone linear.  Yahoo, belly up to the fryer for some Chicken Lickin's™ Chicken Rings Afire. 

Chicken the way God intended -- in deep-fried breaded circles.  And afire! 

Dwight's Chicken Lickin's™ brand has an enormous number of products (none available at a store near me) including Chicken Fries,  Buffalo Bites,  Pizza Fries,  Lanky Links™, Take 'Ems™ Lil' Joes, Take 'Ems™ Lil' Riblets, Take 'Ems™ Lil' Chicks, and Take 'Ems™ Macaroni Mouth Poppers.    Mmm... it's about time someone marketed a macaroni mouth popper.  "Take 'Ems"?  That's what the marketing department came up with?  Lanky Links sounds like a porno actor.
 
Oh, I can't end with that.  How about some milk-sippin' fun with Kellogg's™ Froot Loops™ Cereal Straws? 

Why?  Because if we don't keep inventing and buying stupid stuff like this then the terrorists have won.  That's why.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)
 
 
 
 
 
 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

When I interviewed Benjamin Greene about his new project, Miss Irene's in Fells Point, he said the most amazing thing.

I asked him something like wasn't it worrisome to open a new venture in this economy. He answered, and I quote, "If there's a recession, it's not happening in Fells Point."

Well, OK, Mr. Greene. But that leads me to an intriguing Top 10 idea I got in an e-mail I can no longer find (sorry, whoever sent it to me -- my bad): Top 10 Recession-Proof Restaurants. ...

The e-mailer suggested, as I remember, Phillips and Ruth's Chris among others.

I think it's an interesting idea, although I know no restaurant is totally unaffected by these tough economic times.

Anyway, what would your nominations be for recession-proof restaurants? Should we eliminate chains because they have an unfair advantage (i.e., it seems to me they can weather rough times easier because of their size)? Or maybe they have to be included precisely for that reason. And please tell us why you think your nomination is recession-proof if you can.

Pictured is Miss Irene's before the renovation. The photos of the new restaurant for next week's Table Talk column haven't been taken yet.

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

I was shopping in Hampden the other day, and saw this sign in front of Puffs & Pastries.

I went inside the tiny shop, and the young owner was in back taking a large tray of goodies out of the oven. she smiled at me through the open door, but I could see she was busy and I didn't really want to buy anything, so I waved and left.

Her set up reminded me of the movie Chocolat; it had that same kind of feel-good feel to it.

But this entry is about her holiday orders. I don't seem to be doing any baking this year, and I don't know if others are in the same boat. I wanted to give her a plug, but also any other local bakeries you might know of. Please post their names and what goodies they offer below.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

I got the following e-mail in response to my Table Talk bit in today's paper on hotel restaurants. How's this for a solution to the Pisces situation? I have to say that as a restaurant goer I am sorry to lose that view.

Indeed, dad had a thing about eating in hotels, his "never eat where you stay, sonny" still ringing in my ears to this day.  But there are exceptions and I have to say that the Pisces restaurant, with its commanding view of the Inner Harbor would be one of them.  Of course the menu needs some work...and they'd have to be open, have regular hours and capitalize on the zillions of tourists who swarm the very buttresses of their establishment.  Apparently the local management hasn't traveled much beyond the area or they'd realize what a goldmine they're sitting on. ... 

(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Before we begin this week's Shallow Thought Wednesday, brought to us by Multimedia Editor Emeritus and Burger Expert John Lindner, I have one question to ask and one to answer.

1) What is Cream City?

2) Because we love you, jl. And because this may be your best Shallow Thought Wednesday ever. EL

True story:

I'm in Paunchies* Saturday. Ordered the usual.

Our waiter Mitch**? If your daughter brought him home you'd be like, "could be worse."

But as a waiter? Haley's Comet visits more frequently.

At one point, long after we ordered, Mitch makes an appearance and (I'm not making this up) informs us that, because I ordered rare and my friend ordered well, he'd have to bring my meal out ahead of my friend's. (I know, right?)

I lay an "OK, where's the camera" smile on him. But no, he's serious. I say, "Dude, just have the cook put my burger on the grill kinda close to when the well done one is, well, you know, done."

Mitch's response: "They're kind of busy."

Mitch has a grip on non sequiturs.

My face, trained by years of disappointment, betrays not a wit of dismay. I go, "Yeah. Why not, right? Bring mine out first. We'll watch it cool while we wait for the cook [sic] to ruin the other burger. No problem."

As it happens, he delivers the burgers together, same time, side by each as they say in Cream City.

No, I didn't ask. I assumed my mocking tone and rolling eyes prompted a change of plans. A last-second plan at that: My burger was raw.

Shoot, fifteen minutes later he showed up with the frickin' ketchup! (I'm exaggerating. It was probably more like 12 or 13 minutes, but by then, who cares?) Life is goot!

Hey, here's a question for ya: Why does EL keep letting me do this?

* Not the restaurant's real name. I may visit it again some day.

** Not his real name. Maybe he was having an off day.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

I promised to link to a couple of stories that are in the Sun's food section today. One is my Table Talk column, in which I talk about the state of hotel dining in downtown Baltimore and even quote Robert of Cross Keys (anonymously).

The other is Happy Eater Rob Kasper's column on clementines and tangerines. Funny, I still call him that even though his column hasn't been called the Happy Eater for I don't know how long. Sorry, Rob.

(Photo of Bistro 300 by Doug Kapustin/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

OK, I was a little grumpy yesterday. But at the very end of the day something delightful happened that lifted my spirits.

I got a press release from the National Restaurant Association about the Hottest Menu Trends in 2009, compiled from a survey of more than 1,600 professional chefs who are members of the American Culinary Federation.

You know how I love trends, especially involving surveys where the methodology is a little, um, suspect.

Do you remember the fun I had torturing you with these survey results last year? THIS YEAR THERE ARE 208 HOTTEST MENU TRENDS. And we're going to spend many delightful hours together going over them. ...

Just to whet your appetite, I'm going to give you the highlights. (I'm quoting from the press release here.):

* Hottest trends on 2009 restaurant menus: nutrition and philosophy-driven food choices.

* The top 10 trends: locally grown produce, bite-size desserts, organics, healthy kids' meals, new/fabricated meat cuts, kids' vegetable/fruit side dishes, superfruits (including acai and mangosteen), small plates/tapas/mezze/dim sum, artisanal liquor, sustainable seafood.

* The top alcohol trends: micro-distilled liquor, culinary cocktails and organic wine.

* Top non-alcoholic beverage trends: specialty iced tea, organic coffee and flavored/enhanced water.

* Leading culinary trend themes: nutrition, gluten-free/allergy-conscious and food-alcohol pairings.

This raises so many questions, I can't wait to get started.

Want to know what Trend No. 208 is?

Potato salad.

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

Actually I haven't personally come up with more restaurants with fireplaces, but I want to make a separate entry with the other suggestions we got today because so many people want restaurants with fireplaces this time of  year.

For instance, I would never have left the Brass Elephant in Mount Vernon (pictured) off my list, but I didn't realize the fireplaces actually ever had fires in them. 

Here are some other suggestions: ...

* An Poitin Stil in Timonium. I have to remember that Irish pubs often have great fireplaces.

* Scotto's in Bel Air

* Ryan's Daughter in Belvedere Square

* The upstairs bar at the Waterfront Hotel in Fells Point

* The Dizz in Remington

* Bertha's in Fells Point

* John Stevens Ltd. in Fells Point

* Brewers Art in Mount Vernon (again, I didn't realize these were working fireplaces)

* Antrim 1844 in Taneytown

* Pizza Huts, area locations (Thanks, Donny B!)

* Serafino's in Ellicott City

* Hull Street Blues in Locust Point

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Joyce W. asked if we had discussed restaurants that are open on Christmas Day yet, and the answer is no, we haven't. Thanks for reminding me, because it's something I get more and more requests for as the years go by (for reasons we could also discuss).

Here's the list I published last year, and I haven't heard that any of them isn't serving Christmas dinner this year. Correct me if I'm wrong. As you can see, it's heavy on hotel dining rooms. ...

Here's the list of the best Chinese restaurants open Christmas Day from last year.

So far I haven't heard of any new places staying open on Christmas Day, but maybe in this economy a few more will decide it's worth their while. If so, I'll let you know.

I did just talk to Benjamin Greene at the Waterfront Hotel in Fells Point, which will be open at 4 p.m. on Christmas. His new restaurant, Miss Irene's, opened last Friday. Unfortunately because of deadlines, what I found out won't appear until next Wednesday in my Table Talk column. However, Greene did tell me he was trying to decide whether Miss Irene's should be open on Christmas Day, and I'll let you know if it is.

Only once have I eaten Christmas dinner in a restaurant, and that was one year when we decided it would be neat to spend the holiday in Colonial Williamsburg (pre-child). The food was what a traditional English holiday dinner would be, down to the mincemeat and plum pudding, tweaked just enough to make it more appealing to contemporary tastes. 

It was pretty neat, except for eating Christmas dinner with a bunch of strangers.

(Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

Today I have to get started on my year ender, a column I usually enjoy writing. Not this year. I don't feel like writing about all the restaurants we've lost this year, and I'm not really excited about the local and seasonal trends anymore.

But I think there probably was more good news than I'm feeling there was right now, and when I go back through the archives and read the past year's Table Talks and reviews, I'll feel happier about 2008.

Or not. ...

I'm even bored with seasonal in my personal life. It's one thing to eat that way when I go to a restaurant, but I like to have a fresh green vegetable with every dinner, even if it no longer has the vitamins a frozen green vegetable would.

I know I'm drifting away from the original topic here, but last night I was eating alone (leftover pot roast). I didn't have any spinach, broccoli or green beans in the fridge, so I dug around in the freezer and came up with something that I bought to save my marriage: Birds Eye Steamfresh Singles brussels sprouts.

Brussels sprouts are my husband's favorite vegetable; and while I never met a vegetable I didn't like, brussels sprouts are down near the bottom of the list for me.

For some reason Birds Eye has decided to put these single serving pouches out in only three flavors: corn, peas and...brussels sprouts. Weird.

Much as I would like to say that I could tell any fresh vegetable from frozen, I'm not absolutely sure I could. I certainly don't think shelling peas (unless they've just been picked) or lima beans is worth the trouble as opposed to just having them frozen -- if they aren't overcooked.

Brussels sprouts don't quite fall into that category. I can tell the difference, I just don't care.

Anyway, I usually scoff at convenience packaging, but I liked these single serving pouches a lot. It seemed like the vegetables would keep better than cutting open a large bag, having a serving and closing the bag with a twist 'em or putting it in a Ziploc. 

Anyway, if you'd like to discuss frozen vegetables, convenience packaging, highlights of the year past, or brussels sprouts, please do so below.

(Photo by James F. Quinn/Chicago Tribune)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
        

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...Oh, sorry. How about a nice New York strip and a baked potato eaten next to an open fire? Does that sound better?

This week's Top 10 Tuesday should get you in the holiday spirit: The top 10 restaurants with fireplaces. As a bonus, most of these come with Christmas decorations and holiday-themed cocktails.

I tried to select a range of places, and not just make it a list of wonderful historic homes an hour's drive from Baltimore where dinner will cost you an arm and a leg.

If you aren't a regular Top 10 reader, please read this first.

Here's my list: ...

* Ambassador Dining Room in Homewood has two fireplaces and is festively and beautifully decorated. Faithful readers know this is where my family and close friends go for our annual Christmas get-together and Indian food.

* Brasserie Tatin in Homewood is one of those restaurants you probably don't even think about as having a fireplace because the decor is modern. Its Christmas decorations are up now, surrounding the stone-manteled fireplace that's turned on every night. 

* Elkridge Furnace Inn in Elkridge. This 18th century mansion on the Patapsco River has six working fireplaces and loads of period charm. The menu offers French and New American cuisine.

* Kings Contrivance in Columbia is at its best this time of year, with six working fireplaces. It's closed Christmas Day but has a special a la carte menu on Christmas Eve from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

* Milton Inn in Sparks. The charming dining rooms all have fireplaces, but they are electric except for the one in the Hearth Room, the hostess told me when I called. Request to be seated there when you make your reservation.

* Oregon Grille in Cockeysville offers a classic Christmas experience with festive decorations inside and out, fires blazing in four fireplaces inside and one outside on the terrace. Fine-dining steaks and seafood.

* Petit Louis in Roland Park. There are several tables near this French bistro's fireplace, but if there are only two of you request the cozy table just to the right of it. The place is noisy and crowded, but it still manages to be romantic this time of year.

* Red Maple in Mount Vernon proves that you don't have to go to an historic inn to have dinner by a fire. The fireplaces in the lounge are contemporary, and you'll be eating Asian-inspired tapas basically on your knees, but you'll have fun.

* Treaty of Paris in Annapolis has been recently renovated, but the basement dining room of the 1773 Maryland Inn still has two working fireplaces. The food can be described as Continental, with an emphasis on seafood.

* Ze Mean Bean in Fells Point is a small and cozy charmer with Eastern European comfort food and some more gourmet fare. The small dining room has a large fireplace, and there's live music on the weekends.

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

The time has come for me to get serious about this trip to Buenos Aires to attend a wedding. Getting serious involves planning some Maryland-based posts that take a minimum amount of effort on my part (hey, I'll be on vacation) and will inspire responsible regulars to converse about the subject in intelligent ways. Hahahaha.

In the past, I've repeated posts that I liked under the headline "Second Helpings." (I can't get away with this so soon after doing a Top 10 of my favorite posts.) Another time I asked a daily Stupid Question. This time I'm thinking about just posting a photo and having you discuss it.

Any other ideas?

Below, by the way, is the groom's page on the wedding Web site. You might expect some kissy-face photos or lyrical descriptions of how the couple met.

Not exactly: ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

I noticed that on Juniors' Web site, the Federal Hill restaurant calls itself a gastropub, although when it opened the words "Wine Bar" were part of the name. I've scoffed at the term "gastropub" since I first heard it, because the "gastro" part sounds so medical, and reminds me of complaints you don't want to think about when you're eating in a nice restaurant. ...

So why would any place want to be a gastropub rather than a wine bar? I know neither term reflects what the restaurant really is, it's just a description intended to lure you in. My only theory is that the folks at Juniors feel "gastropub" is more cutting edge and "wine bar" is so, you know, yesterday.

I still like wine bars better, and Juniors strikes me as more of a wine bar than a gastropub.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

Next Sunday I return to Juniors Wine Bar in Federal Hill, which has a new Executive/Concept Chef. (Chiaki, the photographer, says that's how he writes it, with the slash, but I don't think I'll do that more than this once.)

Anthony Marini has come up with a new menu of "Nibbles" and "Plates." He says he doesn't like the terms "tapas" or "small plates," but for the most part that's what they resemble.

I'll be interested to hear what you think of the reinvented Juniors, and you can read my review in next Sunday's Arts & Entertainment section.

Pictured are the $100 Potatoes, which, you'll be glad to know, cost $14.

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Review Preview
        

Yesterday I got an invitation in the mail. It says:

Please join us for Christmas dinner

Thursday, December twenty-fifth

at 8:30 p.m.

Bella Italia Ristorante

Republica Arabe Siria 3285

(Between Segui and Cervino Streets)

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Somehow that makes my trip for the first time seem real. ...

Even my most faithful readers have probably forgotten my casual mention of this trip last March. I bought my ticket soon after, at a time when the recession was just a tiny cloud on the horizon. I don't know that I would do it now; to spend Christmas in Buenos Aires seems wicked somehow.

Maybe I should cancel my trip, and the week in a beautiful foreign city in sunshine and 80 or 90 degrees.

Nah. 

Tomorrow we'll talk about how I can keep up blog readership while I'm gone. Of course, I'll take a laptop, but I'd like to come up with some easy Baltimore posts to keep the xenophobes happy and only write about my trip when I feel like it.

Meanwhile, apropos of our beef discussion, I want to share with you the title of the groom's page on the wedding Web site:

[Name Deleted]'s Guide to Eating Meat in Argentina

Unfortunately I can't call up the page now for some reason, but I'll post it when it's available again.

I think I'm going to like Argentina.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)
        

I think it is getting harder for top tier restaurants to make a go of it in hotels. Rather than run a fine dining restaurant, it seems like hotels would rather concentrate on private functions. I'm thinking there are multiple reasons for this, ranging from people being dismissive of hotel restaurants to the growth of restaurant districts like Harbor East.

Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | December 1, 2008 7:01 PM

This comment got me thinking about the whole hotel dining room question more, and I ended up writing something about it for next Wednesday's Table Talk. I still think it's odd that hotel dining is alive and well in other cities, but not in Baltimore.

I had dinner at the new Diamond Tavern in the Hilton Baltimore recently, and its menu reminded me of the new Luminous menu at the Westin BWI. I don't eat in a lot of hotel dining rooms, but both these were concise and focused on crowd pleasers. I guess that's where we're heading with our hotel restaurants.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Over lunch my husband asked me what European country I thought had the largest group of frequent drinkers.

I said, "Sweden" without missing a beat, because I would definitely be an alcoholic if I lived in Sweden. Cold. Dark. What's not to like?

But he surprised me. He learned from a story he read in yesterday's Wall Street Journal that it's the Netherlands, not Sweden. And he came up with some more interesting factoids, if the survey quoted is to be believed. ...

In Italy, for instance, 53 percent of the people surveyed said they were teetotalers.

I was also surprised to hear that France and the Netherlands are considering raising the legal drinking age from 16 to 18.

Sixteen?

In France and Italy, wine is still more popular than beer; but that could be changing -- as it has in Spain and Portugal.

Finally, the survey suggests, in countries where a glass or two of wine has traditionally been taken with a meal, a new culture of binge drinking is developing.

Here's the link to the story.

(Photo courtesy of wsj.net)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (69)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Enough of all this talk of juicy steaks and their crisp edges of fat. Next week's Eat in Season Challenge is being taken up by One World Cafe in Homewood. The seasonal, locally sourced menu will be available Dec. 8-15.

The Eat in Season Challenge is a great idea started by Slow Food Baltimore, but it may have run its course. I say that only because so many Baltimore restaurants have jumped on the seasonal, locally sourced bandwagon that these special menus no longer seem so special. (That sounds negative, but it's actually a good thing.) But I would still love to hear from anyone who has gone to one of these restaurants specifically for the Challenge menu.

Anyway, the One World's menu, which is a la carte, sounds delicious even if you aren't a vegetarian. (OK, for me not the tofurkey, but everything else. I'm not crazy about vegetarian dishes that remind me of meat.)

Here's the menu: ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

 One of these photos is the real Bucky. He will send you a fantastic prize if you can guess which one. EL

So, I know my recurring Friday blog topic is supposed to be about food or dining, but with Elizabeth’s permission, I am going to digress this week because it’s only Dec. 5 and I’m already fed up with Christmas.  (No!  Wait!  Fed up? Dining reference requirement: check.)  

First, you need one important bit of information to fully understand the story I am about to tell you.

I bear a striking resemblance to Santa Claus.  

I know that, in your minds’ eyes, y’all have likely formed a mental picture of me over the last few months that has me resembling the Marlboro Man.  Back in the day I did, in fact, resemble the Marlboro Man, especially when I was wearing my hat and duster and was riding my horse, Pal.

No longer.  I look eerily like the jolly old elf except, well, I’m taller than an elf, of course.  

Every year during the holiday season, I am invariably accosted in stores and the mall by youngsters who, with wonderment in their eyes and hope filling their hearts, sidle up to me and ask, “Are you Santa Claus?”  

It happened to me twice last weekend.

The first time, I looked at the little girl who asked and said, “No, honey, I’m not.  I just look like him.  I’m sure the real Santa is up at the North Pole, getting ready for Christmas.”  And I actually patted her lightly on her cute little head and walked on my merry way.

A while later, a young boy walked up and asked the same thing.  I said, “No, son, I’m not Santa.”  But before I could pat him on his cute little head, the little twerp poked me in the stomach and said, “Yes you are.  You are Santa.”  He poked me twice, once during each sentence, and he poked me hard.

To make matters worse, his mother stood there, giggling and fawning at how adorable her little twerp-kid was.

Now, I know that in this situation, I’m supposed to take the role of the mature adult.  And if it hadn’t been for giggling Mom, I might have.  But sometimes, you (and by “you” I mean “I”) just lose it.

So, I said to the kid, “NO.  I am not Santa Claus.  There is no Santa Claus.  Your mother has been lying to you.  And if you don’t believe me, ask the sixth graders at school.”  Then I turned and walked away because I can’t stand watching little kids cry in public.

Was that wrong of me?  Should I wander over to Charm City Moms and get their opinions?  What do you think?

(Photos courtesy of Uncle Larry's Photo Gallery)    

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (39)
        

...But I don't kid myself that it's good for me. The reaction to my belief that vegetarians are likely to live longer and healthier lives than I will surprised me; maybe I should say a little bit more about it. 

It was in a blog entry, not a scientific article, so that's all it was: a statement of something I try to remember even when I'm standing at the meat counter deciding to buy a beautiful, well-marbled steak. Maybe some people can eat red meat and poultry and avoid saturated fat, but I can't. And saturated fat causes a lot of serious health problems. Those who argue otherwise, I think, are kidding themselves. ...

Conversely, when I don't eat red meat and poultry, or eat less, I eat more vegetables and whole grains, given that I can only eat X amount of food -- more fiber, more nutrients that may help prevent certain types of cancer and are good for me in other ways.

One thing I've learned over the years writing nutrition and fitness articles is that you can find scientific research to support almost any position. In fact, I try not to even consider studies until I find out where the funding came from. But the vegetables and whole grains = good and animal fats = bad thing seems pretty well documented.

Still, that beef in the photo looks mighty fine, doesn't it?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
        

Other Restaurant Critic Richard Gorelick reviewed Betty & Jake's Tavern in Catonsville today in the Weekend section, and I must say I didn't think there was a restaurant that had been around 35 years that I hadn't heard of. Especially not one with a fabulous shrimp salad sandwich.

Why didn't any of its patrons nominate it when we did the Where to Get Great Shrimp Salad entry?

Of course, at the time the entry got only 10 comments, not like the discussion we'd have now.

Meanwhile Rob Kasper was getting takeout, a grilled chicken sandwich from the Charcoal Grill in Parkville. I admire him. It's going to be about another week before I'll be able to eat poultry again.

(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

This Funtastic Thursday interests me because I don't usually succumb to kitchen gadgets, but I did within the history of this blog. It was the Handi-Vac, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't, and reminds me why I shouldn't buy stupid kitchen gadgets every time I try to use it. My I-can't-live-without-it gadget? My nutmeg grinder. But that's another story. EL

Meet  Motoman, a Japanese pancake-flipping robot.   Even better than a warranty, he comes with a code of honor.  If he burns a pancake, he impales himself on his spatula.  Bushidō technology.

Here's the Uber Tuber, a compressed-air-powered potato bazooka that propels spuds at a grid of wires that slices them into fries. Behind the grid is a backstop that catches the potatoes and funnels them into a fryer below.
 
Rube Goldberg 'Falling Water' Cocktail-Mixing Machine. In 2000 I visited the Panama Yacht Club in Panama City, Panama.  They had a fully automated cocktail machine.  The "bartender" punched your order into the computer and the machine mixed and dispensed it into a glass.  In Panama.  The flaw in the system was that it only did this for rail drinks; the high-end liquor was still in the domain of the presumably thieving bartenders.
 
Admit it -- you have a silly tool in your kitchen that no one really needs. I'll go first. 

Nope, I need all my cool gadgets. I think the dumbest thing I ever saw was pizza cheese scissors -- scissors designed to cut the strand of cheese that won't let go. That was way back last century when I was in college.  Apparently the idea still lives and now they have one with a built-in spatula.  The horror, the horror.
 
For some reason I remember a gadget from my childhood as the Holy Grail of awesome kitchen tools.  I have such pleasant feelings about it that I have used it as a Proustian madeleine to reconstruct minute details of the cottage that I lived in during the summer in grade school.  It was a can piercer that made a V on the rim of the can to create a pouring spout.
 
I will admit that for many years I had a spaghetti strainer utensil in with my big spoons and spatula.  I never used it, but it took me the better part of my adult life to throw it out.  A friend of mine uses his as a back scratcher.
 
Confess!  What's your favorite kitchen toy?

(Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images)
 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

Those of you who guessed a clementine were right on. I was looking for something in a desk drawer yesterday and pulled out a bag that contained some magazines from last Christmas and, at the bottom, that sad little forgotten fruit. It must have been part of my lunch last December.

It struck me as funny because moments before I had been part of a taste test for Rob Kasper, who is writing a clementine column for next Wednesday. I'm looking forward to seeing what he has to say, because no two batches of clementines from the same place ever taste the same to me. In fact, no two clementines out of the same bag taste the same to me.

I presented him with my clementine after I photographed it for you.

I was wondering why clementines suddenly became such a fruit of choice recently, and when exactly it happened, considering that close cousin tangerines have never been our most popular citrus fruit.

A quick Google came up with this on Wikipedia, but I have no idea if it's accurate:

A market for them in the United States was created recently, when the harsh 1997 winter in Florida devastated domestic orange production, increasing prices and decreasing availability.

Actually I'm going to link to the article because I love the part about maybe suing local beekeepers. Truth or legend?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

I took this fine photo at my desk yesterday. Care to guess what the food is and what its back story is?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I'd pretty much decided to do restaurants with fireplaces for next week's Top 10 Tuesday when I got this e-mail from Kathleen:

I would love to know the top 10 restaurants to get in the holiday mood: places with a great fireplace, over-the-top Christmas lights or holiday-themed cocktails.

I'm still going to do fireplaces, but I'd also like to hear some nominations for restaurants that are festively decorated. If you were reading last December, you know my first choice.

As for holiday-themed cocktails at local restaurants, put the Sparkling Hibiscus Cocktail in that category, but are there any other nominations?

And don't forget to tell me about your favorite fireplaces.

(Nanine Hartzenbusch/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (30)
        

I know I don't always give as much love as I could to vegetarians, especially not in the winter when I crave meat and animal fat. But I do love veggies, I live with a couple of semi-vegetarians (I know, I know) and I respect people who make the commitment to a vegetarian lifestyle. They are likely to live longer and healthier lives than I will.

Anyway, whether you're a vegetarian or just love your vegetables, a new Web site may be of interest to you. The just-launched VegNews.com is supposedly the largest, most comprehensive vegetarian Web site in the world. I say "supposedly" only because I'm not supposed to just take someone's word for it. However, it looks pretty comprehensive to me. ...

The site features thousands of kitchen-tested recipes, vegetarian job postings, global events, VegNews TV, and more.

If you're wondering why a vegetarian Web site wouldn't launch in the summer when the raw ingredients are so readily available, it was planned that way: "We've launched just in time for the holiday season. To celebrate, VN visitors will revel in festive vegan recipes, DIY party-planning tips, cooking demos, daily giveaways, and advice on managing those historically un-veg-friendly family gatherings."

Also Compassion Over Killing has sent me the new Vegetarian Guide to Baltimore and Surrounding Areas, which is free and lists local vegetarian-friendly restaurants.  Go to VegBaltimore.com to get your copy.

The art is of Parkside Fine Food & Spirit's vegetarian pizza.

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

It's kind of early in the day for this drink to look as good to me as it does. Roy's sent me a press release saying that the Royal Hibiscus Cocktail is available "through the revelrous months of December and January at Roy's."

I might do a little reveling this month, but as for January...I don't know about you, but basically they'll be talking me down off the ledge until about April.

But now that I think about it, I imagine I could also drown my winter blues in a few Sparkling Hibiscus Cocktails.

Still, this wouldn't be a post except that the writer of the press release wisely sent me the recipe. You'll find it below.

This reminds me that last night I was watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles -- I know, I know, I have elevated taste in TV shows -- and in a New Year's Eve scene set in the Roaring 20s, everyone was drinking champagne from what I was always taught were sherbet glasses (the flat ones).

Anybody know when people started using champagne flutes? ...

Sparkling Hibiscus Cocktail

Ingredients
1 ounce Belvedere vodka
1/2 ounce hibiscus syrup
3 ounces Chandon Sparkling Rosé
candied hibiscus (optional)*

Preparation
Combine vodka and hibiscus syrup into cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously. Pour into champagne flute and top with 3 oz. of Chandon Sparkling Rosé. Garnish with candied hibiscus.

*Candied hibiscus can be found in most premium food stores

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Sometimes Multimedia Editor Emeritus and Biker Dude John Lindner's Shallow Thought Wednesday posts are so shallow they are like, wow, deep. EL

The babushka of the vegetable kingdom, the rutabaga can often be found drinking and playing cards with turnips and parsnips and cabbages.

The first food to be used as a "jack-o-lantern" and believed to be uncouth because of its mixed heritage and reputation as a symbol of damned souls, rutabagas are frequently turned away from polite company.

Of course, the same could once be said about lobsters.

jl's Christmas cookie haiku:

Kigo laughs: blizzard!

Milk, toilet paper: stock up

Flour everywhere

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Because I was on vacation I missed Jay Hancock's post in which Typealyzer analyzed my blog entries. Thanks, Jay.

Here I am. Actually it sounds better than I really am: ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

Faithful readers know that because I was on vacation, my Table Talk column doesn't appear in the food section today. I promised to give you some newsy tidbits on this blog instead, so here we go.

Ace Sun reporter Lorraine Mirabella has found out more about the restaurants that will eventually be going in the renovated Bagby Building in Little Italy.

Neil J. Tucker, a partner in Chesapeake Real Estate Group Inc., told her that deals aren't finalized so he couldn't name the restaurants, but ...

One will be a "high-end, organic coal-fired brick-oven, flat-bread" pizza place. A long-time Baltimore restaurateur will be opening it. It will be sit-down restaurant with 70 seats inside and courtyard seating for 40 outside. 
 
The other restaurant, an American fusion bistro, will have 5,100 square feet of space. A "local celebrity chef" will run it. There will be 120 seats inside and 80 in the courtyard.

What else?

Well, Miss Irene's in Fells Point is scheduled to open Friday. However, the opening has been delayed so often, I would call first before you go.

Rolls in the City should be opening at 105 W. Saratoga St. next month. It will specialize in Vietnamese cuisine.

Umami Bistro has replaced Olive & Sesame at 1496 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville. When I called last evening to find out more, no one answered, so maybe it isn't open yet.

Chef Luca Pesci, formerly of Boccaccio in Little Italy, is now at Vito's Cafe in Cockeysville.

Meridian 54, which replaced Red Fish in Canton, is pictured above. I haven't heard anything about it, so if you've eaten there, please let us know what your experience was.

(Photo courtesy of Leo Howard Lubow)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

I've been told today is Owl Meat's birthday. No word on his age, but maybe he'll fill us in.

Many happy returns! (I love that phrase; I never knew what it meant as a child. Or why it was important, for that matter.)

(Sascha Schuermann/AFP/Getty Images)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

I came upon this photo while I was looking for something else, and I thought it was so beautiful I jumped at the chance to post it. I mean, crab dip doesn't usually look like a religious experience. Kudos to Sun sometime food photographer extraordinaire Algerina Perna.

It's Della Rose's crab dip, a restaurant that's been discussed under today's Top 10. 

It turns out there are two Della Rose's locations. Karen Nitkin reviewed the one in Canton last year (the other is in White Marsh), and rereading her review, I can see why when I searched the archives for "sour beef" and "sauerbraten" I didn't come up with Della Rose's. It sounds like a mostly Italian restaurant. Sorry I can't link to the review, but it's no longer on the Sun's Web site.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

By chance I got a press release from Gertrude's at the BMA last night about its Krautfest, which includes sauerbraten. What is this, German comfort food day?

The Krautfest will be held Friday and Saturday, Jan. 9 and 10, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Apparently it was a sellout last year, although I don't even remember hearing about it.

Tickets are $30 in advance, $35 at the door, and it features a kraut buffet, live music and polka dancing.

I'm going to have to let some of you report back, because the idea of kraut ice cream sends shivers down my spine.

Here's the menu:

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

I can't believe I've been writing this blog for 19 months and have never gotten around to doing a Top 10 list of places to get sour beef, an Old Baltimore classic if ever there was one.

It's hard to come up with anything  very different to say about different versions of sauerbraten, so I'm letting the restaurant's menus speak for themselves.

Thanks to commenters who posted their recommendations, and Sun columnist and de facto historian Jacques Kelly for his contributions.

Here's the alphabetical list. I'm giving you 11 because at the moment one of them is closed for renovations: ...

* Burke's Cafe downtown ("Sour Beef $12.05. Served with Potato Pancakes and Red Cabbage")

* Dimitri's on Frederick Road ("Sour Beef and Dumplings. 'Like Moms Only Better.' A pride to us for our four decades. Tender chunks of marinated beef simmered in gingersnap gravy with potato dumplings.  $16.00. Lunch, $8.50") 

* Eichenkranz in Highlandtown ("Sauerbraten. Our own secret recipe made from fresh cubed beef, gingersnap gravy and fluffy potato dumplings …… $11.20")

* Josef's (2410 Pleasantville Road, 410-877-7800) in Fallston. I called to ask the price ($17.95) and to make sure sour beef was still on the menu. I said, "You don't have a Web site, do you?" and the person who answered the phone laughed and said, "No, we don't. It's broken."

* Kibby's near St. Agnes Hospital. The Web site just has info about its catering, so I can't quote the menu; but when I called, the person who answered the phone said the sour beef costs $13.60. Call first if you're going just for it, because the sauerbraten had run out yesterday by late afternoon.

* Old Stein Inn in Edgewater. ("Sauerbraten $20. Authentically prepared slices of vinegar marinated lean beef, baked in a rich brown sauce, served with potato dumplings and red cabbage.")

* Parkside Fine Food & Spirits in Lauraville ("Sauerbraten $15.00. The German beef classic with potato dumplings & fresh vegetable of the day.")

* Patrick's in Cockeysville ("Sour Beef & Dumplings $16.50. Tender beef marinated in ginger snap gravy with sweet & sour red cabbage") This is listed under Light Fare! (Currently closed for remodeling.)

* Sanders' Corner near Loch Raven reservoir ("Sour Beef & Dumplings $16.95. Tender chunks of sweet & sour braised beef with homemade potato dumplings, served with a side salad")

* Silver Spring Mining Company, area locations ("Sour Beef & Dumplings. Silver Spring Inn’s original recipe of marinated sour beef and hand-rolled potato dumplings in a thick gingersnap gravy. Served with cole slaw 1/2 Order, $9.99, or Full Order, $17.29")

* Sunset in Glen Burnie ("Sour Beef and Dumplings. Tender cubes of beef marinated in choice spices and served with light, fluffy homemade dumplings $17.50")

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (90)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

This one makes me sad. OK, they all make me sad. I hate to lose a restaurant.

Pisces in the Hyatt Regency is closing next Sunday. I couldn't afford to eat there on my own; but I had a good meal last time I reviewed it, so I could recommend it to people who weren't too concerned about money and who wanted seafood and a great view of the Inner Harbor. The space will be used for private events. ...

Pisces will be open to the public for its New Year's celebration.

Like Harbor Court nearby, the hotel's more casual restaurant is now its main restaurant -- in the Hyatt's case, Bistro 300. I hear there's an updating of the bistro's menu and surroundings in the offing.

(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
        

My food editor forwarded an e-mail to me just now from a local restaurateur suggesting a story on restaurant gift certificates as great holiday presents. Oddly, I was in the middle of writing a post on the subject because of Cyber Monday.They are certainly something it's easy to buy online.

However, my post isn't going to be as pro the idea as I'm sure she wanted. I get too many e-mails from people who have gotten burned when a restaurant closes unexpectedly, and they find their gift certificate is now worthless. ...

I do think in this economy, a gift of dinner at a nice restaurant is a lovely idea -- a treat more and more people are no longer allowing themselves. However, if you decide that's the way to go, I have a few thoughts:

1) Now, more than ever, try to pick a restaurant that seems stable, one that isn't likely to close in six months. I don't know exactly how you do this, but at least look for warning signs that all may not be well before you put down your money.

2) I would like to encourage you to buy gift certificates from small, local restaurants; but one advantage of a chain or restaurant group is that if one closes the recipient can use the gift at another location.

3) You could also check to see if perhaps there is some connection between your small, local restaurant and some other local place that might honor the certificate if something bad happened.

4) If you receive a gift certificate to a restaurant -- and I can't stress this enough -- don't let it sit around. Use it fairly quickly. We've had some unexpected closings in the last year, and there usually isn't any notice. That's when I get the e-mails asking what the recipients can do, and I always have to say, "Not much," although I try to sound sympathetic when I say it. It often turns out that their gift certificate is six months old or older.

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (77)
        

The discussion about Spam musubi reminded me of an oddity I came upon awhile back: Spam sushi. Now I know you can find anything on the 'net, but somehow I didn't expect a recipe for Spam sushi to be on Epicurious.com.

There are just so many strange things about this recipe. First of all, why is it from an elementary school PTA under Our Favorite Recipes? I'm willing to concede that for some reason someone might want to make Spam sushi. I'm not willing to concede that it's anyone's favorite recipe. ...

I'm trying to keep an open mind  here, but I have to admit that this comment under the recipe struck a chord with me:

I would rate this negative forks if I could. Health wise spam is one of the worst foods on the planet. The sodium, chemicals, preservatives, artificial colors...oh my god! But more importantly to waste good quality ingredients on spam sushi rolls? This should never have found it's way on a website that claims it is gourmet! Atrocious!

by A Cook from Portland ME on 02/28/06

If you're going to serve Spam, is my feeling, just serve Spam.

For more on Spam sushi, check out the link below.

(Photo courtesy of thekitchn.com)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

My review of Feast@4East appeared in yesterday's paper, and rereading it I'm struck by how unlikely a city restaurant Feast is.

It reminds me of what Gabriel's Inn in Ijamsville used to be like. (I haven't been there in years, so I have no clue if it's changed. Note to self: Call the place later today and find out.)

Like Feast, Gabriel's was in a grand old house, and when you ate there you didn't feel as if you were in a restaurant at all. This is in contrast to places like Abacrombie, also in a city B&B, and the Milton Inn, also in a grand old house in the country.

I'm trying to think if there are any other restaurants around here that have that nonprofessional (not in a bad way) quality, but right now I can't think of any.

I can think of one that's now closed: Martick's.

(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking