"The fact that the list isn't ad-driven makes some of the choices, and their rankings, even more intriguing..."

Fact? Baltimore magazine is notorious for ad-driven lists. No offense to Ms. Loudermilk, but I have a hard time believing that they've suddenly decided to become unbiased now.

I suppose an enterprising reader could go through and see if every restaurant on the list has advertised in this issue. EL

Not surprised by Charleston #1, kudos to Wolf and Foreman, I think they over-rated The Blk Olive and The Oregon Grille. I must say I was surprised by Shulas as well. Of the chains I would have to say Ruths Water street location is the best. It's amazing how many good places Baltimore has lost. Saffron, Abacrombie and there was a asia-european fusion in South Baltimore that closed like 2 yrs ago that was very good. Thought Tio Pepe would of been higher too

I haven't been to all of these, but I personally have a hard time believing you'll find 50 restaurants in this area that are better than the Ambassador Dining Room ...

i personally enjoy the golden corral.

Henningers was glaringly absent. It is typically always recommended by foodies when people ask about great dining in Baltimore.

No love for Catonsville Gourmet huh?!?!? And where's Joss Cafe?

I used to subscribe to Baltimore Magazine, but they didn't really review places in those days; they fawned over them. Since the cost of a subscription was dirt cheap then (I have no idea what it costs now), it was clear that the mag was generating most of their income from ads. Perhaps I'll give Ms. Loudermilk the benefit of the doubt and check out this issue to see if that's changed.

While I like all the Howard County places on the list, I'm a bit surprised to see the Elkridge Furnace Inn omitted.

Perhaps Baltimore Magazine is changing its ways. But for far too long, nearly all of its restaurant reviews followed the same cookie-cutter pattern. First things first, the restaurant is wonderful. Then one caveat to prove the writer's integrity (the creamed spinach wasn't creamy enough or the salmon was a tad dry.) Then back to wonderful again. I can't recall a Baltimore Magazine critic saying, however sadly and reluctantly, that they'd had a lousy meal. That suggests that a) the magazine's policy is to print reviews only of restaurants it recommends or b) someone is nervously eyeing the ad department. More power to Ms. Loudermilk if she changes that approach and Baltimore Magazine reviews become as valuable to readers as those in the Sun.

seriously? Blue Sea Grill gets a mention? it's the worst seafood restaurant in Baltimore.

Otherwise, I can't disagree - wish capital grille had been higher up on the list.

Anyone who thinks the chain steak houses listed are "better" than Mari Luna obviously knows nothing about food. The same for Roy's.

I thought Roy's is a chain.

Not to comment on how the magazine actually makes up its list (which I have no idea about), but I don't think a survey of which restaurants on the list advertise in this issue will reveal anything. I think ad departments often go to places that will be on lists or otherwise featured and encourage them to advertise in that issue. Heck, I bet they hit every restaurant in town, featured or not, and urged them to advertise in the restaurant issue. That's how publications have approached my firm in the past: "It's the X issue. Don't you want to be a part of it?"

But in the meantime, I've been to only 13 of the 50 on this list. Sounds like I have my work cut out for me!

Baltimore Magazine totally lost all credibility with me after years of reading their Baltimore's Best Docs. According to whom, I really don't know but those of us in know, often know better! They accidently occassionally hit on a really class A doc, the rest is ... well, who knows?

I thought it was curious that every Cindy Wolf restaurant was on the list. That was the first thing I notice upon delivery.

Several points:

* I could not find any details of the methodology used in making this list. Asking folks to name the best of anything always ends up in confusion and poor choices.

* How many of the top fifty make everything themselves? I know Cindy Wolf makes her own chicken stock because it caught fire in the early morning hours some years ago. How can something be rated best or top 50 if they are buying someone else's product (like stocks, dressings, etc.)

* How many of the top 50 list their suppliers either as an addendum to the menu or a separate listing - the restaurants I like tell me where the lamb, the onions, the flour comes from - they have nothing to hide.

* Baltimore Magazine is all about promotion - get your name on a "most eligible list," your home showcased or your firm spotlighted for the wonderful things it does. Nothing wrong with that but the crowd it attracts... shall we say they would be comfortable if the Outback Steakhouse is on the list. Like the teacher that gives A's to students who have a mastery of the subject - few chefs on that list are masters.

OK, now I know I'm a barbarian, but I don't have the slightest interest in where any restaurant's onions - not to mention flour - came from!

I know this kind of thing is really difficult to write, but I found myself drifting off after reading about 6 entries.

Roy's is owned by Outback. I do enjoy going there once a year or so and pretend I am on vacation. However, it is nothing like dining at the original Roy's before it was franchised.

Columbia? Annapolis? What's the point of calling it "Baltimore" magazine?

Hungry hippo: FYI, Abacrombie is not closed. We went there saturday night. The pork carnitas was a wonderful dish, but the short ribs were disappointing. and the artisinal mac and cheese app - I could have eaten a bucketful of that...

Oh, Lissa, I didn't even get through 6 before I just read the list. Apparently, Suzanne Loudermilk is a "buddy" but she has a much higher opinion of the sound of her own voice than I do.

1) Lists are stupid, especially ranked ones. Any mention of objectivity is obscene for obvious reasons.

2) Ooh, they have journalistic ethics? What else would they say? Never believe information that people volunteer about themselves.

3) You don't need to have a quid pro quo of ads for reviews. – all you need is the perception. That perception is long-standing and universal for BMag. When a salesman makes a sales call he is going to allow that perception and most likely encourage it. That's how sales works. Can you imagine a salesperson trying to sell an ad for this issue, but saying, "Remember there is no guarantee that you will be mentioned favorably in the magazine." Not ever going to happen.

4) A magazine that only gives good reviews has no ethics. It's selective PR for ad buyers. (Remember, perception is reality here.) It's utterly corrupt because the salesman can guarantee that no ad buyers will ever get a bad review.

GC Jim, I'm with you. Perhaps they didn't like what people would nickname a "Baltimore Metro" magazine, though.

after conferring with our panel of reviewers, there is a consensus.

A consensus on the rank ordering of 50 restaurants? Your team should take it's magical unicorn carriage and fly to the Middle East to sort things out there.

How stupid do we look?

How can a group come to any consensus when you haven't all been to the same places?

Ms. Loudermilk, can you swear that you personally have been to at least 100 different Baltimore restaurants in the last year so that you could narrow them down to 50?

People, these lists have no merit and are intended to make people angry and talk about them and sell magazines.

Ms. Loudermilk, exactly how many of the top 50 have you been to for dinner in the past year? If you are going to get on a journalistic high horse then giddy-up.

1. Charleston ...
When an amuse-bouche of artichoke soup arrives, we are told that Chef wants us to have it. Desserts are compliments of the chef as well.

Let me guess – you were wearing BMag logo-wear, writing on steno pads and sporting a fedora with a press pass in the brim with "Scoop" written on it.

Columbia? Annapolis? What's the point of calling it "Baltimore" magazine?

Because its target audience is people who don't live in Baltimore. No half-intelligent urbanite would pick up a Baltimore Mag and say "I wonder what is going on in the city?" Might as well call it Pikesville Magazine.

Reader's poll is interesting, in particular:
Service
Morton’s The Steakhouse

in SHARP contrast to everything discussed in the other thread.

My husband and I recently went to TD Lounge because of its inclusion in this top 50 list. We called to see if we needed reservations and made them for 7:30. Upon arrival, the upstairs dining area was booked for a private party and our options were to sit in the lounge, which is not conducive to eating with a fork, or the bar. I don't know why we were not told this on the phone and why we were granted a reservation! We sat at the bar and got a continual blast of cold air as people came in and out the front door. The food was fine but over-priced, despite the advertisement of a "recession-proof" menu. I had the lobster macaroni and cheese. For $20, it had 2 claws of lobster meat and a bite of tail meat. My husband had the calamari appetizer and a salad. We should have left when we were told our table wasn't available and spent $80 elsewhere.

Owl - I was thinking the same thing. Did all the patrons that night receive complimentary soup and dessert?

Oh, let's face it, lists sell. People love lists. The other day I was flipping around and VH1 was running some list show on the top 100 songs of the 90's. Now, I didn't know there were even 10 decent songs in the 1990's, but somehow a list of 100 was generated, and the countdown of this list warrent ten hours of tv time.

Now, I would love to further elaborate on this topic, but I have some kids I have to chase off my lawn.

The Chimp Therapist is cracking me up!

Thanks!

Don't be hatin' on TD

Owl Meat and Trixie,
Everyone in the restaurant that night did get an amuse bouche and a complimentary dessert. That is something that they do every night of the week for every one of their guests.

Misery loves comedy.

I happened to stumble upon this entry and decided to click on your review of "Darker Than Blue". Wow! That restaurant is less than 3 blocks from where i grew up and my mom still lives! I remember when that section of Greenmount from the church north to Calvin Ave was a bustling business district with a Woolworth's and the Greenmount Theater. My mom would take us to the shoe and clothing stores in the 3200 block (especially after the downtown department stores closed), there was a bakery there, too; a couple of doors down from Mr. Nifty Cleaners. I bought my first camping gear for the Boy Scouts from the Sunny's Surplus that was where the pawn shop is now in the 3100 block. Those of you who are old enough should remember the ads on Channel 45 for "the Redd Shed" clothing store? Right there across from Sunny's. Any way, ever since that area died out in the '80's, I've hoped for a revival. I hope that this restaurant is the start of a new day for Greenmount Ave., from Calvin Ave down to 30th or even down past my old street to 25th. That area could use a break, too.

I dropped my sub to Balt Mag because it's become mostly a promotional piece for its advertisers. Spends a lot of time patting itself on the back, too, and cooing up to the powers that be.
The restaurant rankings seemed to particularly appease advertisers and those eateries likely to survive the economic downturn.
Thank goodness for Elizabeth Large.

aah, Johnny, "sub" as in "subscription". I immediately thought you meant you dropped your Italian cold cut or cheese steak! Just the food thing.

I've been to a good portion of the list... my only knock would be how low Blue Sea Grill was on the list...

To each their own, but I have no idea what Kristen (above) is talking about... Steve DeCastro's Blue Sea Grill compares favorably with almost any restaurant in this city..

I refuse to believe that the "best" lists in Baltimore Magazine and the City Paper are anything BUT advertising-driven.

Having owned a small book shop in the city for a few years, I could not get a mention in BM, despite the fact that their editors routinely dropped by to sell me all the complimentary review copies of the books they got.

CP might have mentioned us twice, and neither time in a positive light. Once they snarkily wrote that the place seemed "very well-swept." I took that to mean that they think a cat litter box and its odors are essential to a book shop. When I moved to another location, a CP reporter remarked along the lines that I was probably a nice guy at heart, but not a "people person."

Anyone who runs a small business in this town has a hard way to go, to break in with the media snobs. With the exception of Ms. Large, who always replies to my emails.

Joyce, there are just too many kinds of subs, no?

Bryan, I stand corrected. Thanks for the info.

I found the "rankings" largely irrelevant. I was very surprised to see so many chains on the list though. I'm not anti-chain in general (had a great birthday meal at Oceanaire last year and really want to try Roy's much-touted lava cake), but I don't think they belong on a list of "Baltimore's best." The list should be about highlighting the best that Baltimore, and Baltimore alone, has to offer. Chains should not have even been in the running, imo.

It seem that all of the food critics of Baltimore magazine are fast food workers in real life. They have no clue of what fine dinning is. I guess it is the best Baltimore magazine can do since most of their food critics are probably over at Washington magazine to a bang up job. I have to second the comment on TD Lounge and I will go one step further and say HORRIBLE service and lousy food.

my goodness - what a bunch of cranky whiners! I thought the list was pretty good, given what an impossible task it is to compile such a list. lots of good insights...

That picture? It looks as though Cindy Wolfe has set herself on fire.

Technically the reviews are supposed to be unbias. However, since I have been reading the magazine for 2 years, it just seems suspicious that the restaurants that advertise on a monthly basis all made it on the list. Really, the critics seem to dine and try the same old restaurants over and over again. Yes, Charleston is a great restaurant, but who can really afford to go in this type of economy? Also, shouldn't we be supporting the mom and pops that make great (and unique) food and are struggling to pay the bills? I don't think the owners of Charleston, Shula's, Roy's, or Fogo are hurting for cash - at least not as badly as the local restaurants.

Ironically, they did not mention prices next to the restaurants. Half of the restaurants on the list most people can't afford in this type of an economy. They did mention some of these places have prix fixe menus, but that actually is hurting the mom and pops because in order to compete, they need to cut down their prices even more - and they don't have the funds to advertise.

I know that the restaurants on the list hip and cool and I would love to wine and dine at some of those places all the time. BUT, there are gems that truly make Baltimore - and it's a shame that they didn't make the list.

I'll stick with Dining at Large ... thank you!

I can't believe that Catonsville Gourmet did'nt crack this list. To say that this list is'nt ad driven is a lie. I've been to many of these establishments and some deserve to be there, but many don't. Were is Henninger's, Birches and Mama's on the 1/2 Shell ? My guess is that they do'nt have an ad in Balt Magazine.