I've been so discombobulated today I almost forgot to link to Other Reviewer Richard's review of Elfegne Ethiopian Cafe in Pigtown. As Richard said when I apologized to him, it's hard to feel combolutated at a time like this.

Elfegne is one of those restaurants that can break a reviewer's heart, where the owner is so nice that even if the food isn't any good you root for the place and feel terrible if you have to say anything negative. Luckily I don't think Richard had that problem. The food sounded just fine.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Someone told me that the Capital Grille and P.F. Chang's China Bistro were closed because of the water main break. I was sure they were open by now; but I called anyway. Capital Grille was closed only Tuesday. P.F Chang's was also closed Wednesday, but both are up and running today.

I'm just curious: Anybody know of any others?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I was so excited by this fabulous Funtastic Thursday, one of my favorites ever and originally scheduled for May 7, that I begged guest poster Owl Meal Gravy to let me publish it earlier. What I didn't say was that by May 7 Twitter would probably be over. After all, when Gailor disses something, that's it. EL

There are two things that I know to be true.  First, that the Carpenters' song "Superstar" is a great song and the Sonic Youth cover is unironic, sincere and beautiful.  Second, that the English are nasty, brutish and short on good food. Oh yeah, and third, I don't want to be buried in a pet cemetery.
 
A recent article on the (Manchester) Guardian Web site says that Twitter may be the best tool for restaurant reviews.  For the untwitting, Twitter is a free instant message service where you can send a "tweet" of your life minutiae to millions of strangers.  Here's the catch or the benefit – your message can only have 140 characters. ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (63)
        

The Food Network Magazine has picked the 50 ultimate burgers in the country, and Maryland has one of them.

I was tired of guessing how national publications come up with these awards, so I asked the PR person for the network. Here's what she told me:

Elizabeth – along with Food Network Magazine’s editors and staff, a food critic from Maryland assisted in the selection. They’re listed at the end of the article.  From Maryland it was Suzanne Loudermilk, Baltimore Magazine. The burgers were narrowed down to five nominations and each burger was tasted.  The Heart Attack on a Plate was chosen as the one burger you can’t miss.

Maybe Suzanne will weigh in and tell us what the other finalists were. ...

                        
Here's Maryland's entry in its entirety:

Maryland

Heart Attack on a Plate

MOTHER'S FEDERAL HILL GRILLE
 
Cardiologists may disagree, but burger lovers think this 8-ounce beef patty -- stuffed with cheddar, dipped in an ale batter and deep-fried -- is worth the obvious health risks. On the upside, there are a few veggies involved. The patty is topped with lettuce, tomato and onions, along with chipotle mayo.

$11; 113 S. Charles St., Baltimore; 410-244-8686
 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (46)
        

I was surprised to see today's Table Talk column on the Most Viewed Stories in Entertainment list just now. It's hard to find, which is one reason I always link to it. Of course, I think a Table Talk on corkage fees is more interesting than another story on Rihanna or Dancing With the Stars; but I don't expect other people to feel that way. Also someone is bound to point out that Most Viewed could be six people, as long as the other stories only got five.

I know that.

Meanwhile, the Earth Day Top 10 got reprinted with a few comments. Remember, it's always time to eat green -- even if it's a week after Earth Day. Or at least that's how I tried to justify it to our print readers.

(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Bucky wrote an interesting guest post for me earlier this spring about homestead gardening, and I turned it down. I told him it wasn't food-oriented enough. But that was when all my friends and readers could still afford to buy food at the supermarket and even go out to restaurants. Just when I've started to realize that's not necessarily true, our Shallow Thought Guru John Lindner came through with this guest post. Not to mention its title, which creeped me out because he didn't know what I was going to call the post before this. Shallow minds think alike, I guess. EL

I’ve left Phase One and entered Phase Two of an extreme locavore project: home farming.

I’ve filled a hundred little “peat pots” with specially formulated dirt, seeds, and water.

Except for the anxiety, Phase Two is easy: You wait to see if any of the seeds take.

I’ve had exceptionally good luck with gardens here in Maryland. So the fact that I’ve started late doesn’t bother me much. And I’m normally an indifferent gardener. But this year microfarming seems less a hobby and more a cautionary move toward nutrition augmentation. This year I might actually need the stuff. Heck, I might have to sleep in the garden, on guard with a shotgun: rabbits, laid-off autoworkers, journalists. Who knows?

Recalling the “victory gardens” during World War II, but mindful of the current climate, I’m dubbing this one a “defeat garden."

It fits on so many levels.

I’m even considering putting in a half acre of potatoes. Need to read up on it tonight. If you have any tips on growing spuds, I’d appreciate hearing from you. This crop I might really need.

And to that point, anybody have a recipe for homemade vodka?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Faithful readers will, I hope, remember that I'll be visiting Savannah with a friend for three days next week. 

Someone my husband knows who's moving there and knows the area sent me some suggestions for restaurants he and his wife like.

I should get out my trusty Zagat Top American Restaurants and check the list against it, but as usual it seems like too much trouble until I'm actually there. ...

And then sometimes it's easier just to grab a bit nearby. I have a very ambivalent feeling about going to fine restaurants when I'm on vacation.

Still, I think I'll make reservations in advance at at least one good seafood restaurant. (No, Mr. Editor, that sentence doesn't have too many "at"s in it.)

The restaurants my husband's friend recommended were the Drayton (next door to the Mansion), Sapphire Grill on Congress Street, Forty-five Bistro on Broughton Street, Vic's on the River (do not go on the weekend), and Jazz's Tapas on Barnard. I know nothing about any of them.

(Photo of nameless restaurant courtesy of Savannah Visitors Bureau)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

Mexico City's 35,000 restaurants, bars and cafes have been effectively closed by the government, banned from serving customers anything but takeout. This is to help prevent further spread of the swine flu.

I'm just sitting here thinking about the economic impact if that happened in Baltimore. It would be devastating for owners, wait staff -- and, of course, restaurant critics. Maybe I could hijack Rob Kasper's Takeout column.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (49)
        

When I went out for a walk this morning I found a man sleeping it off in our front yard under our viburnum bush. That can't be a good omen.

As I was standing there wondering what to do next, an ambulance rolled up and took him away. I guess someone driving by had seen him and called.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

In some ways, I hate to send my band of merry pranksters to an innocent Web site, even if they might have a chance to win a $200 gift certificate to the restaurant of their choice.

But, hey, why not?

The info about the contest is at the How About Dinner on Us? post on a high-end restaurant supplier's Web site. I'm not sure what it gains them to have a lot of non-restaurant owners and non-chefs visiting, other than getting the names of popular restaurants; but whatever it is, it's worth $200 to them.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

I just finished talking to Brett Johnson, research coordinator for AMC's "Mad Men."

His department called out of the blue wanting to know what uniforms the waitresses at Haussner's wore in the early '60s.

The picture I found in the archives is dated later. It's hard to say when it was taken; the caption says it was published in 1984, but one very much like it without the waitress was taken by the same photographer and published in 1970. ...

If Johnson asked me to send it to him, I was going to tell him to check my blog, but he already had this picture.

I made an executive decision and told him I thought it was safe to go with the white nurse's uniform look for the early '60s as well, but I wasn't around then. If any of you were, and still remember, please post below.

Then I asked him how Haussner's was going to figure in the show. He wouldn't tell me, of course, but he did promise to call me and let me know if the scene makes it into season 3.

(Sun archives photo)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Edward sent me this e-mail not so recently, but so much has been going on I haven't had a chance to use it:

I have been on a smoked salmon kick lately and believe it or not I had the most delicious appetizer at none other than the Claddagh Pub in Canton over the weekend.  My question is - have you written on smoked salmon in any of your blogs and for that matter do you have any suggestions as to where I could find some good smoked salmon on the menu. ...

The photo is of the smoked salmon at Saute in Canton. I looked back in the archives and saw that I had good smoked salmon at Cafe Troia in Towson, and Tersiguel's in Ellicott City smokes its own. It is delicious. Pazza Luna in Locust Point has its own fine smoked salmon...Gee, a few more and I would have my Top 10 for next week.

(Monica Lopposay/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

When I asked for suggestions from readers for Mother's Day in an earlier post, I only got two. Thank you, NotableM and Matthew. (I did get more recommendations for Colorado -- don't ask -- but I'm trying to pretend that didn't happen.)

I was interested in the range: Friendly Farm and the Milton Inn. So I started with those two for the list and then I thought, why not make the rest of them restaurants people probably wouldn't think of. If you're only getting around to planning Mother's Day now, you may not be able to get reservations at the obvious, famous-for-their-Sunday-brunch places.

Anyway, here's my list. I tried to give you something in all price points, as the marketing people say, and in various areas: ...

* Cafe Bretton (849 Baltimore Annapolis Blvd., 410-647-8222) in Severna Park. Charming decor, French-inspired food, including vegetables and herbs from the large garden out back.

* Carlyle Club in Tuscany/Canterbury. Yes, it's an Indian restaurant, but for Sunday brunch it has multiple carving stations, omelets, Belgian waffles, eggs, bacon and sausage, a dessert bar and alcohol for $19.95. The Mother's Day brunch will be more elaborate, I've just learned, and will cost $34.95.

* Crush in Belvedere Square. A brunch buffet for $24.95 and a special Mother's Day dinner menu offered. 

* Da Mimmo in Little Italy. Mothers and grandmothers get 20 percent off their entrees. Special Mother's Day desserts like zabaglione with strawberries.

* Friendly Farm in Upperco. Family style eating, but serving Mother's Day dinner from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The special will be the highly regarded crab cake with scallops, but the regular menu will be available. No reservations!

* Kent Manor Inn in Stevensville. If you feel like a bit of a drive, this is just past the Bay Bridge. The elaborate Mother's Day brunch is $39, half-price for kids (under six, free).

* Lucy's Irish Pub & Restaurant downtown. If your mother has any Irish in her, consider the all-you-can eat brunch here for $16.95 as well as bottomless mimosas, bloody marys and bellinis.

* Milton Inn in Sparks.  A lovely country drive this time of year. Brunch and dinner will both be served; the Mother's Day menus will be online in the next couple of days, I was told when I called.

* Paul's Homewood Cafe in Annapolis. Usually closed on Sunday, this charming Greek/New American restaurant will be open Mother's Day with an a la carte menu.

* Restaurant Sabor in Lutherville. If you don't like all-you-can-eat buffets, Sabor will be having several seatings and Mother's Day specials but an a la carte menu. I had a very good meal there.

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Very sad news. I think Cynthia's (3 1/2 stars for the food) is closed. The last night of service was Saturday.

A reader on Cynthia's e-mail list forwarded the last one he got from the Severna Park restaurant, which said in part:

After much thought, discussion, and sleepless nights, we have made the decision to close Cynthia’s.  The poor state of the economy, amongst other considerations, definitely did its share to make the past 10 months or so an enormous financial struggle and being a relatively new business still (less than three years old) made the environment even more challenging to withstand.  With the summer months ahead – our slowest months of operation during the year – it is difficult for us to rationally believe that we can continue to tread water. ...

I won't know definitively until I talk to someone there, but I sent an e-mail to the Web site earlier today (no response) and called just now. The restaurant is normally open on Monday nights for dinner, but the phone wasn't answered and I got no voice mail.

If I'm wrong, please let me know. 

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Meredith Cohn has a good story on salt in today's paper. I was looking at the list of foods to pay most attention to, and it pretty much constitutes 90 percent of the American diet:

meat pizza, white bread, processed cheese, hot dogs, spaghetti with sauce, ham, ketchup, cooked rice, white rolls, flour tortilla, salty snacks and whole milk.

Only whole milk and ketchup really surprised me, but I don't think of white bread as opposed to whole wheat bread as being particularly salty. Maybe the health benefits of whole grains outweigh the salt risk. ...

I've written about oversalted dishes in restaurants in earlier posts, so you know my feelings. But the sad thing is when I'm in control of the salt shaker, I often salt more than I should. I just don't like someone else doing it for me.

One good thing is that it's not all or nothing these days. Companies have started giving us options, so you can taper off with, for instance, lightly salted peanuts from Planters. Then when you get used to the taste of them, you can move on to unsalted.

Still, as I mentioned in that earlier post, sometimes you can't win. Doctors say it's impossible to get too little salt in your diet, but I have a friend who did just that. He was so careful his physician thought the low sodium levels in his blood indicated a serious health problem.

(iStock photo)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

No Monday Morning Quarterbacking today, since I didn't have a review in the paper yesterday. Instead I'll tell you about where I went Saturday evening.

A friend and I caught a 4 p.m. movie at the Landmark, "State of Play" (bonus movie review: Good enough so I've already got the six-hour BBC miniseries in my Netflix queue). Afterward she wanted to get a drink, so we wandered around until we came across the outdoor tables on the waterfront at the Lebanese Taverna. ...

It was a beautiful evening, if you remember, warm and breezy -- just the kind of evening for a glass of Prosecco. (I knew enough to avoid the Lebanese sauvignon blanc.) Prosecco, by the way, goes very well with Lebanese mezze.

If you only get one thing to nibble on there, make it the hummus.

But I didn't mean for this to be a review of the Lebanese Taverna. We picked it because it was the least expensive of the three places where we could sit and look at the water while we had a glass of wine. As I looked down the street, Cinghiale and Charleston also had their outdoor tables set up.

Any of these would be the best outdoor seating I've found in downtown Baltimore. Even though it was a Saturday night (early, to be sure), the foot traffic wasn't bad and surprisingly few cars were going by on Lancaster Street. 

The only thing wrong with the view was that there is some construction catty-cornered across from the Lebanese Taverna. It was quiet that evening, but the site was still unsightly, no pun intended.

Sorry I don't have a photo for you. I, of course, forgot my camera.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Brent just sent me word of a new coal-fired pizza place in Ellicott City called, yes, Coal Fire Pizza. It doesn't seem to have a Web site yet, so here's the info: 5725 Richard's Valley Road, 410-480-2625.

Brent has an excellent Howard County food blog called HowChow. I wish I had discovered it earlier; I can see I'm going to be able to steal it's going to be a good source for news about restaurants that I might not otherwise learn about early on. ...

Coal-fired pizza does seem to be the future of pizza, at least the near future. Joe Squared in Station North is doing well with his. Although the first (I think) coal-fired pizzeria in the area, Phat Pug in Perry Hall, closed abruptly after we heard the owner was planning to open two other places downtown, I don't think its demise had anything to do with the success of the pizza itself.

I think I'll do a Table Talk on coal-fired pizza soon. The fact that there aren't so many notable restaurants opening these days means that I have room to talk a little more about trends in my Wednesday restaurant news column, or about subjects that used to get relegated to the blog (like this week's item on corkage fees).

The problem is I'm not sure why coal-fired pizza is so trendy right now. I mean, it tastes good to me, but other kinds of pizzas do, too. Is it the crispness of the crust? Or the fact that it's ready in three minutes?

I don't have art from the new Coal Fire Pizza yet, so I'm going with a photo of the now-closed Phat Pug.

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
        

I'm watching with interest what Midnight Sun Sam does next week and the week he's on his honeymoon. (They aren't consecutive.) He says he's got a bunch of guest posts.

This is a concept that interests me a lot. On the whole, though, I haven't been able to get readers to contribute mini-reviews. Maybe you would be more open simply to posts while I'm on vacation?

Anyway, among the reader-posters, Owl Meat will be writing for Sam while he's away. Check it out.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Now that it seems like fewer restaurants are opening because of the economy, I may be returning to my old ways. I may be revisiting restaurants more often than I do now to see how they have changed (or not).

If I had to guess, I would say that my readership is about evenly divided between those who want to know about the just-opened restaurants because they like to try new places, and those who prefer that I keep an eye on established places because it's fun to read about familiar restaurants.

Next Sunday I'll be reviewing Sascha's 527 in Mount Vernon, a restaurant many of you know best as a lunch spot. I went for dinner, when it's a very different restaurant.

Check out my review in next Sunday's Arts & Entertainment section.

(Monica Lopossay/Sun Photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Review Preview
        

I know I'm just feeding some people's paranoia here, but if you are sensitive to caffeine (I'm not particularly, which is good and bad) these caffeine test strips might be a godsend.

If they work.

I haven't tried them, but they don't seem hard to use. You just touch one to your coffee or tea. ...

At $9.99 for 20 strips, they seem expensive to me. But I guess if you were caffeine-sensitive, they would be worth it. The Web site says 30 percent of the coffee you order as decaf in restaurants and coffee houses is not decaf or has "unacceptably high levels" of caffeine, which actually would be my definition of not decaf, but whatever.

Just remember, they don't work once you've added cream or sugar.

I hope if any of you does order them or has tried them, you'll report below.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

I thought this was an interesting comment by BaltBabs under Portion Control that got almost no discussion.

Since you brought up restaurants cutting back in a bad economy, I thought I would ask about other tactics restaurants are using (if you want to call them tactics) to make it in a tough economy. I go out regularly and I've noticed some shady stuff going on. I don't know if it is coincidence or what, but in the past month or so I've been to at least four bars/restaurants that have overcharged me. I don't think it had anything to do with the crowd, as none of the places were packed or short on servers. Each establishment overcharged for two glasses of wine. I typically dine with my boyfriend and we both drink wine, so it could be pretty easy to not catch if we didn't check the itemized bill. I just find it odd...four places each overcharging for alcohol. Don't know if others have experienced this as well.

Posted by: BaltBabs | April 20, 2009 10:07 AM

I also want to mention the Robert of Cross Keys was in great form this week. There were about three comments of his that had me laughing out loud, including but not limited to his take on where to dine out to celebrate Earth Day:

I was thinking about just going outside and grazing for dinner. Unfortunately, we are now in the season of pesticide application at Cross Keys.

Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | April 21, 2009 1:38 PM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

I have a small pair of silver tongs in the shape of griffin claws, perfect for one lump or two. They are about the size of tweezers. That means, of course, that I have to buy Domino Sugar Cubes Dots. I just can't resist.

I wonder how you make a sugar cube. The only ingredient is sugar, so I presume you mix it with water and then you...what? Pour it into teeny molds? Let it harden and use a sugar-slicing machine?

I'm sure I could Google and find out, but I never do.

Anyway, that's not the mystery. ...

The mystery is why the size of a Dot has changed. The package used to contain one pound of sugar or 198 Dots. That's weird right there. Just say 200, no one's going to count. I used to put two in a cup of tea.

Then one day the package changed. Still one pound of sugar, but now 126 cubes. Same price. However, I could no longer use two cubes. It made the tea too sweet. OK, that was good. I made myself get used to one Dot, ate less sugar and saved money.

But for some reason the Giant has started carrying the 198-Dot package again. Why? Are these old packages they've dug up from the back of the warehouse? If so, does sugar go bad? If I buy the 126-Dot package from Eddie's, which still carries it, but it costs more, how do I figure out which is more cost effective? Shouldn't I just give up sugar in my tea altogether?

I think I'll go polish my griffin-clawed silver sugar cube tongs now.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

I ran over to the Waverly Farmers Market when it opened this morning because I needed a loaf of bread. I don't get over there in the winter as much as I ought to, even though it's open all year. I just forget about it.

It looks like the rest of Baltimore didn't. The parking lot was hopping, even at that hour. While there was still plenty of nonlocal produce (vendors are allowed to sell it until June), I also saw local asparagus, greens, lettuce -- all the early spring stuff I would have known would be there if I thought about it. ...

I stopped and bought a couple of herb plants, even though our yard doesn't quite get enough sun to make them happy.

Strawberries are still from North Carolina, so I think I'll wait a week or two until I hear from one of you that the strawberries from the market are great.

The Waverly Market is open until noon today and every Saturday.

While I'm writing about farmers markets, here's some info about a new one I got yesterday:

The University of Maryland Medical Center has partnered with University of Maryland at Baltimore and the local community to bring you the new “University Farmers’ Market”, a weekly market of local farmers providing fresh fruits and vegetables, artisan cheeses, eggs, poultry, seafood, meat, baked goods and ice cream. The market will take place in the park across the street from the hospital’s main entrance, along the Paca Street sidewalk. Opening day is Tuesday, May 5, 2009, and will run weekly from May until October, 2009.

This market will run from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. I guess doctors don't get up as early as the rest of us.

Just kidding, just kidding.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

As I mentioned earlier, this has turned out to be Lunch Week; and the best lunch of the week was today's surprise wedding shower for Midnight Sun Sam.

Our boss provided chicken salad, roast beef and vegetarian sandwiches; Caesar salad; cut up fruit; and a cake. The wedding shower present was -- I'm not kidding here -- a Wii for Sam.

(Photo of Sam taken by me with my phone, photo of cake by Alverta Conyers)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

Just a reminder: Next week I've got to come up with the 10 best restaurants to celebrate Mother's Day.

Of course, I can simply mention the restaurants that one mother (me) would most liked to be taken to, but that would be cheating.

I'll hunt around and see what good restaurants are doing what special things for Mother's Day, but if you've taken your mom somewhere that worked for her and for you in the past, or if you're a mom who had a particularly successful Mother's Day, please post below.

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

For some reason this seems to be lunch week for my guest posters, at least for two of the three. I like this game. Here's Bucky. EL

So three of us were having lunch at the bar on Saturday, and my friend Paco proffered this wager:  that I couldn’t come up with five first names for people that were also food terms. ...

The conditions he attached to the bet were a) that the names couldn’t be brand names — as in, for example, Oscar Meyer — and b) the names and food terms had to be in English.  I have no idea why Paco made this English-only stipulation, because none of us speaks a foreign language anyway.  He’s just not a very trusting person. 

He suggested five minutes for five names would be appropriate.  I took the bet.  I, of course, always take the bet.

The first three were easy and took me, maybe, a minute.  “Patty”…”Frank”…”Chip”.  (After I said, “Frank," JMT said, “Frankenstein…like, a hot dog and a beer.”  That was a good one, but it didn’t count.  I had to do this with no outside assistance.)

At about the three-minute mark, I came up with “Chuck."

About a minute later I got “Pam," as in the non-stick spray.  However, we had to take a timeout to discuss whether Pam is a food term, a brand name or an acronym.  This discussion required ordering another round of beer.  We agreed to let Stacy, the bartender, be the arbiter.  She ruled against me, I suspect because she knows Paco tips the best of the three of us.  She decided it was a brand name.

So I was back to four correct answers and time restarted.

I racked my brain…precious seconds passed…Paco started a countdown, mostly, I think, to rattle me.

20…19…18…

I closed my eyes and put my extended index fingers to my temples.  (That usually works, right?)

11…10…9…8…

“SHERRY!”  I yelled it out.

“YESSSSSSSS!!!!”   I gave a big ol’ Tiger Woods fist pump. 

Stacy cracked up and drew me another beer, on the house.

I love Saturday lunch at the bar.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (68)
        

This week Great Sage in Clarksville is taking the Eat in Season Challenge. I don't see it as much of a challenge for the restaurant, though. I mean, don't they specialize in this stuff?

Now when Slow Food Baltimore challenged a hotel dining room, that was a challenge.

Anyway, here's the menu: ...

$27 for three courses (tax and tip not included)

Starter

Local Roasted Garlic and Potato "Cream" Soup with Fresh Basil

OR

Young Spinach- Arugula Salad with Crispy Onions and a Local Feta Vinaigrette

Main

Grilled Local Vegetable Terrine with Mushrooms, Spinach and Our House Pomodoro

OR

Shitake-Spring Garlic Pate with Truffled Micro Greens, Roasted Fingerling Potatoes, and Basil Peppercorn Oil

Dessert

Pear Tart with Ginger Caramel Sauce and Soy Whipped Cream

OR

Agave Pound Cake with Vegan Vanilla Cream and Preserved Strawberry Compote

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

My husband was the one who told me about this intriguing story in today's Wall Street Journal about high-end restaurants in New York and how they're wooing customers in this economy.

I like the idea of the wine auction, where the sommelier comes to the table and says, "Make me an offer." You then negotiate the price of a bottle. These are wines that sell normally for $200 to $600 a bottle.

I also love the concept of literally slashing prices at fancy restaurants by crossing them out and putting the word "sale" on the menu.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Today Other Reviewer Richard (I'm still hoping someone will come up with a better nickname for him) writes about an East Baltimore bar called the Laughing Pint. This is where the chef from the now-closed Zodiac, Concepcion Soberano-Esparza, has ended up.

He seemed to have a good time and liked the place a lot. The food, not so much.

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
        

I love this post because I still remember with horror X number of years later when I was a little girl and went to a friend's house for lunch. I was served, aarrrgghh, Campbell's cream of mushroom soup. I couldn't eat it. But I couldn't not eat it. Misery. Here's guest poster Owl Meat with his Funtastic Thursday. EL

Remember the good old days when mothers stayed home and raised their kids? I don't. The inspiration for this week's post comes from things that my friend's stay-at-home mother, Mrs.Klondike, made for us. ...

Taste the laziness:  Spaghetti-Os, Beef-a-roni,  Ellio's frozen pizza, Minute Steaks, Jiffy Pop and Pop Tarts. 

I didn't eat all of these things at Frankie's house, but I did see casual  evidence of them. Her kitchen looked vaguely like a crime scene, with dirty dishes and food remnants.  By contrast, snacks at my house consisted of fruit, animus, and guilt.  Mmmm....
 
Elio's frozen mini-pizzas were like the Death of Flavor in a toaster oven.  Minute Steaks were paper-thin frozen slices of "meat" fried in butter and served on Wonder bread with American cheese.  I forget whether it was white or yellow.  People actually preferred one over the other.
 
Lunch at someone else's house when you are nine is like cliff-diving.  What is this yellow stuff on my ham sandwich?  Anything that was different from how mom made it was like science fiction food. I remember Frankie's mother making a standard American iceberg lettuce salad and then shaking salt onto it like it was a badger on fire.  I was confused and a little scared.  
 
I don't remember any of my friends eating lunch at my house, possibly because it would have been familiar and unmemorable to me or because I knew at an early age not to subject anyone else to the grinding dysfunction of my place, even if we did have Lebanon bologna and fresh fruit.

(Photo coutesy of Getty Images)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (74)
        

While I was on my computer last night, uh, this morning, I saw that Owl Meat had sent me a fantastic Funtastic Thursday for May 7 on restaurant Twittering. (He's in his manic creative phase at the moment and is working way ahead. Also sending Midnight Sun Sam good stuff to use during his honeymoon that I can link to.)

I feel like this blog is just one big Twitter, so I've resisted signing up so far. I know I'm too quickly lured into gimmicky pop culture and technology things.  (See iPhone Envy.) ...

But there was something about his post...

So I e-mailed my Blog Guru (she who created that monster, Top 10 Tuesday, and also told me to write short, early and often, late and often, and always have art) asking if I should start Twittering. Gailor happened to be up at that hour and on her computer, so she sent me this back:

Only if you want to be on the computer more than you already are. [Hahahahaha. EL] I think life’s too short to read a tweet every five seconds telling me a friend is getting gas or peeing.

Thoughts?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
        

So I finally went back to sleep without fixing anything to eat (nothing really appealed except breakfast and, by the way, mobtown999, that mushroom omelet sounds really good). I slept until dawn when a nightmare woke me up.

I was reviewing the Milton Inn, which wasn't the Milton Inn at all but some patio dining room attached to a hotel, in the confusing way dreams have. ...

I'll spare you the details, which are fading as I type anyway, but as I and my guests were eating something, the maitre d' came up and said, "Mrs. Large, you forgot your jacket last time you were here" and draped it over my shoulders.

Then when one of my friends (who had suddenly turned into a cousin I hadn't seen in years) and I were talking about sharing the hot hors d'oeuvres, the waiter said, "I wouldn't order that, Mrs. Large, it's a meal in itself."

I panicked, gathered up my things and went out to call Kate, who edits my reviews, to ask her what I should do. The only good part was that in the dream I had an iPhone. I, of course, kept getting her voice mail.

I didn't think I could review the restaurant, but I had to have some review because I'm already missing one this Sunday. I still haven't caught up because of the Meridian 54 fiasco.

And -- I swear to God I'm not making this up -- I decided I would have to go to Elevation Burger. It would be the only place they wouldn't recognize me.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (40)
        

I'm awake. Are you awake? If so, it's not because you fell asleep reading at 8 p.m. and your body has now decided to wake you up from your nap.

Ever since the California trip my body clock has been off, but it's been the wrong way, like I've come from Europe.

I'm usually a good sleeper, so I don't have any remedies for wakefulness. I don't mean sleeping pills. I mean kitchen remedies. ...

I'm going to slip downstairs now to the dark kitchen and see what awaits me. Hot milk? Hot cocoa with whipped cream, if I had any whipped cream? Peppermint tea? (I bought a jar once from the Aveda store where they were giving out samples. Never brewed it, though.)

What I really want is breakfast, but that would be fatal.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Thanks to Joyce W., I had a lead item for today's Table Talk column in the Taste section. She pointed me to Si Salsa in Pikesville. Have I said how much I like tips?

I had heard about it before, but no one could remember the name. And then when someone told me it was called Si Salsa, but before it had gotten any press, it wasn't easy to Google. Her review inspired me to stop by and have lunch when I was up that way.

I still need a Deal of the Week for next Wednesday's column, by the way. Any suggestions?

The Top 10 that appeared in the print edition and a few comments can be found here.

(Doug Kapustin/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Food Editor Kate is working on a piece for Mother's Day on desserts to make with angel food cake. She asked me if I would post something here asking for suggestions for bakeries that have a decent one, in case people didn't want to go to the trouble of baking their own first.

I told her I loved angel food cakes. After all these years I can still remember the smell of the powdered egg whites in the Betty Crocker mix I used when I was a little girl. She e-mailed me back asking if I wanted to write the story.

I've got to be more careful about sharing these memories.

(Photo of Chocolate Angel Food Cake from "A Year In Chocolate," by Jacques Torres)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

What’s really scary: Turns out I’m a death star.

Lachanophobia - Fear of vegetables. Who knew? I mean, besides OMG.
 

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

When I heard about this special fixed-price prom menu from P.F. Chang's China Bistro, created just for teens who are having a tough time in this economy but want to celebrate, I was all over it. Investigative journalism at its finest. 

"So does the couple have to be wearing a tux and prom dress?" I asked the public relations professional.

Well, not really, although that would be nice.

"How about the teen part? Do you ask for IDs before you serve them?"

Uh, no. 

Sadly for the purposes of this post, although good otherwise, anyone can get the P. F. Chang's Teen Prom Special Prix-Fixe Menu, even if you have a walker instead of dancing shoes.  The cost is $39.95 a couple for the four-course meal.

Here's the menu: ...

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

Eatin' Crabcakes: The Best I Ever Had is Maryland Public Television's follow up to Eatin' Crabs: Chesapeake Style, which we talked about last year at this time as a prelude to Crab Week.

I'm watching with interest as MPT uses up all the hot food topics during its annual Chesapeake Bay Weeks. (Eatin' Crabcakes airs this Thursday at 9 p.m.) ...

This is its fifth annual Chesapeake Bay Week. If it's only featuring crab cakes now, and crabs last year, what on earth could the first three years' food topics have been?

Don't say I didn't warn you, MPT programming people: By the time you get to about year 10, what Chesapeake Bay food are you going to be writing about then?

I like a TV show with plenty of controversy, and given the following paragraph from the press release, I think we have one here:

Whether it’s G&M’s famous goliath-sized crab cakes (only for the hungriest seafood purest among us) to the unusual but wildly popular grilled crabcakes of Fell Point’s 24-hour diner Sip & Bite, crabcake enthusiasts will go ga-ga over Eatin’ Crabcakes’ behind-the-scenes, mouth-watering jumbo-lump action. 

The host of the show is "crabcake connoisseur" Doug Roberts.

(Photo courtesy of MPT)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

Yesterday at 11:17 a.m. Ravensgrrl, who has posted here before, innocently introduced the question of crying babies in restaurants on BaltimoreSun.com's Open Mike forum.

When I last looked, there had been 333 posts on the topic.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

Retired in Elkridge has kindly made a name tag for future Dining@Large get-togethers. ("Nym" is short for pseudonym, which I presume is what most people would want to use.)

To make it easier to find later, I've created a category of one called, surprise, "Nym tag." Look for it to the right on the main page of the blog.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

Tomorrow is Earth Day; and if you do nothing else to celebrate, you can at least eat out at a restaurant that's trying to be green.

Here's my list of the top restaurants in the area for appreciating this little piece of real estate we call home.

If you have other suggestions, please post below. ...

* Dogwood Cafe in Hampden. Owners Bridget and Galen Sampson are known for their eco-consciousness and good deeds -- and the food is good.

* Elevation Burger in Harbor East. The all-natural, organic version of fast food, plus veggie burgers if you insist.

* Feast@4East in Mount Vernon. A very personal dining experience, emphasizing local ingredients. The owner/chef always includes vegan dishes.

* Great Sage in Clarksville. A global vegetarian menu, organic wines and beers, a handsome setting and events like a raw food dinner and animal advocates day.

* Grind-On Cafe in Hamilton. The owner is trying to leave a small carbon footprint and is encouraging others to do the same.

* One World Cafe in Tuscany/Canterbury. It specializes in an all-natural, chemical-free, low-fat cuisine.

* Rockfish in Annapolis. To get the full scoop, visit its Web site.

* Spoons in Federal Hill. This coffee cafe and roastery was the first certified-green restaurant in Maryland.

* Wild Orchid Cafe in Annapolis. The French/southern cuisine is based on local produce and humanely raised animals. Plus extra points for the name.

* Woodberry Kitchen in Woodberry/Hampden. My nomination for the most completely eco-friendly restaurant Baltimore has, down to the leftover containers made from sugar cane.

(Nanine Harzenbusch/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

As promised, more details. I asked Miss Shirley's PR person if she could find out any more for us about the King of Jordan's visit yesterday. Here's what she e-mailed me:

He came in with about 8-10 people - associates. They ate omelets, Chocolate chip waffles, pancakes, and fruit. Not sure what he ate though. Came in at 8 a.m. and was referred to Miss Shirley's from the hotel they were staying in.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

This was the day of Robert the Single One's service at the Cathedral of the Incarnation at St. Paul and University Parkway. Eve sent me the following report and Cosmos Girl, a photo of the program. Thanks very much to you both. EL

You've probably had a report on the funeral from Cosmos Girl by now.  Frankly, when I spotted the woman in the next pew taking a cell phone picture of the Order of Service, I knew she had to be one of us. ...

The cathedral -- this was the Episcopal cathedral, not the Catholic one -- is truly beautiful.  Stained glass windows.  Stone walls.  Lovely (and very hard) wooden pews.  Everything on a large scale.  The staff at the cathedral just sort of gets things done without any muss or fuss.

It was a lovely, elegant service.  I didn't count heads and I'm bad at guesstimates but I'll say more than 50 people were there.  The Celebrant was a college friend of RtSO's.  She spoke of his acts of kindness and how he didn't realize the lasting effects of them.  She spoke of his love of books and music.  And she spoke of the long, lingering final illnesses that both his parents suffered and how he had dreaded that end and how glad she was that he'd been spared that.   

(We did sing all eight verses of "For All the Saints"which is not a favorite hymn of mine.)

After the recessional, CG, Dahlink, LEC, MD Canon and I were standing in the center aisle, visiting, when LEC nodded at a woman a couple of rows behind and said, "That's Elizabeth Large."  So, as this woman was exiting through the side, I called, "Are you in disguise?"  The moral of this story is:  DO NOT listen to LEC when he tells you who is who!

We had tea with MD Canon afterward.  (Loose tea, of course, not bags.  He uses this funky thing that doesn't leave tea leaves floating in your tea, the way my English grandmother's tea always had.  Of course, there were no yucky tea leaves for the Canon to "read" for us, either.)  We got to visit.

(Photo courtesy of Cosmos Girl)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (62)
        

I hear that His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan ate at Miss Shirley's in the Inner Harbor yesterday. I haven't been able to get any details on just what he ate yet.

I suppose he was just passing through Baltimore; he meets with President Obama tomorrow at the White House.

This tidbit raises so many questions. I wonder how he ended up at Miss Shirley's?

Did he say he wanted to go to the National Aquarium and then try a real American breakfast? Who took him? Did the restaurant give him the best seat in the house?

If I find out more, I'll let you know.

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

It always interests me which new restaurants strike a chord with people and which don't.

La Famiglia near the Hopkins' Homewood Campus has been busy practically since the day it opened, while others are struggling and hoping to be discovered. ...

The food is good, as you'll see from the review that appeared in yesterday's Sun;  but that's not enough to carry a restaurant these days. Maybe it's the fact that so many people knew the staff, which came en masse from the now-closed Boccaccio in Little Italy.

Brasserie Tatin -- the restaurant that preceded La Famiglia -- was as busy when it first opened, but in the end closed. Something tells me that La Famiglia has legs, but you never know.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

Someone I know told me that he thinks his favorite restaurant is serving smaller portions these days in response to a downturn in business. He goes regularly enough to be sure of it.

I don't know if that's true, so I won't name the restaurant; but I wonder if anyone else who frequents one place has noticed the same thing. I don't revisit restaurants often enough to make any judgment on my own. ...

If restaurants are doing this, I don't have a huge problem with it. Serving sizes often seem outlandish to me. I'd rather have smaller portions than higher prices or lower-quality ingredients. But if I were a 200-pound guy I might feel different.

The photo is not, I should add, an example of a smaller portion. I just needed some good-looking art this morning.

(Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

I was just checking my work e-mail -- why do I do that on a Sunday? -- and found this:

Since Three has closed, do you know where Peter Livolsi is working?

I had heard nothing about the Patterson Park restaurant's closing, so I picked up the phone and called.

It sounded like the place was rocking.

The person who answered the phone explained that not only was Three... not closed, but today was the first day of its new Sunday brunch.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The food offerings are both breakfast and lunch items: omelets, other egg dishes, yogurt parfaits, a Monte Cristo and a salmon BLT, to name a few.

It sounded like it was a success.

(Photo courtesy of Three's MySpace page)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

I appreciate all the nice things people said yesterday about Dining@Large reaching its two-year mark. I don't know if you noticed, but the best part was that a lot of the praise was directed at the community at large (no pun intended), as opposed to the comments under last year's anniversary post. That's very gratifying to me.

But as Kimmer1850 so wisely pointed out, it is the terrible twos. I expect there will be some growing pains this next year. ...

Now on to the immediate problem, Tuesday's Top 10. If it's to be in honor of Earth Day, I think I better make it as broad as possible; otherwise it's going to be hard for me to come up with 10. I'm thinking "Top 10 Restaurants to Celebrate Earth Day." (The grammar is a little suspect, but I can't figure out how to fix it gracefully.) If you have any suggestions, please post below and tell us why you chose those places.

The general consensus seems to be that this year's themed week should be Beach Week. Thanks to Joyce W. for the idea.

We need to decide which would be the optimum week. Should it be at the beginning of the season, or during the summer when folks can talk about this summer's vacations? Much of the content is going to have to be reader-generated; it's been awhile since I've been across the Bay Bridge, and somehow I don't think Tribune is going to pay for a trip to Ocean City, even for Beach Week.

We also need to come up with a list of topics: Best boardwalk food, best beach restaurants, best... now I'm running out of ideas.  I need at least seven to carry a week. Of course, we could, I'm sure, do one whole post on Thrashers.

I'm thinking the territory should include Ocean City, Bethany and Rehoboth at the very least; and people can chime in and talk about whatever other beaches they want to. (PCB Rob, are you reading this?)

Anyway, please weigh in so we can decide whether it's really doable or not.

(David Hobby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: Beach Eats
        

Dahlink is awarded the Comment of the Week honors this week, posted under Does Dining@Large Have Any Regular Posters? No explanation necessary:

WWRtSOD?

Posted by: Dahlink | April 16, 2009 7:58 PM ...

Honorable mention goes to Carol in Hampden under the same entry. As another reader said about her comment, "It is just so quintessentially Sandbox."

I don't know how to highlight the following quotes so I'll just put them in quotation marks:

*highfive anothertech* Bro, you got it!

"Owlie, we know that in order to follow you, we just have to follow the empty bourbon glasses in Little Italy".

"Linda, it is a sad commentary on modern USian life that we're reduced to praising people as "not as evil" as others in their corporation"..

Oh my, I've lost the trail of this post completely! I'm going to bed. It will probably make sense tomorrow.

Posted by: Carol in Hampden | April 15, 2009 10:13 PM

A lot of the discussions were great this week, so in a way it's not fair to pull out stand-alone comments. But this one for some reason tickled me when Pomme de Terre asked what Corvino meant under Taverna Corvino's Grand Opening Celebration.:

Corvino? That's Italian for gastro-pub

Posted by: vinnie | April 17, 2009 4:24 PM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Yes, it's now been two years to the day since Dining@Large started with an exciting entry entitled Greetings. It's fun looking back at that first post now and thinking about how my life has changed because of this blog.

At the time I was mildly bored with my job simply because I had done everything I thought I wanted to at the Sun.

I had been the restaurant critic for almost 35 years, and written a restaurant news column off and on.

I had been a home and food writer and then the home and food editor (when the Sun had two food sections and two home and garden sections a week).

I had been the Sun Magazine editor (when the Sun had a magazine). I had edited and written for the twice-yearly dining guides. ...

I had even done some page design, of the magazine's special sections. I can't remember why, but it was when I fell in love with Macs. I had also been a special sections writer.

Two years ago my job description was restaurant critic/lifestyle writer, where I got to write a lot about pop culture. I also wrote stories for the health section, particularly about nutrition and fitness. I liked the variety. But writing stories of any kind was starting to get old; at that point I was churning out a lot of copy.

So one day at the end of March 2007 Kate the food editor sat me down and said with some hesitation that the higher ups wanted me to start a restaurant blog. She hurriedly assured me that she and Rob Kasper and others would contribute; it wouldn't be just my chore. I could tell that she thought I was going to make a fuss about yet more work.

But I felt like someone had given me a present. Something shiny, new and different to do with as I pleased.

I always regretted when I wrote a story for the print edition that I couldn't also choose the photos that went with it, write the headline and design the page. Now I could.

MINE. MINE. MINE.

Of course, I didn't say MINE. MINE. MINE. I calmly told her I appreciated the offer, thank you very much; but I'd rather do it all myself. (Little did she and Rob know that they would be dealing with their own blogs soon enough.)

To me, writing a blog is better than writing stories because there's instant feedback.  I never knew if anyone was really reading my reviews and stories except people I met at cocktail parties. And maybe they were just being polite.

I love, love, love the interaction with readers on this blog; and I appreciate your checking in as often as you do. I've learned a lot from commenters, maybe more than you've learned from me.

I don't want to get too mushy here, so I'm going to link to last year's first anniversary celebration and mention a few highlights of the past year.

1) I notice last year I was bragging about getting 1,000 and then 3,000 comments. As of this morning, we're up to 41,321. This is the number I'm most proud of, although this is entry No. 2,361 and Dining@Large regularly gets around 50,000 page views a week.

2) I'm also proud of the fact that so far I haven't missed a day posting on Dining@Large, and it's never a chore. Sometimes I want to tell you about something that isn't remotely food-related, but there's never a shortage of topics that I can justify as belonging on a restaurant and food blog.

3) In June we had our second themed week, Crab Week. This would be a good place to suggest possibilities for this year's exciting themed week. Beef Week has a nice ring to it, but I'm open to other suggestions.

4) During our second year, Owl Meat Gravy, who with his other personae had always been a commanding presence on Dining@Large, started his regular guest post, Funtastic Thursdays.

5) We managed to get Bucky away from Reality Check, at least temporarily. (Thank you, Sarah KK, for having that baby.)

6) Our Shallow Thought Guru John Lindner took the buyout -- I still miss his presence at the Sun -- but kindly continued to contribute, both with his regular Wednesday guest post and as commenter jl.

7) This year I've had even more bloggy interaction with You Don't Say John and Midnight Sun Sam, two of my favorite people at the paper.

The lowlights are these:

1) We lost Robert (the Single One). I also mourn the other regular commenters who have disappeared since last April. When I go back to write a post like this, I see names that were familiar then that haven't been around for ages -- and not just Piano Rob and Rosebud. On the other hand, some great new voices have come on board like Laura Lee, RayRay, Sean and YumPorchetta. (And many others. Please forgive me if I didn't mention your name.)

At least I think the above four aren't Owl Meat in disguise. 

2) The company I work for filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

3) And, of course, it's the economy, stupid. Which makes writing about restaurants a lot less fun.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (56)
        

Earlier today CantonKate asked for recommendations or ideas for Mother's Day, which is May 10.

It's certainly not too early. Here's what we did about Mother's Day last year, when my daughter was, sniff, temporarily living at home. Mother's Day restaurants would make a useful Top 10 for folks, so please suggest below.

I don't think I'll do it next week, though, because next Tuesday is the day before Earth Day. It feels like I ought to do something to acknowledge that. Suggestions?

(Monica Lopossay/Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

I had no clue that Bucky was such a social butterfly until this post. I'm always amazed at the amount of entertaining other folks do. The last time I had people over for dinner was Christmas...2007. Here's guest poster Bucky. EL

I have my poker group.  Mrs. Bucky has her bridge and bunco groups.  (If you don’t know what bunco is, it’s a game that is something like Yahtzee, but requires neither the skill nor the concentration that Yahtzee demands.  It is mostly, so far as I can tell, a good excuse for a bunch of women to get together and drink copious amounts of wine.  Thus, my nickname for Kaikala’s bunco group:  The Drunken Buncos.)

It doesn’t turn out this way often, but the planets and stars have aligned in such a way that next week our home will be host to the bunco game on Tuesday night, the bridge game on Thursday night and the poker game on Friday night. ...

This schedule does not make for a happy cat.

The Drunken Buncos all show up at 7 p.m., each with a bottle of wine in tow and having eaten dinner, so Mrs. Bucky only has to provide dessert on Tuesday night.  Next week she’s making her special vanilla bean cheesecake, which to me doesn’t go with wine, but I won’t be there anyway, because when the Drunken Buncos are coming, I stay at the hotel across the parking lot from my office.

Her bridge group starts at 6 p.m. with a light supper. They then play bridge for a couple of hours before having dessert.  Kai will be making this chicken dish that she makes. It’s not a casserole, because it’s served cold, but I wouldn’t call it a chicken salad either.  It has chicken, walnuts and green grapes in it, along with some other stuff.  Even though it’s got chicken in it, I like it, so I stay home on bridge group night.  That, plus once in awhile only seven show up, so I sit in.  I love playing bridge.  It's the best card game ever invented.

Friday night the guys will show up around 6 p.m., maybe 6:30. We’re a little more flexible about scheduling.  When everyone is there, they will go once around the table while I grill rib-eyes. 

I don’t know yet whether we will have fries or onion rings with the steaks, but we’ll have the little garlic loaves that I like to make, with cheese melted over the top.  After dinner, we’ll play until midnight or so and then we’ll go to the Waffle House for breakfast.

This is a lot of entertaining for us in one week.  I probably won’t be in the Sandbox much next week.  Well, except for Tuesday night.

(Photo credit: Uncle Larry)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

I just got an announcement that Taverna Corvino in Federal Hill is finally holding its grand opening celebration next Thursday. Wow, restaurants are really cautious these days about rushing things, aren't they?

Anyway, the hours of the party are 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. "Selected" small plates will be $7. A white peach bellini (sparkling wine and peach puree) will cost $5; a bottle of Peroni, $3; and a Negroni cocktail (gin, sweet vermouth and Campari), $6.

Then the press release has this mysterious comment (in its entirety): "And, of course, the Peroni Models!" ...

Here's what I said in my February 18 Table Talk about the restaurant:

If you stop by the location where Juniors Wine Bar was, 1117 S. Charles St. in Federal Hill, you'll see the sign is gone. Walk in and you'll find that the restaurant is being run as a test kitchen by the new chef, Christopher Paternotte, formerly of Vin in Towson.

Juniors changed hands very quickly a couple of weeks ago, Brian McComas, one of the new owners, told me. He and his partners decided to keep the restaurant open because it was doing a decent business, and to use the next few weeks to figure out the new menu. Right now, McComas says, they are offering "a primitive, basic menu," and Paternotte is experimenting. It sounds kind of fun.

The plan is to make a few changes in the decor (such as adding tapestries and rugs) and have a grand opening on March 3 as the Taverna Corvino, a neighborhood Italian restaurant. When I asked why Italian, McComas pointed out that Federal Hill doesn't have an Italian eatery at the moment.

(Photo courtesy of Metromix and Lindsay Smith)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

My seatmate on the plane back from LA Wednesday was a dentist named Linda. When she found out what I did for a living, she asked me where she could take the niece she was staying with for a really nice dinner as a thank you.

Usually I need more information when people want recommendations. But in this case, the only other thing I needed to know was the niece's age. (She was in her 20s.) ...

We had already talked enough that I knew Linda was interested in food and liked to eat out and cook. She would want an imaginative meal, not Old Baltimore specialties.

I could tell she had money, and I knew price would be no object if she was used to the best Los Angeles restaurants.

Off the top of my head, I recommended Charleston, Salt Tavern and Woodberry Kitchen as restaurants where she could get good, interesting cuisine and her 20-something niece would have fun as well.

Then last night I was talking to my friend Good Eater Ed, and he told me where he had recently taken an out-of-town guest who was into food:

First, Chaps on Pulaski Highway for pit beef because the Ace of Cakes guy had taken another food show host there recently, or so Ed had learned on the Food Network.

Second, Pazo for the other end of the spectrum.

Ed and his visitor were happy with both, but it wasn't a combination that would have occurred to me.

(Photo courtesy of Woodberry Kitchen Web site) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

Sam raises an intriguing point about restaurant wine glasses on Midnight Sun today. It sounds like the restaurant his friend told him about, known for its wine list and the expertise of its owner, started off using the proper glassware for a red wine and got complaints for doing so.

The restaurant ended up changing the glasses to something smaller so customers wouldn't feel like they were being cheated when they ordered red wine by the glass.

Even if you post your comments on the subject there, I'm hoping you'll also come back here and tell us what you think.

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

Other Reviewer Richard ventured out to Ellicott City for his review of La Palapa in today's paper. It sounds like a pleasant little Mexican place with great outdoor seating.

That last is something I'm already longing for, having just gotten back from California. We haven't even cleared off our little back deck, scene of the frightening nest last year. The weather hasn't been warm enough.

Meanwhile, for his takeout review Rob Kasper got a Koo Koo turkey sandwich from Howard Gourmet Deli. (Not sure about that name. I know the West Coast chain Koo Koo Roo, but I don't see why it would be connected.) He and his son stopped by for lunch on the way to an Orioles game.

(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Actually, I like this idea a lot. Bon Appetit magazine in its May issue picks the quintessential thing to buy, eat and drink in each state.

The article, "The United Plates of America," is meant to encourage readers to come up with their own examples of one thing to buy (food- or drink-related), one thing to eat and one thing to drink that exemplify their states.

Marylanders, of course, aren't going to agree with the choices. (Bethesda, as we all know, isn't really in Maryland.) But at least the magazine didn't pick Obrycki Effect examples.

Bon Appetit hopes you'll post your choices on their forum. I hope you'll post them below. As for those of you in another state, let us know if the choices for it are a little more mainstream. ...

MARYLAND

what to buy: Dulce de leche gelato at Dolcezza Artisanal Gelato

7111 Bethesda Lane, Bethesda; 301-215-9226; dolcezzagelato.com

what to eat: Steamed blue crabs at Jimmy Cantler's

458 Forest Beach Road, Annapolis; 410-757-1311; cantlers.com

what to drink: National Bohemian Beer at Nick's Oyster Bar at Cross Street Market

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (45)
        

And back to wet, green Baltimore. It's nice to be home.

The good, the bad and the ugly about my trip:

The good: Ordering a fruit plate and discovering it not only has fresh pineapple, strawberries, and about six other fruits, but a fresh fig and two baby kiwi that you eat skin and all.

The bad: A sign in the Beverly Hills Public Library that said, "April is Earthquake Preparedness Month. When it rocks, are you ready to roll?"  Uh, no.

The ugly: Getting rear-ended at the entrance to the 405 at rush hour (but luckily not getting propelled into the traffic).

I took this photo as we were walking to our car after Easter dinner in Hollywood.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Because I'm the kind of person who makes lemonade out of lemons -- not -- I wasn't happy to find out after I sent a photographer to Meridian 54 that the chef who had been in the kitchen when I ate there was gone. As regular readers know, that meant I had to trash the review.

Still, it did mean I had some good photos for my Table Talk column. ...

I also realized I had never told print readers about the changes at Brasserie 10 South, which I had reviewed so glowingly very recently. (Sometimes I think I've written about a subject on the blog when it's actually been in the print edition, and vice versa. And one thing we've learned is that the two audiences are quite separate.)

Anyway, the two situations seem to me to be parallel in a couple of ways, and I talk about them in today's Table Talk column. I also mention changes at b in Bolton Hill and a new bistro and wine bar in Harford County. And, of course, there's the Deal of the Week. (I'm always open to suggestions for this last from you.)

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Urban legend had it when I first moved to Baltimore that Little Italy was so safe because the Mafia wouldn't let any petty criminals hurt the restaurant business there. I figured this was a rumor started by the restaurants themselves because it made the neighborhood more interesting. It's not something I've heard about or thought about in years, though. Until our Shallow Thought Guru John Lindner's guest post today. EL

My former hometown, Milwaukee, has (or had) Mafia restaurants. (Piano Rob, if you’re listening, am I right or am I right?)

They didn’t advertise the connection, but people knew. Some restaurants bore the family name of alleged mob bosses, though I don’t know if said restaurants were mob owned and operated. In fact, the places in question may have simply been hangouts.

One common distinctive: they were all good. In one of these joints, you could not go wrong.

Another key attraction was celebrity mobster sightings.

I’ve never heard of such restaurants in Baltimore. Is it omerta? Or do we not have them?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

One of the small surprising things I've learned while doing this blog is how much some people hate corkage fees.

In Baltimore City, we learned in a previous post, it's not legal to bring in your own wine if the restaurant has a liquor license, so the issue of corkage fees in that case isn't relevant to a lot of us. Oddly, when I do a quick Google, I find that most of the articles deal with these, not with BYOB restaurants.

I can't quite decide how I feel about corkage fees at BYOB restaurants. On the one hand, the restaurant is providing you with glasses and a wine bucket, a waiter to open the bottle and pour, and a dishwasher to wash the glasses when you're done.

On the other hand, you could have gone to another restaurant that would be able to sell you a bottle of wine and you wouldn't have had to bring your own.

I think restaurant owners feel some of this ambivalence as well. It's a relatively new thing for them to say, "Five dollars for the table, no matter how many bottles you bring."

Next I want them to start having a corkage fee free day once a week.

(Photo by Bob Fila/Chicago Tribune/MCT)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (42)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I got an e-mail yesterday from the vice president of Tribune's interactive content asking this:

Are there any regular comments - people who show up frequently and post under a fixed name or nickname - on...Dining At Large?

I guess he's not a regular reader. Anybody want to take a crack at naming all the regular commenters? I know we've done it before, but we need an updated list for him.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (145)
        

I was eating alone at a Chinese restaurant recently (for reasons too boring to explain). My food was taking forever, so out of boredom I started reading the paper wrapper from my chopsticks.

I usually make a chopstick rest out of the wrapper by fan-folding it (which is probably very rude, but I can't resist). This time I read it instead. ...

My bamboo disposable chopsticks were made by the Kari-Out Co. in White Plains, N.Y. (Don't you love that spelling? It sounds so Asian.) You can call Kari-Out at 1-888-328-1688.

There was this bit of lore on the back:

Chopsticks originated in China during the Shang Dynasty (1766-1122 BC) as a substitute for knives at the table. According to Confucious, knives were equated with acts of aggression and should not be used to dine.

Wow. That's weird.

Naturally there's a lot of chopstick info on the 'net, including this tidbit from Wikipedia:

Chopsticks are traditionally held in the right hand only, even by left-handed people. Although chopsticks may now be found in either hand, a few still consider left-handed chopstick use as improper etiquette.

I wonder why we've Americanized Chinese food but insist on using the authentic utensils.

(AP Photo/Greg Baker)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (67)
        

In an interview recently I was asked why I thought restaurants succeed or fail. It's a pretty broad question, and I gave a sound-bite answer, which was what was called for. I've reprinted the question and my answer below.

But we all know the issues involved are much more complex, and if you want to tackle some of them, please post -- just to get the conversation going, even if you don't have the definitive answer. ...

What do you think are the most important elements of a successful restaurant? In contrast, have you noticed any patterns or signals as to why restaurants tend to fail?

Beyond the obvious (good food and service), it really is location, location, location. Also, restaurants fail because people don’t realize you can be a great chef but not a great business person, and you need to be both or have a good partner.

(Karl Merton Ferron/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Because I'm on vacation this week, I'm turning Top 10 Tuesday over to a guest poster.

I've been thinking about doing this for awhile, but I hadn't hit on the right person. Then Barry Glassman, founder of the Baltimore Jazz Alliance, e-mailed me about doing a Top 10 on places to hear live music with good food.

"Why don't you send me your list?" I suggested.

And here it is, in alphabetical order: ...

* Café de Paris (Tuesdays and Fridays)

* Donna's Columbia location (Saturdays, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.)

* Joe Squared Pizza (most Sundays)

* Jordan's Steakhouse (Thursday evenings)

* Meli (Sunday evenings)

* Prime Rib (most nights in the bar area)

* Radisson at Cross Keys (Thursdays 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.)

* Tug's at the Tremont Hotel (Friday and Saturday evenings)

* Tyson's Tavern (most Sunday afternoons)

* Ze Mean Bean (Sunday brunch)

The following four Barry describes as "music venue with food. Others are primarily food venues with music." (But I have to say I think of Bertha's more of a restaurant than the other three.)

* Bertha's (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday)

* Caton Castle (Saturday evening jazz with full menu)

* Club 347 (Monday, Tuesday, occasional Thursdays)

* New Haven Lounge (Sunday afternoon jazz with free buffet)

Always check the jazz calendar at BaltimoreJazz.com to confirm, he says.

(Photo courtesy of Caton Castle)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

I don't want to get too far away from last week's Top 10 on food sins in the workplace without discussing eating at your desk in greater detail.

I bring my lunch and eat at my desk most days, and I'm not proud of it. ...

I used to go out with friends most of the time and that was a good thing, although I'm saving money bringing my lunch. I don't have to eat at my desk just because I brought my lunch, of course; but if I do, I can keep working (crumbs in the keyboard alert!). Or if I'm feeling wild and crazy, I can work on the crossword.

I know I'm not happy about eating at my desk, but I'm not sure why others would care. Is it the mess? The fact that crumbs might attract rodents?

I also know it's supposed to be unsanitary because desks are dirty, but my desk is probably cleaner than my dining room table. Well, maybe not. But I don't use 409 on my dining room table.

(Doug Kapustin/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

The plan was for my brother and me to cook Easter dinner together at his Silverlake apartment, perhaps imbibing a little champagne along the way. But yesterday morning I called him and said, "Have you done the shopping yet?"

When I found out he hadn't, I suggested eating out. He loved the idea.

His choice of restaurants for Easter dinner: Loteria! (don't ask me why the exclamation mark) Grill on Hollywood Boulevard. ...

Great choice. While full dinners were available, we ended up having tacos, filled with good things like zucchini and roasted corn succotash with salsa verde and queso fresco, pork in a spicy chile morita sauce served with slices of fresh avocado, and chicken in mole poblano with sesame seeds and queso fresco.

The margaritas were sour and quite alcoholic.

For Easter dinner dessert, fried plantains (although I considered the goat's milk flan) because the waitress had forgotten Gailor's order and brought the plantains when we had finished everything else.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

I recently got this e-mail from John, telling me of his friend's dilemma:

My friend Roger...used to live in the area, now lives in Kansas City. Can you tip him to a great shrimp salad place for his next visit? Thanks a bunch!!

Here was Roger's heartfelt e-mail to his friend that sparked John's plea to me: ...

No one in the Heartland understands shrimp salad.  When I lived in Baltimore it was a bigger deal.  There was a place near St. Agnes Hospital - Kibby's- that was known for their shrimp salad.  But it was too much mayo / not enough Old Bay.  The best one I had was oddly enough in the cafeteria at USF&G, they really got it right.  I know there were other good ones around, but I just don't remember them.  Really, I haven't had a good shrimp salad sandwich for almost 20 years now!

Whoa. I didn't know anyone felt that strongly about shrimp salad. I mean, can't you just buy some shrimp, cook them up, add mayonnaise, celery, parsley, lemon juice, a little salt and pepper and have a great shrimp salad?

The problem is that when people ask me for a shrimp salad recommendation I send them to Kibby's, even though it's been years since I've eaten there. I don't know of another restaurant known for its shrimp salad so I'm no help.

Anyone out there have a better suggestion for Roger and John?

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (78)
        

Is it my imagination, or are more restaurants offering half off bottles of wine these days?

My friend and deskmate Classical Music Critic Tim first alerted me to the fact that Chameleon Cafe in Lauraville has a Wine Wednesday. That reminded me that the Grill at Harryman House in Reistertown also offers the deal on Wednesdays.

It will be a trend if someone can come up with one more example.

The half-price bottles of wine are a good deal, but it's hard not to get two bottles of wine because they'll cost the same as one. So don't count on spending less, just drinking more.

(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I think I better link to Laura Vozzella's column today because you may not realize it has some restaurant news toward the end.

Laura reports that Hon Bar is getting a makeover by Nouveau and Whitehead & Appel Interior Design.

And you thought Cafe Hon was decorated out of one of Hampden's funky junque shoppes.

One of the pieces being used is pictured, right. ...

Steve Appel, Nouveau president. tells me they are also redoing the outdoor space at Crush in Belvedere Square:

"So far we have had delivered eight beautiful dining tables with very handsome black market umbrellas," he says. "Also included are four cafe-style chairs for each table in a powder-coated black frame and outdoor fabric which picks up their logo, orange and black interlocking squares of color (on the fabric). We also plan to bring in a South Beach lounge type area a little later in the spring...chocolate faux wicker sofas and chairs with soft cushions."

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

I haven't been saying anything about the places we've been eating here in Los Angeles because for the most part they are all the restaurants I've told you about before: Buddha's Belly, Urth Caffe, Mozza. It's the Large nostalgia tour of LA eating places.

But the first night we ate in the hotel because Gailor was so wiped out from not having gone to sleep the night before that I was afraid to take her anywhere very far from a bed.

The restaurant here, called On Sunset, is very handsome, with that indoor/outdoor component I find so appealing in restaurants, in this case a courtyard between the dining room and lounge. ...

I won't bore you with the details of our meal since you probably won't ever be eating here, but one thing struck me: an appetizer of "Maryland Blue Crab Cakes with Green Curry-Lime 'Tartar' Sauce."

Yes, they better put tartar in quotes with that description.

The crab cake appetizer cost $14 so I didn't order it. Maybe I should call my boss and get permission to expense it just to find out what on earth a southern California restaurant does with a crab cake labeled "Maryland."

I do think the Maryland crab cake's fame is spreading. It seems to me I've seen it on one menu or another everywhere I've traveled recently in the U.S.

The photo is of the centerpiece on each table, a conch shell with succulents growing in it. (The food photos I took were kind of ugly.)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

I was curious about what we discussed last year on Easter Sunday, so I went back and was surprised to find that it was nothing Easter-ish. Dining@Large's first post on Restaurants and the Economy appeared, and it spurred Owl Meat to some of his finest commenting ever. (My other post of the day was the Next Sunday's Review feature.)

About the only time we talked about Easter was in an entry on, shudder, Peeps, and peripherally in a Top 10 on brunch places. ...

I'm fine with not hitting all the holidays. But it does lead me to a discussion of foods, in this case candy, that aren't available year round.

I only buy one Easter candy this time of year, a single bag of Hershey's candy-coated milk chocolate eggs. They are fatter than M & Ms, but it's the same principle: solid milk chocolate in a shell, although the eggs (not really egg-shaped) come in pastel colors.

They're better than M & Ms because the ratio of chocolate to shell is higher. And most important: The rest of my family doesn't particularly like them, so I don't have to fight to get my fair share. I should do a separate post on things you buy simply because no one else in your family likes them.

The fact that Hershey's candy-coated eggs are hard to find in my neighborhood makes them even more desirable than they would be otherwise. (Admittedly I don't go out of my way to find them.)

But, as usual, I'm wondering what happens when Easter comes and goes and not all of them have been sold. Do they get put away to reappear on the store shelves next year?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

If you judged from the number of e-mails I get wanting to know the phone number of La Famiglia, the new Italian restaurant in Tuscany/Canterbury, you would assume it's the hottest table in Baltimore.

That may be the case. Or it may be that the place had trouble with the phone company at the beginning, and it didn't get straightened out until after the restaurant was open a short while.

Apparently 411 is still confused. So as a public service, I'll give you the number here: 443-449-5555.

To find out what I thought of the food, you'll have to wait until next Sunday, when my review appears in the Arts & Entertainment section.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
Categories: Review Preview
        

Still, I think I'll mention a few that particularly struck me, during what I thought of as a particularly good commenting week: ...

What is the scoop on top of that steak? If they found a way to artfully combine steak and ice cream, that might be my championship meal.

Posted by: Heather | April 6, 2009 11:02 AM

One thing you can count on from aramark, it will always cost more than it sounds good!

Posted by: billy butterbean | April 6, 2009 11:37 PM

Posted by: Joyce W. | April 7, 2009 5:54 AM

I thought Joyce was brave to come out and say what a lot of people must think, given Starbucks' success. And speaking of Starbucks, I walked to Brentwood today, about half an hour away, and the Starbucks there opens at an incredible 4:45 a.m. on weekdays and 5:15 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, including Easter. Only in LA. I won't be making tea in our bathroom any longer.

Posted by: Laura Lee | April 10, 2009 11:38 AM

Posted by: Lissa | April 10, 2009 9:56 PM

And Mary came up with a particularly good amuse bouche: 

I'll give it a shot. I'm working all weekend, except for a quick break for easter bruch, where it turns out we are having ham after all for once, but now my vegetarian brother is already throwing a fit about it, and during our discussions on the subject I have been forced to conceal my absolute delight at the thought of ham on Sunday.

While I have been working, I think I got dumped by my SO on facebook. Though I deserved it to a large degree.

And I had to have salad for dinner, for lack of any protein in the house, and it was ridiculously unsatisfying, particularly because my fridge keeps freezing my lettuce, which makes it nearly inedible. Though I probably should be eating just salad anyway. So I don't look like a fat cow when I go on vacation in June, and also because it seems I need to start looking for a new SO too.

My only hope at the moment is that EL will be posting comments extra late tonight during her vacation since she is 3 hours behind on the west coast, thus making my sad pathetic evening a little more interesting.

Posted by: Mary | April 10, 2009 10:52 PM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

So I'm sitting here on our bathroom floor in our hotel, the Luxe Bel Air -- a hotel normally way out of our league, but we got a great deal on our room (much better than the rates on the Web site). What they say about travel right now is true.

Why am I sitting on the bathroom floor typing? Because the success of our trip hinges on Gailor having a natural awakening this morning. We have different body clocks, and when we met in the Los Angeles airport yesterday, I found that her solution to having to get up at 4 a.m. to make her flight from Chicago was not to go to bed. ... 

I'm sitting here and not in the hotel lobby because the one thing the Luxe lacks is coffee and tea in the lobby, something a Holiday Inn Express would have.

I, of course, woke up very early by Pacific time, so I decided to do something I vowed I would never do -- make a cup of tea with the room's Mr. Coffee machine, which is set up on the bathroom counter.

I finally produced a, let's call it a beverage, that was very hot and strong and in a blind taste test I couldn't tell you what it was. It doesn't taste like anything I've ever tasted before. Because it's the Luxe, the tea bags are very fancy: loose tea in some sort of long, thin metallic paper with holes in it. The wrapper says: Serengeti Tea Co. Ticolino High Tea Blend.

What it produced was, I guess, black tea that had overtones of coffee from the Mr. Coffee machine; but the coup de grace was the nondairy creamer I put in it.

Maybe if I bought a carton of milk and stuck it in the bar fridge for tomorrow...but I can't get around having to boil the water in the Mr. Coffee.

I think we're going to have a great time here. I got off the plane yesterday morning, and it was like someone had given me a couple of Valium. Please be patient if your comment doesn't get published right away. I'll do my best, but my guess is that I won't be getting any help from my friends on Easter weekend; I didn't want to ask.

I think we're going to have a great time, but it probably wasn't a good sign that Gailor ate my  turn-down chocolate last night. 

(Photo courtesy of the Luxe Web site) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Then I adopted the practice of tipping the usual 15 percent but adding a few bucks in cash for above average service. Now that my standard tip is 20 percent, I am less likely to add cash but still do so for unusually good service. And I'm still capable of tipping low for really bad service -- on the credit card in hope the owner might notice.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
Categories: Tipping
        

By the time you read this, I'll be in LA to spend Easter with my brother, using up the remaining vacation days that have to be used up by May 1.

I liked the phrase "today's amuse bouche of self-loathing and self-pity" so much I stuck it on top of a blank entry form for future use when Owl Meat (who else?) came up with it in a comment under Cynthia's March Madness.

However, I can't think of anything to say about it. Especially in the middle of April when I'm in vacation mode. I don't even remember what self-pity is.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is: discuss. Obviously Owl Meat and his various personae are forbidden to comment.    

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (58)
        

I used to order food over the Internet. One specific food, anyway, and one you've heard me whine about before: Brownberry Bread. Guest author Bucky has opened an old wound with this Bucky's World post. EL

I just restocked my potato chip inventory with an Internet order to Mrs. Fisher’s potato chip factory in Rockford, Ill.  Mrs. Fisher’s are my favorite chips, but that’s not the only reason I order them on the ‘net. ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (69)
        

I feel like in the last few restaurant reviews I've been overcomplaining about oversalting.

Even if the complaints are justified, I know they can get boring to read.

But it always puzzles me why chefs don't err on the side of slightly underseasoning if they are going to have salt and pepper on the table.

So many people, given the opportunity, salt their food automatically before they taste it. Some portion of those who don't are trying to cut down on their salt, doctor's orders. So what's the downside? ...

I'm not fanatical about salt. When I cook, I use it on meat and starches but not fresh vegetables.  I like salty snacks when I'm in the mood. My blood pressure is good, so I don't have to worry about it.

On the other hand, I have a friend who is more health conscious than I, never salts anything and drives me crazy by actually de-salting pretzels with his fingers before eating them.

But no good deed goes unpunished. At his yearly physical, routine labwork showed that the salt levels in his blood were unusually low. His internist said that could be a sign of several different health problems, and he had to have more bloodwork done. (Everything was fine.)

The moral of this story is -- well, there is no moral except my usual boring everything in moderation. But the point is, I like salt but I wish restaurant kitchens would go easy with the salt shaker.

(AP Photo/Jim Noelker)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

I wanted to write an informal obituary for Robert Carlyle Hammond, our Robert (the Single One), so I asked his cousin Meg, who lives in Atlanta, if she could tell us more about him.

Robert was 59 when he died. When he didn't show up at work, they got worried and called a friend to check on him. She was the one who called the police. He was found dead in front of the TV; they think he died of a heart attack. ...

Robert grew up in Rodgers Forge and lived in Cockeysville at the time of his death. Meg is probably his closest living relative, and the comments about him have meant a lot to her, she told me.

"We shared the same birthday, Feb. 13, although he was eight years older," she said. "He would call or e-mail on our birthday and always open with 'Happy Birthday to us!'"

Robert was a graduate of the University of Maryland and a CPA in the tax field much of his working life until the last 15 years or so when he gravitated to nonprofit accounting.

"He was a 'yellow dog Democrat,' as we call them here in Atlanta," Meg said. "I'm more of a 'blue dog' - a little more conservative, and we would have some very interesting political discussions."

He loved British murder mysteries but read widely. Surprisingly, because it wasn't a side of himself he showed to the blog, he was a computer whiz.

"Just a funny memory:  When he was in college he drove a school bus part-time," Meg said. "Man, you never saw such a shipshape group of kids!  Robert was not overweight then but still a tall, commanding presence to little kiddies. I think he put the fear of God in them.  He could have a booming voice, but was a very gentle man."

A memorial service will be held for Robert at 10 a.m. on Monday, April 20, at the Cathedral of the Incarnation chapel on St. Paul at University Parkway. I asked Meg if there was a particular charity he was interested in if people wanted to make donations, but she wasn't sure.

Meanwhile Joyce W. e-mailed me suggesting this:

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (42)
        

At a time when upscale mac 'n' cheese is one of the trendiest foods around, guest poster Owl Meat brings us back to earth with his insightful examination of the original version. EL

Don't hurry, puff and wheeze, there's a main dish that's a breeze.
– World War II era radio ad
 
Times may be tough now, but 1937 was a real downer.  The Hindenburg went kaboom; Amelia Earhart lost her luggage; and my great-grandfather hauled a wheelbarrow full of money to the Bergdorfschneider to buy a cardboard belt. 

In these dark times perched upon the brink of the abyss, it would take the ingenuity of a young country with lofty ideals and a robust belief in the transformative power of technology to lead the world into a new era. 

That country was the United States of America, and the clarion blast of hope for the future came in a box – Kraft Macaroni & Cheese. ...

When introduced, it was simply Kraft Dinner and was meant to feed a family of four.  Although it is "the cheesiest," a box provides only 90 percent of the RDA of sodium. 

The variations are legion: Original, Spirals, Shells, Pokemon, Scooby Doo, Spiderman, SpongeBob, Thick 'n Creamy, Three Cheese (LOL), Velveeta, etc.  There is Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Topping (for popcorn) and six kinds of Kraft Mac & Sneeze crackers.  Despite its seven-decade domination, selling two million boxes a day, Kraft bombards us with ads including this unfortunate one.
 
Thomas Jefferson promoted a primitive version (macaroni and non-powdered cheese) by bringing a macaroni machine back from Europe, inventing a better one, and serving the dish at the White House in 1802.  Whatever.  This is an icon of American food in its primitive natural form and in the Nazi-killing rattling box of freedom version. 

In college I wrote a short story about a student in a writing class who was so aggravated with the boring people in his class that he fantasizes about murdering them.  While they didn't object to the fictional violence against themselves, they did take issue with a character in the story doing violence against a sacred American icon -- mac 'n cheese.
 
The objection: Who would make macaroni and cheese with hot dogs and hot sauce?

That's college gourmet.  I was so broke in college that I rarely had milk or butter, so I substituted water and olive oil, settling for store brand or ... worse.  I continued to buy the cheapest version and make it college style until recently, when I gave myself permission to get my cheez on properly. 
 
In Panama there were bright yellow 55 gallon drums scattered around Panama City with QUESO stamped in black letters on them.  I don't know what their purpose was, but I think it's somehow related to today's topic. 
 
So now I'm an adult with varied and refined tastes.  Thus I ask the question – what wine goes with Kraft Macaroni & Cheese? 

I assembled a symposium to explore the question.  I invited gal pals Kiki, Kimmer and her roommate Katya (just to round out the hard consonants) to the Owl's Nest for wine and cheez.  Kiki brought her dog Monkey and some wine.  Kimmer was late, but brought a nice Cava and some Lithuanian hip hop CDs.  Katya brought her charming Russian accent and the wide-eyed wonderment of what iz dees mackencheez? 

We tested a Montepulciano, Rioja, Pinot Noir, Côtes du Rhône and a Cabernet blend that Kimmer's neighbor makes in his basement.  After many tastings the unclear winner was the Montepulciano. 

Thai Extra Pedas Sambal sauce was the best condiment, beating ketchup, sriracha, Tabasco, sweet chili sauce and salsa.   In the end it degenerated into an exercise in entropy with Katya busting out a bottle of unlabelled Russian vodka with mysterious herbs in it.  She introduced us to a drinking game possibly called tajinki that involved dice, a fork and questionable judgment.  
 
In my experience people have specific preferences and rituals involving the blue box of surreally colored vaguely futuristic comfort food.  Some use a fork, some a spoon.  Some like it soupy and others gluey.  I clearly have no respect for the instructions and dabble with any number of spices and condiments.  The weirdest version that I heard about was with cinnamon and sugar.  Oh, the humanity.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

I've hear about Isabella's in Little Italy on this blog from time to time, but never been there myself. From Other Reviewer Richard's review in today's paper, I've really missed out. I'm not sure he's given any 3 1/2 stars before, let alone three sets in one review.

Rob Kasper takes a hard look at ballpark food in his takeout column today. I don't believe he tried the lobster corn dog.

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)
        

I got this disturbing e-mail from the owner of Grind-On Cafe in Hamilton yesterday. (I had corresponded with him before when the Top 10 on coffee houses appeared on the blog.)

many thanks again for putting us on your list. yesterday we were broken into and my place was trashed. i was contemplating why i opened the place and then i saw today's paper. you are right. we are socially responsible and we are not going anywhere. i am not going to let some idiots take a viable business away from this community. again, thank you. greg, the grind on cafe

He's referring to the fact that the Top 10 on coffee houses appeared in the Taste section of the print edition yesterday. I hope if you're anywhere near the neighborhood you'll stop by and give him some encouragement.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

When I got up this morning and went to my computer to publish comments, the first one I read was this:

Hi Elizabeth: My cousin, Robert (the single one), told me of the fun he had with your blog and fellow bloggers. I am sorry to inform you that he passed away yesterday. His health was not great and we think it was heart failure. I live in Atlanta and I am waiting to hear more from Baltimore. I just wanted you to know because you may have wondered why he was no longer posting comments on your blog. Keep up the good work! ...

Even though I knew very little more about Robert (the Single One) than his full name and e-mail address, I've felt weepy all day about his death. I feel like we've lost a lively, funny friend.

Before I published his cousin's comment, I, of course, wanted to make sure it was true. Baltimore County spokesman Bill Toohey confirmed his death for me this afternoon. Apparently he hadn't shown up for work and a friend finally called the police, who entered his apartment yesterday.

I went back and checked, and his last comment on Dining@Large was six days ago:

Thanks, gang. Sometimes the written word just does not convey the meaning you want. I did figure out that I didn't have to send my results to anyone, and yes I hate the Facebook interface. Maybe I'm a little too the Single One. I don't think of myself as anti-social, but why would I want to tell the world about me, and unless you knew me, why would strangers care. I'm going back to my garret now, and close the door.

Posted by: Robert (the Single One) | April 2, 2009 4:02 PM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (59)
        

As you've noticed, things are slow in Commenting Land at the moment. Thanks for continuing to try to post until it finally happens. Actually, Michael A. Gray alerted me by e-mail, which I appreciated. (Of course, the fact that some of you had to post four times gave me a clue, too.) I'm trying to find out what's wrong.

One bizarre note: When I went to "Unpublished Comments," which I now check when something like this happens, I found comments by eatme, RayRay, PCB Rob (two), Trixie, Patty and YumPorcetta, all posted exactly one day and one hour ago. No, they didn't get censored. They all just now appeared, and I just published them.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I was hoping for a guest Passover post for today from a reader I know, but it didn't come. I apologize.

I can link to the Taste section centerpiece today, but I was hoping for something a little more bloggy, as in a small, personal reminiscence. Anyone want to take a crack at it? You can either e-mail me a couple of paragraphs for a separate entry, or just post below.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

I rode on the back of a motorcycle. Once. I was wearing a skirt and no helmet. When my friend turned a corner too sharply, we went over. The nurse at the college infimary did her best, but I've still got some dirt embedded in my knee all these years later. Naturally our guest poster, Shallow Thought Wednesday guru and motorcycle enthusiast John Lindner would never treat his friends so rudely. EL

Sunday lived up to, for a change, its eponymous moniker. And though it was not warm (72 degrees farenheit is the nadir of warmth in my estimation), it was uncold enough to break out the two-wheeler and ride -- straight to a restaurant. ...

Bikers tend to be melodramatic regarding their pastime. We like to play on the mystique of danger, rebellion and death. For some, riding a motorcycle is as close as they will come to what they’d recognize as a spiritual experience.

Ironically, we are almost all annoyingly religious about what one ought to ride -- like Mac owners but with leather and skull jewelry. We adopt canonical habits (in both senses of the word). We have our cowhide vestments. We have a sacred salute. We chant broody, mantric slogans like “Live to Ride/Ride to Live."

Come the 90s, Boomers groping for hip grasped at motorcycling, found it conferred cool, and bought in en masse. They created a new class: the bourgeois biker. Bike shops went from grimy, dimly lit quonset huts that smelled reassuringly of testosterone and 90 weight gear oil to prissy boutiques that sell more designer clothes than motorcycles. (In some of them, the floors are actually clean.)

While the change left much to be mourned, some good came of it. While packs of us still thunder off to bars of a Saturday afternoon, when we arrive, we get more carbs from fries than beer. Many of us drink nothing more mind-altering than cola and iced tea.

The trick is to find places that tolerate windblown, tattoo-bearing, slightly deaf gray hairs that reek of 50 SPF sunblock but that also serve food worthy of our discerning palates. The former is surprisingly easy. The latter, not so much.

Sure, it’s still fun to strike terror into the hearts of the populace, rattle windows with our preposterous exhaust pipes (all bow and repeat after me: “Loud Pipes Save Lives”), and soak in the envy of the earthbound. But now we are rebels with a cause. Mine happens to be medium rare.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

jl is always stealing my thunder. I was planning a post on the Lexington Market alleged guns and chips ring, but he had to post a comment first.

Anyway, I know the news headline has to be serious because this is a serious story, but I figure Dining@Large can probably come up with something a little more interesting. I think mine (above) is pretty good.

(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)
        

A lively if sporadic discussion has been going on about favorite foods to serve for Easter dinner under an earlier entry. It seems to me the subject deserves its own post.

I realized I haven't heard from anyone wanting to know the best restaurants to go for Easter brunch this year. And I haven't gotten press releases from restaurants touting their Easter spreads. Usually I get a call or an e-mail or two.

I had heard that nationwide hotels and such were discontinuing their expensive all-you-can-eat brunches except for the holidays. People are preferring to pay for just what they can eat. ...

How did Easter brunch and not Easter dinner get to be the meal to eat out anyway? We always had Easter dinner in my family, almost always lamb, asparagus and new potatoes with some sort of lemon or strawberry dessert.

I told my brother -- Gailor and I will be visiting him in Los Angeles for Easter -- that I would shop and cook for the three of us but no other guests (because I'll be on vacation).

But he's off lamb, he says, and Gailor wouldn't eat it anyway. I countered with a roast chicken, but he thought that would be too plain. Now he's talking filets with a red wine sauce.

Maybe I'll turn over the cooking to him. Or maybe we'll go out.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

We just finished a gourmet-to-go meal, a seafood pasta that I paid too much for but tasted good. However, I'm not very good at reheating gourmet-to-go. The microwave is dangerous, especially if it involves seafood. It's too easy to make the shellfish rubbery. This time the man behind the counter gave me very specific directions, which I followed to the letter.

And they didn't work. ...

I totally get the concept. I hate overcooked seafood, and this he assured me would avoid that. The food would heat but not cook any further.

He told me to preheat the oven to 350 degrees. While it was heating, take the seafood pasta (lobster, shrimp and scallops in garlic butter with linguine, yum) out of its plastic clam shell and put it in a covered dish. Then turn the oven off and stick the pasta dish in. Leave it in there with the oven off for 15 minutes.

I was a little skeptical, but he insisted this technique worked. He called it "dead heat."

So I followed the directions to the letter, and when the pasta came out, it wasn't hot. It wasn't even lukewarm.

I ended up heating our plates very carefully in the microwave, but I think I could make it work next time. I would either a) heat the casserole dish before I put the pasta in it or b) just leave the oven on and cook the dish at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

But if anyone has any better suggestions, I'm open to them. I need a chart that says, "Microwave the gourmet-to-go creamed spinach for 30 seconds and the pork loin with fruit for 45 seconds per plate" or whatever.

I wouldn't be so obsessive about it, but this gourmet-to-go stuff is expensive.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

Midnight Sun Sam has posted an updated entry about Mondo Bondo Bistro in Power Plant Live. Apparently the place wasn't closed by the health department (which gave him the incorrect information), but was just closed when the inspector got there.

Monday through Wednesday Mondo Bondo is only open for lunch, I found out when I called just now. That's why no one answered the phone when Sam called yesterday. 

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I got an e-mail from chowsearch just now, and he mentioned the following in passing. It struck me that the subject would make a good post of its own sometime -- places that unexpectedly have inexpensive, healthful choices.

By the way, had to leave Atwater Kenilworth at lunch yesterday--too noisy to talk, no substitutions, uncomfortable and close seats, little actually healthy, just show-food. Went to the burger place in Kenilworth Bazaar, the pizza shop's spinoff, and they had a half-dozen healthy things, turkey burger, veggie burger, any sandwich available as a wrap, the vegetarian veterinarian lunch companion delighted. What a contrast. And way cheaper.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

I chose Martha Stewart for today's Famous Foodie (One in an Occasional Series) because I actually interviewed her once before she got really, really famous. It must have been in the '80s.

Believe it or not, she came to the Sun to talk about her new entertaining book, I can't remember which one. I interviewed her at my desk.

What I do remember is her sweeping into the newsroom in a mink coat that she told me was her daughter's. She was slim and blond then, and I wanted to say to my deskmate Jack, "Please put your tongue back in your mouth." ...

The weird thing was that Martha and I took an instant dislike to each other. That doesn't happen to me very often, and it was difficult to interview her because of it. Plus I thought her recipes didn't work very well.

I did write another story about her many years later in 2000 -- not a food story, but about the fact that she had become an idol of tweens and why that was. At that point, of course, she was way too famous to be interviewed by me, even over the phone.

(AP Photo/The Martha Stewart Show, Anders Krusberg)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

Professor McIntyre came up with such a good Top 10 Tuesday topic that I think he ought to take over the feature.

Probably that's not going to happen.

Today, boys and girls, we're discussing the Top 10 Greatest Food Sins in the Workplace. Here's my list, compiled with a little help from my friends: ...

1) Eating erzatz butter-flavored popcorn. The smell makes me gag even more than the fish smell. (See No. 2.) For most other people, burning the popcorn is the sin.

2) Reheating fish in the office microwave.

3) Storing the kind of food in your desk that attracts rodents.

4) Leaving an open milk carton/yogurt/other food item in the back of the communal fridge until it's so far past its expire date it starts to smell/mold.

5) Leaving one ice cube in the freezer tray so you won't have to refill it.

6) Stealing someone else's food from the communal fridge.

7) Eating takeout Chinese or Mexican at your desk and then putting the cartons/wrappers in the trash so your co-workers have to put up with the smell for the rest of the afternoon.

8) Not cleaning up after an explosion in the microwave or a spill in the fridge.

9) Talking with a co-worker within earshot of others about what's in the hamburger meat served at your workplace cafeteria.

10) Zucchini dumping: Bringing in your garden's overabundance of zucchini that you've let grow bigger than a man's arm.

(Photo by Lori Shepler/Los Angeles Times)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (73)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Last week one commenter was disappointed in my vacation post on Top 10 Restaurant Closings.

She had been hoping for a list of places where she could eat, drink and see the national title game tonight.

The best I can do is link to an earlier Midnight Sun post. But if anyone wants to post some suggestions below, feel free, especially in terms of good food.

(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

Sometimes an e-mail will just make me laugh out loud, like one I got recently from Andy, which said in part:

Will ya just look at the 2nd to last new menu item at Oriole Park this season?  Lobster corn dogs?  It's bad enough we have to watch the team play but to be subjected to that too?  Sheesh!

I went to Aramark's Web site to check out the complete food offerings and found these: ...

NEW and INNOVATIVE menu items, offerings and promotions

• Monster nachos
• Blazin’ Cajun burger
• Chicken mole burrito
• Buffalo tossed chicken tenders
• Buffalo chicken bites
• Chicken tacos
• All-You-Can-Eat seats

Funny, I don't think I could eat even one seat. Bada-bing!

CLUB LEVEL and SUITE menu items and offerings

• Maryland-style jumbo lump crab cakes
• Maryland crab soup
• Fruit and yogurt parfait
• Tomato and basil salad
• Daily chef’s table in club level and at Pastimes Café
• Local farm-raised rotisserie half chicken with green beans and fresh-baked cornbread
• Homemade, gourmet cupcakes
• Fresh fruit cobbler
• Lobster corn dogs
• Steamed shrimp

I thought the following figures were kind of interesting, especially the ratio of hot dogs to hamburgers. Although considering the weather, this list is probably overly optimistic.

On OPENING DAY, fans are expected to consume

9,200 Hot Dogs
4,500 Pounds of French Fries
3,700 Soft Pretzels
2,600 Orders of Chicken Tenders
1,800 Bags of Peanuts
1,400 Sausage and Pepper Sandwiches
1,300 Orders of Nachos
700 Hamburgers
650 Slices of Pizza
650 Bags of Cotton Candy
375 Bags of Cracker Jack
100 Bags of Popcorn
40 Gallons of Ice Cream

1,400 Bottles of Water
1,500 Gallons of Soda
18,000 Pounds of Ice Used

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

When you saw that I reviewed Frank & Nic's West End Grille near Oriole Park at Camden Yards yesterday, you must have been impressed that I coordinated the review with Opening Day. But it was just serendipitous. I work far enough ahead that I wasn't even thinking about baseball season the night we ate there.

A couple of things I didn't have the space to mention in the review: ...

Like Sullivan's Steakhouse, this restaurant seems to think that it's better to have an address on Pratt Street, even though the entrance is on the cross street. If you're driving east on Pratt looking for it, you could easily miss it. And I did.

Also, if you ask about parking when you call to make reservations, the person who answers the phone may recommend the Hilton parking garage. However, Frank & Nic's doesn't validate. If it's not a game night, you'll find plenty of parking in the block on Pratt before you get to the restaurant.

This seems to me an up-and-coming area. Does it have a trendy new name like Harbor East?  Or do I keep calling it "Near Camden Yards"?

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

Along with all the spring chores I was doing today, I got it into my head to dye Easter eggs. I had a carton of eggs that had somehow slipped past its expire date; and rather than throw them out, I bought a coloring kit at the supermarket, which, of course, cost more than a dozen eggs would have. My life is often like that.

Here was the amazing part: I found myself looking up how to hard-boil an egg. Even though I haven't had to look up a recipe for, say, making hollandaise since I was 12. ...

It shows you how often I eat hard-boiled eggs.

I knew the obvious things: Cooking in enamel or other non-aluminum pan; starting with clean, room temperature eggs. (Washing a raw egg in soapy water is strange.) The most important thing was that the eggs not crack. But I was impatient.

I decided to cover the eggs straight from the fridge in cold water and cook them over low heat for half an hour, never letting the water boil. I suppose it worked. They didn't crack, and they don't seem to be still raw.

I'm not happy with the colors, though. They aren't brilliant enough.

You call that purple?

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

So I finally went to Meridian 54 (formerly Red Fish, Le Bistro Midi and Weber's on Boston) in Canton and had a nice meal. I wrote up my review and turned it in.

My editor read it and thought maybe I should give the food 3 stars instead of 2 1/2 based on my description. I read it again and agreed, although I had said I thought the accompaniments were better than the entrees, but so complicated (different ones for each of 13 entrees), I didn't see how it was cost effective when the place had so few dining room customers.

Why am I telling you all this a week in advance? ...

Because when I talked to the photographer, who took some mighty fine photos, she casually asked if I knew the chef had only started last Sunday.

Uh, no.

I called the restaurant and spoke to the new chef, Tom Friend. He wasn't changing the menu much, he told me, just having the sides "something more universal" because the place had been losing money on them. He also wants to have specials, which the former chef didn't -- mostly "fresh catch" items. The offerings will become more Mediterranean. Every day there will be one Greek, one Italian and one American special available.

The dishes he mentioned were grilled rockfish, chicken Chesapeake, fish and chips, and boneless lamb with roast potatoes. 

My guess is that most folks were ordering the sandwiches, pizza, dinner salads and sliders anyway, so that some of the fine-dining aspects of Meridian 54 are going to disappear. But no one is exactly saying that.

Yet another review bites the dust. I don't have time before I leave for LA next Friday to rush out and do another one, so no review next Sunday. But I will use Barb's very nice photos and discuss the changes at Meridian 54 in Table Talk. Not this Wednesday's Table Talk, because my deadline for it was Thursday, but the Table Talk that will appear in the Wednesday, April 15 Taste section.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Review Preview
        

I'm always happy to get nominations for Comment of the Week, but this is the first time any one has gotten several votes. Michael A. Gray made it under My Favorite Wine Blog.

When I read certain reviews, I must confess that I feel sorta' stupid. Two of my guilty pleasures in this world are wine and cigars and I can't even describe them properly. When I drink a glass of wine, I don't get blueberries, strawberries, kumquats, beetroot, fennel, cocoa butter or old leather. If it's a red wine, it tastes sorta' reddish to me and if it's a white, the flavor's on the white side. Okay, I can tell the difference between a Beaujolais and a Maneshiewitz Concord Grape. But that hardly suggests a sophisticated palate. When it comes to cigars, it's even worse. No cedar, loam, chocolate, pumice, fire-roasted chestnuts or once again, old leather. What comes through, loud and clear (I'm embarassed to admit) is smoke. And if you ask me to review a $10 hand-made Robusto, the best I can tell you is "it tastes pretty good. Sorta' deep and...I dunno'...hearty." I really envy the people who discover juniper berries, charcoal and just a hint of maple sap in a bunch of rolled tobacco leaves. Or pick up the tang of anchovy paste and jicama in a Pinot Noir. ...

Remarkably, this week we also had a Link of the Week:

I have the perfect side order for these comments: link

Posted by: Bob UU | April 2, 2009 10:35 AM

And while I'm giving out random awards, how about Comment That Made Me Laugh Out Loud of the Week:

Ok, my second theory is that United simply cancels flights that aren't full. EL

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

I wasn't sure it would happen, but Velleggia's Italian Seafood, once one of the classic Little Italy restaurants, is reopening -- on Water Street. Not only that, but to keep up with the times, it has an "organic" menu as well as a regular one. Odd.

Owl Meat, our Little Italy correspondent, has been keeping us abreast of the Velleggia's goings on almost from the beginning of Dining@Large. Thanks for the update, Owlie.

(Photo courtesy of Velleggia's Web site)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal ran a story called "Bar Wars" about fancy New York restaurants turning their upscale dining rooms into lounges and glorified bars.

"While consumer spending at restaurants is falling precipitously, drink orders, particularly for cheaper drinks like beer, are barely dropping off," the story says. "For restaurants, it's now proving more cost-effective to serve lower-priced dishes that diners can munch on as they buy drinks." ...

I can't think of any examples of that in Baltimore yet; but, of course, we don't have many restaurants like Thomas Keller's Per Se in Manhattan, which until recently served only a nine-course prix fixe menu for $275 at dinnertime.

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

How's this for a Quote of the Day from an annoyed owner of a restaurant I'm not going to name so his chef doesn't walk out on him during the dinner hour in case you're eating there tonight?

"I'm the one who created the menu. I'm the one running the restaurant. The chef is just the egotistical figurehead in the kitchen."

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

While regulars have slowed down in their suggestions for Top 10 Tuesday -- the monster I am personally responsible for creating, I know (actually it was Gailor's suggestion) -- I'm still getting e-mails suggesting topics. I probably have the print edition to thank for that.

Cheryl, for instance, would like a Top 10 of places for a wedding reception or other large event.

However, the one that might be most fun for next week is one from Mr. McIntyre: The Top 10 Greatest Food Sins in the Workplace. ...

They are already springing to mind, although I want to know what yours are first.

I can already hear the flak I'm going to get for this one. "Why are you always so NEGATIVE? I want a list of GOOD RESTAURANTS AND BARS where I can get a FABULOUS DINNER for under $15." (Well, so do I.)

As usual, I'm open to other suggestions until I have to sit down Monday and actually come up with the list.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

I view it as a sign of the times that yesterday I received a voice mail message from a chef/owner asking for a review of his newish restaurant, and not one but two e-mails from owners of restaurants that have been around awhile who want to be reviewed again.

I have occasionally heard from small, out-of-the-way restaurants asking for a review just because any publicity is better than none; but I don't remember ever having an owner of an established restaurant request one. To have three requests in the same day is remarkable.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

...and you only get it IF you win the Masters. Of course, this is coming from someone, me, who loves food and doesn't consider golf a sport. (Bucky's definition of sport is considerably broader. If you can drink beer while you do it, it isn't a sport.) With what might be the best Bucky's World yet, here's our Friday guest poster. EL

I spent some time figuring it out this past weekend, and according to my calculations, I’ve spent almost eight years of my life either playing golf or fly fishing.

The remaining years I’ve just frittered away.

Golf season starts for me the first full weekend in April, when the beauty and grace of azaleas and dogwood in full bloom are juxtaposed against the roar of the crowd on Amen Corner.

The golf season starts with the Masters Invitational, no matter how many rounds I’ve managed to play in the preceding couple of months, and the Masters Invitational begins next Thursday. ...

Masters Week, however, begins on Tuesday night when last year’s Masters champion hosts the Champions Dinner for past winners and a few, select honored guests.  (I myself have never been invited.)  Not only does he host the dinner, he also selects the menu.

When Tiger Woods hosted his first Champions Dinner in 1998, the menu was cheeseburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries, milkshakes.  By the time Tiger hosted his next dinner in 2002, he had won several million dollars in prize money and signed significant endorsement contracts. His tastes had changed accordingly.  The menu was Porterhouse steaks (and chicken for the more health conscious) with sushi appetizer.

Most champions select a menu that reflects who they are.  Ben Crenshaw, who was born in Austin, Texas, and played college golf for the Longhorns, selected barbecued beef, chicken, ribs and pulled pork for his dinner in 1996.

Nick Faldo, three-time winner of the Masters and a Brit, selected Shepherd's Pie (1990), steak and kidney pie (1991) and fish and chips (1997).  Sandy Lyle, the only Scotsman to have won the Masters, served haggis, mashed potatoes and mashed turnips for his dinner.  Had he ever won another Masters, the Champions Dinner might have been cancelled.  He didn’t.

Mike Weir, the only Canadian winner, served caribou, wild boar and Arctic char. 

The menu that I think would likely most impress the Sandbox?  Vijay Singh hosted the 2001 dinner. The menu was seafood tom kah, chicken panang curry, baked sea scallops with garlic sauce, rack of lamb with yellow kari sauce, baked Chilean sea bass with three-flavor chili sauce and lychee sorbet. 

Imagining that the Sandbox had, say, a “Commenter of the Week Dinner” and because of the exceedingly insightful comment you made last Friday, you got to select the menu for tonight’s soiree, what would it be?  (Remember, it should in some way reflect who you are.)  

(AP photo)   

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

Among a thousand e-mails, I found this one from Sherrie when I got back:

Hi Elizabeth,

I read your column weekly and appreciate your opinion on dining options. 

Here is my question:

Where is a good place for a group (5) of  women in their 40's to go for a fun night out with good food, drink and atmosphere? 

At first I thought it was too broad a question to answer without knowing more about the kinds of foods they liked, the amount they were willing to pay, and where they lived. ...

But the more I thought about it, maybe there are some general parameters I ought to be considering.

For instance, and I know this doesn't apply to Sherrie and her friends, sometimes a group of women partying together can have a few drinks and get loud, really loud. I've been part of a group like that myself. But this is too small a group to suggest a private room. So would a restaurant that's loud to begin with be a good suggestion?

Are there restaurants in town where a group of women in their forties would feel more comfortable, or less comfortable? Would Sullivan's be a good place -- or would the waitresses in miniskirts and fishnet stockings put them off?

Anybody have any restaurants to suggest where you've been part of this kind of group and had a good time (or for that matter, enviously watched a group like this having a good time) before I write Sherrie back?

Also, feel free to guess the restaurant pictured, one I might suggest to her.

(Kenneth Lam/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

Elevation Burger opened this week in Harbor East after so many delays people were beginning to wonder if it was ever going to happen.

Elevation, in case you've never heard of it, is the eco-version of a burger joint. The meat is organic, from grass-fed, free-range cows, and the fries are fried in olive oil. The ice cream for the milkshakes is hand-scooped.

You get the idea.

I haven't been yet, but Andy, our Harbor East correspondent,  had this to say: ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

In today's paper, Other Reviewer Richard tells us about Famous Yakitori One, a new Japanese restaurant in lower Charles Village. It sounds like just the kind of place that could do very well these days.

Meanwhile, Rob Kasper got takeout from Spicy Garden, a new Indian restaurant in Catonsville. His Best Bite: Tomato utappam, $6, a savory rice pancake with tomatoes and chilies, served with green chutney.

(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Owl Meat has been with us only sporadically the last couple of weeks because of internet connection woes. (We all feel your pain, Owlie.) So you can imagine my delight when I opened my inbox this morning and found a fantastic Funtastic Thursday waiting for me. Here's the Owl Man. EL

This week's topic was suggested by gal pal Christa.  In some recent culinary collaborations, she was startled and/or appalled by my lack of boundaries when it came to mixing ingredients and techniques from different countries. 

My recent discovery of the most awesome sandwich, the kielbasa on steamed and grilled Tandoori naan with Thai sriracha sauce is a good example.  It's all about the extra texture.  Don't even ask about the peanut butter, sesame and bacon sauce for cold noodles.  You know you want it. ...
 

Potato slices fried in raw sesame oil with grated ginger, white pepper, and mushroom soy sauce?  Why not!?  

Dutch cocoa with Chinese five-spice powder, a dollop of pumpkin puree, and a little coconut milk for brunchfest?  Hell, yeah. 

Cucumber slices marinated in rice vinegar with dashi, fleur de sel and saffron?  You betcha.  
 
This whole fusion thing has been going on in restaurants for a long time, and I wonder where it will end.  It reminds me of the Chinese-German restaurant – you leave feeling full but then an hour later you're hungry to take over the world again.  
 
Are there any fusion concepts that you really want to see?  Any that you are glad have come and gone.  I loved the (Purple) Orchid when it was still around.
 
Personally I love the spices of Indian food but am not thrilled with the overcooked vegetables and meat.   I love to make my own crazy variations of Indian spices and non-Indian ingredients.  Curried duck?  Yes.  Cheeseburger vindaloo?  Oh, yeah.  Roast pork curry?  Bring it.
 
It's a brave new beautiful world, groms and gromettes. Mix and match whatever you like.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

I got back last night -- wow, are all flights this full these days? Or is it just between Baltimore and Chicago? Anyway, I'm looking forward to the perfect cup of tea this morning with breakfast.

MD Canon once suggested that as a post -- a good suggestion, just not one I had gotten around to. I brew loose tea at home, but I've found when drinking out (if that's how you say it) and given the choice, it's safest to ask for a tea bag. ...

I've heard that many tea bags are made with the "dust," the lowest grade of tea. But I'd rather have a fresh bag than loose tea that's lost its flavor, which is what I often get when I order tea out.

I'm not talking about places around here, so don't get all excited. I rarely have tea in a coffee house or restaurant when I'm home because I usually drink it just for breakfast.

In my household, we don't do anything complicated, and we always get a great cup of tea. We heat a pottery tea pot, put some loose Twinings Irish Breakfast in it, and pour boiling water over it. In five minutes it's ready.

My other breakfast tea is Lapsang Souchong, although I don't have it much anymore for some reason. Hu-Kwa is my favorite, mostly because my great aunt used to save the distinctive tins. I remember as a little girl being fascinated by the row after row of them on her pantry shelf.

Mmmm...I'm getting thirsty.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (19)
        

Today's Table Talk column features the new Maruha Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar in Columbia. I thought Japanese steakhouses had run their course in this area, but apparently not.

You know about the second item in the column if you read this blog regularly; it discusses the Restaurant Association of Maryland Awards.

The third item is one I wanted to make sure you read. I really took to the owner of the new Sweet Tooth Dessert Shop near the Hollins Market when I talked to him on the phone to find out about the place. I hope people get out there and support it.

By the way, no Top 10: The Print Edition today. There wasn't room. 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

After nursing an envy for going on 10 years, I’m seriously considering growing my own tea.

The envy arose when a potter told me one hasn’t had a really great cup of tea until one has had tea brewed with leaves fresh plucked from the shrub. If any of you travelers can verify that assertion, please do.

What bothers me about the envy is that I’m not an especially enthusiastic tea drinker. I envy the potter’s bragging rights, I think, more than his lucky palate. Factoid: Properly built teapots (strict rules apply) can bring the potter an amazing amount of money for a single specimen.

Anyway, a packet of 10 camellia sinensis seeds costs $4.17 at the Seedrack . (“HOT seller.”) From what I can tell, Carroll County might just squeak into the plant’s acceptable growing zone. (Any wisdom on this detail will also be most appreciated, though I will be anything but deterred if I’m told “it can’t be done here”.) I may try growing two or three indoors just to be on the safe side.

As I understand it, a plant must be three years old before its leaves are ready to be harvested. I'd hate to wait all that time just to be disappointed by an exceptionally harsh winter 2012.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

No, no tricks here. (As far as I know.) I just got several e-mails connected to April Fools Day and thought I would bundle them into one post.

First of all, Bucky (who else?) has informed me that April 1 kicks off National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Month. Gee, I wonder who came up with that idea?

I don't know. I could swallow, no pun intended, a National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, maybe even a National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Week, but a month? That's pushing it. Although we did do a Top 10 on grilled cheese sandwiches once.

If you plan to celebrate, though, please feel free to tell us about it. 

On to more serious subjects. Here are a couple of good causes going on today: ... 

I got this e-mail from Pigtown:

A friend and I have created a blogger action day... called "April Food Day" to bring awareness to the issue of hunger in America. You have such a large and varied readership, I was hoping that you could post [a] link to the April Food Day site. We're asking that people make a contribution to either their local food bank, or the national food bank, Feeding America. Maryland Food Bank is an affiliate of Feeding America.

Also I hear that today from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Sofi's Crepes next to the Charles Theatre will be offering either savory crepes or sweet crepes and a drink for $5. There will be live music as well. All the proceeds will go to Pet Rescue of Maryland.

Then, finally, a new Web sit launches today, the Dregs Report. It provides links to funny stories and blogs on various sites.

"A massive onslaught of wine comedy" is how the e-mail described it.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (74)
        

But I have been noticing a lot of requests for outdoor seating recently. I was thinking Baltimore was getting to be a more cosmopolitan city, but then I got this nice e-mail back from Douglas Paige of the city liquor board, who has commented on this blog more than once: ...

Hi Elizabeth,

...you are right!  Businesses are asking for outdoor table service to accommodate patrons who smoke.  What has happened, the law says “no loitering within 100 feet of an establishment.  With outdoor service it’s not considered loitering.  It is not a separate license…they must have zoning approval and then a hearing before this Board and it’s added to the existing license.

Sigh.


(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)