I like the "People Might Come to Blows Over" headline better, especially right after the Preakness. It is also a little broader, and could include restaurants like Joss Cafe (do they have ties to Kawasaki, is it moral to eat there?) or vegan food (is it edible, are vegans mostly insufferably smug and arrogant?). Oh, and any place that serves foie gras. I think any restaurant that has been firebombed or had people arrested out front is a shoe in.

Any discussion of who has the best crab cakes is going to be a goldmine for this, too. Possibly pit beef, too.

Unfortunately, I'm useless for restaurant suggestions. I think Samos, Three... and Pazo are over-rated from my experiences at them, but those aren't exactly places that people get passionate about. I am passionate about how great Isabella's, Chicken Rico and DiPasquale's (Highlandtown) are, but those aren't exactly controversial picks for awesomeness.

How about "Top Ten 'Tastes Great! 'Less filling!' " restaurants...

My vote would be for Hunan Manor in Columbia. Some people love it, but the three times we went (spread out over a year or so), it was really pretty bad.

#1 Phillips, loved it in the 70's, absolutely hate it now.

#2 Burkes, I love that dirty old dive, best onion rings in the world

#3 Pazo, hate it, dress code is a big pole up your butt

#4 Haussners, love it and in my mind it's still there.

#5 Prime Rib, love it, best steak house in the city

#6 Mortons, hate it, no real reason just do.

#7 Blue moon, love it, damn now I want waffles

#8 Bertha's, hate it, gritty mussles, not only do the mussles need a bath, so does the interior.

#9 Pazza luna, love it, my favorite italian restaurant is not in li'l it'ly

#10 Woodberry kitchen, hate it, whats with the cafeteria letter board? feels like a bus stop in there.

Phillip's Seafood in Harborplace. Largely dismissed by locals as inauthentic and not very delicious, but a thriving and favorite tourist spot for those who really don't know an authentic Baltimore crabcake.

I think it's just Hampden in general. Golden West, Cafe Hon, Holy Frijoles and Rocket to Venus. People love them or hate them.

Golden: Great variety of delicious food or a hipster fashion show with too many rules printed right on the menu?

Hon: Overpriced kitsch or the perfect place to take a visiting relative?

Frijoles: The greatest or worst Mexican ever? (Most agree the drinks are good.)

Rocket: Foodie heaven (some good special dishes) or awkward hipster haven?

How about Culinary Divide.

And yes, I meant restaurants that are loved or hated with no room in the middle, kind of like Sarah Palin.

Bertha's kind of fits this "definition" for me. I've always had good food there, Love maybe a too strong description but I thorughly enjoy the lime sesame dressing and their take on paella. It also harkens me back to some of my "mispent youth". I always prefer to sit in the small "back room"..the original restaurant.

Top 10 Fight Starters
Top 10 Most Divisive
Top 10 Controversial

And yes, I agree about Golden West. Also, Cheesecake Factory seems to fit as well.

Cheesecake Factory is an excellent example. EL

Oh, yeah. Forgot about Holy Frijoles. Horrible food, overpriced, service sucked, too. None too clean, either. Yet friends continue to tell me it is awesome and cheap.

No, the Mexican food in my neighbourhood is awesome and cheap. And authentic, which Holy Frijokes isn't.

I second the over-rated for Cafe Hon. I've never loved my meal there, and it has always seemed pricey.

I think there are some haters on El Salto - that the salsa is just runny tomatoes is a critique I've heard - but my fellow and I love it (both north and south). A great bonus when we have to head to the county to run errands.

I think this is a terrible idea.

I think this is the best idea ever

I dont think a place like Phillips is that controversial. It's prety much a consensus for most people who live in the Baltimore area that Phillips is a tourist trap with lousy food.

As for places who spark disagreements, my list includes the following five establishments:

1.) G&M for crabcakes. Simply put, some people love them, some people hate them. the people that love them swear by them, and the people who hate them really despise them.

2.) Obrycki's. I am of the school of thought that they have turned into another "Phillips", a tourist trap with mediocre quality food, while their crabs are undersized and over priced. But I've heard form others who still swear by it and have been going there for years and years.

3.) Sabatinos is another that gets some heated disagreements. There are old schol diners who still frequent the palce and enhoy their simple dishes, large portions, and salads made with iceberg lettuce. But the "restaurant snobs" out there despise it because it's not fancy enough for their palate and look down on its "spagatti & meatballs" attributes. It's not Sotto Sopra or Chingale and doesn't have a fancy wine bar.

4.) The Oregon Grill. They have their fanbase, that's for sure. The suburban country club and horse farm crowd sure like to go there to be seen. But I've also heard from so many people out there that while the food is pretty good, it's just way too overpriced and frankly not worth the money for what you get.

5.) Jimmy's Diner in Fells Point. There are loyalists. It's the place where all the local Democratic politicians like to bring their presidential candidates or other national political loominaries for breakfast to "eat with the working folk" while they pose in front of the TV cameras and try to score brownie poits. But many others simply find the place nothing more than ordinary,

Restaurants that Ruin Marriages

Funny that people mention Holy Frijole's. Even though I think Golden West is terrible, I feel the opposite about Holy's. But I don't go there expecting Mexican food. I go expecting southwestern food, which is distinctly different. And in the 9 years I've been going, I've never once had bad service. I know, they've been around way longer, but I've only been in Baltimore for 9 years. Anyway, anytime I go to a "Mexican" restaurant, I don't expect to get anything authentic, so maybe that helps. To me, nachos, big fat overstuffed burritos, and chimichangas are all American food at this point.

How about G&M? Always packed and when we've taken out of town guests there, they've loved the crab cakes. Then I look at the brickbats other posters toss at G&M, and I wonder if we're talking about the same restaurant.

People seem to hate birches, but I've never had a bad experience there. Sure, they have thier rules, and lack of servers, but if you expect it, it's not a big deal.

Sababtinos has to be in there. I have heard their food described as great and disgusting. No common ground there.

How about:

I love you, I hate you

Spoon me, fork you

It was the best of thyme, it was the worst of thyme

The agony and the ecstasy

How about buffets or smorgasboard restaurants. I have never been a fan of these.

bob ... just bob

Cool

For me, I loved the G&M crabcake but hated EVERYTHING ELSE.

Stale bread, yucky slaw, even the fries (and I can enjoy some bad fries) were barely edible.

Woodberry I do love, but I hate that every other smug person does too... yeah I dunno what to make of the specials board either.

abelard, you sound conflicted.

die zombie die -- you just said a mouthful.

Divorce a la carte

Donny B,

I went to Sotta Sopra for the first time last Saturday. It was horrible! I even called the restaurant on Sunday and complained, which is something I have never done in my life. I'd go to Sab's over Sotta Sopra any day of the week.

Yeah, I would throw Matthew's Pizza in there as well. they have this cultish-like following. I hear people gush on and on about how great it is, but I've tried it several times and found it to be overrated. Don;t get me wrong, it wasn't horrible. i'd rate it at about average. It's nothing like authentic Chicago deep dish pie.

I would have to agree with the other posters about G&M and Sabatino's.

Dr. Acula nailed it by saying that there's people generally either think their food is horrible, or fantastic. Everyone I know that's been to Sabs has been on either one extreme or the other .

If I could throw one more out there--The Corner Stable. Most overrated rib joint I've ever been to in my life. The ribs taste like they're days old and re-heated. Yert you always hear about how it;s a "must try" if you're looking for ribs.

Matthew's Pizza is a good one. I think it pre-dates Chicago deep dish pizza, but it is still only meh.

Gotta go with Sabatino's. It frequently wins "Best Italian" in reader polls, but it is absolutely scorned by most foodies (while Chiapparelli's often gets a pass, which I've never understood.) Personally, I love some things they do (bookmaker's salad, amazing garlic bread, fettucine alfredo) while others are just a mess. And the wine situation is a throwback to the bad old days.

Petit Louis. I love the place, but lots of my friends are put off by the noise, the tight table spacing and some of the small portions.

Speaking of ribs. I had some from Big Bad Wolf and the seasoning tastes like stale bong water. Weird and not so pleasant. What kind of spice tastes like burnt weed?

Talk about going down hill I heard that Veleggia's dug it's crazy undead hand up from the dirt zombie-style and is now open somewhere else as Veleggia's Italian Seafood Restaurant of Little Italy at the Inner Harbor on Water Street. Catchy. VISROLIATIH(OWS). I wonder if they are still celebrating their 70th anniversary with $7.70 Veel parmijohn and skrimp slampi? I think there's an up-charge for loobster or crib cakes?

Mo's Pasta and Seafood just off Eastern Ave. (door is on Albermarle). Fried everything, shootings, stabbings, and "guests" who then pee on my sidewalk. (literally). Even walking past it at night the smell is gag-inducing.

But they pack in "guests" by the busload from hotels. Somebody please explain this to me?

Based on numerous discussions on this site, I'd have to (sadly) nominate the Helmand! I seem to be constantly defending the place. I don't think that its frequency on Top 10 lists, Bests of Baltimore, etc should exclude it.

Re: The Helmand:

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/2009/02/inexpensive_romantic_restauran.html

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/2008/11/why_does_the_helmand_get_all_t_1.html

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/blog/2008/11/friday_morning_quarterbacking.html

Etc...

The Corner Stable...I hated it but so many people love it.

Dr. Acula = Scrubs fan?

FLIRV - On my very first visit to Baltimore we stayed at the Radisson in Robert's neighborhood. We asked the concierge for a "Baltimore" restaurant and Moe's is where we were taken. That dinner almost convinced us not to move here!

Holy Frijole's is definitely not Mexican and it's not Tex-Mex either. I don't know what it is exactly. I mostly go there to drink and munch on some stale chips and (quite good) salsa.

When you put some steak and cheese together in a tortilla it can taste pretty good. But, yeah, I wouldn't necessarily call it Mexican.

Top Ten Restaurants: Hot or Not?

OK, I gotta comment on Mathews. To this day, it is the best pizza I've ever eaten, but there is something you need to know when you order their pizza. You must order the GRATED cheese topping and not the melted cheese topping. It makes a big difference. I am not a fan of the melted cheese topping, but the grated cheese topping pizza is not to be topped.

NEPA-

I'm glad you reconsidered. Moe's aside, Baltimore has alot going for it.

I would agree that the Corner Stable belongs on this list. Possibly the worst pit beef in Maryland, limp fries, and ribs that do taste reheated. Still packed.

It's Mo's short for Mohammed's, because when I think seafood and pasta I think Iranian.

I used to know a sushi chef from Nepal. Was it Raj? I'll bet he's around town somewhere. Anyway it always cracked me up because Nepal? No oceans there. But when we want a sushi chef any Asian is fine with us. I think that's what I would call positive racism which is of course negative because when you are selectively inclusive you are therefore passively exclusive.

Lions and tigers and bears oh my

Ixia and its cousin Papermoon. Are they cool and funky or precious and overwrought?

Here's another vote for the ordinariness of Matthew's Pizza. The burned garlic doesn't help. Or maybe they use tons of garlic powder which gives it that nasty taste?

One's opinion on Ixia/Papermoon depends on which forum you are discussing them. They certainly have been landmark places in town. But their attitudes are not accidental. Or nice.

NEPA - I used to work in one of the downtown Baltimore hotels and I can tell you all of the concierges recommend Mo's because that restaurant has a courtesy van to pick you up..

Not just Sabatino's, but all of Little Italy belongs on the list. Just do a quick Chowhound search and you'll see what I mean. And I have to disagree with Chiaperelli's getting a "pass" from "foodies." (Christ I hate that word.) Chiaperelli's gets slammed just as much as the rest of them.

All of LI is the same as Sabs? I think not.

I send everybody worthy to Rocco's Capriccio. (I hear great things about Aldo's but I've never been there and it's a big jump in price) I love the fish at Rocco's and the rack of lamb and the filet is even BG praise-worthy (it's delicious). The clams appetizer is amazing, just a perfect combination of flavors. It's called vongole marinara but this isn't your standard leaden marinara, you taste the individual flavors of the plum tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. It's fresh marinara. They mix perfectly with the little clams, It's a flavorgasm.

They make their own fresh mozzarella. Rocco cures his own salmon with salt and herbs. I had genuine homemade pasta there. The last time I was there I had the most amazing mushroom ravioli. Amazing because the mushroom flavor really jumped out like I've never had before. I told them how much we liked them and they said they were a little different and they woulod probably do them like that from now on.

You really don't hear about them much, but they have regular customers that are fanatical, coming back year after year. Oh my god, I had the best cod there once. Cod? You think, how good could cod be? Super awesome good if you get it from Portugal and overnight it FedEx from the docks and get it the same day because of time zone trickery. This was fantastic. I guess the flavor is different in the warmer waters. Lately they have a red snapper in this tarragon sauce that just blows my mind, the sauce is perfect. Chef Rocco won't tell me how to make it either! It's the kind of place that people always say they are looking for: a small family run place. The food is made by someone who is passionate about food in the same way that I am, except that he has actual skills. Chef Rocco has a reputation for rejecting produce and fish deliveries if they aren't up to his standards. That's the kind of chef you want cooking for you.

Marion--thanks--how does it work? Do concierges send people mostly to places with pickup? Do local restaurants offer money, meals, points or favors for referrals?

Owl, you're preaching to the choir with me. I like a number of Little Italy restaurants for a number of different reasons, and have had no shortage of lovely and tasty meals there. My point was that "Little Italy" itself, rather than just individual restaurants, is very divisive. Some love it, some hate it. If I had a nickel for every time someone posted to Chowhound for a Little Italy rec and got the reply to "avoid it like the plague, nothing good there, tourist trap red sauce" etc. etc. etc. I'd be rich.

I hate Bill Batemans in Towson and Holy Friholes.

Yes ET. I didn't mean to attack you. Considering your fondness for octopus, I wouldn't want to treat you badly. mmm... octopus.

I know that perception of LI well. It's true of SOME places. I live here so I'm not going to say anything bad about any place, but I will say that there is a perception of the neighborhood that is dominated by certain few places. I've said too much. I think that when having a bad experience in one place, people generalize to the whole area. I think the food was more homogenious when I first came here. The first time I went to a long-established LI restaurant I was appalled by what they called Italian food. There is a certain Baltimore style of Italian food that is so American that it seemed absurd to me. Does that make sense?

By contrast when I first ate at Rocco's I said, "Hey this reminds me of food I had in Italy".

Diamond Bob, Matthew's isn't supposed to be like Chicago Deep Dish pizza, it's its own thing.

If I don't mention a restaurant in LI as being good it doesn't mean that I don't like it. To be honest, I probably know less about some of the places than many others.

After living here for years I have so little interest in Italian food. I wake up smelling garlic and onions from across the street. My idea of going out is going somewhere more than two blocks from my house and having whatever the opposite of Italian food is – sushi, Thai, Cambodian fondue, whatever.

I have never gotten the whole, "You've got to go to Faidley's for a crab cake" thing. I can make better at home.

Some people, many many people, can't enjoy anything unless it is sanctioned with the seal of approval of the Crowd.

Feelin' good in the neighborhood!

Ooo, I feel a period of intense crankiness coming on.

Hey Baltimoron....How can you hate Woodberry? That restaurant not only holds up in Baltimore, but would make it in any major city in this country.

Oh dear. Owl, you are using your escape from happiness clause already?

C'mon dude, forget your troubles, c'mon get happy! happy days are here again! and, I knew (I knew I knew I knew) she could make me happy (happy happy)!

Alonso's celebrated one-pound hamburger probably rates a mention. To some, it's a tasty challenge to carnivores, the ultimate in burger indulgence. To others, it's simply too much mediocre ground beef to enjoy. Or finish.

Owlie

As soon as I saw a restaurant review by you, I knew you must be in some sort of a mood or personality shift.

Michael (A. Gray) I'd forgotten all about Alonso's oversized mediocre dry slab-o-beef. Yes, I've been in many an disagreement over it!

It's been years since I've been to either, but since one has already been mentioned...

Bertha's and Tio Pepe's.

It's been years since I've been to either, but since one has already been mentioned...

...Bertha's and Tio Pepe's.

We used to love Cafe Hon for the first few years, but lately its been overpriced, overcooked (or raw), mediocre food. And on the Sabatino's front, once I ordered Veal Parmesean and it was a veal patty, I never set foot in the restaurant again. And I was never thrilled with it prior to that night. For my money, its La Tavola (they make their own pasta and their soups are to die for) or Germano's.

hon--

I wasn't trying to compare Matthew's to real Chicago deep dish, nor was I suggesting that Matthew's was tryig to be like Chicgao pie.

My point was simply that if I'm going to eat deep dish pie, I prefer authentic Chicago style.

I prefer Chicago style to NY pizza as well, that doesntt mean I'm trying to lump the two together.

But rhe bottom line is that I found Matthew;s to be just ordinary. I've heard pther people say the same, yet they have this cultish following that it;s the greatest thing since sliced bread.

One who worked at the old (real) Alonso's said the big burger was assisted by Hamburger Helper back then. We used to get two sets of buns and cut even the regular burger transversely to make two. Haven't felt like eating there since they cut the bar in half and Vince the great bartender went on to the insurance, ice cream and TSA realms.

I had the Alonzo's burger a few moths ago, and mine was as juicy as can be. That said, I highly oubt it was a full lb.

Frankly, IU hate what Alonzo's has become. The place is way too yuppified. To me, it's NOT Alonzo's anymore. They changed everything else, why not change the name as well?

Give me the dark room, square bar, club-basement wood panneling, any day of the week. It was a great place to go before or after Orioles and Colts games at Memorial Stadium.

Now the place is half the size it once was and if the group I was with didn;t insist on eating there that night, I wouldn't have gone.

I feel compelled to nominate Nacho Mama's in this catagory. I love the place, but I can't find another soul that can even tolerate it. I have to resort to carryout to get my fix since I'm too shy to fight for a table or barstool alone.

Joel-

I totally agree with your nomination of Tio Pepe's. I went there a couple of months ago and was extremely disappointed with both the food and the service. And according to the other posts, I guess I am one of those people who loves the corner stable (although last time I was there, it wasn't as good as normal) and Nacho Mama’s.

Now I may get some heat for this one, but I am not that impressed with Miss Shirley’s for brunch, well, to be totally honest, I really don't like going there. Unfortunately for me, my boyfriend adores the food, so I am often stuck going. The food is ok, but not worth the price or the wait for the table.

Jen, I'm with you on Miss Shirley's. Way overrated. I'm not sure it counts as divisive though. Divisive implies a marked split in public opinion, whereas I think you and I are in the distinct minority! ....Distinct but correct minority, that is. ;-)

I will add myself to the Miss Shirley's haters!! I do not understand at all why anyone would wait so long for a table there. I mean, the food is fine, but it's not worth the wait or the price, imo. Plus, I hate the interior and how close the tables are together.

Anybody notice an attitude problem with some of the servers at Miss Shirley's?

Speaking of Tio Pepe's, a while back one of the ladies in my office gave me a $50 gift certificate there from 1982. I am curious if they will accept it.

If they do, $50 will make for a nice meal for one, but I have to imagine $50 in 1982 would have purchased quite the feast.

Hey Owl, I was at an event tonight and someone here from DC wanted to know where to eat in LI. On your recommendation I said Rocco's, and she called in the reservation. They are enjoying themselves (ojala') right now. I'll have to try it myself sometime.

Muy bien flaquita. Las comidas son muy saborosas.