Usually my Table Talk column doesn't contain a lot of news that you don't already know if you read this blog regularly, and today is no exception. However, it did prompt Bruce Allen, who I had heard was going to run the kitchen of the new Milan in Little Italy, to e-mail me with this news:

My name is Bruce Allen and  I was originally hired to be the Executive Chef at Milan, as stated in your article today.  However, the owner and I had some differences as to how the restaurant should be run, and we parted ways.  My Executive Sous, a young man, and excellent Chef named Shaun Boas, formerly of Liberatore's and The Elkridge Furnace Inn, has been busy working on the menu, originally created by the owners, to bring something unique to the area.  I wish Shaun luck, he is a great talent and I can't wait to see what he does with it.  In this industry and economy, I hope to find employment locally soon and you will be in to sample my food as well. Thank you for the mention.

Well, I never said the restaurant business wasn't fast-moving. I always feel a little uncomfortable writing a news story when I can't show up at the door of the restaurant and try to get the owners to talk to me. It's so easy for them not to return my phone calls until their restaurants have had their grand opening six months after the true opening and they are ready for publicity. ...

Also check out Rob Kasper today. I hadn't realized he had gone on the sushi tour until I saw his column this morning. The tour was probably a very good idea to spread the word about Towson's sushi restaurants.

As usual, the main reason to check out Top 10 Wednesday is to see if your comment made its way in. Otherwise it's old news for regular blog readers.

(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

You may have noticed my earlier reference to being in Chicago (or more precisely, Evanston) this weekend visiting my daughter. I leave tomorrow. As usual when I take a few vacation days, my posts will be shorter and you will have the extra burden of being witty and informative for me in your comments.

And be especially diligent in posting spam alerts. If I can't find anyone to monitor comments -- my usual victim, Community Coordinator Carla, is in Europe on vacation -- I'll do it, but I won't be checking as often as usual. That means I might miss a spam or two without your help. Of course, I'll eventually read all the comments and answer any questions. ...

To get you started, for my first post of the morning tomorrow I'll tell you about my fabulous new project.

How fabulous is it? Four exclamation points fabulous!!!! So fabulous I know you will be as excited as I am. Or if not, you will roll your eyes and go along with it to help me out.

And they said I didn't have any story ideas left.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Who knew our old friend and Shallow Thought guest poster John Lindner knew how to speak pig Latin? EL

Degustibus carbonara non est disputandum ad hoc tiempo dingus*

And I thought I was arrogant.

Well, I am. But I’m no Guardian. That august organ recently presented the “50 best things to eat and the 50 best places to eat them.”

Case closed… finally.

The article humbled me as it forced me to admit I’m simply not shameless enough to compete in world-class triumphalism. ...

* Arguing about carbonara is a waste of time

It also reminded me of a meal I enjoyed recently at Luigi’s in Washington DC. I ordered the carbonara.

(Token review: Good food, attentive service, cool building, yearn to return, subtract one star for its failure to be located in Baltimore.)

Aside from the first forkful of Luigi’s carbonara, which seemed way too salty –- as in, take it back, shoot the cook, I’ll catch a bite at the Highs on my way home –- the dish was wonderful. I wanted more. However…

Luigi’s isn’t the best carbonara I’ve ever had. Or it is. The best carbonara I’ve had was at the Pasta Tree. Or it wasn’t.

The two restaurants present dishes that are quite different, yet they’re both recognizably carbonara, and I like both. I prefer Pasta Tree’s.

Years after moving too far away to visit Pasta Tree I learned from a Dan Rodricks article that some carbonara recipes don’t include cream. What? (“Maybe butter.” Maybe?)

Driving back home from Luigi’s the shallow thought hit me: What makes a dish the best?

Is there some sort of Platonic recipe ideal that fixes the mark immovable?

Does each dish come with a recipe that clearly and painstakingly lays out the precise steps to achieve bestness?

What, indeed, is the best carbonara? Who makes it? And would my palate recognize it as the best or would it prefer some pretender?

Is there such a thing as “the best macaroni and cheese”?

Is there some place, like the Guardian, where one can find the best and thereby establish a benchmark by which to judge all others?

(Photo: Victor Iglesias courtesy Stock.xchng)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

I was thinking yesterday that everyone and his dog are jumping on the farm-to-table bandwagon. I'm not complaining about the concept, obviously, just the phrase.

Pretty soon to distinguish itself, a restaurant will have to offer only exotic foods using cooking techniques from other continents.

Then I got word of the Toyota Hybrid Farm to Table Tour, one of the stranger things to come out of the current fascination with local and seasonal. ...

I'm still not sure what it involves exactly, but basically big name local chefs will pair up with farmers at the market under the viaduct this Sunday, Oct. 4 from 8 a.m. to noon. Market-goers will get to taste the chefs' creations, made presumably from the ingredients at hand, and learn more about "how to buy and eat seasonally."

I'm not sure how you teach that.

You can also get potted culinary herb plant starts at the Mobile Garden Highlander Hybrid and enter for a chance to win a "unique culinary prize package."

And if you were wondering what the car company gets out of it, "Toyota will also provide interested market goers with the opportunity to take a ride in the 3rd Generation Prius or a 2009 Highlander Hybrid and take home a John Boos cutting board as a thank you gift." A sort of green car dealership experience.

I think it will be more fun and not as silly as I'm making it sound. But if you can't take ribbing, I say don't send me press releases.

And the list of guest chefs is impressive:

Jesse Sandlin of Abacrombie

Chris Paternotte of Taverna Corvino

Patrick Morrow of Ryleigh’s Oyster

Michael Costa of Pazo

Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen

Ben Troast of Regi’s American Bistro

Kiet Philavanh of Pizzazz Tuscan Grille

Sandy Lawler of Feast @ 4 East

Rashad Edwards of Meli Patisserie & Bistro

Brian Martin of Kali’s Court

Bill Crouse of Sotto Sopra

Jason Gehring, pastry chef of Cinghiale

As usual, I can't be there because I stay away from restaurant chefs as much as I can. And also I'll be in Chicago. But I would love to hear what it's like, so I'll try to remember to post a Tell Me on Sunday.

If I forget because of all the fun I'm having, please come back here and post a comment.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
        

I can't believe not one of Dining@Large's 3,060 entries has addressed the sous vide phenomenon. I guess it's sort of crept up on me.

I've been seeing at least a few sous vide dishes on the menus of practically every new restaurant I've reviewed lately, and I just assume readers know what it means when I refer to it. That's probably foolish.

Or maybe Top Chef has educated most of you. ...

But what surprised me most was when I went to the Jack's Bistro Web site yesterday. Jack's is an imaginative but established restaurant. I didn't expect it to be calling itself "Baltimore's only sous vide restaurant!" (They may want to update that.)

The startling thing was that of the nine entrees on the dinner menu, four of them are sous vide dishes.

Sous vide, which is French for "under vacuum," is a method of cooking that's also called, less poetically, Cryovacking. Celebrity chef Thomas Keller is its most famous proponent.

The food is vacuum-sealed in bags and then cooked in a water bath for better heat transfer. The idea is to slow-cook to seal in juices and flavor and cook very evenly. Steaks can then be seared to create the proper exterior.

I think I first started hearing about it around here four years ago or so. Now it's everywhere. But just because everyone is doing it doesn't necessarily mean that everyone knows how to do it right. I'm curious. If you've tried a sous vide dish at a restaurant recently, were you impressed?

Pictured is Bistro Blanc's halibut sous vide, on a bed of asparagus tossed with black garlic and tarragon butter, on a red bell pepper nage, and topped with Parmesan froth.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (36)
        

I changed the name of this Top 10 from "inexpensive" to "affordable" because while some of the suggestions on my list aren't cheap, I consider them bargains. I did try to keep prices for a steak dinner around $25 or under. When you consider that upscale steakhouses charge $30 and $40 just for the beef and then you pay for starches and vegetables, that's something to take into account.

I restricted this list to local restaurants and to steaks -- affordable prime rib will have to be a future Top 10. But my earlier post asking for suggestions mentioned some good chain-restaurant steaks. 

Here's my list in alphabetical order: ...

* Claddagh Pub in Canton. Surf and turf for $14.95: a 3-ounce filet and a 6-ounce crab cake.

* Corks in Federal Hill. On Tuesdays, any of the selections on the steak menu are half-price.

* Donna's at Cross Keys. You don't think of this as a steak place, but the New York strip for $22.95 with broccoli, potato gnocchi and roasted tomatoes is what I often get when I eat there.

* Frank & Nic's West End Grille near the stadium. Our waiter told us that the good steaks are from the same place as Ruth's Chris's steaks are -- at considerably less cost.

* Maisy's downtown. Sunday through Wednesday, the Black Angus New York strip steak is $11.95. Now that's a loss leader.

* Michael's Steak & Lobster House in Bayview. There are several steaks for under $20. The 40-ounce T-bone is $17.95.

* Mt. Washington Tavern in Mount Washington. Tuesday is steak and bake night, while supplies last, for $15.95.

* Pappas in Parkville. Although known for its crab cakes, the special char-broiled steak dinner for $15.95 was what I enjoyed most when I reviewed Pappas.

* Peter's Inn in Fells Point. The 7-ounce filet mignon or 13-ounce New York strip dinner with mashed potatoes, a veggie and "100 percent pure butter" is $25.50.

* Shuckers in Fells Point. The cuts vary, but on Tuesday night you get a steak and two sides for $12.95.

(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Don't forget to vote for our friend John McIntyre's blog You Don't Say in the Mobbies. It's now eligible because it's no longer a Sun blog, and you can vote once a day.

It's in the Misfits category. Hahaha. He worked so hard to keep us on the straight and narrow when he was here.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Anybody know anything about this place? This e-mail I got from Ken in Parkville sounds genuine to me, although I've gotten cynical writing this blog with the shills we get. The subject was Great Lunch:

Driving home from Westminster today, we happened upon a new restaurant on Greenspring Ave. just south of Bonita Ave. At Pollo Paradise, we ordered pulled chicken BBQ with side orders of plantains, green beans and baked beans.  It was truly the best I've ever had in my 55 years.  I read all of your reviews and am usually in agreement with your analysis.  This place is a MUST visit.  Enjoy!

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Remember the sushi tour of Towson that I wrote about in an earlier post? I couldn't go if I wanted to stay anonymous; but Kathy, who has the distinction (anyway, I feel it's a distinction) of being Dining@Large's first commenter, went and wrote about it on her blog.

It must be almost lunchtime. Those rolls sound pretty good to me right now.

(Monica Lopossay/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Yesterday I reviewed the Blue Hill Tavern in Brewers Hill.

I try not to read anything about a restaurant until after I've gone and written my review, but I've been surprised that I haven't heard that much about it. Usually people start asking me if I've reviewed a place about a week after it opens. ...

Anyway, I'll be interested to hear from you if my experience was atypical or if most people have found that it's a place to go for a great burger and an impressive space to eat it in.

Don't forget that it would be a fine stop for coffee and dessert. Blue Hill's desserts are not for the faint of heart -- or for those on a diet.

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

I'm getting cold feet about doing restaurant breads for a Top 10 tomorrow. I'm just not feelin' it.

The fact of the matter is that there aren't going to be any surprises in that list: As Other Reviewer Richard once so famously said, the thing about good restaurants is that they do so many things well.

The good ones know to go to Stone Mill Bakery, Atwaters or Bonaparte to get their bread if they don't make it themselves. ...

So in my desperation I'm casting around for another possibility. One is to steal an idea I saw on Chowhound.

I actually thought I did a post about it already, but I can't find it. This is entry No. 3,055, and I can no longer navigate my way easily through my entries if memory fails. Unless the post has an unusual keyword in it, the search function isn't all that helpful.

In this case, the idea would be to come up with good places to get an inexpensive steak. Of course, "inexpensive" is a relative term; but I'm thinking compared to the upscale steakhouses. I guess if any of them has a deal on a steak dinner, I could include it; but what I really want to do is honor some mid-range restaurants around town have a decent steak for not too much money.

I don't have a price cut-off point. What do you think?

Of course, I'll never beat the $4.99 filet mignon at the Sunset Grille in Ocean City.

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
        

The changes at Alizee in the Inn at the Colonnade have been so major I decided to go see for myself, even though it was reviewed recently. Other Reviewer Richard was there not so long ago when it had a different chef, different owners, a different kind of cusine and a different menu.

The new chef, Christian deLutis, was at the Wine Market in Locust Point and helped make it the success it is. I'll be interested to see what he can do for Alizee. ...

I have to say I was surprised by our meal there. In my head I expected the evening to go a certain way, and it didn't end up being what I expected at all.

Now that I've got your attention, please look for my review in next Sunday's Arts & Entertainment section.

(Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
Categories: Review Preview
        

I got to the market under the viaduct at my usual time this morning, before 7, but because I hadn't been in a couple of weeks, I didn't realize how dark it would be. The rain didn't help, of course.

The guy I bought corn from said it was better than ever if I wanted to buy some to put up. I looked at him in horror. Not on my to-do list. I wonder if strict adherents to the whole local, seasonal thing put up produce. On the one hand, their grandmothers did. On the other hand, it's not eating seasonally. ...

When I complained about how dark it was, the vendor I bought peppers from called the market that early "creepy," but in a good-natured way. She was surrounded with pumpkins, so maybe she was getting in the holiday spirit.

In keeping with the general theme of the morning, the woman picking out all the small Honeycrisp apples faster than I could was doing a running commentary about how the Honeycrisps were gigantic this year because they really liked the conditions.

"The grower down at the Glen Burnie market called them mutants," she confided in me. More importantly, the Honeycrisps, even the giant mutant ones, will all be gone if you don't get down to the market soon this morning.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

Sometimes the Comment of the Week ends up being something that made me laugh out loud. Other times, and this is one of them, the Comment of the Week recognizes a post that puts forward a point of view intelligently. I particularly like to highlight them when they are at the end of the conversation, and readers might have moved on and missed them.

The only problem is that there were several that did that this week. For some reason we've had a lot of intelligent discussions lately. ...

This was under the post Should Little Italy Change?

I see it a little differently. I hope Little Italy doesn't have to change and can sustain itself as a nice little Italian enclave. If the number of shuttered, empty restaurants grow the folks that put up resistance to new ideas should take a second look at the situation or else they might find themselves reminiscing about when almost a third of the lights still worked in the strings of lights that spelled out Little Italy.

I'm glad some folks like Grano [the pasta bar in Hampden], but I've given them a few shots and they fall short big time. They feel like the Olive Garden of the Avenue, minus the never ending breadsticks or bottomless pasta bowl. I think 95 percent of the charm there is the unique atmosphere, and I buy that completely. How they make that arrangement work is quite entertaining and makes it easier to overlook the pasta+sauce business plan. At least it was when they were at the original, small spot. Did they move yet? I'm more looking forward to the Cuban place that will take its place.

Posted by: Bob UU | September 26, 2009 12:02 AM

Robert of Cross Keys also made a good point:

I think what's changed with Little Italy is that it really isn't an Italian-American neighborhood anymore. It is a neighborhood with a lot of Italian restaurants.

Neighborhoods evolve and change. IT would be great if LI was still filled with a combination of people right off the boat from Naples mixing with 2nd and 3rd generation Italian-Americans. Since that isn't the case, if LI isn't allowed to change and grow it will end up, if it is not already there, like an Disney version of an Italian neighborhood. Do we [want] the neighborhood to be like Epcot?

Posted by: Robert of Cross Keys | September 25, 2009 11:40 AM

Of course, I just can't resist the funny ones. This was under the ultralounge post.

"What's the difference between a lounge and an ultralounge? Shinier things?"

Uh, no. Out here in Scottsdale I'd say pricier escorts. Probably the same in MD although I never knew any existed there.

Posted by: Anonymous | September 22, 2009 2:08 PM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

My earlier post on bananas Foster inspired Donna Beth Joy Shapiro to write me about the various ways waiters used to entertain us at the table.

The most obvious one is Caesar salad. When it was the It salad, it was always prepared tableside. The waiter started by breaking a raw egg into a bowl to make the dressing. Just the fact that restaurants don't use raw eggs in their salad dressings anymore meant that had to stop. ...

The chopped salad at Marconi's could very well have been chopped in the kitchen. It was just part of the show.

Danny Dickman, when his restaurant Danny's on N. Charles St. was the fanciest restaurant in town, used to prepare steak Diane at the table.

And there were other showy desserts besides bananas Foster (cherries jubilee and baked alaska come to mind) that involved the waiter.

The reasons these have, for the most part, disappeared aren't all that complicated. As MrRational pointed out under the bananas Foster post, that's asking a lot of today's servers. They come and go; and as a restaurant owner, you have to concentrate on the basics when training someone these days.

But the main reason, I think, isn't a practical one. It's more that these dishes are considered a little passe. After all, it was often the owner, not the server, who did the cooking at the table.

I can think of examples of tableside cooking for entertainment even now.  At Tersiguel's in Ellicott City our waiter prepared the viande du marche, rib eye with demi-glace and bearnaise. But Tersiguel's has a lot of traditional French dishes on its menu.

More common these days is the boning of a whole fish tableside. Or in the case of Real Seafood in Annapolis, the shelling of a lobster. These aren't so much entertainment as just doing the work for the customer and showing that, yes, the fish or shellfish was whole as ordered.

And the most obvious examples of all nowadays, as Donna Beth pointed out, are the hibachi cooking at Japanese steakhouses and, more interesting to me, the preparation of sushi if you sit at the bar.

Now that's entertainment.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

Take a look at the photo Midnight Sun Sam sent me. Note the name of the place that's opening where Mehek used to be at 811 S. Broadway. Now try to guess what kind of food Sam's Kid (no relation to our Sam) will be serving.

Answer below. ...

Here's the e-mail Sam sent me with the picture:

According to the sign, it will be Pan-Asian tapas. Interesting. Bad name, though. Sam's Kid? I guess it's better than 13.5%.

(Photo courtesy of J.M. Giordano)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

I've been thinking about what to do for Rosh Hashanah on the blog. I'm not sure I could write something with any authority, being the great-granddaughter of an Episcopalian bishop of Tennessee although not much of a church-goer myself. But Robert of Cross Keys has really come through for us with his guest post today. I'm just sorry I don't have any photos of the Rosh Hashanah Under the Stars event to post with it. Here's Robert. EL

Last week I went to Oregon Ridge for Rosh Hashanah, which is part religious service and part tailgate. ...

It is casual…very casual.   I wore my normal outfit of khakis and boat shoes, but for many in attendance the attire was yarmulkes and Flacco jerseys.

You have the cantor singing, the rabbi pontificating, about 1,500 kids running around like meshuggenehs, and everyone else is noshing from their picnic baskets. (For those who have already grown tired of all the Yiddish words, don’t worry. As a shaygetz, I’ve already exhausted my knowledge of the language with the exception of those words the Sun won’t publish)

My picnic basket was filled with brisket; yes, more of that Texas brisket that is the pork belly of the bovine world. One might think that I would have reached my fill of fatty, smoked meat for the year.  Surprisingly, I have not.  

I also had various treats from the Euro Deli in Owings Mills.  I went with a duo of salami, the garlicky Jewish and the fatty, Mortadella-like Old Kiev on some black bread with polish butter and Chinese mustard. (Chinese mustard was one of the few condiments I had in small packages.  My other options were McDonald’s ketchup and Arby’s Horsey Sauce.)   

I followed up the meats with a digestive salad.  No, not really.  Well, I did have a salad. It was a beet salad made with mayonnaise, sour cream, raisins and walnuts.  

Next was the cheese course, which was farmer's cheese served with apples and honey.  I’m not sure what kind of farmer's cheese I bought, as the labels were in Cyrillic. I could only make out a percentage on the label, which I assumed was fat content.  Needless to say, I searched out the highest number I could find.

Dessert was a sirki, which is more farmer's cheese but covered in a dark chocolate shell. It is like a York Peppermint Patty, if it were made in Wisconsin.   This confection went surprisingly well with my Rufus Red wine, which tasted like a mix between Mavrodaphne and Manischewitz.

I normally celebrate Rosh Hashanah with the wife each year, but I abstain from participating in Yom Kippur.  After this New Year’s meal, I think the fast might do me good. 

(AP Photo/Larry Crowe)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Megan is looking for a place that has bananas Foster on its menu. The only two restaurants I can think of, and dessert menus can change any time, are Louisiana and Rusty Scupper. Rusty Scupper actually has a bananas Foster station at its Sunday brunch.

I wish I had more than just these two to offer her. If you know of any others, please post below.

The first time I had bananas Foster was at Brennan's in New Orleans when I was a little girl. Of course, they seemed like the most glamorous dessert imaginable. ...

I think almost as important as the bananas and the rum is to have a black-tied waiter creating the dessert at your table, cooking the bananas, brown sugar and butter; pouring on the rum and setting it afire; and arranging the hot, rich concoction over vanilla ice cream.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

Under an earlier post, there was a brief exchange about whether Little Italy needed something different. Does it?

Certainly perceptions are different about the neighborhood these days. When I first moved here, it was universally loved. Now some consider Little Italy as more of a tourist destination than a collection of wonderful family-run, authentic Italian eating places. ...

I still don't think Baltimoreans want Little Italy to change much. There's too much nostalgia tied up in the neighborhood. Maybe some of them go to Cinghiale or another Italian restaurant nearer their homes now -- there are so many more good Italian restaurants out there now than there used to be -- but I bet they like the idea of Little Italy staying just the way it always was.

Of course, as I remember, Little Italy as it was wasn't an expensive place to eat and now, with a few exceptions, it is. No one would mind if that changed.

I'm not sure why people complain about the food. Is it because our horizons have expanded and our tastes have gotten more sophisticated? Still, this is the era of comfort food, and you can't get more comfort food-ish than Little Italy.

Naturally these are broad generalizations about the neighborhood. Little Italy has fine-dining restaurants like Aldo's and places that specialize in regional cooking like Germano's. Amicci's, the cheerful and inexpensive pasta place, gets lots of acclaim. The neighborhood has an Indian restaurant and a tapas bar.

It has changed. But I don't think Baltimore wants it to change anymore, unless to do what it does even better.

Here's the exchange, by the way, under the earlier post about whether the new restaurant and ultralounge Milan will be a good addition to the neighborhood:

The city and little Italy needs something fun and different. Looking forward to checking out a new restaurant that isn't a chain is isn't afraid to try something new. I've heard the menu is supposed to be awesome. Can't wait to try it out!
Posted by: Myr | September 22, 2009 2:46 PM

LI needs something different? Because a neighborhood made up of Italian families and Italian restaurants are too ordinary or something? How about some really trendy Ethiopian places there? Or a very hip martini bar/sushi joint - now that's really different!
Posted by: Joyce W. | September 23, 2009 6:07 AM

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (39)
        

Note to self: Next time there's a pandemic on the horizon, buy stock in Purell.

I just got home from the gym, where they have installed a touchless hand-sanitizing machine next to the water fountain. I discovered this the same day I found one at work near the elevators. I wonder if that means they aren't offering us subsidized flu shots this year.

Has the world gone mad? ...

I have to admit I crossed over to the dark side last night and bought three bottles of Purell with Aloe and Moisturizers. I've been avoiding it because I didn't want to create giant super microbes that future generations would have to deal with. But that was before my brush with death last weekend.

You're on your own, kids.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (18)
        

Even a year ago I would have said that Charleston and the Helmand were the only two restaurants in Baltimore getting national recognition. Now we're going to have to add Woodberry Kitchen to that very short list.

Not only was the restaurant featured in Bon Appetit recently, now Gourmet has recognized it as one of 126 restaurants in the country "worth spending money on," and one of only 11 of them in the Northeast. No other Baltimore restaurants were named. ...

Of course, the editors don't realize that Maryland isn't in the Northeast (it's 85 degrees out there today, guys), which some might say makes their choices a little suspect. But not me.

Here's what Gourmet had to say:

What could be more enticing than a stylishly rustic farm-to-table restaurant in a rehabilitated foundry with a chef named Spike? How about one with a congenial staff, complimentary fizzy water, Joe Strummer quoted on the menu, and a kitchen that makes the most of the region—from pristine Choptank Sweets on the half shell to a plump Chesapeake Bay crab cake paired with kohlrabi slaw. 2010 Clipper Park Rd., Baltimore (410-464-8000; Woodberry Kitchen)

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

We had such good rolls at Blue Hill Tavern the other day, it inspires me to make up a list of the Top 10 Breads in Local Restaurants. (If you can suggest a jazzier title, please do.)

It was a collection of crusty French rolls and whole-wheat-with-raisin rolls, and they came with both butter and olive oil.

Naturally I would love other suggestions of restaurants that have great bread. ...

The bread basket practically disappeared in restaurants when the low-carb craze hit. It seems to be back, but maybe that's my imagination. Of course, these days a lot of places are charging for bread and you have to special-order it.

Makes sense.

I'm sticking it as an afterthought here, but there's actually a separate post to be done on bread etiquette.

First of all, I think a wise restaurant will put bread on the table almost immediately. It keeps the customers quiet if you can't get to them right away. I totally understand the whole waste issue, but at least ask if they want it.

If a lot of people are leaving the bread untouched, then place a roll on their butter plates or do something else to eliminate waste, but give us something.

I realize I'm contradicting myself in an earlier post, when I said filling up in bread was one of the Top 10 mistakes a customer can make.

As for bread etiquette for diners, I've never been able to explain to members of my family why it's OK to use your hands to break off a piece of a loaf and put the rest of the loaf back, if that's how the restaurant is serving it; but it's not OK if the bread comes in slices to break it in half and put the other half of the slice back in the basket when you don't plan to eat it.

At least that's what my Mamma taught me. 

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

Or maybe I should entitle this Whatever Happened to Early-Bird Specials? Remember when many restaurants had a cheaper menu from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. or some such hours? Now I only see them when I visit Florida.

Maybe the concept got so linked with seniors they changed the name. But after I hunted around for early-bird specials on the 'net, I next tried pre-theater menus. No dice. So I have a new theory. ...

Maybe they've been replaced by happy-hour specials because happy hour sounds like a lot more fun.

Still, as I learned from doing the this week's Top 10, these are almost never dinners. Instead they are tapas, small plates and burger-type foods appropriate for eating at the bar. And when you go looking for happy-hour specials at a site like FindMeSpecials.com, the early deals are all mixed in with the other specials.

I don't care. I can't believe the pre-theater or early-bird special is dead, even if it has another name these days. I know I've seen at least one recently, maybe at a place around the harbor.

If you know of any restaurants where you can get a less expensive dinner when you eat before, let's say, 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m., please post below so I can put together the Ultimate Early Bird Special guide. Or maybe I'll call it the Ultimate Pre-Theater Dinner Guide.

Or maybe it will be a Top 10. I could use one of those for next week.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I got a call from someone today who was distraught that Neo Viccino had become a sports bar. She had read about it in my Table Talk column today.

She wasn't upset about the menu change, although I don't think she would go to a sports bar. She wondered if I knew of any other restaurant that provided a shuttle to the Meyerhoff concerts.

I didn't, but if you do, please post below. ...

Other than the details about Turp's, the column is pretty much about subjects we've discussed here already. I try to keep the news in Table Talk and my posts here less, shall we say, factual and substantive; but sometimes the lines get blurred.

Besides my column, today's Taste section also included last week's Top 10, and some of your comments. Actually, quite a few of them this week.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I wrote a "You Be the Critic" post soon after I started this blog 2 1/2 years ago. If you look you'll see I got exactly two responses, one from "Robert" asking if he could submit his expenses to the paper (that had to be RoCK) and one food blogger linking to the reviews on her blog.

Now I have a rapidly evolving feature whose working title is "What I Did on My Summer Vacation" that I didn't even initiate. So far we've heard from Hal Laurent and Retired in Elkridge. Today our guest poster is Mary Roby. EL

My husband and I recently traveled to Dayton, Oh., for the annual meeting of the 345th Bomb Group — WWII pilots, navigators, engineers, and gunners of the famous Mitchell B-25’s who flew in the South Pacific.  My dad, who died 40 years ago, was a navigator; and we were lucky to meet several fellow navigators or pilots who had known him.  We flew to Louisville where we stayed with friends and then drove the balance of the trip in a loop to Dayton and back to Baltimore. ...

Our first night, we walked along the beautiful St. James Court in Old Louisville to Café Amici, where our friend Elliott Irby is a chef.  There we started with some great appetizers, spinach and artichoke dip spiced up with red pepper and crispy three-cheese polenta cakes on a pomodoro sauce.  Clint had traditional lasagna and Elliott accommodated Clint's vegetarian mom by preparing an Alfredo pasta with portabello mushrooms.  I ordered basa, a lightly fried white fish on grilled bread with a delectable dill and caper remoulade.  Amici is a warm and charming restaurant that also has a nice outdoor dining courtyard with iron furniture and lots of blooming flowers. 

The next day, we wandered around in downtown Louisville where we saw an antique motorcycle exhibit at the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft.  The museum had an excellent gallery shop where I recognized the work of some of the artists who come to the ACC show each year.  

Lunch in the outdoor court at the Bristol Grill was next.  I ordered the “Hot Brown,” an open-faced turkey sandwich with bacon and tomato, topped with Mornay sauce, traditional to Louisville, although you can get one at Miss Shirley’s locally. 

We had dinner at the Oriental House, an old-fashioned Chinese restaurant.  We were amazed they offered tasty dim sum items like taro cake as appetizers, and they willingly made moo shu vegetables for Sharon.  Clint ordered General Tso’s chicken which could have used more spice.    

The following day, we again visited downtown Louisville, where we spent some time at Louisville Glassworks.  This is a great place that offers classes and also a glimpse into architectural glass making.  We also stopped at Louisville Stoneware, a place where we’ve made purchases in the past, but found the current offerings expensive and not too interesting. 

There’s a cute café, called The Café, near Louisville Stoneware where we had a fun lunch and where we played with Clint’s new camera and its “food” setting.  After our sandwiches we shared a turtle brownie and a delicious strawberry cupcake (pictured). 

Our last restaurant meal in Louisville was at the Twig and Leaf on Bardstown Road, which sounds a lot more appealing than the actual restaurant turned out to be.  The bacon and eggs breakfast was OK, but there weren’t many customers and the atmosphere was sterile and a bit grim.  Don’t be fooled by the cute neon sign. Skip the Twig and Leaf if you visit Louisville.

We had surprisingly good food in Dayton, which I never thought of as a fine-dining destination.  We stayed downtown near the Oregon Historic District and were able to walk to a couple of good restaurants, Thai 9 and Jay’s Seafood. 

At Thai 9, we shared a spicy noodle dish similar to drunken noodles but with a different noodle shape, and a Thai Beef Salad.  There was a large table near us and our very friendly waiter was arranging drinks for the table that involve sake and beer.  Turns out they are called Sake Bombs and involve dropping a small cup of sake into a beer and chugging the whole thing.  So, there was much merriment all around.  This was a very large restaurant and it was quite full on a Friday night.

The next evening, we happened upon Jay’s Seafood, which had a supper club vibe.  It reminded me of the recent discussion about special nights out with its white table cloths and customers who were rather dressed up.  Jay's was large and had lots of dark wood with many tables but still managed to have an intimate atmosphere.  The restaurant is located in a former grist mill and has a 32-foot mahogany bar.  The menu was traditional and offered the day’s seafood choices (flown in from various cities) prepared in a variety of ways. 

Clint had a mixed green salad and I had the Caesar salad (good, but not as good as Henninger’s) to start.  Our entrees were a tuna steak prepared as ordered and scallops with garlic butter.  We both had a baked potato that was cooked just right.  You really don’t see baked potatoes in restaurants all that often any more and they were delicious.  All entrees were available in a half and a whole order, so we were able to order just what we wanted and didn’t have to worry about leftovers.

I wish I could say there were other fun food experiences on the rest of our trip, but we both ended up quite sick during the Hocking Hill State Park part of our trip.  And no Schweppes ginger ale was to be found anywhere.  Let’s just say I was glad to be able to order Panera Bread’s kid’s grilled cheese sandwich in Morgantown, W. Va. on the way home.  Just a plain grilled sandwich on white bread.

All in all, it was a pleasant trip to the Ohio River valley, renewal of a long-standing friendship with former neighbors, and the opportunity to meet and appreciate some wonderful WWII veterans and their families.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Good eater and reporter Laura Vozzella is writing a story for the Sun about people who get a bitter or metallic taste in their mouths after eating pine nuts. This makes me sad. (Not the fact that she's writing the story, but that people can't eat them.)

No spinach with pine nuts and grapes? No pignola cookies? No Tio Pepe roll cake?

The reaction can last for as long as two weeks, she told me, and seems to be associated with the Chinese and Korean varieties. ...

Wow. I've never heard of anything like that, and nobody mentioned it under the unusual food allergies post.

Any sufferers out there? She'd like to talk to you about it.

When she asked me to say something here (and wrote me something), I told her I wasn't calling her "my colleague Laura Vozzella" on my blog. This isn't the print edition.

Here's the e-mail I got back:

I’m sorry. I don’t know the proper new-media term. How about, “That crazy-haired brunette across the newsroom from me is writing a story …”?

(Sun archives photo)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

You have to admit our Shallow Thought Wednesday guru John Lindner has come up with a fascinating topic for this week's guest post. It's very difficult to disagree with his list, except I think there should be one ubertrendy veggie on it like mache or chiogga beets. Just because that's what foodies do. Anyway, remember the rule: If you suggest a new one, you have to say why and which one you'd replace. Here's John. EL

You may think that the concentration of arrogance required to select the top 10 foodie vegetables would leave me smoldering and smelling of sulphur. I’m guessin’ you’d be right. But I happen to believe an entirely different character flaw prompted this list. And I, furthermore, don’t consider it a “top” 10 list. This is, after all, Wednesday. Nor is it in alphabetic, or any other, order. ...

This is merely my short list for Vegetables of the Century. It would be easy to add to the list. But my double-hounddog dare is to substitute. That’s right: If you think there’s a more deserving veggie, add it, but tell me which one you’d remove from this list to accommodate your pick. (Pretend the stability of the cosmos rests on there only being 10 items.) Like spinach. It should be on this list. But what would you banish to make room for it?
 
1. Asparagus: Aside from the whole urine thing, this veg is elegant, tapered, and a dark lusty green. The only true substitute for meat that has roots and no lungs. It’s one vegetable thin, another thick, yet another broiled.

2. Brussels sprouts: the Chihuahua of vegetables: squeaky and so ugly they’re cute.

3. Corn on the cob: If you have to ask…

4. Tomatoes: OK, technically a berry. But when thrown into a salad, they switch sides. And it can also be considered a meat, so that counts for something.

5. Basil: One word: Pesto.

6. Fresh sweet peas: Peanuts for people without teeth.

7. Onion: Next to salt, the universal ingredient.

8. Cucumbers: They’re long, round, firm, and like everything else that matches that description and can be sliced into edible discs,* they make great sandwiches. Still, it wouldn’t have deserved inclusion on this list if you couldn’t also turn them into PICKLES!!!

9. Artichokes: Common vegetables, eat your hearts out.

10. Garlic: Defense rests before calling its first witness. (Sorry to have wasted your time, Dr. Van Helsing.)
 
*except carrots…assuming you consider them edible.

(Photo by abcdz2000 courtesy of stockXchang)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

Faithful readers may have been surprised at how casually I mentioned yesterday that I had my own iPhone this summer for two weeks and then gave it back -- after all my whining about not having one.

I think it was getting a refund check from AT&T for 6 cents (not joking here), dated the same day that the company sent my bill to a collection agency. It taught me it's not wise to yearn after shiny new toys that others have. At least that's how I explained it to a friend of mine.

Then, of course, a PR person offered to send me the custom download information for a neat app called Bento, for free, of course. I had to explain I didn't have an iPhone anymore. ...

But Bento would be fun to play around with. It's a way to organize all sorts of food- and restaurant-related things: not just grocery lists, but favorite restaurants, expenses, wine, recipes, your freezer inventory, nutrition info.

I like its flexibility; it's not the usual one-trick-pony app. It also costs $4.99.

There are more than 25 templates, and users can swap customized templates with the Bento Template Exchange online. 

Or you can do what I do now, make paper lists.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

I've just killed out a comment posted under an old Top 10 that said, "very nice post. i love seafood" which linked to some unrelated Web site.

I'm sorry I killed it out. ...

I forgot that earlier today Sarah KK told me she had gotten barraged with the same sort of meaningless drivel all linking to some Web site. The comments were from different names but mostly the same IP address (the "address" of the poster's computer).

Her solution: To remove the Web site URL but leave the comment. She said her spam stopped pretty quickly. But she was worried about the ethics of removing the poster's URL.

Hahahaha.

Oddly, I had only recently thought of that as a possible solution myself.

I think I'll try it, especially if Vincent the Top 10 Top 10 Spammer posts again. I particularly don't like the way he uses Dining@Large. It's like he's mocking me for having gotten myself into having to do a Top 10 list each week.

The wedding chair rentals spammer isn't far behind.

Of course, this doesn't apply to legitimate commenters who are contributing something to the conversation. If you want to link to your food blog -- or music blog or PR agency or whatever -- that's fine with me.

Update the next morning: Need an example? Take a look at hdmi, who posted an hour after I wrote this.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Midnight Sun Sam has just written an AWESOME riff on ultralounges today. You may have been wondering about them because I just posted about Pur Ultra Lounge and Milan, the Italian restaurant and ultralounge.

The best blog posts are always those that are inspired by Dining@Large, in this case a comment. ...

Not that I see Sam giving Corey credit anywhere, do you? Note the publication times of this comment and Sam's blog post:

What's the difference between a lounge and an ultralounge? Shinier things?

Posted by: Corey | September 22, 2009 10:14 AM

(Doug Kapustin/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

There. I feel better now that I've gotten my experience last night off my chest. Back to restaurants.

Angelina's on Harford Road, once THE place to get crab cakes and Italian food outside of Little Italy (once being a million years ago), went to auction last Wednesday.

I wanted to do some reporting of my own on this one before I blogged about it, but I haven't gotten a call back from the new owner yet, although I left a message on his cell phone. Our Douglas Paige at the liquor board is out until tomorrow so I haven't been able to get hold of another number for the owner. Rather than wait, I'll link to the story that appeared in the Daily Record. I'll update this if I find out anything new. ...

I'm not linking to the Web site where you can order Angelina's crab cakes because that's a separate business and not being sold with the restaurant and its bar, O’Reilly’s Shebeen Pub. (However, the crab cake recipe is going with the restaurant.)

Anyway, according to the story, the new owner is Doni Mason, owner of the Pur Ultra Lounge in Canton. Why do I think he's not going to open another traditional Italian restaurant selling Maryland crab cakes with an Irish pub in this location?

By the way, the Angelina's Web site that sells the crab cakes must have gotten on the ground floor of the Internet sales business. The address is www.crabcake.com.

Also, here's the caption for the photo, taken in 1998:

Angelina Tadduni holds a crabcake dinner in the doorway of Angelina's restaurant. She was owner for many years, and now Susan and Bob Bufano, rear left, are owners. At right is Carole Reilly, manager. 

(Nanine Hartzenbusch/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

This is not a food post. If you feel this blog should just be about restaurants, please don't get angry. Just skip this and read the next post, which has a lot of food and drink in it. Thank you.

Faithful readers have gathered that one of my goals in life is to see how long I can talk to my service providers without bursting into tears. ...

I'm proud to report that last night I went one hour and 40 minutes.

I'm not exaggerating. From 5:50 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., I was on the phone with Verizon Wireless trying to get the billing department and then a customer service representative to explain my bill to me. Of course, a lot of that time I was on hold listening to Verizon ads. Here's a small sample of how the conversation went:

CSR: A note here shows you declined the Win Back Incentive of a free month of service.

Me: Why would I do that? After two weeks I returned my iPhone because of conversations like this with AT&T. You won me back. I'm back. Why would anyone come back but decline a free month of service. Does that make sense to you?

CSR: I don't know, Ma'am. You will have to talk to the Win Back Department. [Like I want to talk to another Verizon department, especially one with that name.] I wasn't there. I wasn't part of that conversation. I only deal with the future, not the past.

Excuse me. I have to stop blogging now and call Sears. I just got an e-mail saying the rebate claim I put in for the new washer/dryer in my basement is no longer valid because I returned the item. I'm not making this up.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

In spite of a few jokes about walkers and such that you had to expect, there was a good discussion under my earlier post about what 35-and-overs want in a happy hour.

One of the main things, after meeting other 35-and-overs, was the chance to talk without being drowned out by loud music or TVs. Sorry, RA. ...

The following is my list of places, in alphabetical order, with a little bit of information to let you know what's available there. (Specials are offered weeknights only, unless otherwise noted.) Thanks to readers who jogged my memory with great suggestions.

* Annabel Lee in Canton. This tiny tavern can get packed, but it's kind of romantic and during happy hour (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) various beers and rail drinks are $1.50 off.

* B & O American Brasserie downtown. When I reviewed this place recently, I really liked the looks of the bar. Happy hour, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. daily, includes $3 glasses of wine and champagne and what the Web site calls "a generous selection of reasonably priced bar food specials."

* Bistro Blanc in Glenelg. Every Wednesday night there's an "all-night happy hour," starting at 2 p.m. in the bar and lounge only: Half-price featured bottle beers, $5 glasses of wine, $2 off featured cocktails, and certain bottles of wine, $15.

* Cinghiale in Harbor East. There are no happy hour specials here per se, but every Tuesday night bottles of wine are half-price, and the enoteca is a very civilized place to stop off at after work to enjoy them.

* Five in Timonium. During happy hour (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.) this martini bar offers 5@Five: $1 Natty Bohs, $2 domestic beers, $3 rail drinks, $4 glasses of wine and $5 changing specials.

* Hamilton Tavern in Hamilton. I'm including this with reservations because when I reviewed it, the place was incredibly noisy, but that was right after it opened. The food is great for a neighborhood hangout, and I'm assuming it's calmed down. Check the Web site for the elaborate happy hour specials.

* Jack's Bistro in Canton. If you sit on a bar stool only, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., $2 off beer, wine, specialty drinks and appetizers at this friendly bar/restaurant with good food.

* Mt. Washington Tavern in Mount Washington. Besides drink specials, the longtime popular hangout has free oysters on Thursday nights and free shrimp on Fridays, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

* Taverna Corvino in Federal Hill. From 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., this stylish wine bar serves $3 Peroni draft, $4 bellinis, a $5 signature martini and $5 select small plates.

* Wine Market in Locust Point. Sit at the bar and enjoy "2 and 3@5" until 7 p.m. That's $2 beers and $3 wines by the glass and certain cocktails, plus $3 appetizers.

(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (57)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays, Wine and Spirits
        

Next Sunday I review the new Blue Hill Tavern in Brewers Hill. Everyone who writes about it (that I've read) comments as much about the striking decor as anything else, so it wasn't quite as startling for me as it would have been if I hadn't known about it in advance. You're more likely to find out the name of the firm that designed it (Cahill Studio in New Jersey) from the press it's getting than the name of the chef.

The Blue Hill Tavern is very handsome, but noise is a real issue in a space like this because so little fabric is involved. I do think  you can use industrial carpeting if nothing else to get some soundproofing and still maintain the bare minimalist chic look. That's what, for instance, the new B & O American Brasserie did.

Anyway, is the food as good as the design? You'll have to wait until next Sunday to find out my opinion.

(Photo courtesy of the Blue Hill Tavern Web site)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Review Preview
        

OK, admittedly I've gotten a little backed up. I'm not firing on all cylinders today. 

I still haven't done my review preview, which usually appears Sunday. But the best I could manage yesterday evening when I sat down at my computer was a six-word post. Then I fell back on the bed feeling like I'd run the Boston Marathon.

I think it's the shortest post in the history of Dining@Large. ...

Anyway, all that was to say that I know I'm going out of order here. But I didn't want to have to call it Monday Night Quarterbacking, so I'm going to start with my review of the B & O American Brasserie first.

The review preview is coming next.

Reading over my review, which appeared in yesterday's paper, I'm struck by how some of the points I make seem repetitious because we've discussed them here at length -- after I wrote my review, but before it appeared.

You may feel the same way, but remember that on the whole, the print audience is different from the Dining@Large audience.

(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

Dining@Large has acquired a new Craigslist guru, turkeybone. Here's the latest gem he's found for us in its want ads. I'm hoping someone can tell us more, like where Milan (the restaurant) is.

I especially like the sushi part.

Now accepting resumes for the all positions in Downtown Baltimore. These positions will be opening up A new venue called" MILAN " Baltimores First Uspscale Eclectic Italian Restaurant /Ultra Lounge. The applicants must have experience in a high volume upscale full service restaurant. A high energy face paced team environment requiring focus, dedication and a desire to exceed expectations. Immediate full-time positions to fill, hot and cold line cooks, prep cooks, pastries and sushi. ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
        

Did you read the story this morning about the city banning trans fats? It would be nice to have a more intelligent discussion about the subject than this comment under the story, even if you agree with what he's saying in principle:

I can't imagine anyone's going to be able to tell the difference, but maybe so. Now if it were a question of not being able to use butter. ...

The most interesting part of the story to me was the last sentence:

Farrow said the city has a salt-reduction task force that's been meeting for a year, and will soon make recommendations.

You know me and salt. I'd be happy if restaurants used less of it, and not just for health reasons. Sometimes it masks other, more subtle flavors in a dish. 

You can always add salt, but you can't take it out. Of course, a great chef who seasons perfectly and refuses to have a salt cellar on the table is one thing, but too many kitchens oversalt -- at least to my taste.

But I can't imagine what kind of recommendations a task force could make except use less salt. That doesn't seem to me to take a year to come up with, so I'd like to hear more.

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (47)
        

I'm back in the land of the living! No fever this morning, but when I do something strenuous, like washing my face, I do feel like climbing back in bed.

It must have been the celebratory post-game Indian carryout that cured me, although all I could manage was the rice and the raita, and I had to avert my eyes while my husband ate the rest.

Stay tuned for more exciting posts now that I've recovered.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Basmati rice and raita.

Go Ravens.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

In my feverish state last night I dreamed that I got carryout from somewhere: orange chicken with peanuts. What's odd about this is that I've never ordered orange chicken in my life, and I don't think it comes with peanuts.

What's even stranger is that I've eaten very little in the past 24 hours, and yet I'm dreaming about food. And now that I'm awake, I'm miserable that I won't get down to the farmers market today to get what may be the last of the bicolor corn this season, even though there's no chance that I could actually want to eat it. I hope someone out there will buy it and enjoy it for me. ...

To prepare for winter I should stock up on sick food, like Eddie's of Roland Park's chicken noodle soup, which I could stick in the freezer. We have nothing like that around, not even canned soups. I don't like them anyway.

Here's what I've eaten in the last 24 hours:

1) Breakfast: tea and toast made from leftover baguette 

2) Lunch: a cereal bowl of Smartfood White Cheddar popcorn, one piece at a time (don't ask; it must have been the salt that made it appeal)

3) Dinner: two canned Baugher's peach halves in heavy syrup. I bought them recently because canned fruits and vegetables are supposed to be cheaper when they are in season, but considering I paid $3.99 a can, I'm not sure.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I've been in bed all day with a nasty bug, so I don't have the energy to look for a Comment of the Week. I'm always deathly ill in inverse proportion to the beauty of the day.

However, I'll hope you'll nominate a Comment of the Week for me,  or at least discuss this comment that I saved for an entry. I agree with him, but I'm sure someone will be willing to argue the opposing side: ...

While I share this particular vision, I fear that in the meantime, we're just going to have to settle for Yet Another Irish Pub By the Harbor until then.

Don't get me wrong, there are a few I quite enjoy. I just don't need thirty of them.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

I wish I could remember who suggested happy hours for 35-and-overs as a Top 10 topic. Hold up your hand, please.

It's a good one that I've been meaning to get to.

But first we have to decide what 35-and-overs want in a happy hour. Most obvious, I guess, is other 35-and-overs. ...

Almost as obvious is that you don't want a frat boy spilling a beer on you. Although probably drunk college kids aren't a problem at happy hour. Maybe you have to have a 9 to 5 job to appreciate that drink after work.

(No need to e-mail me. I know college kids don't want 35-and-overs spilling a cosmo on them either.)

Maybe 35-and-overs want the same thing as everyone else: discounts on food and drink. Or maybe because they are earning a little more at this point in their lives (broad generalizations alert) they are willing to pay more for their martini at a nicer place.

You tell me.

(Nancy Tankersley's "Happy Hour, Tiber River")

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

Yeah, right. In my dreams.

I decided to see if my favorite wine blogger, Nilay Gandhi of 750 mL, had had anything to say about biodynamic wines. It turns out his posts only deal with specific biodynamic wines and winemakers, like Brooks, but he sent me this great e-mail that I'm going to reproduce in its entirety. Did I say how much I love his blog? Here's Nilay. EL

It's a great topic. You're right that people are definitely latching on to it, though I'm not sure why. It's sort of like the anti-sulfites craze to the extreme. Always annoyed me, actually, but some of the bioD makers are pretty talented. ...

BioD v. Organic is like Vegan v. Vegetarian--it takes a certain sense of insanity (the same part of the brain that says you can't eat honey because it might have once had a bee leg in it), that I guess you could classify as passion.

While the practical implications are suspect at best, what biodynamic means to me is that you have an extreme belief system in place, dedicated in every possible way to the production of good wine. No cutting corners, no selling out. A biodynamic winemaker is the Mussolini of his breed--whether good or evil, always certain. And I appreciate that level of commitment no matter what the trade.

Nilay
750 mL

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

The Bartlett Pear Inn opens tomorrow in Easton where the Inn at Easton used to be. I love the name of this place, in spite of the mean things I said about Bartlett pears in an earlier post. Bartlett is the middle name of co-owner Alice Lloyd.

Names of destination, "worth the trip" restaurants are so important. Wouldn't you rather go to the Bartlett Pear Inn than the Inn at Easton? (Of course, the Inn at Easton's food was four star; I mean if you knew nothing about the food.) ...

If Antrim 1844 in Taneytown didn't have such a fine reputation it would be in trouble, because who can remember the date? But the Tidewater Inn is a good name. I'm not sure why, except that it makes me want to go there.

Anyway, there's not much more I can tell you about the Bartlett Pear Inn than what I wrote in a Table Talk column awhile back.

I wish the menus were posted on the Web site. Maybe they'll get around to it.

(Photos courtesy of Alice Lloyd)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

I couldn't help her, but if you have any suggestions, please post below:

EL, my  office is interested in finding a meal delivery/personal chef service for a coworker who is about to begin cancer treatment. I did a search on the Sun to try and find any articles or blog posts discussing the topic and couldn't find any matches. Do you, or your readers, have experience with any local companies who provide these services? 

We know about Let's Dish and have contacted them to try and determine if the meat and chicken that they use is hormone free and antibiotic free.  As that is a top concern of our coworker, due to the form of her cancer, Let's Dish may not be a solution for us.

My Google search identified one possible chef service but I can't imagine that there aren't more in the area.  I also found a thread on ChowHound with a similar inquiry from last year but there were few responses.

I know this isn't really a typical Dining@Large topic but any assistance you can provide is greatly appreciated.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Robert of Cross Keys is back, with a new guest post, a new category for his posts (you can now go back and read his earlier posts by clicking on "Free Market Fridays" under the categories to the right) and best of all, with ruminations on, well, you'll see. Here's Robert. EL

Over the past few weeks I have been trying to excise the demons from my trip to Jacksonville, meaning I’ve been trying to get the rail gin and fried conch fritters out of my system.

I started my rehab at Boordy’s Vineyard, where I went to a late summer, outdoor happy hour that features their wines along with local foods. ...
 

For my meal I went with a bison burger and bison sausage.  I don’t think they were the same animal.  The burger was wonderful.  It was cooked medium rare, had the rich meat flavor of bison, and was served on a fresh focaccia roll.   The sausage was somewhere between strange and gamy, and it didn’t come on a roll of any distinction.

With my meat products in hand, I went over to the wine barn.  Unfortunately, the lines weren’t moving.  To my right I had some kid in cargo shorts swirling his plastic cup of samples as he tried to distinguish the nuance of Jazz Berry and Tango Peach.  To my left was Jimmy the Greek yelling into his cell phone that he wanted $100 on Carolina.  Hmmm, considering the game that night was South Carolina vs. North Carolina State I am left to wonder the attention to detail of his bookie.  I am also left to wonder if this bookie is accepting any new clients.

After dinner and drinks my wife brought up dessert.  Inside the wine cellar chocolates were being sold.  I said we shouldn’t.  She said we should just look.  Now five miles from Boordy’s is the Baltimore County Animal Shelter, and five years ago my wife suggested we go there and just look at the dogs.  That’s how we got Mr. Jefferson, so needless to say when we just looked at the chocolates I ended up buying a large box of truffles.

Speaking of Mr. Jefferson, he accompanied the wife and me to the Homestead in Virginia.   I’m not sure what level of decadence is marked by the taking of a dog to a resort, but I think it is somewhere between Nero and Caligula.

Well, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.  So I took advantage of all the Homestead had to offer.  Of course, that means that I had to try all the local specialties, and at the Homestead that means trout.  I had it with brown butter, grapes and almonds.  I had it fried with remoulade sauce.  I had it sautéed with fresh herbs.  I had no idea how good trout can be.

Trout is generally not seen on menus in the Baltimore area.  It never really caught on in this area.  Trout is fished all over Maryland, but it doesn’t have the cultural attraction of, say, rockfish or even croaker.  I’m not sure why this is.  Perhaps the Bay trumps all in this state, and there is no room at the table for fresh water fish.  Maybe the difficulty of fishing for trout, what with special stamps and limited seasons, makes the fish inaccessible to not only fishermen but diners as well.

Trout might just need an ideal beverage pairing before it can take hold in this area.  I’m not sure what that is, but I bet it is not rail gin.  

(Photo of Mr. Jefferson courtesy of RoCK)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Today's topic, boys and girls, is biodynamic wines. "Biodynamic" refers to methods of growing grapes and producing wine that involve ethical and spiritual considerations.

The ethical I'm OK with, the spiritual not so much.

I'm trying very hard not to be snarky about this because several restaurants whose owners I respect are putting them on their wine lists. These are the restaurants that stress green, organic, local, seasonal and all those other good things. But the concept of biodynamic agriculture does feel a little like, say, copper bracelets as a cancer treatment.

Or as our waiter at a restaurant I went to recently put it, "It has something to do with planting according to the cycles of the moon or something." ...

I'm going to reprint what Wikipedia says, quoting from The Wineanorak's Guide, "Biodynamic Wine."  Then I'm going to open the floor to anyone who can explain why this isn't as hokey as it seems to be. I'm anxious to hear the arguments for the other side.

Of course, I would also be convinced if someone whose judgment I trust just said, "It sounds crazy, but it produces great wine."  I would like to be enough of connoisseur to be able tell you personally whether it does or not, but I'm not.

Here's Wikipedia on biodynamic viticulture:

Preparing a vineyard for biodynamic grape growing consists of several preparations:

Preparation 500 - Cow manure is buried in cow horns in the soil. The manure is then spread over the fields.

Preparation 501 - Ground quartz is buried in cow horns in the soil. The quartz is sprayed over the vines.

Preparation 502 - Yarrow flowers are fermented in a deer's bladder, then applied to the compost.

Preparation 503 - Chamomille flowers are fermented in the soil, then applied to the compost.

Preparation 504 - Stinging nettle tea is applied to the compost.

Preparation 505 - Oak bark fermented in the skull of a domestic animal is applied to the compost.

Preparation 506 - Dandelion flowers fermented in cow mesentery is applied to the compost.

Preparation 507 - Valerian flower juice is applied to the compost.

Preparation 508 - Horsetail tea is applied to the vines.

(Photo of biodynamic wines courtesy of French Wines Online)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 8:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (25)
Categories: Wine and Spirits
        

I never thought I would find myself in the role of head hunter, only without the part where I get any money for it. On the other hand, I know many people (some of them readers, I hope) are looking for work these days, so I'll publish the e-mail I just got.

THIS IS A ONE-TIME OCCURRENCE. I AM NOT CRAIGSLIST. ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

In the same week that El Guapito won Best Mexican in City Paper's Best of Baltimore issue, Other Reviewer Richard's review appeared in today's paper.

I have no doubt that Richard's description of his meal is very accurate, and he clearly bent over backwards to be kind.

But feel free to tell us about your experience if it was different.

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Much as I would have liked to have won City Paper's Best Newspaper Blog award, if I didn't then I'm delighted that Michael Dresser (who is also our wine columnist) won for Getting There, and Midnight Sun Sam won the readers choice award.

Which gives me the opportunity to bring up the Sun's own blog awards, the Mobbies, where MOB stands for "Maryland's Outstanding Blogs. ...

It's a way for the paper to recognize good local blogs.

Right now until Sept. 25, the nomination process is going on. After that you'll be able to vote on your favorite blogs. The whole thing ends Oct. 9.

This is the part I like: "Winners, prizes and partying will follow soon after."

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Usually I let Midnight Sun Sam write about bathrooms. It's a specialty of his.

But lately I've been noticing some very nice ones in the new restaurants I've been reviewing. The photo, for instance, was taken at the Blue Hill Tavern at 938 S. Conkling. 

It's minimalist, but in a good way. Those bowl sinks are all the rage in LA.

One odd thing: the toilet paper dispenser is automated, but you have to grab your own paper towel from the pile between the sinks.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)
        

News for the people who have been e-mailing me about Dogwood in Hampden and whether it will reopen. Actually, rather than news maybe you ought to call it third-hand info. 

I heard from one of the restaurant's vendors, who was told by one of the folks at Plates, the restaurant's non-profit training program, that Dogwood will be reopening on Oct. 1.

I sent an e-mail and called, but haven't heard back yet. When I do, I'll update this post. ...

The Web site simply says:

The Dogwood Restaurant is continuing to work to reopen. We are grateful for the patience of our loyal customers and of our staff. Please check back for updates.

(Glenn Fawcett/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Yesterday I talked to Matt Merkel, the chef at the new Reserve in Federal Hill. When Midnight Sun Sam first blogged about it, I wrote it off as a bar that would have such thrilling food as Buffalo wings and burgers.

Instead the menu includes tuna tataki, cornmeal-crusted red grouper in a smoked salmon caper beurre blanc, a Buffalo strip steak with parsnip puree, and pan-roasted boneless quail. The new menu, which will be available soon, will have food and wine pairings. ...

Merkel says the hope is to eventually move the bar crowd upstairs and focus on fine dining in the space downstairs. The upstairs is still being renovated so it doesn't sound like that will happen any time soon.

Merkel has worked in the kitchens of fine-dining restaurants in Annapolis and Frederick, and was at Don't Know Tavern before coming to the Reserve.

I'm impressed that a restaurant, even if it is a bar/restaurant, is trying something ambitious in these troubled times. I recently got an e-mail from the Downtown Partnership mentioning some of the new places that will be opening up around town.

We're just lucky they include two tapas bars. No, I have nothing against pubs. I'm just not the one who reviews them except on rare occasions.

All Nations Restaurant is set to open in October at 7 E. Lexington St. Open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, this restaurant and bar will serve pizza, overstuffed subs, sandwiches, pasta, and salad for eat in, carry-out or delivery.

All Star's Bar and Grill will open above the “Upper Deck” at 34 S. Eutaw St. This sports bar will be open 7 days a week, and will serve up pub fare, as well as karaoke and live bands for its patrons.

Esquire Pub will open in October in the new Quality Inn at 110 St. Paul St. This bar will offer light pub fare to hotel guests as well as the public, and will also be available for private events.

Liam's North, formerly “Liam's Pint-Size Pub”, will open next year on North Ave. near Maryland Ave. Once a staple of Mount Vernon, after a long hiatus this pub will find a new home in Station North.

Miguel's will open this fall in the Silo Point Condominiums at 1200 Stuart St. With outdoor seating and great Silo Point views, this new restaurant will offer a menu of Spanish-style tapas.

Tapas Adela will open this fall at 814 S. Broadway. The latest addition to Kali's Restaurant Group, Tapas Adela will host a menu of Spanish tapas with a modern twist.
 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Gailor, ever alert for blog news that will interest us, just called me to say that while sitting in her Values and Crisis Decision Making class today, she noticed a classmate eating a bright green food...item.

When she asked him what it was, he told her it was a green tea Kit Kat. He had bought it in Japan.

I don't know what to say. My editor, Sarah KK, just walked by my desk and asked me, I kid you not, why I looked so distraught.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

The lead item in my Table Talk column this week is about Alizee, the restaurant in the Inn at the Colonnade. Now I hope the owner will do something about the interior space. I just don't think you can have a faux library in the middle of your dining room when your food is so comparatively cutting-edge. I'd love to know if any of you has tried it.

I also write about Dining Out for Life and the changes at Cafe Gia. ...

As for Top 10, the one that appeared in the paper today had a slight glitch, which I promise was not on the proof. No. 4 disappeared in the print edition. I know I shouldn't laugh, but it looks pretty funny.

Four comments got in, three by regulars.

(Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

The City Paper just came out with its Best of Baltimore issue, and as usual it's good reading. While there are the non-surprises in the dining section (Best Commitment to Local Food: Woodberry Kitchen and Best Chinese: Grace Garden), some of the selections are sure to get folks in a lather.

Best Crab Cake anyone? Best Wine List? Best Outdoor Dining? *

I dropped the ball, I see. I didn't realize the Wine Market served brunch, and here it's won the category. ...

Anyway, check out the awards. I love some of the categories, like Best Food Trend We're Sick Of (gourmet mac and cheese). How about Best Crowd-Pleasing Transformation? (Clementine) It's coupled with Best Crowd-Enraging Transformation (Miss Irene's). That's interesting because I was thinking about Miss Irene's this morning: I never hear anything about it. How is it doing?

I enjoyed the issue thoroughly, and best of all, I see lots of potential Top 10 lists here. Crowd-Enraging Transformations would be a fun one, but I can only think of one other. It's the opposite of Miss Irene's. I got an e-mail complaining that Corks is no longer a fine-dining restaurant.

* Pappas, Peter's Inn, One-Eyed Mike's

(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Our Shallow Thought Wednesday guru John Lindner is on vacation today, but many of his e-mails to me are really Shallow Thought topics in disguise. Once when I was wringing my hands over running out of viable Top 10 topics, he responded that he had one if it wasn't too embarrassing. I said, "There is no such thing as too embarrassing when it comes to Top 10."

His answer: ...

Not so far…
Top Ten Deep-fried Snack Foods
Top Ten Foodie Diseases
Top Ten Worst Things to Find in your Crab Bisque
etc

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

When I ate at the B & O American Brasserie last week I was struck once again by the fact that stylish restaurants no longer have pizza, they have flatbreads, preferably from a brick oven. When did this happen?

I looked back in our archives, and I found that our food stories were talking about flatbread as early as the early '90s, but then it was always called "foccaccia flatbread." A quick Google search shows that people are making flatbread pizzas with both foccaccia and lavash crusts. ...

Woodberry Kitchen was the first restaurant where I realized that the trend had hit Baltimore big time. When I checked its menu just now, I saw it currently features a "Solstice Flatbread" with roasted squash, pesto, and Cherry Glen goat's cheese.

B & O does have one offbeat one with ricotta, asparagus, egg and parmesan cheese; but three others are more traditional: Margherita, meatball and pepperoni. (OK, this last does have arugula.)

Stouffer's now puts out a Corner Bistro Flatbread. That's when you know a trend has reached its zenith and is probably on its way down.

I should do a poll to see whether readers prefer flatbreads or pizzas.

(Photo courtesy of Better Homes and Gardens/MCT)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

Midnight Sun Sam has the scoop on the reincarnation of Kolpers. I just don't think I could improve on his post, which is entertaining to say the least.

(Photo courtesy of Kolpers)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

This weekend I found one of my neighbors in my front yard lurking by our kousa dogwood. I gave her a funny look.

She didn't seem abashed at all, but just  picked one of what I thought were ornamental berries from the dogwood and said, "These are delicious. You ought to try one."

I smiled vaguely because I wasn't sure what to make of this. (We've had the tree for a hundred years and no one has ever told me you could eat the fruit.) ...

When she left, I picked one. I squeezed the bumpy red shell and a sweet yellow pulp popped out.

OK, yes, they are edible, I suppose. But not exactly in the same way that, say, a ripe nectarine is. You aren't going to eat them with any joy.

I told my husband about the fruit, but he waited 24 hours to see if I would get sick and die before trying one.

(Photo by me)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

I've been cleaning out my Outlook inbox this morning, a gruesome task. I had let so many e-mails pile up I got a message saying I couldn't send out anymore until I got it under its size limit. Anyway, as when you clean out a closet, I came across some forgotten treasures, like this e-mail from our old friend John McIntyre: ...

A Top 10 Tuesday list of the things you will find in the restaurants in Hell.
 
(Besides Springs1.)

For me, every restaurant in Hell will have corked wine and a group of women at the next table talking at the top of their lungs and screaming with laughter. And bread with a little spot of green mold on it, which you notice after you've eaten most of the piece.

If I get 10 excellent ones, I'll make a Top 10 of them the Tuesday before Halloween.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (47)
        

We've talked about brunch a lot here, and I've done a Top 10 list on places for brunch you might not have thought of. I even have a brunch category. But I've never made up a list of the restaurants that I recommend for brunch when I get asked, which is frequently.

Last time we discussed this, someone made the excellent point that brunch isn't breakfast. (We have done a Top 10 breakfasts.) Even if the restaurant doesn't offer both breakfast and lunch choices, some of the dishes will be too elaborate for an ordinary breakfast, like eggs Benedict.

I've tried to offer a selection of both extravagant fixed-price buffets and smaller a la carte choices. (The latter is my preference, but sometimes the buffets work best -- when you've got kids, for instance.)

Here's my list in alphabetical order: ...

* Abacrombie in Mount Vernon. A short but sweet menu of dishes like crepes with homemade applesauce and a grilled ribeye with scrambled eggs and hollandaise. $8 to $24. And served till 7 p.m.!

* b Bistro in Bolton Hill. From the folks who brought you the Helmand and Tapas Teatro. Brunch includes three kinds of omelets, two kinds of eggs Benedict and three kinds of pancakes. $7 to $19.

* B & O American Brasserie downtown. Great stylish space, nice folks, a la carte menu of both breakfast and lunch dishes running from $7 to $19.

* Brightons in the Inner Harbor. The most beautiful spot for brunch in Baltimore. Breakfast dishes, salads, sandwiches and entrees. $10 to $22.

* Carrol's Creek in Annapolis. If you like buffet-style, all-you-can-eat brunch buffets, you get all that plus a view of the water. Adults: $21.95, children: $10.95.

* Gertrude's at the BMA. A Maryland-oriented brunch on Saturday and Sunday. If you're lucky, the restaurant will be serving outside overlooking the sculpture garden. $8 to $27.

* Mari Luna Latin Grille in Pikesville. Another fixed-price brunch buffet, but the addition of Latin entrees makes it unique in the area. Adults: $22.95. Kids 12 and under: $11.95.

* Miss Shirley's in Roland Park. Strictly speaking, it's lunch and breakfast all day, but that's good enough for me. And what a breakfast! $7.95 to $21.95.

* Regi's American Bistro in Federal Hill. Brunch Saturday and Sunday offering the classics with  California and southwestern accents. $9 to $15.

* Woodberry Kitchen in Woodberry/Hampden. Baltimore's favorite farm-to-table restaurant serves everything from Hangtown fry to cherry crepes. A la carte: $7 to $24.

(Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (35)
        

In case you missed this comment posted under my promo for my review of B & O American Brasserie, I'm going to repeat it here. I was planning to wait until Wednesday because I talk about Dining Out for Life in my Table Talk column, but maybe it's good to give you a little more time to make your plans. EL

Just wanted to pass along some info about Dining Out for Life, a benefit going on this Thursday, 9/17 for Moveable Feast a non-profit that serves meals to homebound HIV/Aids, cancer patients, all participating restaurants (including B&O American Brasserie) are donating a portion of Thursday night's food and drink dinner proceeds to moveable feast. Check out the website a great cause, thanks.

Posted by: Matt | September 14, 2009 1:13 PM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Retired in Elkridge is the second regular in the space of a couple of days to send me details of his trip at summer's end. (See also Hal Laurent's, posted yesterday.) I know some of you don't like me to tell you about restaurants in other cities you'll never have a chance to visit; but even if you feel that way, at least read his description of the train and plane meals, and especially the birthday party. Here's RiE. EL

Every year my Darling Wife and I travel to Northern California to visit her parents. Last week her father turned 92, so we had to be there to celebrate. This year we decided to do things differently, so on Tuesday, Aug. 25, we flew to Chicago, took the train to Seattle, flew to Sacramento via San Francisco, and drove the 35 miles to Yuba City. Return, almost two weeks later, was via Dallas. ...

We had only one overnight in Chicago, so as soon as we got there we dropped our bags in the Conrad Chicago hotel and went downstairs to explore Michigan Avenue. First stop was for Chicago hot dogs. My DW had never had one so the picture to the right shows her eating her first Chicago dog. Except for the peppers she liked it.

After spending the afternoon walking Michigan Avenue and going to the top of the Hancock building, dinner was at the Weber Grill. As the name implies, just about everything is cooked over charcoal on three-foot-wide Weber charcoal grills. After a couple of local beers we enjoyed beef brisket (DW), smoked sausage (me), beans, and cole slaw. The brisket was tender with a nice crust, the smoked sausage was grilled so the casing was crisp but not overcooked. Their sauce was a little sweet for my taste. Sides were good too, not fancied up.

Wednesday afternoon we boarded Amtrak's Empire Builder for Seattle. We had what they call a bedroom:  Upper and lower bunks with sink and combined toilet/shower, much like some European hotels. We were welcomed aboard by Marlene, our car attendant, with splits of American champagne and chocolates. Meals, included in the sleeper car price, were in the dining car.

Dinner seatings were reserved; breakfast and lunch were first-come-first-served. The food was passable to good. Steaks and chicken were good, some of the sides and "specials" were not so good. But the joy of having dinner while watching the sun set over the Upper Mississippi River made up for it. Actually it was better than I expected, as my prior experience with train food, on the way to New York, was packaged sandwiches and microwave hamburgers. On Thursday afternoon they even hosted a wine and cheese tasting of Northwest wines and artisan cheeses.

We arrived in Seattle Friday morning and spent the day walking around downtown, the Pike Street Public Market, the Space Needle, the nearby Science-Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame and Music Experience. If you are into sci-fi or pop music these are the places to go. They even had one of Michael Jackson's sequined gloves and sequined jacket (guess which one it was displayed at).

Friday dinner was at Wild Ginger, one of the more popular Asian Fusion restaurants. We started with a bottle of a Columbia River wine, Chateau Ste Michelle Reisling 'Eroica' 2007, sweet enough for my DW and interesting enough for me. We started with a Sweet Potato and Squash Stew for my DW and Buddha's Won Ton Soup for me. The stew was really too thick to be called a soup and my DW said it was very good, with both the sweet potato and squash complementing each other.

My selection, consisting of jicama, black mushrooms, carrots and shallots served in a light vegetable stock, was a refreshing take on the traditional won ton soup, with the slightly spicy broth complementing the won tons and the finely chopped vegetable filling.

They have an extensive satay menu, so we had to order some: I ordered the Viet-In-Thai Lamb Satay, grilled minced lamb with red curry, onion, garlic, coriander and hoisin sauce served with a small cube of sticky rice and sambal-tomato dipping sauce (not as spicy as promised) and my DW had a daily special, Asparagus Satay, grilled asparagus spears with the rice and a Teriyaki sauce. The lamb reminded me of a similar Turkish dish, Kadin Butu ('Ladies Thigh'), with a more Eastern rather than Mediterranean spicing. Our entrees were a Spicy Panang Beef, grilled sliced steak in a Thai-style curry sauce with cardamom, coconut milk, and peanuts, and Vietnamese-style Halibut, another special, served with a sweet Vietnames-style sauce, not too spicy. Desserts were dishes of mango sorbet and coconut gelato, small enough that we could eat it and light enough so we walked (waddled?) away refreshed.

Saturday was our 39th anniversary, so the only dinner we could have was at the SkyCity restaurant, 500 feet atop the Space Needle. Yes, I know it's the sort of place where you are not there for the food, but it was also very good and the view was spectacular. We started with two glasses of their TopHouse White, a Reisling from Mount Baker Vineyards. Appetizers were Corn and Clam Chowder for my DW and for me a Pecan-Crusted Cypress Grove Chevre, with blackberry syrup, toasted bread, and a small arugula salad. Both were excellent, the corn and clams going well together and the blackberry syrup accenting the tartness of the goat cheese.

Entrees were a Grilled Herb-Marinated Wild Salmon Fillet, with a Pinot Noir reduction sauce, wild rice, and broccoli and carrots for my DW and an 8-ounce Washington State Double R Ranch Filet steak, served with potatoes, asparagus and a Merlot reduction, cooked medium-rare as requested. For dessert we had their signature dessert, the Lunar Orbiter. This is basically a chocolate sundae served in a special double bowl with dry ice in the bottom. When served some hot water is poured in the bottom, producing clouds of smoke and attracting the attention everyone around us. The first picture is of my DW and me and the aftermath of the smoke. The ice cream and chocolate syrup were good, too.

On to Yuba City, via San Francisco, where we had lunch, a sourdough bread bowl of tomato bisque soup for my DW and two sourdough rolls and butter for me (I could sit and eat them all day). Yuba City is a town founded during the Gold Rush and now growing out with every chain restaurant and fast food place you can think of.

Two saving graces are a local two-location chain, The Dancing Tomato Caffe, and In-N-Out Burger. Dancing Tomato leans toward Italian but also offers hot and cold sandwiches and steaks. My favorite is their Pasta Arrabiatta, cellentani pasta in a spicy tomato-garlic sauce with minced prosciutto and a dollop of ricotta. With the addition of some pepper flakes it becomes nice and spicy.

My DW ordered Cheese Ravioli in Meat Sauce, a standard dish, but nicely done with fresh cooked ravioli and what they say is a homemade sauce. It tasted like it. Salads were basically romaine lettuce with some grape tomatoes, olives, and croutons with a cream Italian dressing.

As for In-N-Out Burger, what can I say, besides Double-Double with onions. My 92-year-old father-in-law went through one like he was inhaling it.

On Wednesday, Sept. 2, we had a birthday party for my father-in-law and my DW's younger brother, who was also born on the 2nd. It was small, with my in-laws, both of my DW's brothers and wife, and a cousin. It was at a local hotel restaurant, which is pretty good for the area. The younger brother, a real wine connoisseur, brought two bottles, a 1949 Chateau Latour Premier Grand Cru and a 1967 Chateau d'Yquem. He's the one who brought two bottles of 1918 vintage to my mother-in-law's 90th birthday last year. (Imagine being 90 and drinking wine that is as old as you are.) All that plus lunch and a supermarket birthday cake.

We stayed there until Sunday, when we flew home via Dallas. Yes, they still serve meals in first class (and they don't charge for baggage). I traded in a planeload of miles for two first-class tickets home, the least I could do for my DW.

Breakfast, between Sacramento and Dallas, was a cheese omelet quesadilla, with chorizo and onions and pepper, served with salsa, and sides of melon and biscuit, bagel, or bread. Not too bad for something prepared hours before and reheated. Between Dallas and Baltimore we were served dinner. Your choice of Teriyaki Chicken Breast over Rice with salad, bread, and cheesecake, or Cheese Tortellini with a mushroom-tomato sauce and melted cheese, plus the salad, bread, and cheesecake (see third picture). I had the tortellini, my DW had the chicken. Your choice of white or red wines, type unknown, but the red wasn't bad. Served with real, albeit miniature, utensils.

It was raining slightly when we arrived at BWI. Welcome home.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Posted by Carla Correa at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Yesterday I reviewed Maisy's, a new restaurant on N. Charles Street. When I went to another new restaurant, B & O American Brasserie, the week after, I didn't think about the fact that it's in the same Corridor of Doom until right now.

I shouldn't even joke about the fact that a couple of good restaurants have closed along here. After all, others like the Brewer's Art, Donna's on Mount Vernon Square and Sotto Sopra seem to be doing just fine, thank you. And it's nice that places are still opening up.

I like to think of N. Charles as our Main Street, and I want it to be filled with wonderful restaurants and shops all the way up to Johns Hopkins University.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

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

Don't forget our live chat, scheduled for today at noon with Midnight Sun Sam. Check in half an hour early to get your questions or comments in, and continue to question or comment until 12:30 p.m., when Sam and I are going to sign off and go find some great carryout for lunch.

One teeny potential glitch: Community Coordinator Carla, who is our moderator, has disappeared. Her computer isn't on either. I'm going to have to go see if I can find out what happened to her, because we couldn't possibly do our live chat without her.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)
        

In a comment yesterday under his Ocean City restaurant reviews guest post, Hal Laurent brought up a subject that I thought we had talked about before, but I couldn't find an entry on it:

At three of the restaurants reviewed above, long lists of specials were recited to us. I don't know about the rest of you, but my brain isn't capable of handling that much information, especially when delivered verbally rather than in writing. I wish more restaurants would have the specials on a piece of paper instead of it being a test of my (and the waiter's) memory.

This is a particular pet peeve of mine, ever since many years ago when I ate at a Little Italy restaurant and every special on the recited list -- recited without prices, of course -- was  $10 more than the entrees on the menu. And that was when $10 meant something at a restaurant. ...

But lately I haven't noticed it as much at the restaurants I've been going to around here, and I have a theory why. The long, recited specials list may be a casualty of the local and seasonal trend, which new restaurants are emphasizing. To stay true to it, you have to have a menu that changes monthly if not weekly. At most the server will mention one or two specials, and my brain can handle that.

I always ask what the prices are. I agree with another commenter who suggested they can be a way to get customers to order something that costs more than the regular menu items. Some folks feel uncomfortable asking.

Of course, these days no one could you fault you for being economy-minded.

I'm trying to think of any Baltimore restaurants I've been to recently that have a long list of specials, either recited or written, and I can't. Then there are places that write the specials or even the whole menu on a blackboard. That can be irritating if you aren't seated where you can read it easily unless they follow it up with a paper copy.

(Karl Merton Ferron/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Next Sunday I review the new B & O  American Brasserie next to the Hotel Monaco Baltimore. I've started to worry about the restaurants along the N. Charles corridor now that several good ones have closed, but I think this one will be OK. It doesn't hurt to be attached to a hotel and be this close to the Inner Harbor.

When I called to make reservations for 7 p.m. (I know, I know) on a weeknight, I was surprised to have the hostess suggest that they were pretty busy then and maybe it would be better to pick another time.

It does have all the ingredients to be Baltimore's newest hot spot. To find out why I think so, please read my review in next Sunday's Arts & Entertainment section.

(Kim Hairston/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Review Preview
        

Recently I got good reports from two of our regulars on their vacations -- at least the eating part. They are both long but worthwhile.

I'm going to start with Hal Laurent's on the week he and his wife spent in Ocean City. I suggest you save it as a reference for a future trip. After all, September and October are two of the nicest months to visit the ocean.

Later today or tomorrow: Retired in Elkridge goes west.

Here's Hal. I met him for the first time at a party Labor Day weekend; and believe me, he didn't look like he'd been eating this way the week before. EL

Monday:

Lunch on the way down at the Narrows in Grasonville (just across Kent Narrows from Kent Island). Cream of crab soup was tasty, but way too thick.  A bit of a disappointment. A pate special was very good.  It was pretty much a country-style pate, with cornichons, cherry tomatoes, a creamy mustard sauce, black olives (very good), and a cube of tomato aspic.  It was accompanied by water crackers, which fit quite nicely.

Soft shell crab was served on top of a salad and topped with "frizzled onions" and corn (obviously fresh) cut off the cob.  The crab was excellent. The salad was good, but a bit overdressed (a balsamic dressing of some
sort).  The presentation made it a little difficult to eat the crab. Nonetheless, both of us would consider ordering this again (maybe on Friday on the way back home).

I got the crab cake, and chose fried green tomatoes as the accompaniment. The crabcake was very good.  In my younger days I would have dissed it for not having enough Old Bay, but as I've gotten older I've come to prefer letting the crab flavor come through without overpowering it with Old Bay. It was a mix of lump and backfin, with some binder.  Pretty much what a crab cake is supposed to be, or at least was before it became a boutique item.

The crab was proper blue crab, not Venezuelan or Asian.  The last time I had a crab cake at the Narrows I thought it was heavier on the mayonnaise than I would make it, but this time that wasn't the case.  The fried green tomatoes didn't seem all that green, but they weren't bad.

Dinner Monday night, Fausto's Bistro at 11th and Boardwalk (in the Howard Johnson hotel). Web site menu looked much more interesting than the actual menu (on one sheet of paper laminated in plastic). Cocktails were made very well.  Atmosphere was such that I didn't ask for a wine list.  We ordered low (a Reuben and a burger) and weren't disappointed, except for the fact that we were expecting a more substantial restaurant.

Tuesday:

Breakfast was at Soriano's, a quirky little place at 301 S. Baltimore Ave. Tasty breakfasts.  We discovered this place on a previous trip to Ocean City.

Lunch was at the Rusty Rudder in Dewey. We were on the way to Rehoboth for lunch when Peggy spotted this place in Dewey.  Nice bayside view from the wooden deck.  Drinks served in plastic cups.  Our expectations were low.

Surprisingly, the cocktails were very good, as was the food.  Peggy had onion soup and steamed shrimp.  I had a fried seafood platter.  The crab cake was made from real crab, not Asian.  Not big lumps, but very tasty.
Excellent, very flavorful scallops.  Good shrimp that weren't overcooked.

Dinner was at Fresco's, 8203 Coastal Highway. This place was really good.  Best dish was Tuscan Fiocchi.  The menu description reads: "Delicate Pasta Purses stuffed with Mascarpone Cheese and Pear in a Creamy sauce with Roasted Red Peppers & Pine Nuts, finished with Gorgonzola."

When I read the menu description I thought the pear sounded a little weird, but it turned out that it made the dish.  The bit of crunch from the pear bits, followed a second or so later by the sweet taste of the pear, really
made this dish a favorite. I also had an appetizer with lump crabmeat, prosciutto, and  wine sauce that was very good.

Peggy got the crab cake, and rated it pretty highly (maybe 8 out of 10).  It got scant attention from her, though, as my pasta purses made her swoon.

Between the excessively large crab and prosciutto appetizer and the double crab cake dinner, we have lots of leftovers.  Fortunately our hotel room has a refrigerator.

Wednesday:

Breakfast was at Fausto's Bistro.  Not terribly good, but rather expensive. We won't be going here again.

Lunch was at Galaxy 66 Bar and Grille, 6601 Coastal Highway. Menu descriptions of what we got:

- Spring green salad.  Tossed with red onions, artichokes, tomatoes, goat cheese and a pesto vinaigrette topped with toasted pine nuts.
    
- Seared scallops.  With pickled jalapenos, crispy sweet goat cheese, cranberry relish, port reduction.
    
- Award winning cheesesteak.  Slow roasted ribeye, carmalized onions, chiffonade romaine, pepper relish mayo, white cheddar cheese on house made roll with house made fries.

The salad was very, very good, with the exception of the lackluster tomatoes (no excuse for that this time of year).  Much better than Peggy was expecting.

The seared scallops were also very, very good, except that they may have been just a touch too rare for Peggy's taste.  She ate all of them anyway. The scallops were very flavorful. The crispy sweet goat cheese was outstanding and a great complement to the scallops. Cranberry relish was nice.  Peggy thought the "port reduction" tasted more like a raspberry sauce.  Everything came together beautifully.

I got the cheesesteak.  I was a bit taken aback when it was served, as it was overstuffed and had a sauce (probably the pepper relish mayo) drizzled over and under it.  I ended up eating it with a knife and fork, which just seems wrong.  Nonetheless, it was very, very good (I seem to be saying that a lot in this review).  The homemade fries would be very well liked by those who like that style of fry (thick, with the peel still on).  It's not my favorite style of fry, but they were still pretty good.  Obviously cooked at the last minute, as they stayed hot for a long time.

We had a very tasty Joseph Phelps Sauvignon Blanc from the nice wine list.

Dinner was at the Marlin Moon Grille, 12806 Ocean Gateway. Overall impression: disappointing. Service was very rushed.  Appetizers came out very quickly, when cocktails had barely been started. Main courses came out while the appetizers (excessively large salads) were barely a third eaten. Food was good, but not notable.

Thursday:

Breakfast was at Soriano's again.  We like this place.  Quirky, somewhat limited menu, but good.

Lunch was at Capt. Bill Bunting's Angler Restaurant, on Talbot St. by the drawbridge on Rt. 50. Hardly any customers, which has been true at lunchtime pretty much everywhere during this slow week in OC.

We've been to this place before (also for lunch during a non-peak time), so we knew what to expect.  Decent food, competently prepared, but nothing to go out of your way for.  What we go here for is the pleasant environment, sitting on the deck overlooking the docks and the Route 50 drawbridge.  The drawbridge opens pretty often, providing extra entertainment. We split a half dozen oysters on the half-shell, which were small but tasty.

Peggy got a "crab imperial sandwich," which was crab imperial on top of each of the halves of an English muffin.  I don't remember every seeing cheese on crab imperial before, but Peggy said it was good, if not outstanding.  It did have real blue crab meat, not the Asian stuff.

I got a grilled shrimp po-boy.  It wasn't a po-boy, being served on a soft round roll rather than French bread, but it was pretty good.  The grilled shrimp were not overcooked like they often are, and the Cajun mayonnaise had a nice kick to it.

It didn't feel like a wine place, so we stuck with cocktails.  The cocktails were well-made, and served in nice heavy glass rocks glasses, rather than plastic cups like Tuesday's outdoor lunch.

Dinner was at Jules, 11805 Coastal Highway. Peggy got the house salad, which was very good but a bit overdressed, and the soft crabs.  Unfortunately the soft crab description isn't on the Web site menu for me to paste here, but she thought there was too much stuff obscuring the crab flavor.

I got an appetizer special of clams and chorizo in a wine sauce (or something like that).  Very good!  I also got the "French Onion Soup Style New Zealand Rack of Lamb," because the description sounded so out there.
The menu described it as "lamb chops atop a lamb stock soaked foccacia crouton and caramelized onions, warm gruyere cheese sauce, seasonal vegetables".  It was very good, but the foccacia crouton was hard to cut (although it didn't seem tough when eaten).  I probably wouldn't get that item again, but I wasn't displeased with it.

Desserts were good.  Peggy got something that was described as being related to a Smith Island cake.  The waiter mentioned "chunky monkey" in his description, but we didn't know what that meant.  But at any rate, Peggy thought it was very good.  I got a berry shortcake thing of some sort, with a very tasty and crisp shortbread topped with strawberries, blueberries, and a cream sauce.  Very tasty.

Friday:

Breakfast at Layton's, at 15th St. and Philadelphia Ave. I had good corned beef hash with competently fried over-easy eggs and mediocre "home fries" (they didn't seem much like they'd been fried).  Peggy had perfectly adequate pancakes with tasty bacon, although she'd have preferred the bacon a little more well done. This place seems to attract a lot of families with young children, which makes for a rather high noise level.

Lunch on the way home was at the Narrows, again. I got the soft crab on a salad special that Peggy had gotten on Monday. I really liked it a lot! Peggy got a special of cioppino served on angel hair pasta.  ...We really like this place.

(Photo of Fresco's dish by Karl Merton Ferron/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

I hear from turkeybone that last night Zach Galifianakis (left), who starred in "The Hangover," arrived at the Brewer's Art with some friends for dinner after 10 p.m. They had beers, appetizers and dinner. (Galifianakis told the general manager he really enjoyed the carnitas). They skipped dessert.

No word on what Galifianakis was doing in town.

"I never saw the movie, but the rest of the staff was making a big deal about it... celebrity watch for the younger crowd I suppose, hehe," turkeybone wrote.

(Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

At the farmers market today I asked my apple guru Dave Reid what he knew about SweeTango. This is the apple variety that's getting a lot of press  as the successor to the phenomenal (in terms of popularity and taste) Honeycrisp.

The SweeTango was developed by the University of Minnesota.

Dave said he wouldn't be growing them anytime soon and told me about the "club variety" concept, something I hadn't known about. To plant certain varieties, growers have to join a club, which is where the name comes from.

After the unexpected success of the Pink Lady apple, Dave told me, brand owners started controlling some new varieties to prevent overplanting. Not everyone can join the club, and it can be expensive to do so.

The growers have to agree to various terms, and marketing is done by the corporation. Financially, it isn't feasible for many small growers to plant club varieties.

What this does for us, the apple eaters, is keep the price of the new variety from falling. ...

I guess from what Dave said if you want to try SweeTango, you'll have to wait until it shows up in your supermarket; but I could be wrong. Let me know if you see it anywhere.

It's always interested me anyway that there are so many varieties of apples for sale, and we all know the names of a lot of them. Can you name one variety of, say, peach? I always ask what peach variety I'm buying at the farmers market, and every couple of weeks it changes. But I never can remember the next season which ones I particularly like.

Maybe next week I'll ask Dave whether all those apple varieties really sell. I guess they do, or he wouldn't bring them to market. But I never see anyone buying anything but Honeycrisps, Gala and Fuji, plus some of the very old varieties for the sake of nostalgia.

I did hear an amazing thing this morning: Someone asked Dave for a Red Delicious. Why not just go to your local Giant.

(AP Photo of the SweeTango/Steve Karnowski)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (15)
        

I've just read through all the comments starting with last Sunday, and no one comment jumped out at me. Maybe that's a good thing. There were some discussions that really interested me as a whole, such as the ones on things in food and the medium-rare issue (including a very good description of what the terms mean).

I think I'll turn over the Comment of the Week to your nominations, although the only nomination I got within the comments was one for my own daughter. Gailor's probably not eligible.

Oh, heck. Why not? I just waved goodbye to her as she started the drive back to Chicago today, so I'm feeling sentimental. Here's her comment, posted under The Crazy Woman at Cafe Gia:

I wish Mom would use the line "I'm Elizabeth Large and I will destroy you," when we have a bad experience at a restaurant, but it hasn't happened yet.

Posted by: Gailor | September 9, 2009 3:44 PM

If you've got a better one (she won't feel insulted), please post below.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

Brett Anderson, a restaurant critic whose beat is New Orleans, had an interesting story recently on how difficult it is to get medium rare meat these days.

I hadn't thought about it until I read his story, but I have to agree. (I will hasten to add this isn't a blanket condemnation. The prime rib in the photo is very, very rare; but when I ordered it medium rare at the Prime Rib, it came exactly as ordered.)

I think I'm right in saying "medium rare" used to mean very pink all the way through, sometimes but not necessarily shading to red at the center. Anderson's definition seems pretty close to mine. ...

And I totally agree with him that meat is at its best when it's cooked medium rare, although I can live with medium. It has nothing to do with not liking raw meat -- I love carpaccio, for instance -- but the texture of medium rare or even medium is what I want in my steak. Duck breast and lamb I actually prefer medium for some reason, but I want beef very pink. If it shades to gray at all it's almost inedible to me.

The question is why medium rare has come to mean rare. I can only think that diners out have developed a higher tolerance (and sometimes love) for raw meat and seafood. Once Americans embraced sushi, for instance, chefs in some cutting-edge restaurants started cooking salmon and scallops with a rare center.

It's even OK (or preferable) to cook pork not well done these days.

Maybe chefs think that people mean "bloody" when they order their meat medium rare. Or maybe they figure it's easier to fix a cut of meat that hasn't been cooked long enough than one that's been cooked too long.

(Brendan Cavanaugh/Special to the Sun)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

The poll on what we're live-chatting about next Monday, Sept. 14 at noon has officially closed. Of the 150 votes, 34.7 percent wanted to talk about the best places for carryout, making it easily the winner.

Only one tiny problem: I know nothing about carryout.

However, has that ever stopped me from discussing something? I think not. ...

I do need some back up, though, so I've asked Midnight Sun Sam to co-host the chat with me. He said yes last week, but I haven't heard from him today after my prompting e-mail. I'm assuming he'll be there.

Sam wrote the carryout column for the Taste section for awhile before he became an important arts and entertainment writer.

Remember, the window will be open on the blog half an hour before the chat starts. (That would be 11:30 a.m.) You can make comments or ask questions early, and that will give Sam and me time to think up clever and articulate responses. Or not.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

In case you missed HowChow's comment earlier today, apparently the restaurant opening in November where oZ. Chophouse was, which was originally going to be Carlos and Jordan's Steakhouse, will now be called Venegas Prime Filet.

Carlos Venegas is one of the owners of Ranazul in Maple Lawn.

I'm a big fan of HowChow's blog, ever since his excellent post on parking lot cafes. The concept had me laughing out loud because it's so true.

But back to the new restaurant. The name puzzles me. ...

Or maybe surprises me. I hadn't realized this until recently, but a lot of steakhouses that serve prime beef don't bother with prime filet, a) because even choice filet is incredibly expensive and b) the marbling doesn't matter as much as with other cuts of meat. At least I've been told those are the reasons.

So to announce with your name that your filet will be prime makes a statement. I'm just not sure what that statement is.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

I just got this e-mail from L. about an unfortunate incident at a fine-dining restaurant:

A few weeks ago my husband and I dined at [Chez Restaurant].  We shared a caesar salad, the prime rib, two side dishes, and a nice bottle of red wine.  As we began to eat our salad, my husband pulled a thin wire (about an inch long) from his mouth.  The wire was the type that is usually wrapped around romaine lettuce.  He showed this to the waiter, who quickly sent the manager to our table.  He first asked if my husband was hurt; he was not.  He then apologized several times and said he would like to deduct the price of the wine from our bill.  My husband said that would be fine.  Later, I told my husband that I thought the manager should have done more.  Was the free wine appropriate or not enough?  In general what should the management of a restaurant do when such an event occurs?  ...

I wrote back and said I totally sympathized. It must have been an unpleasant experience. But if no one was hurt, and there was no malice involved, I would have been satisfied with the free bottle of wine. I presume when she said "nice," that meant it wasn’t inexpensive.

I know a couple of restaurant owners personally (no, I don't review their restaurants), and you can’t imagine the sorts of things people do to get free stuff. So when there’s a genuine problem like this one seems to be, some places are quite hardnosed about it. I’m glad Chez Restaurant wasn’t.

I didn't have a photo of Chez Restaurant's caesar salad, so I used one from a restaurant elsewhere, one that did not contain wire as far as I know. 

(Nanine Hartzenbusch/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (37)
        

You know you love my Celebrity Watch feature. Don't pretend you don't. You know it's fun to find out what celebs eat when they visit local restaurants.

The latest is actor Chazz Palminteri, who was last in Baltimore this spring starring in "A Bronx Tale" at the Hippodrome.  

I hear that this week Palminteri had dinner several times at Aldo's in Little Italy, enjoying pastas like pappardelle with wild boar ragu and orecchiette, broccoli raab, and mild Italian sausage. He also had the chicken Milanese, and sauteed sweet peppers and potatoes as an appetizer.

What's interesting is the reason Palminteri is in town. He met Sergio Vitale of Aldo's when he was here in the spring and kept in touch. He's returned, says my source, "to discuss possible restaurant concepts with the folks at Aldo’s."

Or maybe it's just an excuse to eat some more good pasta.

(Chiaki Kawajiri/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Sometimes having to write about small, unassuming little restaurants brings out the best in a reviewer. That's what happened today when Other Reviewer Richard reviewed Howard's Delly of Mount Vernon.

I laughed out loud at this:

"We heard it got a little fancy. That could have meant anything in Mount Vernon, from 'they put in an oxygen bar' to 'they emptied the grease trap.'" 

(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer)

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

Tavern on the Green in New York City's Central Park, which deserves landmark status if any restaurant does, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

A friend and I were just talking about brunch, and she told me something interesting: Because of the economy, she and her friends are no longer going out to dinner as much. Instead they meet for breakfast or brunch, which is cheaper not only because of the type of food, but also because they aren't as likely to order a drink or dessert.

I hadn't thought about it before, but that's a natural consequence of not feeling comfortable spending a lot of money eating out anymore -- but not wanting to give up your social life.

I was intrigued because suddenly I'm hearing more about brunch myself. I wonder which is the chicken and which is the egg.

Charm City mom Kate went to brunch at Woodberry Kitchen before a movie at the Landmark, and I hadn't even realized Woodberry had started serving brunch. ...

Another friend said she saw an ad for brunch at the Dizz in Remington. Anybody tried that yet?

And I recently got an e-mail giving me the details of brunch at Mari Luna Grille in Pikesville. 

Maybe it's time to do a Top 10 on the Best Places to Have Brunch. Surprisingly, I don't seem to have ever done it, although I did do Top 10 Places for Brunch You Might Not Have Thought Of. I also have a brunch category, if you look to the right on the rail.

Anyway, suggestions welcome.

Here are the details on the Mari Luna brunch:

The buffet includes over 40 items ranging from omelets, eggs Benedict and a waffle station to bagels, lox, whitefish, grilled and smoked salmon, soups and quiche. From the carving stations there are prime rib, lamb and turkey. Also on offer: seafood ceviche de marisco, steamed shrimp, salads and grilled vegetables.

Latin entrees are available (seafood paella, ropa vieja, seafood salpicon and more) with lots of side dishes.

Desserts and mimosas, juice, coffee, tea and sodas are included in the $22.95 price. Kids 12 and under eat for $11.95.

Hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
Categories: Brunch
        

I just heard from Dan Rodricks about a food-oriented episode of his radio show today. It's a good idea -- I'm sorry I didn't think of it first for a blog post. In other words, we've done hometown favorites here before, but always assuming the hometown is Baltimore. Here's what Dan wrote me. EL

Today on my radio show we're asking listeners to call in or write in with their "hometown favorites" -- that is, eats, drinks, goodies, snacks, regional dishes they can only get (or only find) back home. ...

For far-flung native Baltimoreans, it's always crab cakes and Berger's Cookies. But the nation is full of transplants, so many of us are from someplace else and have cravings for those treats associated with, and still only found, in the home town. Of course, Internet shopping has changed a lot of this. But still, there are certain items people always make sure to bring back to Maryland with them after a trip back home.

(For me, there's always Gaspar's Portuguese Linguica Sausage from Massachusetts in my carry-on.)

Your readers are welcome to contribute to our growing list of these things by dropping an e-mail to midday@wypr.org, or calling in live during the 1-2 p.m. hour today:  410-662-8780.

Or, of course, they can just tune in at 88.1.

(David Hobby/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (38)
        

Our Shallow Thought guru John Lindner sent me the photo this morning. Here's John, adding a little civility to the proceedings. EL

A few weeks ago we had a stimulating discussion about aggressive panhandlers who disrupt outdoor dining (among other things). So I was heartened to find this story about cooking classes for homeless folks and ex-addicts.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

When we ate at Pizzazz Tuscan Grille a couple of weeks ago, I was impressed by the pastry tray, which had 14 desserts on it.

I'm sorry I don't have a photo of it; the one in the picture was taken at Sanders' Corner. It looks pretty good, too.

We got to talking about what was the proper number of desserts for a pastry tray. ...

The eight desserts pictured look like the right amount. When we ate at the Hill, we were presented with a tray that had only three desserts on it, and that seemed skimpy. In that case, it's better if the server just tells the table what's available.

Something a restaurant should worry about when it offers a dessert tray is the overall effect. The desserts have to seem balanced, and they all have to look good as well as taste good. Much as I love a fine bread pudding, for instance, if your specialty is bread pudding I wouldn't bother having a dessert tray -- even if the bread pudding is better than all the rest of the choices. Visually it's a tough sell.

I wonder what makes a restaurant decide to have a dessert tray. Are customers that much more likely to buy when they see what's available? I guess so. Do they sell that last piece of chocolate cake even though it's been sitting on the tray all day, or do they remove it from the tray when it's the last one?

No, wait. Don't answer that.

My impression is that dessert trays are a dying breed. But one of my favorite restaurant memories (when I had more of a sweet tooth than I do now) was walking past the Tio Pepe dessert cart on the way to my table. It always held at least three long roll cakes as well as several other magnificent choices. Because of my fleeting glimpse of it, I thought about what I'd have for dessert all through my meal.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Our Shallow Thought Wednesday guru John Lindner sent me his guest post but neglected to include the photo. I have a feeling it's a good one from a comment he made about it, so I don't want to publish the guest post without it.

I e-mailed him at his new job, but got an auto-reply back saying he's on vacation. Naturally I'm hoping he's checking Dining@Large if not his e-mail and isn't on some motorcycle trek without his computer. Stay tuned.

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

I only got one person (thanks, Bacon Girl) telling me how lunch was from the Kooper's Tavern Chowhound burger truck yesterday. I'm going to give you a second chance as I link to my Table Talk column today, which gives more details about the roving lunch wagon. 

I'm hoping this gives rise to all sorts of interesting trucks that stop near the Sun at lunchtime every once in awhile. Our choices around here are pretty limited unless we want to walk up to Charles Street. (Although I did have another excellent grilled cheese and tomato sandwich at Nina's. How do they get the bread so crispy without making it too dark?) ...

In today's column I also talk about the Towson sushi press tour and one more sushi restaurant that opened this summer in the area. I wish I had waited a week, because I just learned about another sushi restaurant that opened recently, this one in Pikesville, and I could start talking about trends.

In fact, we should have a live chat about how and why sushi restaurants got to be so popular in the Baltimore area, and why raw fish rolled in rice and seaweed took off the way it has.

Speaking of which, you still have a couple of days to vote on the next live chat topic if you haven't already. It will take place next Monday, Sept. 14, at noon. But you can submit comments/questions half an hour before to make sure you get a place in the queue.

Of course, today is also the day Top 10 Tuesday from last week appears in the print edition. Not many comments made it in, and they were all by regulars.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Susan Reimer just sent me a plea, but I couldn't help her. I've never even heard of New Park, Pa. Anyone have any suggestions?

Have to do an apple-picking travel story for Michelle [the travel editor] and I need a cute/nice place to have lunch on a Sunday near New Park, Pa. or on the way...it's up 83 and then some...

(Colby Ware/Special to the Sun)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

I just had an interesting phone call from Giovanna Blattermann, the mother of the owner of Cafe Gia in Little Italy. The cafe is small, only eight tables downstairs; and at the time she was telling me about, it was BYOB. (It's gotten its liquor license, and as of next week should be serving alcohol.)

Anyway, a few weeks ago a woman, let's call her JT, and a couple of other people came in with a bottle of wine. They said they wanted to have a glass before they ordered, and then they wanted to have a glass before deciding whether to have dessert, and ended up sitting at the table for what Ms. Blattermann said was two hours and 45 minutes. ...

Because there were people with reservations waiting, she finally asked the table if they would be willing to move upstairs with their wine to free up the table, and she would buy them dessert. (Apparently there's a second dining room upstairs that wasn't open that evening.) Customers, she said, had always been fine with doing that before.

Now in Mrs. Blattermann's place I might have simply opened the upstairs for the new reservations and left them alone, but that's not the point of the story.

JT, said Mrs. B., started screaming at her, "I paid $5 to drink my wine here! I'm best friends with Elizabeth Large, and I know the editors at the Sun, and I'm going to destroy this restaurant!"

Mrs. Blattermann tried to calm her down by offering to open the restaurant on a day it was closed and cook dinner for them herself. The woman gave Mrs. B her name and number; but when she didn't hear anything more, Mrs. B. decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

Now, Mrs. B. says, JT is posting scurrilous remarks about her on the 'net. I went to look on Suzanne Loudermilk's blog and found the following comment.

Of course, I wasn't at the restaurant so I don't know what really happened, but Mrs. B. sounded pretty reasonable when she called. And I do hate people using my name to get what they want from restaurants. Mrs. B. said she has witnesses and letters from customers who were there at the time offering their support.

Here's the comment, signed JT:

Cafe Gia is the scariest place I've ever eaten. The grandmother is the threat to this place. Our one and only visit this year was bizarre! The grandmother pushed us out before dessert and reminded us that they were not a drinking establishment as we finished our glass of wine from the wine we brought with us. Keep in mind, she already circled the table the entire time we ate, eyeballing us to finish!

There were people waiting to be seated and I assume she wanted us out quickly? The waitress was mortified as well as apologetic. Like they all know this woman is nuts. Our daughter was terrified.

The grandmother apologized as we lit into her, responding with the fact that she was on Oxycotin. I am not making this up. Then, she offered for us to come back for a private dinner upstairs. Well, we never heard a word. Even patrons that left as we did were shaking their heads out of disappointment and shock.

I wiill never return there or recommend this place. Our only hope is the grandmother stays out and Gia learns to defend herself.

Pretty sad...

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

Some of you in the past have wondered why I love southern California so much. When I mention great weather, Mozza pizza, Arclight Cinema and homeless people who have a cell phone in case their agent calls, you counter with raging wildfires, earthquakes and actor/governors.

I may have found something to win you over: the edible restaurant.

What a concept. ...

The restaurant will be built in the rectory of a decommissioned, quake-damaged cathedral, St. Vibiana's, that was bought by a developer in the late  '90s.

It's a project of Sander Architects in Los Angeles. According to the designboom Web site, it will have an edible facade, a "vertical garden" with fruits, vegetables and herbs growing on the outer walls for passers-by to pick. There will also be an upscale version of a carryout window, an open sidewalk counter.

Archdaily has more photos and architectural drawings of the project.

"With this edible idea," says the Web site, "the building becomes both environmentally and people friendly."

Both sites refer to it as "Grace Restaurant," which puzzles me. I thought that name was already taken in Los Angeles. But I'm sure someone reading this will be able to explain it to me.

(Photo courtesy of Sander Architects)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Faithful readers know how negative I am about reality shows (because I feel they're driving out good scripted shows), but the episode of "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" that airs tomorrow night seems worthy of a little publicity.

The cover story about it for tomorrow's Taste section has just been posted on the Sun Web site. It's about the appearance of the Rev. Leo Patalinghug on "Throwdown." He's the director of pastoral field education at Mount St. Mary's Seminary and the creator of Grace Before Meals, a ministry to encourage people to "cook, eat and talk with each other."

No word yet on who the winner of "Throwdown" was.

(Jed Kirschbaum/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

The Kooper's Tavern Chowhound burger truck is parked just above the Sun garage at Calvert and Monument streets at the moment.

It's my lead item in tomorrow's Table Talk column; and now the truck has come to me, so to speak, so I could experience one of the burgers without going very far. (Although they didn't realize they were doing that.)

Unfortunately I've already eaten lunch. But if you haven't, the truck will be there until around 3 or 4 p.m., they told me.

If you do stop by, let us know how the burger (and the experience) was.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (20)
        

OK, our intrepid food editor and Reality Check blogger Sarah KK (she also delivers the mail) has come up with the nutrition, maybe I ought to put that in quotation marks, content for one fried Oreo. We also had a very interesting conversation about what a serving is.

Yes, I know you can figure it out by dividing the number of cookies in a package by the number of servings, but that doesn't mean that two or three Oreos actually is a serving. To me, one Oreo is more than a serving, even though I live by the Four Cookie Rule, that four of anything good (such as Kirchmayr chocolates or cocktail party canapes) is a serving.

Anyway, here's what you'll get with one deep-fried Oreo. I'm not sure what the "Vitamin A RE" means, and neither is Sarah, and I'm not interested enough to call the dietitian to find out: ...

This analysis is PER COOKIE!
 
Nutrients per serving

Calories 130.48

Fat (total)  9.16 grams

Protein 1.72 grams

Saturated fat 0.81 grams

Carbohydrates 11.21 grams

Vitamin A RE  6.62  micrograms

Dietary fiber 0.89 grams         

Vitamin C 0.01 milligrams

Cholesterol 9.05 milligrams      

Sodium 85.73  milligrams

% Calories from fat 61 %        

% Calories from carbs 33 %

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

In the past when a holiday has fallen on a Monday, I've still had to write my Top 10 Tuesday. (I could always do it the week before, but somehow that never happens.)

This time, however, our Shallow Thought guru and guest poster John Lindner sent me a gift: the Top 10 Reasons to Dine Out. Actually he sent me 15 reasons, and the only work I had to do was choose which ones I liked best.

Without further ado, here's John's list, in more or less his order. Interesting where "because we're hungry" falls, and I think he's probably right: ...

1) Someone else cooks for you, serves you, and does the dishes.

2) Experience tastes you can't get at home

3) Opportunity to use more than one fork during a single meal

4) Good excuse to dress up

5) Great way to experience different cultures

6) Excellent blog conversation (argument, melee) starter

7) Decent way to make a living*

8) Great way to say "thank you," "congratulations," "I love you"

9) Because we're hungry

10) Because life is brief and brutal and ends with a party you don't get to attend

* More than decent. EL

(Photo illustrating No. 2 by Tasha Treadwell/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

As I make my way through the restaurants that have opened recently (new places are always my priority when I review) I'm struck by how much they are trying to do the same things -- partly because of the economy and partly because of the hottest trends in the restaurant business: local/seasonal/sustainable.

The new places are doing a pretty good job of being affordable, and one of the best examples is the restaurant I reviewed yesterday, Pizzazz Tuscan Grille in the Pier V Hotel. I don't know if it will succeed, but I think it has a better chance than any of the places that preceded it.  I guess the real test is how it does in the winter when it no longer has tourists to draw on.

(Tasha Treadwell/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Monday Morning Quarterbacking
        

I checked my e-mail too late to help Charm City mom Kate, and I didn't have a great answer for her anyway.

The last time I went to the Landmark, my friends and I had ice cream at the Haagen Dazs next door. But that doesn't have the vibe I think she's looking for.

Here's Kate's e-mail:

The husband and I, still stuffed from brunch at Woodberry Kitchen, are heading to a movie tonight at the Landmark. I know we won't want a full dinner, but we will want a lovely appetizer after the movie with a drink. Or possibly just dessert. What's the one thing you would order in Harbor East, and what would you pair it with?

I'm not the best one to answer this question. First of all, I usually mortgage my house to buy popcorn and a soda during the movie, so I can't afford to eat anything afterward.

But if I had to mention something from personal experience and not do any research -- such as what Cinghiale's or Roy's bar and/or dessert menus consist of -- I guess I would say hummus and a glass of wine at one of Lebanese Taverna's outdoor tables.

I'd also look into what Teavolve offers in the way of desserts, and maybe consider sushi at Chiu's.

One of you may have a better suggestion.

it sounds like the kids were out of town for the day, doesn't it? Brunch at Woodberry Kitchen and a movie and something at a nice Harbor East restaurant afterward. Ooh la la.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

No live chat today, obviously, because that would be too laborious. But I want to remind you to vote on what the subject should be next Monday if you haven't already. Click here to get to the poll.

The problem with having the poll embedded in the main blog is that it disappears after a few other posts. I'm hoping our tech goddess Lauren (I actually address her as "O Tech Goddess" when I e-mail her requests) will be able to give us a box to the right of the main page so a poll is always there.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

Next Sunday I review Maisy's, the restaurant that opened this summer where Copra used to be on N. Charles Street. I wish them well, but I have no idea why restaurants stay open for dinner along this stretch of Charles; the customers just don't seem to be there. I'm sure Maisy's does a decent lunch business, but I wonder who comes here for dinner.

Yet several restaurants do, and they seem to be surviving if not thriving.

Parking isn't difficult if you're willing to go around the block a time or two. And something I forgot to mention in my review: Sunday through Wednesday, Maisy's has a New York strip steak dinner for $11.95.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Review Preview
        

It felt like the beginning of the end at the farmers market under the viaduct today. I know that's an exaggeration -- after all, it will be there every Sunday until the Sunday before Christmas -- but at 6:30 a.m., when I started thinking about driving down soon, it was still almost dark.

One vendor told me that he would only have peaches for another week, and the apples and pears were pushing out the other fruits on the stands. The end of summer has happened too fast for me. ...

Driving back from the market, I was listening to my current recorded book. Even though my daily commute is only 15 or 20 minutes, I always listen to a book to keep my road rage at an acceptable level. My current book, on my brother the history teacher's recommendation, is Gone With the Wind. The problem is that it's 41 discs, which is a lot of discs to get through in 15-minute segments when you borrow it from the library.

Anyway, as I was driving back to my breakfast of tea and toast, I listened to 16-year-old Scarlett O'Hara getting laced into her stays to create a 17-inch waist, and then her Mammy made her eat before she went to a morning barbecue because ladies weren't supposed to eat much in public.

Her breakfast tray consisted of a yam, cut open, steaming with butter at its center; a slice of ham with gravy and hot cakes. She was expected to eat this after she had been laced up. I wonder how accurate it was, and how long she would have kept her 17-inch waist eating meals like that.

(Photo courtesy of New Line Cinema)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

As much as I try to use this feature to raise Dining@Large to a loftier level of discourse, you just knew I had to make the following the Comment of the Week. EL

Welcome to the Waddle Inn where we deep fry everything. Where shortening refers to what we do to your life, lard is just the first half of your nickname and there's more recycled oil than you'll find at JiffyLube. Nothing like a dinner of deep fried filet mignon, deep fried mashed potatos (French fries are so ordinaire) and deep fried spinach, preceded, of course, by a deep fried iceberg lettuce salad (sprinkled with deep fried feta cheese.) The coup de grace, of course, before they call the paramedics, is a double order of those delicious deep fried oreos. Cocktail before dinner? A maragarita with a martini chaser? Splendid choice, Monsieur. Here at the Waddle Inn, even our customers get fried.

Posted by: Michael A. Gray | September 4, 2009 12:00 PM

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

In honor of Labor Day, I guess, Ball Park Franks sent me a list of the Top 10 Hot Dog-Consuming Cities. A weaker person than I would save it for next Tuesday, but I'm better than that. I'm going to use it today. (It helps that Shallow Thought John sent me an excellent Top 10 that I can use so I don't have to be working on one on Labor Day.)

Anyway, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, an organization I didn't even know existed, Americans consume some seven billion hot dogs between Memorial Day and Labor Day. I'm too lazy to look up how many people live in the United States, but that figure seems high to me.

I feel like I personally would have had to have eaten more than seven hot dogs this summer, and I haven't.

Anyway, Baltimore is quite high up on the hot dog-consuming list, which also came with the recipes that made them so consumable in each city. I have issues with that part, too, and I think you'll agree with me when you see the list. ...

There's not much more to say about hot dogs that we haven't already said earlier on this blog. Except maybe about the buns, whether they should be grilled or not. (I vote yes.)

"Based on data from Information Resources Inc., here's a look at the top 10 hot dog consuming cities and the recipes that make them hometown favorites:

1.  New York (NY) - Considered the hot dog capital of the nation by many Americans, New York City's infamous street cart dog is boiled and then served with a special onion sauce and deli-style yellow mustard or in some cases, sauerkraut

2.  Los Angeles (CA) - This west coast wiener is wrapped with Mexican style bacon and includes grilled onions, jalapeño or bell peppers and salsa

3.  Baltimore (MD)/Washington, D.C. - Popular within the nation's capital, the Monumental Dog is typically an all-beef frank topped with banana peppers, onions, diced red peppers, sliced pickles and served on a steamed potato hot dog bun that has been spread with mayonnaise

4. Philadelphia (PA) - One of the most unique recipes in the nation, the Philly Combo consists of an all-beef hot dog and a potato dish cake topped with mustard and onions

5. Chicago (IL) - Widely known for its "Classic Chicago Dog," this elaborate dog is served in a poppy seed bun with yellow mustard, green relish, chopped raw onion, fresh tomato, a pickle spear and topped with a touch of celery salt

6.  San Antonio/Corpus Christi (TX) - A popular hot dog in the Lone Star state, the Tex-Mex dog is topped with salsa, Monterrey Jack cheese and chopped jalapeños   

7.  Boston (MA) - One of the nation's most famous franks, the Fenway Frank is boiled and grilled, then served in a New England-style bun topped with mustard and relish

8.  Harrisburg/Scranton (PA) - Home to the Texas Weiner, which contrary to popular belief, has nothing to do with Texas.  Although there have been debates in the past on whether this hot dog originated in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, one thing is certain - this misnomer of a dog is deep fried and served with Greek sauce consisting of a smooth, slow cooked meat sauce spiced with cayenne, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and cumin

9.  Miami/Ft. Lauderdale (FL) - Known for its spicy flavor and hot temperatures, this city's "hot" dog is modeled after a Cuban recipe, which calls for lettuce, avocado, mojo sauce (a sauce combining garlic and olive oil) and pineapple   

10.  Charleston (SC) - So popular it spans both North and South Carolina, the Carolina dog is served with chili, coleslaw, mustard and onions"

(Photo courtesy of Ball Park Franks)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (46)
        

I just killed out a comment purporting to out another commenter, a regular, as a former owner of a restaurant. When I went to the entry it was posted under, I saw there were also a couple of comments about how he cheated on his girlfriends. Please, this isn't the place.

Also, it doesn't matter who's behind the nom de blog, commenters have a right to stay anonymous here as long as they don't have an ulterior motive. And sometimes when they do, if they're doing no harm.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (26)
        

What a great idea for a blog, and useful if you eat a lot of packaged food. Even if you don't, it's fun to look at the photos on Food in Real Life. The idea is you find out what, say, that Lean Cuisine entree tastes and looks like (hint: not like the picture on the box) before you buy it.

It lessens the shock.

Thanks to consumer blogger Liz Kay for pointing out the blog to me.

(Yummy seafood entree photo courtesy of the Lean Cuisine Web site)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

It just gets worse and worse. Our food editor volunteered to ask the nutritionist to come up with the calorie count and fat amount for fried Oreos if I had batter information, so I Googled for a recipe. It turns out this delicacy was featured on Good Morning America in 2003. However, I decided to use this recipe because the eggs and milk make them more nutritious.

I love the part about using reduced-fat Oreos to make a lighter version.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

I asked the e-mailer to send me the menu, and guess what one of the desserts was?

Yes.

Deep-fried Oreos.

You get six of them for $4.50.

I wonder how many calories and grams of fat six fried Oreos contain? It looks like one serving, unfried, provides 160 calories and 7 grams of fat, but I don't know how to factor in the grease-soaked batter. Not to mention the powdered sugar.

 Anyone want to take a crack at it?

(Tasha Treadwell/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (31)
        

One thing we've talked about some but not much here is the restaurants in Greektown. I'm not even sure I could name all of them anymore.

When I first moved here, everyone went to Ikaros and the lines went out the door. Then somehow over the years the must-go label shifted to Samos, I'm not sure how. But Ikaros still has its loyal supporters.

And then there's the Zorba's faction. These aficionados insist that to go anywhere else for grilled lamb chops or whole fish just doesn't make sense. ...

These three restaurants all made it into the latest Zagat Survey, but there must be other worthy places in Greektown when they are too busy and all you want is some moussaka and a glass of wine. Over the years various restaurants with names like "The Acropolis" have come and sometimes gone.

What started me thinking about all this was an e-mail from Michelle that said:

I have never eaten at any of the restaurants in Greektown.  I don't see any specific links to Greek restaurants on your page.  I know that the conversations have encompassed Greek restaurants before but I don't know which ones they were.

Maybe a poll on which one of the three is better? Ha ha. Just kidding. Or you can post below. And we would like info on any others you've tried in Greektown besides the big three.

(Nanine Hartzenbusch/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (51)
        

Other Reviewer Richard finally had a meal he can rave about. In today's paper he reviewed Ceazar in Elkridge, and reading it made me so hungry I felt like driving to Elkridge for lunch.

One bit of good news: The 3 1/2 star curse doesn't seem to hold when he's the one doing the reviewing. At least not so far.

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

I replied to this e-mail by sending Art the URL for our Top 10 Late-Night Places. The problem is that it's two years old, and certainly needs updating. Suggestions? Additions? Omissions?

Art really must be desperate if he's taking his date to the Dunkin' Donuts on Falls Road. The last time I went there it had run out of Pralines 'n' Cream THE DAY BEFORE and was still out. On the other hand, it had started carrying soft ice cream, which blew me away. Speaking of which, why do regular ice creams require a sugar cone while soft ice cream must be served in a cake cone?

But I digress.

Here's Art: ...

I would appreciate an article on places to go for coffee, or a light dinner after theater. Say in the window from 9 pm to 1 am.
 
The only places I know are
   TAPAS on Charles
    BLUE MOON on 28th Street
   DUNKIN DONUTS on Falls road above Cold Spring.
 
The same article, or another one could cover all-nite restaurants.

(Karl Merton Ferron/Sun photographer)
 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (18)
Categories: Late Night Places
        

One thing that resulted from our discussion of the quintessential Baltimore restaurant is that some of us now actually know what quintessential means, or think we do, which is practically the same thing.

That got a group of friends talking about "quintessential" recently, which led to a naming of quintessential foods. This can't simply be the foods you like best in some category. There has to be general agreement (shall we say 75 percent of the people polled? I think you see where I'm going with this) that it's a quintessential example of that food.

For instance: ...

The quintessential cookie: Toll House chocolate chip.

Could there be any argument here? You may prefer Oreos, O foolish one, but Toll House chocolate chips are the big It.

The conversation then devolved into some really shaky examples, which I'll quote here:

Quintessential sandwich:  peanut butter and jelly  (then somebody said, “in the summer…but grilled cheese in the winter”)
 
Quintessential Sunday dinner:  fried chicken and mashed potatoes
 
Quintessential candy bar: Snickers

This last bugs me. It's like saying the quintessential ice cream flavor is Pralines 'n' Cream, even though Pralines 'n' Cream, clearly the best ice cream flavor, isn't typical.

Snickers is an OK candy bar, but Hershey's milk chocolate is the quintessential candy bar, just as green beans are the quintessential vegetable, and steak is the quintessential meat, and a baked potato is the quintessential starch.

Adj. 1. quintessential - representing the perfect example of a class or quality.

(Amy Davis/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 6:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (29)
        

It's hard to know which side to come down on this...issue. The Star-Telegram is reporting that deep-fried butter is one of the finalists in this year’s annual Big Tex Choice Awards at the State Fair of Texas.

Here's my thinking: Butter = good. But a stick of butter (810 calories) seasoned, battered and deep-fat fried?

I feel another poll coming on.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)
        

This week's Table Talk has something old and something new, something borrowed and something blue.

The old is the latest news on Carlos and Jordan's Steakhouse becoming just Carlos' Steakhouse. Regular readers of Dining@Large already know all about it.

The new is more information on the opening of Banksy's Cafe in Lake Falls Village. It seems to be more of a restaurant than GlasZ Cafe, which it replaced. ...

The borrowed? Well, the inside headline "Less Pricey Restaurants Doing OK as Fine Dining Places Close" sounds like it could have been on Jill's Sunday story.

Sometimes I feel as if I'm writing the same news over and over again these days.

As for the blue, that's me because there wasn't room for any of Tasha Treadwell's excellent photos of Banksy's (luckily I can use a couple here) or for my Deal of the Week. Look for it to return next Wednesday.

The Top 10 from last week can be found here, along with select comments -- this week, ones by a lot of regulars.

(Tasha Treadwell/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 2:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Greatest. Shallow Thought Wednesday. Ever. Here's guest poster John Lindner. EL

Nothing inspires shallow thinking quite like the good old New York Times, and this bit on sentiment analysis by Alex Wright is nothing shy of epiphanic.

In celebration of this wonderful new science, I exercise not only shallow thought, but superficial feelings to boot. I herein list foods along with the sentiments I associate with them, inviting, of course, your additions and improvements. ...

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (43)
        

In an earlier post I mentioned dinner at Nam Kang before a movie, but didn't get around to the follow-up post I wanted to do when some of the comments mentioned Korean restaurants I didn't know much (or anything) about. I wanted to talk more about them and something else, namely:

I've never understood why in the Baltimore area we have Korean restaurants that seem more authentic than the other types of Asian restaurants in the area. (I know this is a broad generalization, but that's my specialty.) You used to go into some Korean restaurants and not be able to get a menu in English or a server who spoke English.

Not to disparage those restaurants that serve other Asian cuisines, but it seems like they have had to change themselves more to adapt to American tastes. ...

I'm not sure about this, so if you don't agree I can probably be argued out of it. And maybe it's too broad a generalization. Some places, like Suzie's Soba, are clearly trying to attract a broad spectrum of customers. Others (those closer to North Avenue) seem to thrive on a mostly Korean clientele.

Is it because there is a large enough Korean community to support these restaurants? Or that the earliest Asian restaurants in the area, Chinese and then Japanese, realized that the population here was less open to new things than it is now?

Maybe it's because Chinese-American established itself as a cuisine of its own on the West Coast long before Chinese restaurants opened here, so there was never a question of opening authentically Chinese restaurants until fairly recently.

Meanwhile, what are you favorite Korean places around here and why? That is, what specific dishes are you enamored of? I think Nam Kang now has a barbecue room, by the way.

(Photo of Shin Chon in Ellicott City, the last Korean restaurant I reviewed, by Algerina Perna/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 7:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

Celebrity sighting alert: New York Yankees Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada had "Cowboy Ribeyes," lobster tails and margaritas at Sullivan’s Steakhouse after their 5-to-1 victory over the Orioles last night.

I wonder if Baltimore fans leave them alone or boo and hiss when they're seen around town.

(Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (27)
        

OK, I admit that was a dumb poll because the voting is only going to have one outcome. I've gotten a little too caught up in the widgets here. All I wanted to do was highlight Baltofoodie's point, which was that excellent service can make up for a lot of deficiencies in the food, while excellent food to my mind doesn't return the favor. (Unless it's one of those restaurants where the customers pride themselves on being insulted by a rude wait staff, of which there are a few.)

We all have places we go back to again and again even though the food isn't great because the wait staff fusses over us and makes us feel special. I know I do.

(AP Photo/Paul Beaty) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then our Jill ought to feel very flattered. One of the local TV shows this morning did a segment on the demise of fine-dining restaurants in Baltimore that her Sunday story could have been the script for.

Speaking of which, I want to clear up something that confused some readers, and it's my fault, not Jill's. She was on vacation at the end of last week when I suggested that Dogwood in Hampden should be one of the restaurants mentioned in the story. ...

My feeling was that even if Dogwood reorganizes and reopens this fall -- which isn't certain -- the troubled economy is why it's closed now. And as one of our most socially conscious as well as finest fine-dining restaurants, it was too important not to mention.

What I didn't realize was that Jill had checked the restaurant's Web site and noted that all it said was that Dogwood was closed for the month of August and to check back for updates.

She decided it might give people the wrong impression -- that there was no possibility it would reopen -- if she included it in her story. She was right; we've gotten several e-mails inquiring about it, although nothing from owners Galen and Bridget Sampson. 

The bottom line is that I very much hope the restaurant can reopen, but I worry that it won't.

(Diana Morris enjoys a drink at Dogwood Restaurant. Monica Lopossay/Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 10:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)
        

In my review of Real Seafood Co. in Annapolis, I wondered why a chain would decide it was a good idea to open in a city that already had so many local places that serve good seafood. Elite Elephant Lover requested a Top 10 on the subject, and I'm happy to oblige.

I made it a little harder on myself than I had to by deciding to include no chains -- sorry, Chart House -- and only places that are known as seafood restaurants. (Every excellent restaurant in Annapolis has good seafood.) ...

Annapolis, by the way, has one thing Baltimore doesn't -- a lot of fine seafood restaurants that have a great view of the water. It's something we could use more of, especially since everyone who ever asks me to recommend a seafood place wants the view included.

Here's my list of the Top 10 Annapolis Seafood Restaurants; I hope you'll post about any others that should be on the list:

* Cantler's Riverside Inn. A hard-to-find crab shack right on the water with free boat docking for customers. Be warned: It's hard to snag a table. 

* Carrol's Creek Cafe. Fine-dining seafood with a spectacular view. It also has one of the best Sunday brunch buffets in Annapolis.

* Hell Point Kitchen. From veteran restaurateur Robert Kinkead, a new venture: Seafood is king here, from the must-have crab cake to the fried clams, lobster roll and seafood stew.

* Jerry's Seafood. This is the restaurant that took over the Metropolitan space. The food is traditional, but what you may lose in inventiveness is made up for by the wonderful open-air rooftop dining.

* Kyma. The name means "wave" in Greek. Mediterranean tapas with an emphasis on seafood, along with entrees like Chesapeake paella and stuffed rockfish.

* O'Learys Seafood. A lovely setting in Eastport, and an emphasis on sustainable seafood. It can be crowded and noisy, and it is expensive.

* The Rockfish. Another restaurant emphasizing the sustainable nature of its fish. Choose selections cooked on the hardwood grill or more elaborate preparations like the seafood napoleon.

* Severn Inn. The building is too new to have much personality, but the New American seafood menu has improved since it first opened, and there's yet another great view.

* Tsunami. This popular and very good Asian fusion restaurant's specialty is seafood, specifically sushi. But be warned if you don't like noisy restaurants: The name fits all too well.

* Yellowfin. Like several other restaurants on this list, it has a great view of the water. The food can get mixed reviews, but order carefully, such as the seafood mixed grill, and you'll have a very good meal.

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (41)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays