Dining@Large: The Comment of the Week + 2 - Baltimore restaurants: The dish on the restaurant scene, memorable meals, dining trends and more

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

Comments

Since anonymous' comment included my comment, I'm going to go ahead and declare myself a partial winner for comment of the week.

Congratulations Corey!

Anonymous' comment wasn't Comment of the Week. Sorry about that. EL

Posted by: Corey | September 26, 2009 6:56 PM

I think Laura Lee's homage to the common spud deserves recognition too.

Posted by: Bucky | September 26, 2009 9:03 PM

Thanks for the nod, EL. I'll hang this on the wall right next to the CotW where I laid a couple of strips of crispy bacon over the blog. Mmmm bacon.

Many of us want to freeze -insert fading icon here- in time but time marches on, and then here comes the conflict. The first person that can sustainably break the law of supply and demand or clone their regular diners wins! Without that, they'll most likely have to change with the times to keep the lights on. There are some good neighborhood examples of restaurants that are bringing in new customers and not just the regulars, which is promising.

Posted by: Bob UU | September 27, 2009 12:20 AM

EL why are you always trying to bring me down?

Not possible. :-) EL

Posted by: Corey | September 27, 2009 8:21 AM

I think on general principles anyone who signs themselves "Anonymous" should never be chosen for CotW. Harrrumph.

He was the +2. EL

Posted by: Dahlink | September 27, 2009 11:40 AM

Shill at 3:31 PM! (If ever a URL needs to be deleted, it's that one, for a website that purports to list over 475,000 restaurants but has reviewed less than 500 of them, with no Maryland restaurants in the reviewed column.)

Yes, he's really beginning to annoy me. I may have to cash in some chips to get his IP address blocked. EL

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