Cholesterol be darned...(why in the world did I ever have it checked in the first place?)
Maybe because I was inspired by Meat Week, or RW happened to make it more accessible, but this weekend was the weekend of meat. I started with lunch a fogo de chao (if you love yourself...go there) Saturday was filet at Sullivan’s, and Sunday was pork at cinghiale...Sigh...
I don't even feel hungry at this point. Maybe this is why lions only need to eat once a week. All that protein! Yum...

Captha: quote pastrami
very appropriate!

We went to Ruth's Chris at Pier Five this weekend. We had a group of six, and our check was just under $300, with wine and cocktails, so we all felt that was a great deal (I've paid $250 for dinner and drinks for just two people there before!). However ... our server was really, really friendly. Weirdly friendly. And the manager was creepily friendly as well. The service was well-paced -- if anything, it was a little fast-paced. And because the server or a busboy or the manager was at our table talking to us so frequently, we all left feeling as if we didn't have a chance to talk to each other! I understand the server wanted to be friendly with and connect with her tables, but she was extremely informal with us, sharing a lot of personal information none of us cared to know about her. It was very odd. And it's not like we were feeding off her and playing along -- for the most part, she was talking and we were politely laughing. Also, I ordered my steak medium rare and it came out medium well. I am certain this is because it was so God awful loud in that restaurant, she couldn't hear what I said. However, maybe if she'd taken less time chatting us up and more time paying attention to detail, it wouldn't have happened. I should have sent the steak back, I know, but I didn't want to hold up the meal and I didn't want to have to deal with any more talking to the server and/or manager! The lobster bisque I had to start was salty, but good. The carrot cake dessert was delicious. And the lobster tail that comes with the filet now that the restaurant week price has been raised? It was perfectly cooked and delicious. I don't expect a mind-blowing meal at Ruth's Chris -- we only went there because it's my extremely picky friend's favorite restaurant -- but I do expect to be left alone to enjoy the company of my dining companions. It was just a bizarre experience.

Sunday, my wife and I took my mother to dinner at DaMimmo to celebrate Restaurant Week. We have eaten there in the past and enjoyed it but our last bill was so outrageous, we vowed not to return. With the special pricing of Restaurant Week, we thought we'd give it another try selecting DaMimmo over other choices like The Wine Market, The Prime Rib and McCormick and Schmick's. While we waited to place our order, we noticed the food arriving at a table next to us. That party had made selections from the Restaurant Week prix fix menu and they looked like something in a small plates restaurant! The cannolis were the size of pretzel nuggets! We knew that wasn't what we wanted so we ordered from the regular menu.

The dinner was very nice as was the service. DaMimmo didn't get it's reputation for nothing. However, the bill for dinner for three with wine (a moderately priced one by DaMimmo standards) was $268 with tip. I have eaten in some very pricey restaurants in and out of Baltimore and, I'm sorry, $90 for dinner is just over the top. It is especially frustrating because we went to this restaurant on a Restaurant Week budget but the prix fix offering so poor that we were forced to choose from the menu. Of course, I guess we could have walked but that would have been embarrassing to all of us. I can tell you this, we will never choose DaMimmo again and it makes us question Restaurant Week in general. Although we have enjoyed some very nice dinners at an attractive price during Restaurant Weeks here and in other cities, we never felt that the prix fix menu was "bait and switch." We certainly felt that way yesterday and we will be very cautious in the future!

I dined at Sotto Sopra for the first time for lunch. The portions were nice (except for the creme brulee) and I was quite full after the meal. I had the seafood appetizer and the beef entree. My companion had the calamari and the bolognese (sp?) dish. my only complaint is that the service was slow. We were there for 2 hrs. The time in between courses was really long. When we arrived there were only 2 other tables being used and by the time we left it was virtually full.

Anyone try b Bistro yet? Thinking of going with some friends this weekend.

My friends and I went to DaMimmo's for lunch the first Saturday of RW. We had reviewed the RW lunch menu on-line so we pretty much knew what to expect. When we got our menus, they only included the RW dinner menu for $35, not the lunch menu. After asking for the lunch menus several tables around us piped up and also requested the lunch menu - but others had already ordered from the dinner menu.

The food was wonderful, though the mussels could have been warmer. My veal francaise was excellent and the orange roughy was also delicious. Maybe it's me but I expect an entree to have some type of side dish - pasta, vegetable, rice - not just meat.

Desserts were small but good. Our server disappeared for awhile and we had to catch the attention of the busboy to go get him so we could order dessert.

Overall, good food but there are better options for RW.

Restaurant Week lured us to Fogo de Chao which despite a few glitches delivered everything as promised -- starting with massive portions of meat. The evening began with a small surprise -- $10 for valet parking. That's more than I've encountered elsewhere but the Pratt Street location does present a parking challenge (more on that later.)
For those who haven't yet tried the restaurant, the decor is sleekly modern, lots of dark wood and hard surfaces -- which makes for what some would call exciting atmosphere and others noise. Your meal kicks off with a sumptuous salad bar. My sugegstion is plan ahead. As tempting the selections are -- from silky smoked salmon to fire-roasted tomatoes to an exceptional chicken salad -- go easy. Overindulge and you won't have room for what you came for. Meat.
The same suggestion applies to what the gauchos offer as they whisk through the room. No way was I going to fill up on chicken or sausages while I waited for samplings of sirloin, prime rib, filet mignon and bottom round. I gave in to temptation for a couple of lamb chops -- and they were (in a word) exquisite.
As for the beef, I happily (forgive the mixed metaphor) pigged out. Each slice, slab and spicule (especially the sirloin) was distinctively delicious. Side dishes included a terrific polenta and a surprisingly blah dish of mashed potatoes. (No match, for exmaple, for Bob Evans.)
Sated and happy, we headed out to the chaos of getting our van back. First, we had to find someone to take our parking ticket. Then came a wait of maybe 25 minutes (among equally impatient diners) until it finally showed up.
The service at Fogo de Chao suggests first-rate technique in hiring and training personnel. From the lovely young hostess who took our coats (and seated us immediately, honoring our reservation) to the wandering gauchos, there was a genuine sense of welcome.
Given the price reduction from the restaurant's regular tariff -- with a dessert (in my case, a dense, creamy key lime pie) thrown in -- it's one of the best Restaurant Week deals.
Will we return? Absolutely -- as soon as I drop the two pounds I somehow put on overnight.

My wife and I skipped Baltimore RW this year and instead headed to Columbia to try Victoria Gastropub. We were very impressed. They have an excellent beer list, and we enjoyed our food. We tried asparagus fries with a red pepper remoulade (think Asian-style fried green beans; the sauce was especially tasty), espresso rubbed pork belly (which didn't taste much like espresso but did have a nice citrus topping that complemented the pork very well; served on cheesy grits), the duck fat fries (rosemary was a nice touch), cauliflower mac & cheese (deliciously cheesy), the angus burger (a very flavorful cut of beef that was cooked a bit more than the medium ordered, but not overly done), and an apple tart for desert (topped with cinammon and a vanilla gelato). Everything was good, and you'll notice we didn't order off the RW menu. We would definitely return if we're in the Columbia area, though I'm not sure we'll go out of our way to get there again. Mainly, I'm glad there is a place to get fantastic food with world-class beer. Too many places seem to emphasize wine while leaving the beer lovers behind.

My fiancee and I went to alizee boutique bistro wine bar for our 6 year anniversary last week. The food was good, but the portions were extremely small. The service was also top notch (waitress was always available and came by often to check up on us). I knew going in what I wanted to order from the restaurant week menu, and when presented with the normal menu I it looked over to see what the normal cost was of what I was going to order. The appetizer I ordered normally runs $10, the main course I ordered normally costs $20, and the desert wasn't even listed. So, without desert included, the total cost is already $30. Most deserts in my experience run anywhere from $5-10 per item. So, factor that in and the restaurant week deal there basically saves a person $5? What kind of deal is that?! Compare that to fogo de chao where I had unlimited salad bar, unlimited amounts of 10 different meats, and a huge slice of key lime pie for desert for the restaurant week price, I felt like the fogo de chao meal was way more of a deal and the food tasted better. My fiancee and I both agreed that although our alizee meal was nice, it definitely wasn't someplace we would go to dine again.

incunabulum- I posted this on the other RW thread but I'll post it again here in case you don't wander over there. Some friends and I went to B this past Friday and had a great time. The food and service were both excellent, our server (I forget his name) was adorable and friendly without being obtrusive. The wine list had some affordable options and our pick was great. Only complaint was that the salted caramel served with the chocolate cake was WAY too salty, and I am a salt lover. The baked oysters and tarte au citron were especially fabulous. Overall, a really great experience.

FYI..Chipparelli's in Little Italy has some new menu items...bone-in chicken and a new Bolognese sauce that is really good.........and no, i don't work for chipparelli's

@incunabulum

I went to b bistro for Restaurant week a year ago and I have to recommend it to everyone. I had some sort of risotto that was delicious. Their wine was great too. Go for it.

We went downtown Saturday evening to try out Oceannaire. The appetizer portion was quite generous. We were rather surprised. Sometimes for restaurant week, portions can be on the small side. We all had the Red Chili Calamari. Very good! Then, we ordered the stuffed rainbow trout. Again, we were surprised with the size of the portion. The waiter had recommended that we order a side to share, and he recommended the lobster and macaroni. Till we finished the fish, we didn't think we needed the extra side. The fish was quite enough. We were disappointed in the dessert. The waiter recommended cookies. Three cookies for dessert?? We thought that that was where they skimped. Other than that, the experience was delightful. Not rushed, good food, quiet...very enjoyable!

Prime Rib last Wednesday night; indeed, they didn't raise the price for the signature prime rib. It was smaller (7 oz) than their standard serving, but with the salad, sides, and dessert, it was more than enough. They also had some wines by the glass at restaurant week prices ($6), plus the valet parking was free. Fanstastic food, top-notch tuxedoed waiters, plus black walls and leopard-skin rug. How can you beat that? Definitely the best value I've had at any Baltimore restaurant.

Last Saturday, during "Snowpocalypse II - the sequel," we hit Azul 17 in Columbia. We passed up the $200 tequila and $450 bottle of Kristal and settled on their $10 lunch menu. The soups - black bean for the Mrs, chicken tortilla soup for me - were both excellent. The entrees (chicken enchilada, pork tamales) were OK, but not up to the standards of El Azteca in Clarksville. We tried the Tres Leches cake (not included), and it was excellent - like tiramisu without the coffee or chocolate.

Captcha - Crow Five - Russel Crowe's attempt to best the Dave Clark Five?

Had an outstanding meal at the Wine Market on Friday night. The staff went above and beyond accommodating our requests for increasing the size of our table. The food was fantastic (as always) and our server was a real trooper the entire evening, since we ended up closing the place down!!
Highly recommend the fennel chicken as well as the white chocolate/bananna bread pudding. But really you cannot go wrong with any item on their menu.
Can't wait for the return engagement!

Like Carl, we went to Da Mimmo for dinner this past weekend, but our experience was much better (we used the restaurant week menu) for a party of four.

The starters were very small, but quite tasty. Three of us had the shrimp dish, which came with just 2 nice-sized shrimp on the plate, while the other person got clams casino (3 clams). Everyone loved their dishes, and was fairly satisfied. But one more shrimp wouldn't have hurt...

There was a lull after the starters, during which we enjoyed a good bottle of malbec. The restaurant week menu offered 8 different bottles at $ 25 each, that were much more affordable than the regular menu, which I think starts at $40 a bottle (ugh).

For the main course, we ordered two veal chops, the salmon dish, and penne amatraciana. The veal chop was absolutely delicious, with the tasty seasoning making us wish there was even more of it to enjoy, but this was definitely a nice sized entree and very satisfying. The salmon also got a thumbs up, and was a decent portion. Unfortunately, the pasta entree, despite being easily the cheapest to produce, looked like a half portion and was gone in a couple of minutes. Our 4 cannolis for dessert were okay, not amazing.

Overall, we really enjoyed our dining experience at Da Mimmo, which has good service and a refined but comfortable atmosphere. I'd suggest avoiding the pasta item on the restaurant week menu, as the other selections should do just fine.

As we are big fans of RW, my husband and I made reservations at Louisiana in Fells Point for last night. The building is extremely beautiful inside and has several large dining rooms, most of which were empty. Overall, we had a nice time but the experience was a little odd, though perhaps I am growing too picky in my middle age.

Despite the vast number of available tables, we were still sat at a tiny two top that was next to a giant column. I felt rather cramped and should have requested a four top but didn't want to make a fuss. Small table was full of dishes including bread plates and butter knives--no bread ever materialized, however. Menu presented right away and drink order requested right away--would have preferred wine by the glass but they were pushing bottles that were on special. Only house wine avail by the glass. Only RW menu available, which is understandable but seems like a missed opportunity--often when presented with full menu, we opt for non RW options. No vegetarian options and even the fish dish came with ham in the greens. Service was spotty. Felt a little ignored despite the low attendance in the restaurant. Food was decent but didn't blow me away. And there was a...smell...the whole time we were there. Overall, we enjoyed ourselves but it was an odd experience. Kind of seems like they haven't got themselves together yet. I might be interested to go back at another time but..not if that experience were to be repeated.

On Friday, my mother and I went to Donna's at Cross Keys for a light dinner, forgetting that it was RW. They were offering any soup or salad on their regular menu, plus any entree on their regular menu, plus any dessert on the regular menu - all for $25.10. It would have been a great deal if we had been hungrier, but instead I ordered the mussels for $12 (HUGE portion, perfectly cooked and delicious) and my mother got the steak salad and a glass of wine. Because we didn't remember about RW, we had to sit at the bar (they were full with reservations for the regular tables). Nice attentive service and a pleasant meal.

went to B&O Railroad Brasserie Sunday eve. We ordered from the RW menu but also looked at the regular menu. We saved a whopping $5/person tops. The food was pretty good but not really worth the $90 tab (2 RW dinners and one glass of wine!). On the other hand, compared to the previous week at Alizee, it was much better and less expensive. Bottom line: RW is over-prived and over-hyped.

went to B&O Railroad Brasserie Sunday eve. We ordered from the RW menu but also looked at the regular menu. We saved a whopping $5/person tops. The food was pretty good but not really worth the $90 tab (2 RW dinners and one glass of wine!). The service was slow although the place was mostly empty. On the other hand, compared to the previous week at Alizee, it was much better and less expensive. Bottom line: RW is over-priced and over-hyped.

Had a terrible Cinghiale experience, do not think I will be going back any time soon. They have some very snooty staff, I felt like reminding them I am the customer and THEY are the server.

Oh dear, Less Tude--we have always been treated very well at Cinghiale (and I think those of us on the blog who attended last night's dinner there would tend to agree).

Took my son and his wife to RW in Columbia last week. We went to Aida Bistro, where we have never had a bad experience. (No, I don't work there or own it.) Although the RW menu Prix Fixe is not much different than the normal Prix Fixe, the food was a bit more adventurous, and showcased very well. The service was attentive (even though they were slammed!) and the food was excellent! My son and his wife (Baltimore types) had both commented that Aida compares VERY well with Charleston, with bigger portions! Thing is, lots of folks equate quality with quantity, and that's not a fair assessment. (Not that this was the case here!) Just Saying!

Sunday night I went to Tabrizis for the first time. I loved the location, which is right on the marina and the decor was lovely. I had dinner with my best friend and his girl friend. We are all younger and usually get that rude server who thinks we know nothing. NOT THE CASE! While I can not remember her name she was so nice and told us all about the place since it was our first time. There food was amazing, full portions off there regular menu. Tiramasu was to die for. I was worried about the wine list thinking most would be out of my price range only to find that most of the list was exactly what I was looking for. There are not enough words to describe the great experience I had there. I suggest this place to everyone! I will be going back soon.

Tuesday I had lunch at Sotto Sopra. I have heard so many great things about it but was sadly disappointed. The food was not as good as I expected and the service was below average. Being a server myself I would never attempt to blame your wrong doing on another one of your team members. I do have to say dessert (warm bread pudding...amazing!).

I'm a stalker, not a poster, but I need to vent.

My wife and I had a reservation for 8pm at Tapas Adela last Friday, the 29th. I'd been looking forward to it (I'd made the reservation on DECEMBER 27). We got there promptly at 8, and were left standing at the hostess stand unnoticed for 10 minutes. The hostess finally showed up and told us, "it will be a couple of minutes, you should go to the bar and get a drink" in a very haughty way. OK, it's busy, we'll cool our heels with the rest of the folk standing around looking annoyed.

Anyway, 15 minutes later (now 8.25), I track down the very disoriented looking hostess again to ask if it was going to be much longer, and she says, "maybe another 10 to 15 minutes."

Five minutes later, she says, "your table is ready," and leads us to two adjacent stools at the bar. I say that this is unacceptable as we had reserved a table, and she just shrugged and said, "it'll be about another 10-15 minutes, then."

At this point, I ask to talk with the manager. The manager took 5 minutes more to get out there, and then proceeded to lecture us that "on a Friday night at ANY CITY in AMERICA, we should expect a 40 minute wait," to which I answered that that is why we made reservations. He then started to get in an argument with my wife, who got pretty upset about it.

Needless to say, at this point we were so angered by the experience there would be no way we'd enjoy the meal, so we left and had a GREAT dinner at Sam's Kid.

What makes this all the more infuriating is that the prior weekend, we had a wonderful experience at Woodberry Kitchen, where during a twenty minute delay from our 8pm reservation, they offered us (unprompted) sparkling wine, and once seated, presented us with a complementary flatbread, while constantly keeping us appraised of the ETA of our table.

Sorry for the long rant, but I guess some places get it, and some places don't. Adela I'm sure didn't miss our business that night, but I would have hoped that a new place in this climate would try a little harder.

Keep it real,

I like to think of you as a reader, or at worst a lurker, not a stalker. :-) EL

Just for the record, I wanna know what is an "acceptable" price reduction for restaurant week.. a $40 bill for $35 is like 13% off, assuming portions are the same and all that.

So what for you (general you) is acceptable? Do you genuinely factor that in when deciding on a place?

I went to Tio Pepe's for the first time last week with a large group of friends. As per the Top 100 list, we ordered the red sangria to start us off. It was very good, though a bit more liquory than the sangrias I'm accustomed to. Right off the bat I found the service to be fantastic- classical, attentive, and detail oriented. Being a young diner, the old school feel was different and quite refreshing.

For the appetizer I ordered the garlic shrimp, which were wonderfully plump and succulent. The sauce/soup was rich without being overpowering and sufficiently complex in flavor and spice. Of the available RW appetizers, this one was the winner with the black bean soup coming in second.

For the entree I enjoyed the beef tournedos cooked rare. My dish was plated tableside, again with attention to details on the plate. It's not often that I order beef at nice restaurants, but as far as the options listed for RW, this seemed to be the superior choice. The meat was perfectly cooked with a beautiful, even magenta all the way through the center, and each bite melted in my mouth. My general intuition is to taste for the thoughtfulness or innovation imbued into the main course and protein. Instead what stood out to me was that I felt as if I could taste the years of experience put into my dish. I tasted the paella which was good, but seemingly overrated from what I had heard. Also the salmon was well flavored and cooked, but not spectacular. No one at my table ordered the pork or tilapia.

For dessert, the winner was my neighbor's walnut roll which was creamy and rich without being unbearably sweet. I had the flan which according to my neighbor was great, but to me was overly stiff and uninterestingly bittersweet with the caramel being slightly burnt (intentionally, I'm sure).

It was a good meal. I've been to more exciting places for RW with more exquisite menu offerings where they experiment more with the food. Perhaps that's what I've just have come to expect of RW. But I am glad I have the experience of dining at Tio Pepe under my belt to further my education of the Baltimore food scene.

We've been to two restaurants during RW and both were only serving RW menus, however, both were extensive so there were few complaints.

The first Saturday, six of us went to the Ambassador Dining Room, which we all tend to like at any time. I did miss not being able to order the Goa Fish, but there were numerous appetizers and entrees to choose from and the table received two choices of breads. The food was good, if not too inventive, the service and pacing were as professional as always and we all enjoyed the evening. People particularly liked the lamp chops and the chicken tikka masala.

Last Friday, my husband and I went to Sascha's 527. The RW menu was extensive and included a glass of the house wine. We had the chicken satay and the scallops on blinis with celery root chips for appetizers, we both had the pan seared filet with a nice wine reduction, a relish with pistachios and other stuff and a sweet potato galette. The filets were done as each of us had requested and all of the food was very good. The desserts, which were enormous, were good, but the carrot cake was especially good and it was good all weekend as I took most of it home. The place was packed, but the service was fine and it was still packed when we left at 9:30.

We went to Meridian 54 Friday night. We had a large party and they seated us upstairs. It was nice private accomodations, but being upstairs from the bar made it a little more difficult to get a drink. Once we all had our initial drinks, the service moved quicker. The servings were large and most were excellent.

I chose the Mediterranean dip appetizer platter which was big enough for 4 to share. The babaganoush (sp?) was a favorite of everyone who tried it.

When everyone's entree was served, there was no regard to who ordered which temperature steak. They were randomly placed in front of people without asking who wanted rare or medium. I ordered the Steak and Cake and the filet was amazing. The crabcake was covered in a dijon sauce that was really overpowering.

Dessert was fine. There were 4 choices of homemade desserts. I tried the carrot and lemon cakes and they were both good. I am not much of a dessert person, so I might not be the most discriminating judge.

All of the servers were very personable. I think sometimes RW is overwhelming to them, especially with large parties. If they would let you order one course at a time instead of all at once, the server wouldn't have to spend so much time at the computer, further backing them up from getting drinks and earlier courses out to customers.

Overall, we had a good time. I think that with a little tweaking, it could have been great.

In no way defending bad attitudes , but me and my friends have dined at Adela several times and have been extremely happy. The dining room is extremely small so frequently their are long waits which is typical for the better places in Fells Point..Mezze, Peter's Inn etc.

The food is wonderful and during the waits we have always gotten great service and drinks at the bar.

As someone in the biz I must say that Baltimore is a bit behind the times as far as waiting when dining out, in other cities it is an expected staple.

Behind the times because restaurants here don't make everyone wait? I'm sorry, but when did poor customer service become trendy? I missed that one.

If you make me wait more than a few minutes when I have reservations without a pretty good reason, I will not return.

Does Out and About's comment mean that having a long wait must mean you are at a good restaurant? Huh?

@ Out and About:
I am not understanding the logic here. A restaurant could seat 250 people, or it could seat 25 people. It should still only be taking RESERVATIONS for a limited number of diners which it could reasonably expect to serve in the given space in a reasonable amount of time (the manager at Adela said that they allot two hours to turn a table). You would be right if we were a walk-up. I do not expect to walk up to and be immediately seated at any popular restaurant on a Friday or Saturday night, but I DO expect to have my reservation honored, which I interpret as being seated within fifteen minutes of the reserved time.

Now, I can understand that not everything can go according to plan, and this, IMHO, is were a well trained staff distinguishes itself from one that is not so. This is why I made mention of the experience at Woodberry Kitchen (which is not participating in Restaurant Week, and likely doesn't need to).

FWIW, we had a similar miserable experience last year at Meli, where we waited 45 minutes to be seated at our reserved table, and an equally clumsy response to the situation from management. Though my brother and I enjoyed the meal, my wife refuses to return.

I would suggest that restaurants who disrespect their customers by having a "staple" wait attached to their reserved time are "behind the times," or, if not, I appreciate Baltimore's quaint values.

Former stalker, edging towards noisy lurker,
-Chris

Actually my comment is being a little blown up.. I did not mean that "long" waits are exceptable just that on busy evenings better restaurants do experience them especially in Baltimore were some of the best restaurants have limited seating (converted row homes especailly)....How they handle them is a sign of good training however and their is a limit of course.

Just an FYI the main cause of waits in restaurants is due to diners who run late or linger for hours after finishing.

Next time you run late for your 6pm table know that people dining at 8pm will now wait...I am not defending long waits just that sometimes the best laid plans go awry, and despite what your anger tells you it is not always the houses fault, but they should be able to handle it when it happens.

I've got to agree with Chris on the wait time. If I have a reservation, I shouldn't have to wait more than 15 minutes for a table. Of course stuff happens and sometimes tables don't turnover as quickly as expected but this is where good management and customer service comes into play. An apology and honest estimate of when I will be seated with maybe a free drink or appetizer while I wait goes a long way to soothing my irritation.

My husband and I went to Meli for RW and it was excellent. The entire menu was "restaurant week" menu and that made it great. They also had a great 3 course wine pairing for only $18 more. I think we ended up getting a better deal than just going to Meli on a non-restaurant week day and the food was fabulous. It was a first time experience for us, restaurant week drew us in and now we'll definitely go back.

This is another negative review of Alizee's.
The food was bad. I had the restaurant Week steak special - medium. I was served a 1/4" steak burning to a crisp with uncooked brussel spouts and a bucket of french fries. The staff was nice and friendly and the restaurant was almost completely empty (after this meal I can see why). I recommend you remove them from your Top ten, hopefully Baltimore has better to offer.

Which Top 10 are you talking about? The one in which other commenters made recommendations for Restaurant Week? Looking above quickly, I only see one other comment about Alizee, which said the RW food was good but portions were small. Did I miss any others? But the point is, why should I think that your opinion is more valid than whoever the commenters were who recommended it for the Top 10? I'm sorry you didn't have a good meal there, but perhaps the restaurant has changed. That's just the nature of the business. EL

Yadda yadda yadda. The reason I never read reviews is that it is one person's subjective experience at one moment in time that will never be repeated, even for that person. You guys are expecting too much out of a review.

You can all disagree and all be right. Plus complainers write more than satisfied customers.

As Heraclitus said, You can never step in the same restaurant twice. Or was that a river? Same deal.

This just in from Facebook from Sergio from Aldo's:

Sergio Vitale – Aldo's Snowpocalypse Update: RestWeek(s) will be extended (of course) thru Wed Feb 10 and then again Mon Feb 15 - Sun Feb 21. Visit aldositaly.com for more info on RestWeek(s).

I was served a 1/4" steak burning to a crisp with uncooked brussel spouts and a bucket of french fries.

Zoinks. Was there a three-headed dog at the entrance? So it was still burning at the table? Sounds frightening. 1/4" steak? Really? Really? Wait for it. Really?

I was served a 1/4" steak burning to a crisp

Are you sure you didn't order the jerky?

The top ten list for restaurant week posted in the sun under your name 1/20/2010. I understand you do not eat in any of these restaurants during restaurant week and please forgive me for my misunderstanding.
My opinion no better or worst than anyone else's, except that I did eat there. No three headed dogs(that night), the flames had been extinguished just prior to serving. If jerky is the steak special it should be called jerky special.
I see nothing wrong to write when you have a complaint (valid or not). No two experiences are ever the same wether its stepping into rivers, restaurants or dying, (but you should have a general idea of what to expect, to get wet , get a decent meal or meet your maker).

Good point. EL