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January 18, 2011

Top 10 Tuesday -- non-boring Baltimore Restaurant Week menu items

worleyI spent some time looking over the posted menus on the website of Baltimore Restaurant Week, which begins this Friday.

Boring!!

Well, boring is not such a bad thing. Most restaurants are running selected specials, the tried and the true, from their regular menus, which is just what many diners are looking for.

And a deal is a deal. When it's a deal. Stay tuned to these pages for recaps and postings of the best and the worst Restaurant Week experiences.

Meanwhile, I managed to find 10 Restaurant Week menu items that made my heart leap, at least a little. Some of them look new to me, a few I've seen before.

In no particular order

Watertable -- I still haven't been to the restaurant in the Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel. Shame on me. I was impressed with the Restaurant Week menu, though. What got my attention was this entree: Pincanha -- Brazilian grilled steak with black beans and rice. It's be swell if it's the right cut.

Slainte -- Pub menus are particularly disappointing. But take a look at the appetizer list at this Fells Point pub -- poutine fries, green leek soup, and, especially tempting, mushroom gnudi (gnocchi), fried golden with brown butter and sage.

Mr. Rain's Fun House -- And not because the restaurant atop the American Visionary Art Museum is hosting the Dining@Large happy hour. Take a look at the menu for yourself. What caught my eye -- the braised rabbit in pearl onion, garlic and marjoram sauce, a dish created to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year.

Pazo -- For their second course, participating diners here choose 4 from among 18 listed tapas. What made me hungriest -- the scallops a la planxa with celery root puree.

Continue reading "Top 10 Tuesday -- non-boring Baltimore Restaurant Week menu items " »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:05 PM | | Comments (8)
Categories: Restaurant Week, Top Ten Tuesdays
        

January 11, 2011

A guest Tuesday list, all about Howard County

shinchonEvery week is Restaurant Week in Howard County.

That's what the tireless keeper of the HowChow blog, says. I asked HowChow to contribute a Top 10 Tuesday list on the eve of Howard County's upcoming dining promotion, Winter Restaurant Weeks, which begin on Monday, January 17th and run through Monday, January 31.

More information about the promotion, in which participating restaurants are offering fixed-price menus ranging from $10.11 to $40.11, is here.

Here is HowChow's HoCo Top 10 (kind of) for Howard County dining on and off the Restaurant Weeks circuit. The photograph, of a spread from Shin Chon Garden, is HowChow's, too.

 


Continue reading "A guest Tuesday list, all about Howard County" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:44 AM | | Comments (5)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

December 28, 2010

Top 10 Tuesday -- the most commented-upon Dining@Large posts of 2010

gino'sHere are the most commented-upon Dining@Large posts of 2010. There are probably better metrics (e.g., page views) for determining the popularity of a post. But something about these 10 posts obviously hit a nerve. If only there was a way to know which post will hit big, we'd do it every time.

The list in a sec, but first, there's something I've been meaning to say for a long time now.

I truly think Bristol Palin's weight problem is gluten related, and in fact I'll buy you a cup of coffee if I'm wrong. But not one that costs $13 -- what would that be in euros!?!?

Anyway, I guess someone's mother is too busy flapping her gums to study up on killer wheat.

Here, then, in reverse order, with the number of comments in parentheses, Hon.

The $13 Cup of Joe Reviewed (83)

In April, a guest review about Spro in Hampden got some readers boiling 

Top ten foods most likely to be banned under Obamacare (84)

In late March, some good old-fashioned vitriol and invective resulted from this satirical guest Top 10 list. I really should have posted about Sarah Palin's comments about Michelle Obama's obesity campaign.

Feeding the Blogger (85)

A painful mid-May episode on Dining@Large. The topic will be worth revisiting someday but this got very personal. 

Gino's burgers are making a comeback (90)

Way back on January 2, this post about the return of an icon elicited a flood of misty-eyed posts

Contest # 1: One-word restaurant rebranding (95)

Pure fun from early October. I ran out of steam with the contests. I plan to revive them in 2011. Send some good ideas my way.

The article about Cafe Hon (114)

A December post, but I don't remember it. What was this?

Luca's café closes (136)

Some excruciating mis-understandings helped to fuel the reaction to this post from April. Politics came into it, too, but from a distance, the whole thing reads as humor.


Continue reading "Top 10 Tuesday -- the most commented-upon Dining@Large posts of 2010" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 5:19 AM | | Comments (2)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

December 21, 2010

Top 10 Tuesdays: 10 un-posted posts of 2010

voltPacing is an acquired skill in blogging. Under-post, and folks stop checking in; over-post, and everything starts to look the same.

For one reason or another, I chose not to post about the following items. In some cases, I wanted to do more follow up; in others, the timing was off. A few of them I thought were lame. But I've hung to them all and share them with you now.

1) Hard work improves the taste of food -- Back in early November, a Sun colleague emailed me about Hopkins-based study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B titled "Greater effort boosts the affective taste properties of food."

About their findings, one of the lead scientists, Alexander Johnson, said, “Basically, what we have shown is that if you have to expend more effort to get a certain food, not only will you value that food more, but it might even taste better to you.” There are interesting implications for these findings in battling obesity, but I wanted to discuss how a restaurant might manipulate diners with something like a strict reservation policy. I've been meaning to give one of the scientists a call. I still want to. Remind me.

2) More men manning the family meal making? -- An editor emailed me a link to this September 30 CNN trend story about how men cook, too!!  The article attempted a neologism,  "gastrosexual."

"This is the stupidest thing  I have ever heard. Or at least in a long time," the editor added. I agreed, and didn't post it. But it might have been made for some commenting fun. 

3 ) Burger prize -- Back on October 1, I learned that Abbey Burger Bistro showed up on this USA Today Travel feature on "51 great burger joints across the USA." At the time, Abbey struck me as a decent but snooze-y choice. But belated congratulations to the folks at Abbey, who have made a good showing in that alley restaurant space by the Cross Street Market.  

4 ) Eating Will Shortz -- I keep thinking it would be fun to eat, or at least track down, every food item and beverage that's been included as a fill in the New York Times crossword puzzle. 

SPOILERS from the Monday, December 20 puzzle below

Continue reading "Top 10 Tuesdays: 10 un-posted posts of 2010" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:24 AM | | Comments (6)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

December 2, 2010

Rob Kasper reviews Samos

samosHere's the web edition of Rob's glowing (surprise!) review of Samos, which will appear in print in Friday's Live section. That's Friday, December 3. I'm not supposed to use words like "today," "tomorrow," or "yesterday," when referring to published material. Because you might be reading this on March 9, 2013, which is a Saturday. (If you are, how is my 401K?)

Rob reminds readers that Samos doesn't take credit cards. A friend told me that she went to Mekong Delta this past Saturday (November 27), but wasn't prepared for their cash-only set-up.

Continue reading "Rob Kasper reviews Samos" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:11 AM | | Comments (5)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 30, 2010

Top 10 Tuesday - a change of plan

It doesn't quite work as a Top 10 list, but I'm taken with the civility thread. I'd like to keep it going and growing at least through the holidays. I'll go back in the D@L archive to try to gather up some more chestnuts.

But I owe the universe a Top 10 list. I am going to spend the morning looking for holiday gifts for and from Baltimore area restaurant-goers and food lovers. Please send me your ideas.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 8:43 AM | | Comments (1)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 29, 2010

Top 10 Tuesday -- the civility list

Please contribute anecdotes and examples of a restaurant's having gone an extra step, either by anticipating a need or concern or by responding nimbly to one. This could be anything from the first time you were offered a large-type menu, to the nice, non-shouty way a waitress recited the specials to a hard-of-hearing guest, to the bartender who put on your favorite cd without your asking.

The topic is civility, but I got there in a roundabout way. I remember it all so clearly now. ("Wayne's World flashback effect -- Diddly-doot! Diddly-doot! Diddly-doot!")

News of Diablita's closing sparked some talk about what effect the restaurant's nonborhood* had on business. That made me think about other obstacles to dining, real and perceived. Smoking is not the complete non-issue you might think. Baltimore restaurants have been slow to implement non-smoking outdoor seating areas -- I'm thinking they're going to have to sooner than later.

Continue reading "Top 10 Tuesday -- the civility list" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:35 PM | | Comments (13)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 19, 2010

The Top 50 concludes -- and next week's double-wide top 10 ten Tuesday

prime ribWell, here it is, the conclusion of the Top 50 photo-gallery countdown of Baltimore's Best Restaurants.

You'll see, just below the top 10 photos, a place where readers are now voting on what they think the top restaurant is. Here is the printable list.

Next Tuesday, Dining@Large will have two top 10 lists:

  • The Top 10 outrages on the 50 Best Restaurants list, as determined by the vehemence of responses on and off this blog.

  • The Top 10 regrets (or defenses) of my own.

 

 

Continue reading "The Top 50 concludes -- and next week's double-wide top 10 ten Tuesday" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:24 AM | | Comments (3)
Categories: 50 Best, Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 15, 2010

The Mobbie for outstanding Foodie blog goes to...

....If You Give a Girl a Cookie, Brittany Logsdon's gorgeous cooking blog.

Congratulations!

Check out today's post on roast chicken with warm bread salad. I grabbed this finished-product photo right off her site.

mobbie

Can I just tell you how awestruck and inspired I was by the quality of the nominated blogs. (The truth is I was furious by them. Good Lord!!

I know the blogroll on this site needs some attention -- I am planning an overhaul of it for a rainy-day activity.

Continue reading "The Mobbie for outstanding Foodie blog goes to..." »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:38 PM | | Comments (2)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Tomorrow's top 10 -- Havens from the Ravens

I have been blogging about Ravens gameday gatherings, not to everyone's delight:

Well, I just hope you do Sunday posts about the secret world of dining for people who don't give a <tinker's damn> about football...  great places to go and eat to get AWAY from it all in Baltimore. 

I'll do even better. Tomorrow's Top 10 list will gather up the best places to go to get away (really away) from televised sports and their attendant  celebrations -- purple-camouflage-free zones.

The default situation is Sunday afternoon between 1 and 8 p.m. Start telling about places you know of with no televisions at all. I'll consider places where the sports are televised in a separate bar behind a curtain wall. It would be great to have a few options in neighborhoods like Fells Point and Federal Hill that are typically overrun with sports love.

 

The Ideal City, The Walters Art Museum

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:44 AM | | Comments (17)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 9, 2010

Top 10 Tuesday -- weekly dining specials

Alonso'sI divided up this Top 10 list between what seemed to me like super bargains on one hand and the kind of introductory dining-specials you find during a restaurant week promotion on the other.

As I've been saying, I will be looking for a permanent home for a weekly specials list. You see, I'm a maverick, the last of the real cowboys, and I tend to go it alone. But, for something like this, a little planning and coordination is called for.

Two things worth mentioning: 1) the downside to a weekly dining special, especially a popular one, is that it tends to result in crowds and long waits 2) I think the tip should be based on the non-bargain price.

Here are my Top 10 area weekly dining offers, listed alphabetically by restaurant.

Continue reading "Top 10 Tuesday -- weekly dining specials" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 5:32 AM | | Comments (9)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 8, 2010

Tomorrow's Top 10 -- weekly dining deals

tylerI'm still looking at ways to establish this as a permanent fixture or widget, either on or off Dining at Large. This information is scattered elsewhere, both on baltimoresun.com and certainly on other web sites. I'm not trying to reinvent the Toast-R-Oven, but I am kind of liking how these deals look in simple list form.

Tomorrow's top 10 list will simply be what I think are the most appealing among these deals. I haven't tried them all -- I'm willing to be persuaded.

Still looking for confirmation from Duda's, Ale Mary's and a few other places about their weekly specials. 

Continue reading "Tomorrow's Top 10 -- weekly dining deals" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:52 AM | | Comments (0)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 4, 2010

Top 10 weekly specials : My PowerPoint presentation

weeklyI took your suggestions for Top 10 weekly dining specials, threw in a few of mine, and sorted them by day of the week. I confirmed them all the best I could, by visiting the establishments web sites. When I found other weekly specials from the same establishment, I listed those, too. When I couldn't confirm, I said so. (Of course, send me links confirming the deals; restaurant owners and employees can confirm them simply by posting a response here)

Next step:

Confirm, correct, and add.  

And then:

We'll end up with a super, self-generated list of weekly specials. I'm talking with Margot and Timothy over in the Widgets about how to make this into a permanent feature

And then: 

You and I will collaborate on a Top 10 list for next Tuesday.

How does that sound?

Continue reading "Top 10 weekly specials : My PowerPoint presentation" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 10:26 AM | | Comments (10)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 2, 2010

Top 10 weekly deals -- what are your favorites?

Send in your favorites weekly deals -- I'll combine them with my favorites, and I'll post the 10 best at the end of the day. It would be great to end up with a good mix of burger nights, steak specials, and half-price entrees, across a not-so-narrow price range. Wine specials don't really fit -- we can do those another time.chardin

It's more fun when we work on it together, right?

Well, it's like this. These are the Top 10 lists I had been preparing yesterday. I abandoned them one by one. You'll see why.

 

-- The Top 10 places to observe the Day of the Dead in Baltimore. It became obvious that Miguel's Cantina y Cucina pretty much owns the category, so I posted separately about it. I tried to make it work as a best-of-area-Mexican menus list. But the "Day of the Dead" really has nothing to do with going out to eat in restaurants, which I more or less knew going in. I still hung in there, and started reading more and more articles about the Day of the Dead and got completely sidetracked. In one version the list included the salami and eggs at Attman's, which is isn't even a regular menu item (although you can special-order it), just because my dad liked salami and eggs.

-- The Top 10 fun food-related quotes or facts associated with people born on November 2nd. I actually made some headway here. I had Marie Antoinette (obvious), Warren G. Harding (food poisoning), James Thurber ("The most dangerous food is wedding cake") and David Schwimmer ("It tastes like FEET") -- but then, I was spending too much time on things like disambiguating the Marie Antoinette quote and researching Harding's death. But I couldn't find any good quotes from Sidney Ponson or Stefanie Powers. And it would all of been cute, but who would have cared?

Continue reading "Top 10 weekly deals -- what are your favorites?" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 5:00 AM | | Comments (27)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

October 26, 2010

Top 10 Tuesday -- cold weather soups

top tenHere are 10 or so soups that I'll be looking for when the weather finally snaps. With one exception, all of them, to the best of my knowledge, are regular menu items, at least for the season.

As always, and until I say different, the Top 10 is less a definitive ranking than an informed, prejudicial, and opportunistic amalgamation of your suggestions, my favorites, and whatever we have a good photograph of. Here are 10 or so soups that I'll be looking for when the weather finally snaps. With one exception, all of them, to the best of my knowledge, are regular menu items, at least for the season. 

French onion soup generates a lot of heat. Poster "Tman" recommends the classic version at Petit Louis in Roland Park- it's on the menu every  night. What makes it so good -- for starters, veal stock. I had a nice one recently at Marie Louise Bistro in Mt. Vernon.

When it's very very cold and the hour is very late, nothing revives like the Korean fish soup mae un tang, brimming with -- best not to know. Station North's Nam Kang is the obvious choice, but I got a call from the nice lady who owns Kimco Seafood Restaurant in Ellicott City (10176 Baltimore National Pike, 410-480-1442), inviting me to drop by sometime -- so if that's closer, give it a chance. 

I haven't been to the new Suburban House in Pikesville yet, but I'm thinking about how satisfying a bowl of matzo ball soup is going to be when I do.

Cream + seafood + Cindy Wolf (+ lobster bisque) = good.  Garnished with a butter poached lobster tail and tarragon oil, it's on the menu now at Charleston in Harbor East.

D@L poster "Katie" stands by the malacca laksa, a curry soup with rice vermicelli, chicken, bean sprouts and fried tofu, at Chocolatea in Tuscany/Canterbury.

Continue reading "Top 10 Tuesday -- cold weather soups" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 6:26 PM | | Comments (17)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Can I slip the Top 10 cold-weather soups under your office door?

procrastination hallI'll have the today's Top 10, cold-weather soups, later on today. Listen, if I get it done by midnight and slip it under your office door, would still count as Tuesday?

If you need something to do, here's a recent New Yorker book review by James Surowiecki on a new collection of philosophical essays on procrastination, The Thief of Time, edited by Chrisoula Andreou and Mark D. White.

Or, you could send in some more cold-weather soup suggestions.

 

  

 

          Procrastination Hall at Carnegie Mellon University

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 9:17 AM | | Comments (11)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

October 22, 2010

Next up -- cool weather soups

campbellI want to do a Top 10 soups  for cool/cold weather.

Help me round up a good selection on area menus. Let's say that the soup has to be on the restaurant's regular menu. So, seasonal menus yes, occasional specials, no.

French onion soup? Oyster stew? Mulligatawny?

Here is a Top 10 soup list from two years ago -- the best places to get great soup. This new list is the same, but different.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:36 PM | | Comments (10)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

October 19, 2010

And the rest of the good websites

Good lord, it turns out that my wanting -- as threshold criteria -- a restaurant to have its phone number, address, and hours of operation on a (mostly) static home page turned out to be category killer. I agree about not liking menus in PDF form but I barely got to scratch the surface of anything beyond the home page, including other bugbears like outdated information (Winter Restaurant Week is OVER!), confusing navigation, and the absence of the kind of useful information consumers want.

(Never mind the sluggish pace of establishing mobile versions.)

Samos does have basic information on its home page (but please take down the message about the August vacation.) 

Below are links to some other websites that you or I admired but which flout at least one of my threshold rules.

I am going to get some dinner now. If you think of any other good sites, post here (or yell at me if I've ignored the suggestion you've already made). I think I have a favorite among the ones I've posted today. What are your top three?

 

xsamos

Continue reading "And the rest of the good websites" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 5:54 PM | | Comments (10)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Rocket to Venus -- a top 10er

Okay, it's not perfect, but Rocket to Venus site is cute and informative. But I think I painted myself in a corner by insisting that websites put their hours of operation on their homepages. I am sticking to it, but it's amazing how few restaurants think to do it.

rocket

 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:55 PM | | Comments (1)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

A fourth good website -- Hamilton Tavern

Hamilton Tavern's website is easy on the eyes, with nice large type for us old heads. Navigation couldn't be simpler.hamilton
Posted by Richard Gorelick at 2:42 PM | | Comments (6)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Top 10 website #2 -- Peter's Inn

We're talking about Baltimore's best designed restaurant websites. Here's what poster Meerkat had to say:

Peter's  Inn.  Clean, concise, and exactly what you need/want on the homepage.

I agree. The design also complements Peter's personality. Essentially, chef Karin Tiffany's weekly menu is are dutifully poster here every Tuesday morning.

<i>I misstated the site's designer earlier<i/>

 

petersite 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:53 AM | | Comments (9)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

A top 10 website -- The Dogwood

Today's Top 10 is devoted to best restaurant websites.

Keep posting your suggestions. I will post the Top 10, and we can think about ranking them later.

 

I like the Dogwood's site. It's lovely, I think, but not at the expense of functionality. The location and hours are right there where you'd want them to be. Directions and reservations are an easy click away. The chalkboard feature (top, to the right of the logo) is a cute idea that actually works.

dogsite 

 

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 11:17 AM | | Comments (2)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

Top 10 Tuesday -- best restaurant websites

boogieFinally, a perfect day to bring out my new USB heated shawl/lap blanket. (Everyone here is so jealous.) So, get yours out if you have one, make yourself a nice hot cup of tea, and participate in today's Top 10 event -- the best Baltimore area restaurant websites.

Post examples of the ones you find useful, that you admire, or both. Share what frustrates you about websites. Do any area restaurants have up-and-running mobile sites?

 

Continue reading "Top 10 Tuesday -- best restaurant websites" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 8:09 AM | | Comments (32)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

October 12, 2010

Top 10 group dining options

I am thinking of this less as a definitive list than a starting point for what I hope is an ongoing conversation. Post right here anyplace you think others should know about it. The list below badly needs some budget options.   

top 10 Tuesday"Group Dining" is now a Top Level category, and I've assigned all of the Zippy Larson posts to it, so they'll be easy to find. Keep reporting back about your group-dining experiences.

Thanks again to Zippy for telling us about how she does what she does. Like I said when I introduced her, not everything she does for her groups will make sense for you. It's essential to remember that she's running a business. I think her take-away step is insisting that the person who arranges her group's meal is both present and visible when she arrives.

Aldo's Ristorante Italiano -- Private dining options run small, medium, and large. The barrel vaulted wine cellar, shown in the photograph, is a favorite of Cal Ripken. The second story Library and Milanese Room, each hand-worked by chef Aldo Vitale, are for grander entertaining. And it all won't necessarily run as expensive as you think.

The Capital Grille --The downtown steakhouse has a handful of private dining options, and the restaurant will customize menus for dinner-planners. One of Zippy Larson's go-to options, the groups she takes to Capital Grille for lunch get a choice of three entrees. Keeping things simple is never a bad idea.

Dalesio's of Little Italy -- Another restaurant on Zippy's circuit. The groups she brings here dine from a menu she sets in advance. I haven't been here for a while, but they must do something right to keep this tough customer happy. So, if you go, tell them Zippy sent you.

Feast at Four East -- Kind of a cheat, because the inn and its resident restaurant don't precisely overlap. Sandy Lawlor is the chef either way, though, and a succession of lovely parlors and other private rooms make this Mt. Vernon inn a good choice for rehearsal dinners, farewell parties, and other random life events.  

Ikaros -- The last of Zippy's regular destinations to make this (alphabetical) list. Her groups' meals at this Greektown mainstay always begin with a shared selection of appetizers that's placed on the table within seconds of rears hitting the chairs. Smart.


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Posted by Richard Gorelick at 1:01 AM | | Comments (7)
Categories: Group Dining, Top Ten Tuesdays
        

October 8, 2010

Next top 10 -- dinner for 30

beeverIt's coming up on the time of year for reunions, family gatherings, adn office dinners.

And, suddenly you're tasked with finding that one place that can satisfy a large group of people with different tastes and budgets.

For this, we need an expert.

On Monday, I'll introduce you to next week's Top 10 Tuesday consultant, someone with more than 30 years' experience of keeping large groups happy.

Let's say a large group is 30 people. Thanks for the help in trying to put together a Top 10 beer-related category -- we ran it up the flagpole but no one saluted it.

Baltimore Sun Photo/Gene Sweeney, Jr.

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 3:35 PM | | Comments (1)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

October 5, 2010

Top 10 fried oyster destinations

I couldn't very well leave off Faidley's (so the list isn't limited to just restaurants), and a few places doglend several of swell things with their fried oysters (so this isn't strictly a list of "items").

Your suggestions helped, and thank you for them.

I'm feeling a little funny about leaving out Cross Street Market --  but it's been too long since I've had fried oysters there. So convince me (or I will myself) -- I've left a tenth slot open for it, or anything else I've forgotten about or will soon discover.

Here they are, alphabetically:

Catonsville Gourmet -- Chef Rob Rehmert flash-fries them with bacon and asparagus and serves them on toast points, finished with horseradish hollandaise in an entree called Oysters Muir.

Charleston -- Cindy Wolf serves her cornmeal dusted oysters with lemon-cayenne mayonnaise. I love the suggested pairing -- Pol Roger "white foil" brut Champagne -- and on the lunch menu, as well. Made me think of Patsy and Edina.

Clementine -- D@L poster Stagger Lee raved so persuasively about a new menu item at Clementine -- "braised pork cheeks, oysters, and greens with apple cider jus over gouda mashed potatoes" -- it had a few of us headed up to Hamilton. <i> the oysters here are not fried <i/>

Faidley Seafood -- The photo above (which I love love love), dated September 1, 1998, shows William Donald Schaefer and Parris N. Glendening not eating fried oysters at Faidley's. I seriously doubt a politician running for office has ever been photographed at Faidley's eating anything but a crab cake.

Continue reading "Top 10 fried oyster destinations" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 6:04 AM | | Comments (25)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

September 28, 2010

Top Ten Tuesday: good first impressions

honeypigI'm still sulking about how that hiatu's joke laid such a big salmonella-infected egg -- and my first post, too!

It didn't make a very good first impression -- which is funny, because I had been thinking that my first Top Ten list should be about first impressions and how a restaurant can make a good one.

It's easier to come up with negative examples, maybe -- that dead-eyed hostess, those greasy menus -- but there are some signs I always receive as good omens. I would love to hear about a recent restaurant experience of yours that started off on the right foot and kept its stride -- or one that didn't, or one where just the opposite happened.

Top Ten Good First Impressions after the jump

Continue reading "Top Ten Tuesday: good first impressions" »

Posted by Richard Gorelick at 12:43 PM | | Comments (19)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

September 21, 2010

Top Ten confusing restaurant concepts

jack's bistroI hate it when I confuse my "upscale localvore-focused contemporary American dining experiences" with my "cozy, casual and affordable French Brasseries with an American feel." But I managed to do that recently in a blog post.

The mistake -- I'd mixed up descriptions for two restaurants mentioned in the same press release -- just came to my attention yesterday. And it got me thinking about how restaurants bill themselves these days.

Which brings me to this week's list, which is actually a quiz:

Continue reading "Top Ten confusing restaurant concepts" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:58 AM | | Comments (24)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

September 14, 2010

Top Ten Polarizing Holiday Candies

Candy cornNeon colors and novelty shapes are not usually the hallmarks of quality food. So I was surprised last week when a colleague who is a serious foodie brought in a mix of peanuts, plain M&Ms and candy corn.

I understood the M&Ms -- along with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, they're the only things I'm even tempted to steal from my kids' Halloween haul -- but candy corn? Really?

"They just feel autumny," said John-John Williams IV, recalling how the tri-colored candies topped the Halloween cupcakes he had as a kid.  "It reminds me of being young." 

Continue reading "Top Ten Polarizing Holiday Candies" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:22 AM | | Comments (6)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

August 31, 2010

Top Ten foods that get mom and dad sent to the principal's office

PeanutbutterIt's back-to-school time. And while the kiddos learn reading, writing and arithmetic, parents get schooled in the politics of schoolhouse eating.

With all the attention on childhood obesity these days, lots of lunchbox staples have become taboo.

I'm not one to mourn the loss of the once-ubiquitous high school Coke machine. But the case is not so clear for every out-of-favor food. And some cafeteria classics now under fire aren't going without a fight.

Which brings us to this week's list:

Continue reading "Top Ten foods that get mom and dad sent to the principal's office" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:26 AM | | Comments (20)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

August 17, 2010

Top 10 Even More Unusual Ice Cream Flavors

jacksicecream500.jpg

Earlier this summer, I posted a list of Top Ten unusual ice cream flavors. I thought I'd pretty much covered it all, from sweet cucumber ice cream at Dominion to savory tomato-fennel "dipping dots" at Volt.

But in the course of writing a story on the subject, I came across several more surprising flavors.

The ice cream story will appear in this next week's Taste section. (At least that was the plan when I went on vacation late last week. If something's changed, don't blame me. I just work here. [Note from SKK: Nope, it's running next week, which was always the plan!])

So without further ado, here is this week's list:

Continue reading "Top 10 Even More Unusual Ice Cream Flavors" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:24 AM | | Comments (12)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

August 3, 2010

No sex please, we're eating

CoffeeI like my coffee hotter than my baristas.

I know that makes me sound like the old married lady that I am. (Math-hubby and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on Sunday.) But when I go out for food and drink, I'm seeking food and drink, not titillation.

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one. How else to explain the popularity of the hottie-latte joint my colleague Sam Sessa wrote about this week?

Java Divas in Pasadena offers coffee drinks served by scantily clad young women. The costumes change with the day of the week. On back-to-school Thursdays, the servers show off short-short plaid skirts and lots of skin.

Wait. I take it back. Now that I think about it, the schoolgirl shtick is TOTALLY appropriate given that some of the servers look like they've just gotten their braces off. What kind of foodie cred could Maryland claim if it couldn't support a coffee shop devoted to pedophilic fantasies?

Which brings me to this week's list:

Continue reading "No sex please, we're eating" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:34 AM | | Comments (41)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

July 27, 2010

Top Ten free foods

purslaneAfter a vacation, and then two busy weeks back at work, my vegetable garden kind of got away from me.

The Pink Beauty and cherry tomatoes are doing great, but so are the weeds.

I felt bad about that until I read a recent discussion on the Google group Baltimore Food Makers. Someone was seeking the identity of the mystery vegetable that had arrived with her weekly CSA allotment. She sent along a photograph of the unknown greenery.

Purslane, a tasty and healthful weed good in salads, came the answer. 

Turns out that's my weed. Or one of them anyway.

I tried my first bite yesterday, a little wary that it might turn out to be a highly toxic purslane lookalike. I survived the nibble, and found it pleasantly crisp and peppery.

Which brings me to this week's list:

Continue reading "Top Ten free foods" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:25 AM | | Comments (15)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

July 20, 2010

Top Ten fun food stores

Mill Valley General StoreWhile in Mount Vernon yesterday, I happened to come across an empty storefront at Cathedral and Read streets with a "coming soon" sign out front.

What's coming is Milk & Honey Market, which will sell fresh local produce, meats and dairy, gourmet groceries, artisanal cheese and charcuterie, fresh baked breads and fresh pastas. It will also have a cafe area with coffee drinks, fresh-squeezed juices, smoothies and panini.

The future store --  I'll have more details on that in another blog post later this morning -- got me thinking about all those little out-of-the-way food stores that can be so fun to shop in.

Continue reading "Top Ten fun food stores" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:34 AM | | Comments (9)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

July 13, 2010

Top Ten unusual ice cream flavors

mr. yogatoOld Bay ice cream seems to have gone the way we all fear Maryland crabs could go. By which I mean extinct.

Last summer, an intern here at The Sun got one of those dream assignments meant to trick gullible youngsters into devoting their lives to journalism. She was asked to sample, and write about, offbeat local ice cream flavors. Among those she turned up was Moxley's Old Bay ice cream.

But since then, Moxley's has become Gifford's, where the wackiest flavor on the menu is Blueberry Pomegranate.

Not to worry. There are still plenty of oddball ice cream flavors out there to ward off that chocolate-vanilla-strawberry ennui.

In just the past three weeks, to accommodate a Food Network request, Dominion in Charles Village expanded its vegetable ice cream selection from four flavors to 11.

Which brings us to this week's list:

Continue reading "Top Ten unusual ice cream flavors" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 6:48 AM | | Comments (17)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

July 6, 2010

Top Ten things I'm eating on vacation

Pepe's pizzaIf I were at another stage of life, and in another income tax bracket, I might be dining out every night of the week during my vacation.

Instead, my husband, kids and I are mostly eating in, at my parents' house on the Connecticut shore.

Not that I'm complaining.

My mom, a retired home economics teacher, is a great cook. And after a day at the beach, who wants to hustle tired kids off to a restaurant where they have to behave? Besides, the price is right.

Our vacation dining account will not be confused with anything you'd find in Conde Nast Traveler, but here goes.

Top Ten things I'm eating on vacation:

Continue reading "Top Ten things I'm eating on vacation" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 12:06 PM | | Comments (4)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

June 29, 2010

Top Ten ways to enhance your Iggies experience

Iggies PizzaA co-worker came back to the office chuckling after picking up an Iggies pizza for lunch the other day.

There was nothing funny about her pie. (I believe she had the pizza of the month, the PLT, which involves nothing more humorous than sliced fresh tomatoes, pancetta, mozzarella and arugula.)

What amused her were the many customer rules Iggies has plastered on its front windows.

Continue reading "Top Ten ways to enhance your Iggies experience " »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:21 AM | | Comments (69)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

June 22, 2010

Top Ten ways to cook without turning on your oven

cevicheThe raw foods movement never looked so good, what with the heat lately.

Which brings me to this week's list.

Top Ten ways to cook without turning on your oven

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Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:27 AM | | Comments (18)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

June 15, 2010

Top Ten excuses for bringing your own beef to the neighborhood cook-out

hamburgerI have what I consider to be a perfectly rational fear of industrial beef, one that anyone who's seen "Food Inc." or read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" should understand.

Which makes this, the season of potluck cook-outs, a little awkward.

Somebody invites the family over for burgers and hot dogs. Are you going to inquire about the provenance of the meat?

"Just so I bring the right wine, let me ask: Will you be serving grass-fed beef or downer cattle?"

Continue reading "Top Ten excuses for bringing your own beef to the neighborhood cook-out" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:39 AM | | Comments (11)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

June 1, 2010

Top Ten essentials to farmers market-worthy falafel

FelafelI had to work Saturday, which was kind of a bummer but for one thing: I had a morning assignment around the corner from the Waverly Farmers Market. With any luck, I could swing by before returning to the office and pick up a falafel sandwich for lunch.

Luck, however, was not with me. By the time I finished interviewing people at the newly reopened firehouse, the Waverly vendors were packing up.

I still had falafel on the brain by the time I finished up my work day, so I decided to make some at home. I've made serviceable falafel many times over the years, following a recipe in a cookbook so old that it brags about being high carb.

Continue reading "Top Ten essentials to farmers market-worthy falafel" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:35 AM | | Comments (7)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

May 25, 2010

Top Ten Ways to Solve 'The Locavore's Dilemma'

Swiss chard juiceWe're entering prime time for locavores, as more Maryland crops come to market. For people who buy shares in Community Supported Agriculture ventures, it won't be long before the weekly produce pick-ups begin.

And as anyone who's ever belonged to a CSA knows, it's not all strawberries and sweet corn.

There are lots and lots of greens.

Slate had a good name for the situation, described in a funny first-person account of a CSA sufferer last year: "The Locavore's Dilemma."

Which brings me to this week's list:

Continue reading "Top Ten Ways to Solve 'The Locavore's Dilemma'" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:22 AM | | Comments (16)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

May 4, 2010

Blue about Volt

Volt beetsI had the chance to eat a 21-course meal in the kitchen at Volt Sunday, the night before chef Bryan Voltaggio lost out on that James Beard award.

And that extraordinary personal splurge -- i was there not on the Baltimore Sun's dime, but as a civilian eater with my husband and two dear friends -- produced this theory about why Voltaggio lost out to some guy in Philly for Best Chef -- Mid-Atlantic. 

I suspect Voltaggio gave the James Beard judges a case of "blue buds."

That's how one of my dining companions described what we were all suffering from after dinner. Plate after teensy-weensy plate of mostly delicious, beautifully presented, expertly served food had gotten us all excited. But there was no, you know, climax.

Continue reading "Blue about Volt" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:28 AM | | Comments (31)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

April 27, 2010

Top Ten first-day farmers' market finds

Goat sausageThe Baltimore Farmers' Market opens under the JFX Sunday, but don't get too excited.

Most of the local produce we've been longing for all winter isn't ready for picking yet. Red-to-the-center local strawberries won't be here for weeks. Juicy peaches are months away.

Still, no one needs to go home empty handed.

Which brings us to this week's list:

Continue reading "Top Ten first-day farmers' market finds" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:34 AM | | Comments (17)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

April 20, 2010

Top Ten 'Am I Missing Something?' Foods

TruffleAt the risk of looking like a rube, I'll admit it: I don’t get why truffles are such a big whoop.

I’d like to think it’s a case of truffle tastes, portobello budget. I’ve hardly had the chance to sample the fungal luxury, and when I have, it’s been in the form of a skimpily drizzled truffle oil.

But the problem may be a genetic quirk known as “specific anosmia.”

Some people lack the ability to smell certain odors. Quite a few cannot detect androstenone, the pheromone in truffles that makes epicures swoon like randy pigs.

Continue reading "Top Ten 'Am I Missing Something?' Foods " »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:31 AM | | Comments (41)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

April 13, 2010

Top Ten most loved, least used kitchen tools

Pasta machine

I suspect every avid cook has a bunch of gadgets that are well loved but not well used.

There are lots of things in my kitchen that collect dust yet will never get the heave-ho.

Some aren't that useful but have sentimental value. Others come in very handy, but only every once in a long while.

In honor of them all, I present this week's Top Ten Tuesday list:

Top Ten most loved, least used kitchen tools

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Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:26 AM | | Comments (26)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

March 30, 2010

Top Ten wood-infused foods

Wedding cakeThe idea for today's Top Ten Tuesday list comes, once again, from Dining@Large reader Alexander D. Mitchell IV. Just the idea, mind you, not the list itself.

So if you don't like it, please don't blame him. I'll take the fall this week.

Easy to say, since I think this list isn't likely to generate controversy like last week's. Then again, I didn't expect a light little riff on beets, arugula and health care would set so many people off. So who knows?

Maybe a radical anti-logging group like Earth First! will get after me for this one.

Continue reading "Top Ten wood-infused foods" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:26 AM | | Comments (30)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

March 23, 2010

Top Ten foods most likely to be banned under Obamacare

beets

The idea for this week's Top Ten list comes from Dining@Large reader Alexander D. Mitchell IV.

I'd like to thank Alexander for the suggestion. And I'll thank the rest of you for sending any and all complaints his way.

Good luck with that, Alexander!

The list:

Continue reading "Top Ten foods most likely to be banned under Obamacare" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:27 AM | | Comments (84)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

March 9, 2010

Top Ten menu irritants

cheeseThe inspiration for today's Top Ten Tuesday list came from language guru John McIntyre, who suggested Top Ten Irritating Examples of Menu-Speak. 

He was good enough to provide No. 1.

He was not good enough to provide Nos. 2 through 9, which is unfair because he's unemployed and I'm busy here at work.

I branched out a bit from pure language offenses to generally offensive things on menus -- up to, but not including, the sticky film on the average plastic-coated diner carte.

The list:

Continue reading "Top Ten menu irritants" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:23 AM | | Comments (35)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

March 2, 2010

Top Ten memorable meals

Tersiguel's restaurantI put out a call for Top Ten Tuesday ideas, and Dining@Large readers came through so well that I seriously considered doing a Top Ten list of Top Ten list suggestions.

Which did I choose? None of them.

It was urged from on high -- an editor here at The Sun was channeling EL -- that I write about some of my most memorable meals. Or non-meal, in one case.

I'm afraid what I've worked up is more essay than list. I'll write shorter next time. I'll also get to some of your great Top Ten ideas in the coming weeks.

The meals, in no particular order:

Continue reading "Top Ten memorable meals" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:37 AM | | Comments (22)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

March 1, 2010

The next Top Ten

Gluten-Free Cupcakes

I know it's only mid-day Monday, but I'm already sweating Tuesday.

I need a Top Ten idea.

I've already ruled out Top Ten Ways To Annoy People Who Don't Mix Politics And Food.

Also out: Top Ten Ways To Upset Celiac Sufferers By Ruminating On An Obscure Baking Additive And Noting -- Though Not Condoning -- The Annoyance Of A Friend Who Just Wanted Plain, Old All-Purpose Flour And Had Trouble Finding It Amidst All The Gluten-Free Options On The Shelves, But Who, In Fact, Really Doesn't Begrudge Anyone Their Choice Of Flour, Especially People Suffering From A Very Hard-To-Manage Disease, He Was Just In A Hurry.

 

Continue reading "The next Top Ten" »

Posted by Laura Vozzella at 12:39 PM | | Comments (34)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

February 23, 2010

Top Ten restaurant gift certificates to slip into City Hall in blank envelopes

 

I wear a couple of hats here at The Sun these days. I write a weekly column about politicians and other local oddities. And, for the time being, I write this blog. When I started on the blog last week, Dining@Large reader Federal Hal wrote:

“To test your crossover skills ... If you were going to deliver a restaurant gift certificate in an unmarked envelope to City Hall, which restaurant would you choose?”

The short answer: Depends on the mayor. The long answer: Below.

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Posted by Laura Vozzella at 5:20 AM | | Comments (33)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

February 16, 2010

Top 10 Things I've Learned as a Restaurant Critic

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Here's the Top 10 Tuesday list you've been waiting for: What I've learned from almost 40 years of reviewing restaurants distilled into 10 tiny lessons. ...

 

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:22 AM | | Comments (30)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

February 2, 2010

Top 10 Unexpected Places for Valentine's Day

Antrim1844.jpgWe've discussed romantic restaurants before, and last-minute places for Valentine's Day.

Last year I made up a Top 10 around this time of romantic restaurants for the budget-minded.

The problem is that those restaurants traditionally thought of as most romantic are also the ones most likely to be crowded, with rushed servers and an overworked kitchen.

Not romantic. ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:31 AM | | Comments (17)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

January 26, 2010

Top 10 Places to Get Great Hot Chocolate

Screen%20shot%202010-01-25%20at%204.48.03%20PM.pngWhen I asked for a guest Top 10 list to post while I was on vacation, I got not one, but two: Bucky's, which I used last week, and this mouth-watering list of places to get hot chocolate from Catherinette Singleton. I've linked to her blog, because it was kind of her to make up this list for us, but I need to add that the language on her blog is adults only. Here's Catherinette. EL

Unless you’ve been in a coma for the last month you’ve probably noticed that the temperatures outside have been well below what they should be.  Christmas and New Year's have come and gone; but, baby, it’s still cold outside. ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Places to Get Great Hot Chocolate" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:14 AM | | Comments (35)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

January 19, 2010

Top 10 Food Quotations -- With a Prize

BreadButter.jpgThanks, Bucky! EL

Somewhere along the way, I started jotting down quotations that stuck me as insightful or funny or potentially useful for staff meeting arguments in a little spiral-bound notebook that I carried around with me in my briefcase.  Thoughts like, “Sooner or later, you’re going to have to be your own hero” and “Work is for people who never learned how to fish.” 

When EL asked for a guest Top 10 to cover her while she was on vacation, I thought to myself, “Whoa, this should bring Jay C. back to the blog.”  Ha Ha Ha … I didn’t think that.  I’m just kidding. ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Food Quotations -- With a Prize" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:45 AM | | Comments (29)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

January 12, 2010

Top 10 Places for Restaurant Week

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I don't do Restaurant Week(s), but I still get lots of requests from readers asking where they should go.

I can't answer them from personal experience, so I decided to make up a list of commenter recommendations from the last year. (If I knew there had been been a major change at a restaurant, such as a chef leaving, I didn't include it.)

Most of them are pretty obvious -- a good restaurant is a good restaurant -- but a couple you may not have thought of.

Obviously there are no guarantees. The mini-reviews by commenters are all six months or a year old. Use them as guidelines, and let us know if your experience differs.

These are the places Dining@Large commenters think you'll get the most bang for your buck during Restaurant Week(s). They are also all places where I've had a good meal.

If you want to read full mini-reviews, just type "restaurant week" into the search function (use the quotation marks or you'll get too many choices).

Also, please take a minute to vote in the Restaurant Week poll. ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Places for Restaurant Week" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:39 AM | | Comments (15)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

January 5, 2010

Top 10 Best Restaurants I Reviewed in 2009

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This list was inspired by an e-mail from Lars Rusins of BaltoFoodies.com asking if there was any way of searching the Sun's restaurant review database by how many stars were awarded.

The answer is not yet, although that would be a good thing to add, as I found when I tried to make up this list.

I went back into the Sun archives to create it, and I put the stars awarded for food in parentheses.

But wonderful food isn't the only qualification for why I want to go to a restaurant, so I next decided to order them in terms of overall experience.

This is a totally personal ordering, and one I can't really defend except to say I'd go back to Restaurant A before I'd go back to Restaurant B.

Out of curiosity, I asked Other Reviewer Richard Gorelick what his standout restaurants for 2009 were. He e-mailed back: "Hi, Mekong Delta is the one place I was most happy to tell readers about."

Here's my list: ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:09 AM | | Comments (24)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

December 29, 2009

Top 10 Local Restaurant News Stories of the Decade

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I can't think of another decade while I've been restaurant critic for the Sun in which so much happened on the local dining scene.

Unfortunately, much of news involved the unexpected demise of some very important restaurants. I could do a Top 10 just of closings. No, wait. I did that already.

Although closings dominated, a lot else was going on in the aughts. (And please don't tell me the decade ends next year. You can't call 2010 an aught. It's a teen.)

Anyway, here's my list of the most important local news stories where restaurants were concerned. You may not agree. If  not, please post your suggestions below.

Also, Editor Rebecca has made a photo gallery of the list, which you can check out here. ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Local Restaurant News Stories of the Decade" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:31 AM | | Comments (80)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

December 22, 2009

Top 10 Most Memorable Meals of the Decade

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When I decided to do my most memorable meals of the decade for my almost-end-of-the-year Top 10 (wait till you see what I come up with for the end-of-the-year Top 10), I couldn't decide whether it should include both memorably good and memorably bad meals or not.

But I don't want to be too Scrooge-like during Christmas Week, so I'll stick to the good ones, year by year.

Here's my list: ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Most Memorable Meals of the Decade" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:29 AM | | Comments (22)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

December 15, 2009

Top 10 Sites for Mail-Order Delicacies

ChevreToasts.jpgAt this point if you haven't gotten your holiday shopping done and are a sane human being, you probably don't feel like going to the mall to finish up.

I vaguely remember a Ralph Waldo Emerson quote about only giving things that are transitory, like delicious food. (He probably didn't say "like delicious food.") At this point your best bet is to pick up the phone or get online and order something wonderful to eat for your ungifted friends and family.

I know you know about Harry & David. I sometimes think if we all just picked up the phone and ordered a box of Comice pears for ourselves, we would eliminate the circular giving and not have to write a thank you note. This list is different.

This Top 10 Tuesday of the best sites for gourmet goodies should give you some new ideas: ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:36 AM | | Comments (27)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

December 8, 2009

Top 10 Upscale Cafes

TeavolveUpscaleCafe.jpgWhen I first did a post on upscale cafes, I had only three to put on this list. With your help I've almost come up with 10.

In some cases, I've had to stretch the definition a bit; but basically I stayed with the criteria Other Reviewer Richard suggested:

...to qualify the place would have to have a) have a cappuccino machine, and accommodations for someone who just wanted a cup of coffee b) not be a place anyone would insist is really a bar c) have table service 4) also have a beer/wine list. ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:45 AM | | Comments (28)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

December 1, 2009

Top 10 Expensive Desserts

VoltBananaSplit.jpgThe cake we had recently at Stoney River Legendary Steaks inspired this Top 10 Tuesday. It cost $11, which shocked me until I saw the slice, which was roughly the size of Manhattan. Four of us didn't come close to finishing it, even though it was delicious and we got only one other dessert.

It got me thinking about how expensive desserts are these days, often out of proportion to the rest of the meal. Sad to say, $8 is pretty much the norm in nice restaurants.

Anyway, I thought I would do a Top 10 of expensive desserts that are worth the cost. Of course, there are plenty of fine local restaurants that may have even better desserts than these, but I haven't been to them lately. For those, we'll have to rely on you to tell us about them.

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

Continue reading "Top 10 Expensive Desserts" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:49 AM | | Comments (23)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 24, 2009

Top 10 weird bacon products

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You were probably expecting a Top 10 on, oh, I don't know, great go-withs for turkey on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.

Instead I'm giving you bacon spinoffs. Thanks to David W., Bob and ryan97ou for nominations and contributions to this list.

And now, without further ado, here are the Top 10 Weird Bacon Products: ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:32 AM | | Comments (37)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 17, 2009

Top 10 Restaurants for Thanksgiving Dinner

MexicanThanksgiving.jpgNow you decide you don't want to cook after all, and you're looking for a restaurant open Thanksgiving day. I did my best for you with this list of Top 10 Restaurants for Thanksgiving Dinner, but it wasn't easy.

First of all, check out my list from two years ago. I didn't want to repeat myself this time, so I'm really giving you 20 choices. I can't guarantee at this point, of course, that there will be any openings; but I didn't include any places that were booked as of this writing. ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:56 AM | | Comments (22)
Categories: Thanksgiving, Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 10, 2009

Top 10 Fine-Dining Bars

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This week's topic, Top 10 Fine-Dining Bars, intrigues me because they seem to me to be a peculiarly Baltimore institution.

They aren't bistros. They aren't wine bars. The decor isn't stylish -- in fact, you can't even describe it as decor. They are places in city neighborhoods to go for a beer that also happen to have surprisingly inventive food. ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Fine-Dining Bars" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:09 AM | | Comments (73)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

November 3, 2009

Top 10 Restaurant Pig-Outs

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When I posted an earlier entry on heart attacks on a plate, I didn't think I would get a Top 10 out of it.

But sure enough, all of you came through. I had more than enough ammunition for a Top 10 Restaurant Pig-Outs. Thanks for your suggestions.

I loved this comment by Trixie, which epitomizes the enthusiasm with which you approached this topic: ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Restaurant Pig-Outs" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:32 AM | | Comments (29)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

October 27, 2009

Top 10 Things You'll Find in the Restaurants in Hell

Bosch2.jpgThis week's Top 10 is in honor of Halloween.

For those of us who enjoy eating out more than we should, there is a special punishment reserved for us in hell. We will be forced to go out to eat over and over again for eternity at restaurants that have 10 things in common.

Thanks to the readers who contributed ideas for this list of the Top 10 Things You'll Find in the Restaurants in Hell. I stole from them shamelessly: ...

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Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:45 AM | | Comments (34)
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October 20, 2009

Top 10 Seafood Restaurants Updated

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It's only a slight exaggeration when I say I've done 150 or so Top 10 lists. I'm running out of ideas. I don't want to make the subject too obscure (bacon spinoffs, anyone?), but I don't want to revisit a topic that doesn't need revisiting.

However, one list that definitely needs updating is seafood restaurants. It was one of the first, if not the first, Top 10 I did almost three years ago. Pisces is gone now, as is Blue Sea Grill.

Don't be offended if your favorite crab house isn't on this list. Crab Houses Updated is a topic for another day. But I was surprised at how once you eliminate crab houses, the list isn't that easy to compile.

Here's my Top 10 in alphabetical order: ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Seafood Restaurants Updated" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:27 AM | | Comments (29)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

October 13, 2009

Top 10 Foods to Eat When You Have the Flu

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I'm gearing up to have the flu because I keep putting off getting a flu shot, only because rumors still abound that we will get them here at the Sun in spite of the new Purell dispensers.

This is one of those cases where waiting for a discounted flu shot that may or may not happen night not be the best idea, but whatever. ... 

Continue reading "Top 10 Foods to Eat When You Have the Flu" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:59 AM | | Comments (42)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

October 6, 2009

Top 10 Signs You’re a Foodie

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We've talked about what makes someone a foodie before, but I don't think any of us articulated it as precisely as John Lindner has in this guest post Top 10. Thanks, John, for making it a little easier to come back from vacation today.

Here's John with the Top 10 Signs You're a Foodie: ...

Continue reading "Top 10 Signs You’re a Foodie" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:29 AM | | Comments (42)
Categories: Top Ten Tuesdays
        

September 29, 2009

Top 10 affordable steak dinners

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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: ...

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

September 22, 2009

Top 10 Happy Hours for 35-and-overs

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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. ...


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

September 15, 2009

Top 10 places to have brunch

GertrudesBrunch.jpgWe'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