On Tuesdays all of us participate in a little fantasy that's fun and often informative for both me and readers. It's the weekly Top Ten, which I've been struggling with a bit lately. It feels like we've done the big, broad topics -- Best Seafood Restaurants, Best Pizza -- and the smaller ones -- best creme brulee -- are harder to come up with and aren't as of much interest to folks.

But just when I'm feeling sorry for myself, Retired in Elkridge directed me to Bon Appetit's Hot 10 list. I thought I had it bad, but the guy who puts together its lists...

The geographical area he was covering for his best sandwich shops was all of the U.S. The ones he picked included places in Indianapolis; Carrboro, N.C.; and Des Moines. Gee, I guess New York doesn't have any good sandwich shops. Talk about fantasy lists. And yet I totally understand where he's coming from with this. Who wants to read an endless list of New York restaurants?

The brilliant part may be calling it the Hot 10, an essentially meaningless phrase, particularly when it comes to sandwich shops. (I mean, is that what you want in a sandwich shop? Cutting edginess?)

What do you think? Shall I steal it and start having a Hot 10 list on Tuesdays? The advantage would be no one could say, "How can these be the Top Ten if you haven't tried all the sandwich shops in Maryland?"

Meanwhile, next Tuesday looms. I have a couple of good suggestions for a Hot 10: ...

Continue reading "The Hot 10 List" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (30)
                    

For everything you want to know about sandwiches in Baltimore and more, please read the comments under my previous post, Sandwich Musings. There are over 100 of them, packed with information and recommendations.

The following is my list. Plenty of places are known for one or two great sandwiches, but these have excellent sandwiches almost no matter what you order.

It's my list, but even more so than usual I'm not pretending it's a definitive list. Please post your favorite places, and include specifics on the best sandwich(es) to order. 

The list could use more sandwich shops in the burbs if you have some recommendations. 

Here we go: ... 

Continue reading "Top Ten Places to Get a Great Sandwich" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (65)
                    

 
Gertrude's at the BMA is the place that comes to mind for most folks looking for a nice place to have lunch outdoors. I wanted to make up a list of other restaurants you might not have thought of that have scenic spaces beyond a few tables on the sidewalk. I'm avoiding Harborplace and the restaurants around the lake in Columbia; everyone knows about them.

I couldn't come up with 10 that no one would think of, but at least this will give you some alternatives for a good lunch in an attractive outdoor setting: ...

Continue reading "Top Ten Places to Eat Lunch Outdoors" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (21)
                    

When I think about ideas for Top Ten lists I go back and forth about choosing something I would find quirky and fun to write about or topics that we've done to death here but people keep e-mailing and calling and stopping me in the street to ask me about. I'm thinking of crab houses, for instance. Ha ha. Just kidding. No, wait. Please keep reading.

Anyway, the question I keep getting almost as much as where to eat in the Inner Harbor is where to eat outdoors. I know I have a separate category about this to the right, but it still feels like I should update the list this summer. So that's one option for next Tuesday's Top Ten: Top Ten Places You Probably Haven't Thought of to Eat Outdoors.

I was particularly inspired by this when I learned that...

Continue reading "Next Tuesday's Top Ten" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 3:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
                    

Usually chocolate is a winter craving for me. I'm not even a serious chocoholic: I prefer milk to dark, and a heavy chocolate dessert after a big meal just doesn't do it for me.

So why am I making chocolate desserts a Top Ten Tuesday topic in July? I can't explain it, but lately I've been wanting a little chocolate. I sank so low as to buy a Kit Kat bar the other day on impulse. Big mistake. The chocolate was so soft most of it got on my fingers.

Anyway, I want to prove to you that not every restaurant chocolate dessert has to be a death-by-chocolate experience. Even the flourless chocolate cakes I've included here have some subtlety.

Obviously I haven't tried every chocolate dessert at every restaurant in the area, so please tell us about your favorites by posting a comment below. ... 

Continue reading "Top Ten Restaurant Chocolate Desserts" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
                    

All this talk of Panda Gourmet and Sushi Hana has me thinking about sushi.

Tim Zagat of the Zagat Survey has pointed out that Chinese cuisine in the U.S. has stalled while Japanese cuisine continues to do very well. Japanese restaurants are now among the top rated in many cities. (That's certainly true in the Baltimore/Washington guide.) He thinks it's about quality ingredients and "imaginative, healthful preparations."

Also, after a week in Tennessee seafood is mighty appealing. All I've had in that line recently is fried catfish.

Anyway, today's Top Ten Tuesday is favorite sushi bars. I'm a careful sushi eater -- I love it, but ever since a friend almost died a few years ago after dinner at a highly respected New York City sushi restaurant, I'm more cautious.

That doesn't stop me, but I don't eat sushi as often as I used to, so some of these I haven't been to as recently as I would like. Feel free to update or correct me, or post your own favorites below.

Remember, I only have 10 slots here to fill, so if you have a favorite that isn't on the list, please tell us which one you would eliminate to make it fit. ...

Continue reading "Top Ten Sushi Bars" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (61)
                    

I just realized I totally forgot about next Tuesday's Top Ten. That's bad because if I wait until the weekend, some of you might be out having fun instead of sitting at your computer coming up with good ideas for me.

I'm leaning toward Top Ten Chocolate Desserts, I have no idea why, but I'm open to other suggestions. Just post below.

I wish I could come up with something more summery. Maybe the photo will inspire you. 

(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (17)
                    

I'm still smarting from pete's mean comment asking if I can drive, or words to that effect. To show that, yes, I can drive and even more amazingly, there are good restaurants in Howard County that aren't chains, I'm going to post my Top Ten Howard Country restaurants.

Because I'm on vacation, however, I'm not going to do much work here. I list them, you comment on why they're good. OK, if you don't like them, comment on that, too.

Here's my list: ... 

Continue reading "Top Ten Howard County Restaurants" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (67)
                    

I was considering Matt Hudock's suggestion of summer foods for this top ten, but I did it last summer and I'm not sure I have much new to add from my own experience yet this summer.

The topic didn't get much discussion, though, and I know we can do better this year, so I'm going to make it one of the entries for next week when I'm on vacation. DO NOT TALK ABOUT SUMMER FOODS YET.

Meanwhile, in this intense heat I've been thinking about summer drinks more than summer food, so I decided over the weekend that I would make hot-weather drinks, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic, this week's Top Ten Tuesday. 

There is one that isn't on the list that should be, but I don't know where to get the best: iced coffee. Maybe you can help. 

I should give a shout-out to Midnight Sun Sam, who not surprisingly was a big help in compiling this list: ... 

Continue reading "Top ten summer drinks and where to get them" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (52)
                    

Here it is almost the weekend, boys and girls, and Crab Week has been so exciting and full of events we haven't even talked about next week's Top Ten Tuesday. I would suggest we avoid seafood.

Also, I'll be away on vacation the following week, so I'm looking for an easy Top Ten for June 17 that I can do in advance. (And yes, I will have my handy dandy computer with me, so don't think that while the cat's away...)

Actually, I was going to write a whole separate post on what to do on my summer vacation -- with the blog, I mean -- but it seems appropriate here.  I don't think I can get away with Second Helpings again. ...

Continue reading "Next Tuesday's Top Ten and vacation" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 1:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (24)
                    

If Baltimoreans have a Holy Grail, I once said in a review, it would be the perfect crab house. 

It's not just the heaviness and sweetness of the crabs and the perfect seasoning they're looking for. Intangibles like atmosphere, water view and old-fashioned charm play a part, too.

Other factors are important. If you have out-of-town visitors who are only here for a day or two, it may be hard to drag them down to Dundalk to tear apart crustaceans, an activity they're dubious about anyway. So you need to know about a crab house near the harbor, where your visitors insist on spending the afternoon.

I don't pretend to have tried every crab house in the area, so this list isn't a definitive one. Feel free to add your favorite by posting below.

Here are my 10: ... 

Continue reading "Top Ten Crab Houses" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (136)
                    

A lot of people won't be satisfied with this list because it doesn't have any Harborplace restaurants on it, and that's where their out-of-town visitors want to go. But I decided not to include any national chains, so that limited me.

If you want a great view of the water, you may have to settle for some good but not great food. My list took into account the view first, then the food.

Mark asked me to include whether smoking was allowed outside, which seemed to me to be a reasonable request except that I ended up making up this list yesterday, and I just didn't have the energy to also call every restaurant to ask. But if anyone knows, please post below.

Here's my list: ...

Continue reading "Top Ten Places to Eat on the Water" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (56)
                    

As you know, Next Tuesday is the first Tuesday of the summer because Memorial Day is the start of summer. I'm not going to say "unofficial," because that's a weasel word. We all know it's the start of summer. I say when it's OK to wear white shoes, it's officially summer and forget solstices.

Anyway, in case you don't remember, Donny B. suggested best places to eat on the waterfront. I've got to get started on it if I don't want to be sitting at my computer all day next Monday when I should be grilling hamburgers or whatever.

Please post suggestions below, but stay away from crab houses because that's the Top Ten for Crab Week (June 3).

Sigh. That reminds me that one of my all-time favorite waterfront dining places was Gabler's crab shack on the Bush River near Aberdeen, but it's long gone. It had a sink in the dining room where you washed your hands after picking crabs.

(Kenneth K. Lam/Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
                    

Three years ago I wrote a story about bistros for the food section, pointing out that our fine French restaurants were dying out, while French bistros seemed to be proliferating.

The concept has gotten even trendier, if possible, since then. These days the word seems to be used for any new restaurant that wants to imply it's casual, fun and serves alcohol.

I didn't think people felt as strongly about bistros as they do about, say, diners or chains until I got a message from someone on my home phone urging me to include Liberatore's Bistro on my list. THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING. First of all, calling me at home with a recommendation for a Top Ten restaurant is an automatic disqualification of said restaurant. Liberatore's wouldn't have been on my list anyway. Not because it's not good, but because I haven't eaten there. 

Two others that are new and I haven't eaten at: Ciao Pizza Bistro Italiano at Quarry Lake and Carpaccio Italian Bistro in Annapolis. Feel free to put in your two cents if you know anything about either.

Then there are those restaurants that seem bistro-ish to me even if they don't label themselves as such. I included one in my list.

Here they are: ... 

Continue reading "Top Ten Bistros" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
                    

I know I promised to do bistros for next Tuesday's Top Ten (thanks for the suggestion, greedygirl), and I'm not backing down. But I think Robert the Single One makes a good point about definitions. Bistros are so trendy the word is popping up in some rather odd places, such as P.F. Chang's China Bistro. If we don't reach some consensus on what the list should consist of, THEN I'm backing down.

Here's what I said in a story I wrote on bistros three years ago:

Don't worry about the distinction between a bistro and a brasserie. Even the food professionals are vague. Both are small, informal and involve alcoholic beverages as well as food. In the United States, the terms are meaningless except to suggest that these are high-energy, casual places where you can have good food and fun.

My biggest concern is that I can't come up with ten of them, unless I can include P.F. Chang's. JUST KIDDING. JUST KIDDING. 

(Gene Sweeney Jr./Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (24)
                    

We've done Top Ten Thai and Top Ten Irish; this list is to give a nod to the ethnic restaurants that we don't have many examples of in the Baltimore area.

I liked the expression "ethnic eateries" because of the alliteration, but when you look at the list you'll see that most of these aren't the holes in the wall that "eateries" suggests. 

Many of you serious restaurant goers have already been to all of these, I'm sure. It would be fun if some of you who don't know these places would visit each of them -- a sort global tour of Baltimore restaurants. And then, of course, let us know what you think.

Here's the list: ... 

Continue reading "Top Ten Uncommon Ethnic Eateries" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
                    

I've tentatively decided on Top Ten Uncommon Ethnic Eateries, with Top Ten Bistros a close second and open for discussion to use the following week, and Top Ten Places for Waterfront Dining (suggested by commenter extraordinaire Donny B) to be held for warmer weather, say the week after that.

If I remember.

I decided on ethnic eateries because I can list some restaurants that haven't appeared on too many lists before, because it's a topic that's been suggested before and I ignored it, and because the alliteration is awesome. Just kidding about that last one.

(Colby Ware/Sun photographer) 

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (32)
                    

Every Friday I get a nagging little e-mail from Editor Tim entitled "It's promo time." This reminds me I haven't come up with a Top Ten Tuesday topic yet. (I shouldn't complain. I like it whenever the blog gets promoted in the paper.)

Anyway, I'm not inspired this week so I'm open to suggestions, but someone wrote to me recently asking me for restaurants open Monday. There are a surprising number, she said, that aren't.

I might do Monday restaurants on Tuesday if the list is of interest to you. To narrow it down a bit, they would have to be a certain type: not a special occasion place but an after-work kind of restaurant.

What do you think? And don't just say too boring; come up with another suggestion. Owl Meat, you may only post under this entry before midnight. ...

Continue reading "Next Tuesday's Top Ten" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 12:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
                    

This topic reminds me of how I met Marty Katz, the local editor for the Zagat Survey. I was doing a story on Tim and Nina Zagat, who were here promoting their restaurant guide. Marty told me he had interviewed for the job several years ago by taking the Zagats to Charleston, the Greek restaurant Samos, and Kelly's for steamed crabs.

I met them at Cafe Hon in Hampden for breakfast, then we rode in a town car to Faidley's for a mid-morning snack, and I abandoned them at Iggies, where they were having a press lunch.

All those restaurants, clearly, are good places to take tourists, although Cafe Hon is starting to sell so much Hon stuff it's beginning to feel a little bit like a tourist trap. 

For the purpose of this exercise, I'm going to assume your friends are visiting for a week. That gives us plenty of time for day trips to Annapolis and Ellicott City: ... 

Continue reading "Top Ten Places to Take Tourists (That Aren't Tourist Traps)" »

Posted by Elizabeth Large at 4:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (32)
                    

The time has come, boys and girls, to find a Top Ten Tuesday topic for next week.

While I was looking through the archives for something else, I came upon the following post and its comments from last June. I thought it might amuse you.

Either the suggestions weren't practical or we've done them already, but they should get you started. Note how few comments were posted; it's hard to remember when folks felt a little shy. (I wonder which Robert it was.)

As long as we're being nostalgic, I thought I'd revive the mystery picture game for this post only. Guess the mystery food and its restaurant. I won't say if someone gets it right for awhile to give others a chance to guess. ...