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: ...
This 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: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Things You'll Find in the Restaurants in Hell" »
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: ...
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" »
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: ...
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: ...
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. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Happy Hours for 35-and-overs" »
We've talked about brunch a lot here, and I've done a Top 10 list on places for brunch you might not have thought of. I even have a brunch category. But I've never made up a list of the restaurants that I recommend for brunch when I get asked, which is frequently.
Last time we discussed this, someone made the excellent point that brunch isn't breakfast. (We have done a Top 10 breakfasts.) Even if the restaurant doesn't offer both breakfast and lunch choices, some of the dishes will be too elaborate for an ordinary breakfast, like eggs Benedict.
I've tried to offer a selection of both extravagant fixed-price buffets and smaller a la carte choices. (The latter is my preference, but sometimes the buffets work best -- when you've got kids, for instance.)
Here's my list in alphabetical order: ...
In the past when a holiday has fallen on a Monday, I've still had to write my Top 10 Tuesday. (I could always do it the week before, but somehow that never happens.)
This time, however, our Shallow Thought guru and guest poster John Lindner sent me a gift: the Top 10 Reasons to Dine Out. Actually he sent me 15 reasons, and the only work I had to do was choose which ones I liked best.
Without further ado, here's John's list, in more or less his order. Interesting where "because we're hungry" falls, and I think he's probably right: ...
In my review of Real Seafood Co. in Annapolis, I wondered why a chain would decide it was a good idea to open in a city that already had so many local places that serve good seafood. Elite Elephant Lover requested a Top 10 on the subject, and I'm happy to oblige.
I made it a little harder on myself than I had to by deciding to include no chains -- sorry, Chart House -- and only places that are known as seafood restaurants. (Every excellent restaurant in Annapolis has good seafood.) ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Local Seafood Restaurants in Annapolis" »
When I'm at a Chinese-American restaurant, I crave a whiskey sour. When I'm eating Tex-Mex food, a margarita is what I want. Of such stuff Top 10 lists are made.
Yesterday a frequent commenter, The Baltimoron, who is a local bartender, sent me such a good Top 10 list I decided to use it today rather than the boring one I was working on. It's a list of great food and drink pairings, excluding wine.
He also added this postscript:
substitutes:
key lime pie martini and cheesecake; I make a martini with key lime juice, cream and 2 oz of 43 liqueur, rim the glass with graham cracker crumbs and serve with plain cheesecake, yum!!
cosmopolitans with tapas; the reason this works is while enjoying cosmos or tapas, you are actually enjoying friendly conversation, not a meal, and both cosmos and tapas complement the atmosphere you set with your company.
things that complement nothing:
grappa, ouzo, jagermeister, any more?
Now here's his list of drinks that do complement food, and the food they go with:
Continue reading "Top 10 drinks (other than wine) that go with food " »
In an earlier post we talked about the mistakes diners make. Not the things that annoy the wait staff, which was the subject of another post, but things we do as restaurant goers that make the experience less than stellar.
I even asked a couple of restaurant owners things like should we not order fish on Mondays? (I learned the only day when seafood and produce deliveries aren't made is Sunday.) They weren't going to tell me what their chef's night off is; but if you could find that out from your server, it would be something to make note of for future visits. ...
This Top 10 could have gone several ways. It could be a list of good dishes at down-home eateries, where you wouldn't expect the food to be expensive. Or it could be a list of really good bargains at chains. Commenters under an earlier post had suggestions for both.
I decided to limit it to places that were a little more unexpected than either of those. Maybe the restaurants on my list are places you've wanted to try but thought they might be too pricey. Or maybe you've simply forgotten the good review I gave them.
Obviously this list is heavily weighted toward places I've been to in the last year or so, but I hope you'll round it out with other recommendations. And I had to rely maybe too much on small plates to keep the price at $10 or under.
Still, I don't think you'll go wrong with any of these: ...
It seems appropriate to do the Top 10 Places to Get Cream of Crab Soup this week because on Thursday, as part of Baltimore's Summer Restaurant Week, the Crab Soup Stakes -- a crab soup cook-off -- will be held at the Harborplace Amphitheater from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Free samples of both Maryland crab and cream of crab will be handed out by the restaurants involved.
If any of you decides to attend this exciting event, let us know how the winner stacks up to the following list. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Places to Get Cream of Crab Soup" »
When I asked for suggestions for Top 10 Blog Topics That Will Not Die, I got ones only from Bucky and Shallow Thought Wednesday John. I already had nine, but their suggestions were so good I had to dump some of mine and substitute theirs.
For your reading pleasure, I'm going to number the list in order of importance to the blog and constant recurrence.
I should say right here I have no problem with these topics. I personally could happily discuss the shortcomings of the blogware and whose fault poor service is in every entry. If you continue to have fun rehashing these topics, I say go for it. ...
I'm probably not the best person to be making up this list. I've certainly eaten a lot of Tex-Mex over the years, but I'm not the one who usually reviews Tex-Mex restaurants.
More than ever I've had to rely on others more knowledgeable than I am, which means that those of you who don't read Dining@large regularly should check out my Official Disclaimer. And even with the help of others, I've barely managed to come up with 10 -- good, bad or indifferent.
Note: If you want a list of restaurants serving Mexican or other Latin American cuisines, look elsewhere.
However, I did promise you this Top 10 list when I did Top 10 Mexican Restaurants, so I'm going to bravely wade right in: ...
When I told my editor yesterday I was going to do a Top 10 on French restaurants in honor of Bastille Day he had the usual response. Do we even have 10 French restaurants? Then he asked me if I was going to include IHOP for its French toast.
He's got a point. After our conversation I changed Top 10 French Restaurants to Top 10 Places to Celebrate Bastille Day. Did IHOP make the cut? Read on. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Places to Celebrate Bastille Day" »
First of all, I should thank Josh, who sent me a link to a blog called Under the High Chair. I'm stealing the idea for this Top 10 post from it, although the list isn't the same as it would be if you were dining with a food blogger.
Continue reading "Top 10 Things to Expect When Dining With a Restaurant Critic" »
All-American Restaurants was a tougher category than I thought it would be.
I didn't want to include diners and barbecue places, because they deserve Top 10s of their own.
And I didn't want to include restaurants like Cafe Hon that are American but also fun and campy.
The restaurants on my list all take their American food seriously.
If you're a new reader of our Top 10 lists, please click here before you go all postal on us.
Here's my list in alphabetical order. Feel free to post your own suggestions. ...
I was going to do a Top 10 on All-American dishes in honor of the Fourth of July. But then I remembered I had done it a couple of years ago. Boy, some readers were less forgiving then. I guess they've gotten used to me or given up on Top 10.
Anyway, I'm going to go ahead and make up a Top 10 of lunch places for city jurors, from my own experience and from your suggestions. That way I'll have a place to send people when I get this question, which I do frequently. I realize not all of you who serve on juries are in the city, so if you want to recommend restaurants around other courthouses, feel free to post below.
I used the Google Maps walking feature to figure out how long it would take to get to each lunch spot from the court house. I think the numbers are a little optimistic for many people; allow a little more time. I also threw in a couple of places, most notably the Dogwood Cafe, for when you've been given more than an hour to eat.
Here's my list in alphabetical order: ...
I'm no expert when it comes to Ocean City restaurants, but I have eaten at a few, and I did talk to residents who eat out all the time when I was down there recently. They helped me make up this list.
Don't get all excited if you don't agree. That's what I'm hoping for. Just let us know which places you would substitute for each best.
The following are my suggestions of best places for certain things in and near Ocean City. What you won't find here are restaurants that are all round good, like the Marlin Moon Grille, but don't happen to fall into one of these categories.
Here's my list: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Beach Eats" »
I got the idea for this Top 10 when I noticed Chocolatea now has outdoor seating, and it's always filled.
If you're like me, you love to eat outdoors this time of year. I've done a couple of Top 10s on the best places, but they are all obvious. And therefore crowded.
This list is made up of some unexpected choices and new restaurants I went to recently and made note of the fact they would be a good place to eat once the weather improved.
If you have other suggestions that folks might not know about, please post below.
Here's my list in alphabetical order: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Places You Might Not Think of to Eat Outdoors " »
We've spent so much time here complaining about bad service, I thought it might be good to throw in a little positive reinforcement. These are the Top 10 restaurants where I've gotten the best treatment from the wait staff in recent years.
Once I started my list and had written down the two or three obvious ones, I decided to go to my archived reviews to see which restaurants had gotten three-and-a-half stars to round it out. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Restaurants with Excellent Service" »
Last week's Top 10 Tuesday, Most Controversial Restaurants, was such a success I thought I'd look at its opposite this week. There are some restaurants that seem to do what they set out to do without having many detractors. They might not be the most intriguing restaurants in town or everyone's favorites (although they may be). They aren't necessarily the least expensive or the most expensive. But you don't hear a lot of people bad-mouthing them.
Here are the 10 restaurants that I think best fit that description. After the name I've put the restaurant's reputation. Of course not everyone loves these places, but it's hard to hate them. They pretty much deliver what they promise. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Least Controversial Restaurants " »
The idea for this Top 10 started with a discussion of Golden West Cafe in Hampden. I felt like I was hearing two different restaurants being talked about: People either loved, loved, loved it or hated it, with very little in between. As one person pointed out, you could say the same of several places in Hampden; but I wanted to broaden the scope of this Top 10.
There are some places that just generate strong feelings both pro and con, I'm not sure why. (If you have any theories, I'd like to hear from you.) Anyway, here's my list of the 10 most divisive restaurants -- ones that could ruin marriages or cause friends to come to blows. After the names of the restaurants, I've put why people say they like them or hate them: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Most Controversial Restaurants in Baltimore" »
I'm on vacation until I get to my desk at work this morning, so I was thinking of just skipping Top 10 Tuesday this week -- the first time ever since it started.
But this is the time of year I get lots of questions from locals and tourists alike about where to eat seafood of all kinds, preferably on the water. I thought it would be kind of neat to make up a master list of seafood posts I've done in the past. This way I can just send them the link when they ask me where's the best place to get a crab cake or what the area's best seafood restaurants are. You might want to bookmark this page for future reference. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Posts on Where to Get Great Seafood" »
You don't have to be a native Marylander to appreciate the crunch of little legs, but it helps. People who are new to the area sometimes look in horror at even the most beautiful platter of soft-shell crabs, and the sandwich with the little legs dangling out seems particularly repellent to them. Especially when the yellow fat, otherwise known as the mustard, oozes out.
That's OK, as one commenter said under an earlier post. More for us.
Here's my list of 10 delicious preparations of soft-shells in alphabetical order. It should give you a range of options. If you're new to our Top 10 Tuesday lists, please read the Official Disclaimer before you comment. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Restaurants to Get Soft Shell Crabs" »
When I asked for suggestions from readers for Mother's Day in an earlier post, I only got two. Thank you, NotableM and Matthew. (I did get more recommendations for Colorado -- don't ask -- but I'm trying to pretend that didn't happen.)
I was interested in the range: Friendly Farm and the Milton Inn. So I started with those two for the list and then I thought, why not make the rest of them restaurants people probably wouldn't think of. If you're only getting around to planning Mother's Day now, you may not be able to get reservations at the obvious, famous-for-their-Sunday-brunch places.
Anyway, here's my list. I tried to give you something in all price points, as the marketing people say, and in various areas: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Restaurants You Haven't Thought of for Mother's Day" »
Tomorrow is Earth Day; and if you do nothing else to celebrate, you can at least eat out at a restaurant that's trying to be green.
Here's my list of the top restaurants in the area for appreciating this little piece of real estate we call home.
If you have other suggestions, please post below. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Restaurants to Celebrate Earth Day" »
Because I'm on vacation this week, I'm turning Top 10 Tuesday over to a guest poster.
I've been thinking about doing this for awhile, but I hadn't hit on the right person. Then Barry Glassman, founder of the Baltimore Jazz Alliance, e-mailed me about doing a Top 10 on places to hear live music with good food.
"Why don't you send me your list?" I suggested.
And here it is, in alphabetical order: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Places to Hear Good Jazz While You Eat" »
Professor McIntyre came up with such a good Top 10 Tuesday topic that I think he ought to take over the feature.
Probably that's not going to happen.
Today, boys and girls, we're discussing the Top 10 Greatest Food Sins in the Workplace. Here's my list, compiled with a little help from my friends: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Greatest Food Sins in the Workplace" »
It's easy to look back at all the restaurant closings in Baltimore in the past year, more difficult to say which were the most important and why they mattered.
Here's my list, numbered in order of importance this time, with my reasons following.
Please post below if you disagree -- but tell us why. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Restaurant Closings and Their Significance" »
Faithful readers know that I'm meeting my daughter's plane when she returns from her trip to Uganda this Saturday. Unfortunately her plane lands at O'Hare. That would be in Chicago.
I'm not happy about the fact that I have a plane ticket to Chicago but no assigned seat. The nice man in India assured me that United hasn't overbooked the flight, but when I started questioning him more closely his English got worse, so I still don't know why I don't have a seat if the flight isn't overbooked.
Anyway, assuming all goes well, which is incredibly optimistic of me, I'll get to O'Hare about the same time Gailor does, and I'll be in Evanston for a few days. Naturally I'm scurrying around looking for easy posts so I can pretend to be on vacation. ...
My first post asking for suggestions for places to get a great cup of coffee didn't generate as many names of coffee houses as I had hoped. People loved Zeke's coffee, but didn't recommend a coffee house to get it in. Baltimore Coffee and Tea in Timonium got lots of votes, but it's more a store than a coffee house.
I sifted through the suggestions and also asked foodies around the Sun what places they recommended. Here's the list I came up with. If I've left off your favorite place to chill and drink a great cup of coffee, please post below. ...
It's hard not to do a Top 10 list that has something to do with St. Patrick's Day when it actually falls on a Tuesday. But Best Irish Pubs? Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.
Midnight Sun Sam cornered the corned beef concession. Rob covered the beer.
The general consensus on Dining@Large was that potatoes would be the way to go, so here's a list of the best potato dishes I've had in recent memory in area restaurants. Readers suggested others under an earlier post.
Before you start yelling "WRONG! WRONG! WRONG!" please read this. And feel free to post your own suggestions.
Here's my list of great restaurant potato dishes: ...
Last week someone commented that I always use the same restaurants in my Top 10 lists. I was incensed because I try so hard for variety. But there's no getting around the fact that one reason good restaurants are good is that they do a lot of things well.
So this week I decided to do a Top 10 list that is made up of first-timers. None of these places has been on a Top 10 list before. I thought it would be useful to those of you who like to try new restaurants -- a list of the most promising restaurants that have opened up recently or are soon to open, and why they may be worth a visit.
Of course, I'm not saying when I'll get around to reviewing them.
Here's my list in alphabetical order: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Restaurants I'm Looking Forward to Reviewing" »
In case you missed it, Lisa Astrin posted this comment under today's Top 10:
It seems like all the restaurant are the same all the time, no matter what the category...there has to be more that 20 restaurants in Maryland...please change them up
This was one time I didn't add a link to the Official Disclaimer because I thought there were enough different choices on it not to make it necessary, like Bertha's, Wharf Rat, Josef's Country Inn and Elkridge Furnace Inn.
Of course, Lisa has a point. The same restaurants do keep reappearing. One problem with doing a Top 10 list about Baltimore restaurants week after week is that -- as Other Reviewer Richard once so wisely pointed out -- good restaurants do a lot of things very well; that's what makes them good. Should I put the Outback on the best beef restaurant list instead of the Prime Rib just for the sake of variety?
I do do a little of that, just for the sake of variety, but it isn't really fair to our best restaurants. ...
I don't care if by the end of the week it reaches 60 degrees. Today it's still winter. Brrr.
In honor of that fact, I've made up a list of places where you can stay warm, get cozy and be comforted by homey dishes. Some are high-end; others are little more than a bar.
Nobody I talked to could quite define "winter restaurant," but we all agreed it involves more than just a fireplace. (See Red Maple.)
Your list may be different, and feel free to tell us what you would add or subtract, but here are my 10: ...
The idea behind this Top 10 is to list the 10 best places for New Orleans cuisine in honor of the carnival season, which culminates today in Mardi Gras.
The problem is that we don't have that many restaurants to choose from, so the best may also be the worst. Still, it is an opportunity to get some new places into the discussion.
If you don't read this blog for anything but the Top 10 lists once a week, please read this first.
Here's my list: ...
I know I sprang this on you unannounced, but here's the Top 10 you've all been waiting for (judging from the number of comments we got on Sandwich Musings): Top 10 Italian Cold-Cut Sandwiches.
OK, it's actually a list of Top 10 Places to Get a Great Italian Cold-Cut Sandwich, but you get the idea.
There are about five delis on the list that I think most Baltimoreans would agree belong there; after that the list becomes much more a matter of personal opinion. I'm also not happy I couldn't come up with an Annapolis suggestion.
Most of these places didn't have their own Web sites, but I gave you some kind of link for each one that would supply you with addresses and phone numbers at least.
If you aren't a regular reader of Dining@Large, please click on this before you keep reading: ...
I've made up a Top 10 list of romantic restaurants before, but that was before the economy went down the tubes.
This time when I asked what readers wanted for a Top 10 in honor of Valentine's Day, the idea of affordable romantic restaurants seemed to spark the most interest.
Although I like to be geographically diverse, for some reason a lot of places that are both romantic and moderately priced happen to be located in Mount Vernon. No, the Mount Vernon Neighborhood Association didn't pay me off. If you can come up with better selections, please post below -- but be careful. One restaurant that shall remain nameless would have made it on this list except the special Valentine's Day menu is four courses for $55, with wine an extra $25. That would be OK except it isn't serving its regular menu as an alternative.
One word of warning, some of these places are probably booked on the day itself by now, but you know me: I think it would be better to go out the day before or the day after anyway.
Here's my list: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Romantic Restaurants for the Budget-Minded" »
Let's make Danielle, who is outraged at my recent Top 10 columns, and David, who has trouble with links, happy. Let's come up with a new list of romantic restaurants next Tuesday.
I'm trying to think of a new twist for the list, rather than just using the restaurants on the old list (although that's very tempting).
For instance, I could do Top 10 Romantic New Restaurants or Top 10 Romantic Restaurants for This Economy or Top 10 Romantic Restaurants Reviewed Since My Last List of Romantic Restaurants.
Or I could do something completely different.
Thoughts?
(Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)
Bucky kindly sent me a list of the Dining@Large entries that have gotten the most comments. There's a weird kind of fascination to it, and I thought it would make a good Top 10 for me to do while on vacation. In other words, one I don't have to work on too hard.
Some are ones you would expect to get a lot of discussion, like Best Crab Houses. Others just blew me away, like the fact that RANCH DRESSING is in the No. 1 position. Now that's strange: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Most Controversial and Discussed Posts" »
Enough people have asked for a Top 10 on best restaurants to eat by yourself in that I felt I finally had to do it.
I needed a lot of help on this one because a) I rarely eat alone and b) when I do, it never occurs to me that I won't be treated just as well as when I'm with my husband.
I always am. And, no, I don't think the staff recognizes me.
I started this list with a couple of places where I had fun and good food even though I was alone; these were fairly recent visits. I also asked other Sun reviewers Richard Gorelick and Rob Kasper for recommendations.
Then I took into account what commenters had to say. (Of course, I had to have had a good meal in the restaurants they recommended before I put them on this list.)
Anyway, here are our suggestions in no particular order. If you have other recommendations, tell us a little about your experiences in dining alone there. ...
I was going to skip Top 10 this Tuesday because we were off yesterday, but then I got to reading that Barack Obama's favorite food is pizza from Italian Fiesta Pizzeria in Hyde Park, Chicago.
This amazed me because it's so specific. And also I'm pretty sure that this kind of question is useless. He probably has 10 favorite foods and just picked the first thing that popped into his head when asked.
That doesn't make the information any less interesting, so then I decided to see what our last 10 presidents liked to eat best. I tried to get at least two sources for each food, but I'm sure my list is debatable.
Here we go. ...
When I started working on today's topic in earnest I was surprised to find that very few places in Baltimore actually have sweet potato fries on their menus. When I went back to the Sun's archives to check out what other reviewers had found, I didn't come up with any that hadn't been mentioned in the previous post asking for suggestions.
Oh, well. The good news is that those restaurants and bars that do have sweet potato fries on the menu do a fine job of this salty-sweet treat.
Here's my list: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Places to Get Great Sweet Potato Fries" »
With this Top 10 Tuesday I tried to avoid simply listing every ethnic cuisine we don't have a restaurant for. That would be easy. I also decided to make it very personal. This is my list of places I'd like to see open in 2009; for more general suggestions, here are the restaurants other readers yearn for.
If you're a first-time Top 10 Tuesday reader, please take a look at this before you jump into the fray.
Here's my list: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Restaurants the Baltimore Area Needs" »
Last week when I made up a list of the best restaurants I reviewed in 2008, I didn't really get a chance to to talk about the food, except to mention how many stars each got. This week I went back to the archives and read through my reviews to come up with 10 memorable dishes.
I'm a big red meat eater (and pork), so I was surprised that not one made the list. I guess that was just in the nature of the restaurants I went to this year. Not one great steak house among them.
Every time I came upon a dish in the archives I raved about, I copied and pasted it. Then I looked at my list and had to eliminate a few. Finally I tried to put them in order of fabulousness and memorability.
Here's my list: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Most Memorable Dishes of the Year" »
To make up this list, I went to the Sun's archives and started reading my old reviews. What I found was that the stars awarded weren't always an indication of whether I would love to go back. Sometimes it's not something you can put in words (or stars) that pleases you about a restaurant and makes you want to return.
For once, I didn't put my list in alphabetical order. This is the order I'd like to eat in these restaurants to see how they are now. (After all, I ate at Woodberry Kitchen in January and Abacrombie in March -- plenty of time for things to have changed drastically.)
There were other excellent restaurants that got as good ratings as some of these 10, but these were the ones that tickled my fancy most.
Let us know if you've been more recently than I have and don't think they deserve such praise now -- or let us know that they are even better than they used to be.
Here are the best restaurants I reviewed this year: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Best Restaurants I Reviewed This Year" »
I liked this suggestion by a reader for a Top 10 Tuesday because it got me to thinking about what makes a recession-proof restaurant. Of course, no place is really recession-proof, and I'm sure each of these has been hurt by the present economy. It's just that they have a better chance than many of our local restaurants to survive.
It's a completely subjective list, although I've asked for suggestions from friends and colleagues. I've tried to give you the reasons they seem to be doing OK. Feel free to tell me why I'm wrong or if you have some better choices.
If you're a Top 10 first-timer, please click on this link: ...
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire...Oh, sorry. How about a nice New York strip and a baked potato eaten next to an open fire? Does that sound better?
This week's Top 10 Tuesday should get you in the holiday spirit: The top 10 restaurants with fireplaces. As a bonus, most of these come with Christmas decorations and holiday-themed cocktails.
I tried to select a range of places, and not just make it a list of wonderful historic homes an hour's drive from Baltimore where dinner will cost you an arm and a leg.
If you aren't a regular Top 10 reader, please read this first.
Here's my list: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Best Restaurants With Fireplaces" »
I can't believe I've been writing this blog for 19 months and have never gotten around to doing a Top 10 list of places to get sour beef, an Old Baltimore classic if ever there was one.
It's hard to come up with anything very different to say about different versions of sauerbraten, so I'm letting the restaurant's menus speak for themselves.
Thanks to commenters who posted their recommendations, and Sun columnist and de facto historian Jacques Kelly for his contributions.
Here's the alphabetical list. I'm giving you 11 because at the moment one of them is closed for renovations: ...
I just learned that a week from this Wednesday, when this Top 10 would normally appear in the print edition of the food section, there won't be any room. It's going to be the all-cookie issue. This seems serendipitous because I'm on vacation and don't want to work too hard anyway.
I certainly don't want to waste the Top 10 Places to Get Sour Beef, which I know the print edition readers would love.
So quick change of plans. Instead I'm going to tell you my Top 10 Favorite Blog Posts (mine) of last year. I have to say I had a lot of fun going through the archives and reading past posts, especially around the holidays. I probably ended up spending more time on this Top 10 than I do on a regular one.
Here we go: ...
I got so many suggestions for places to get good regular french fries that I decided not to include sweet potato fries. We'll have to make up another list for them.
This list also doesn't include creations like the beer-battered fries topped with a Gorgonzola cream sauce at the now-closed Fire Rock Grill in Columbia or the blue cheese french fries at Morton's the Steakhouse because they seem like more appetizers than a side dish.
I tried to give a range of options from basic done well to very fancy. If anyone is really dedicated to fries, I hope you'll try all 10 and report back. The list is in alphabetical order by restaurant: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Places to Get Fabulous French Fries" »
Obviously anything could be an alternative to a traditional roast turkey for Thanksgiving, from a ribeye steak to a deep fried turkey. But I wanted to pick foods you know would work (because of their association with native Americans, for instance) or that I've actually served or had served to me.
By the way, I'm cooking this year and I'm having a traditional roast turkey dinner. I was just talking to my brother, who's coming from the West Coast, and he says he's bringing some interesting recipes he got from Sunset magazine. He's talking about adding Swiss chard to the stuffing.
Sorry. No way.
Here's my list: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Alternatives to a Traditional Thanksgiving Roast Turkey" »
...or mourn his loss.
This was a tricky one. Since we don't know who will win, I have to offer a few places where Republicans will feel comfortable and a few for Democrats.
I've also thrown in several restaurant/bars with no obvious political affiliations because once someone has won we'll all be in this together.
And then there are a some election night specials included for good measure.
Thanks to readers and fellow blogger and all-round good guy Midnight Sun Sam for their suggestions.
Feel free to tell us about any other special events you've heard about by posting below.
Here's my list: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Places to Celebrate Your Candidate's Victory..." »
Cripe. I forgot until this morning (actually about 2 a.m. when the thought woke me up) that I need a last-minute Top 10 Tuesday idea. I had it in my head that next week would be Top 10 Restaurants to Have Thanksgiving Dinner, but the editors want to do an all Thanksgiving food section on Nov. 19, so that would make the Top 10 about Thanksgiving have to be on Nov. 11 unless I can come up with a second Thanksgiving idea. And frankly, one is about my limit.
So that leaves this Tuesday unaccounted for. Somehow the ideas haven't been coming thick and fast lately. ...
As I was making up this list, I was struck by the fact that I couldn't recommend any restaurants that serve a classic duck a l'orange or duck with black cherry sauce. The duck half roasted well done and then flambeed at your table with a fruit sauce is a dish that time has passed by. (I think I last had it at Haussner's.) Still, if for no other reason than nostalgia, I wish I could have come up with one. Maybe one of you knows of a restaurant that still serves it.
What is incredibly trendy, I found when I was going through my archived reviews, is the pairing of rare duck breast with a duck leg confit. It's a pairing that works well, and it's a great contrast of textures. If I were doing my Top 15, I would include five more examples of this very dish.
I know duck isn't as popular a subject as, say, crab cakes, so I asked my readers to come up with an alternative headline that might lure non-regulars in. The winners are Bucky (Top 10 Foods That Came With a Bill Before They Were Served) and Zevonista (Top 10 Dishes You Don't Want to Share with Donald or Daffy).I didn't have the nerve to use either one.
Please remember that with the popularity of ever-changing seasonal menus, some of these dishes may not be on these restaurants' menus year round. So if your heart is set on one, call to make sure it's available.
Here's my list of favorite duck dishes: ...
I'm bowing to the inevitable here. I just don't see a huge amount of interest in Top 10 Restaurants to Eat at on Halloween.
Do I make five of them places that do nothing for those who hate pumpkin cheesecake and cute costumes and the other five restaurants that go overboard with decorations and spooktacular dishes for those who love the holiday?
I think not.
The only other idea there seemed to be any enthusiasm for was Top 10 Great Restaurant Duck Dishes. Although when I write it like that it sounds really lame, something only 12 people in the whole universe would want to click on. So we need to come up with a snazzier headline, please.
(Melissa Golden/Bloomberg News)
I mostly have to credit readers with these suggestions because you have to be eating with your infant or toddler to really know how restaurants are going to treat you.
The one restaurant that was mentioned numerous times but isn't included is Amer's Cafe in Fullerton. The Web site has disappeared and the phone number rings and rings without an answering machine picking up (but that may be because I was calling on a Monday), so I couldn't verify that it's still open. I even tried to call the theater next door. If you've been recently, please let us know.
Anyway, here's my list. Other suggestions are welcome, but please tell us why you're recommending the restaurant. ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Child-Friendly Places That Aren't National Chains" »
It suddenly occurs to me that we haven't come up with a Top 10 topic for next Tuesday. I looked back at my list and none of them leaped out at me: Top 10 Restaurants You Wouldn't Expect to Be Kid Friendly, Top 10 Places to People Watch, Top 10 Best Deals on Wine (didn't we do that one?), Top 10 Places to Eat at the Bar.
Also, someone suggested picking a neighborhood and doing Top 10 Places to Eat or Top 10 Places to Eat for Under $25.
Any of these appeal? Other suggestions?
(Barbara Haddock Taylor/Sun photographer)
This Top 10 started with a query by the editor of AirTran's Go magazine.
I thought fancy crab cakes with an interesting twist would make a good Top 10, but I quickly realized that you can only make a crab cake interesting in three ways: How you season it, what you sauce it with, and what you serve with it.
I also realized that most of the list would come from fine-dining restaurants downtown because tourists want crab cakes. So no matter what kind of restaurant you are -- Italian, Asian fusion, genteel Southern -- if you're in the harbor area, you have to offer one. But you don't have to be boring about it.
Remember, these are fancy restaurant crab cakes. If you want to see the Top 10 list of crab cakes in general, click here.
And here's my list of Top 10 fancy crab cakes with an interesting twist: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 fancy crab cakes with an interesting twist" »
This week's Top 10 takes a little more in the way of explanation than usual. These are Old Baltimore restaurants that haven't reached the status of Institution, Icon or Landmark yet, and maybe never will. But they are part of the area's eating-out history.
You've maybe forgotten about them if you've lived around here a long time. Then someone mentions one and you think, "Oh, yeah, we used to eat there with Uncle Larry."
It doesn't count if the cuisine is something new-fangled like Asian, so we can't include the Orient in Towson, in spite of Anonymous' compelling argument.
These are places where the spiced apple ring garnish is not out of place.
There were other good suggestions that had the right feel to them but are too much on our radar to be considered "forgotten" restaurants, such as Suburban House, G & M, and even Ikaros. I've left off crab houses, too, because that's a whole different category.
I thought dcdiva's description really captured what we're looking for here:
I think of the Candle Light Inn in Catonsville as the ultimate old restaurant. It's been around since 1925 and is one of those places your prom date will take you for beef wellington and 80 year olds go for their anniversary parties.
Many of these I haven't been to in years, so if some of you argued that they have gone downhill, or been sold and changed (I know Angelina's is going for more fine dining than in the past), I didn't include them.
Other suggestions welcome. Here's my list: ...
Continue reading "Top 10 Old Baltimore restaurants that aren't institutions...yet" »
I'll be flying back to Baltimore Monday, which is when I'd usually be working on my Top 10 Tuesday, so I thought I would use the idea we were talking about in an earlier post on Michael's Steak & Seafood House in Bayview.
These are Old Baltimore restaurants like the Sunset in Glen Burnie, whose shortcake is pictured to the right, which haven't yet been elevated to the status of Baltimore Institution or Baltimore Landmark the way Haussner's was.
They don't get much press. (I had a heck of a time finding art for this idea.) But when you're in the mood for this kind of food, it's nice to know they're still around.
I got some good suggestions from that earlier post, but I hope you'll have more restaurants for my Top 10. If so, please post below.
(Christopher T. Assaf/Sun photographer)
Sometimes when I have an idea for a post, I fill in the title and go back and write it when I have the time. For Top 10 ideas I do the same. But since I work in chronological order, after awhile the entries disappear from the top of the list unless I change their dates. I was going back just now to weed out some old ones, and I came across one for, you guessed it, Top 10 Restaurants in Strip Malls. In the entry body I had written some notes: ...
I can see you asking, "Why do we care whether a restaurant is located in a strip mall?"
For several reasons. First, there are hidden gems here. If you didn't know they were good, you might overlook them because of the location.
Second, it gives me a chance to highlight some restaurants in the 'burbs that aren't chains.
Third, you don't have to worry about parking.
These are just the ones I know about. If you have other suggestions, please post below. (And tell us why you like them.)
Here's my list, in alphabetical order: ...
The idea seemed like a good one at the time: dive bars that have unexpectedly edible pub grub. The problem seemed to be that no one wanted to label their favorite hangout a dive bar with all the phrase's negative connotations, so I didn't get many suggestions.
Next I asked what a "dive bar" is, and readers came up with some fine definitions.
A dive bar:
* has a pool table and/or pinball machines.
* is usually occupied by three types of people: alcoholics, people wanted by the police, and guys hiding from their wives.
* has a jar of pickled pigs feet (or at least pickled eggs) on the bar.
* is a place where you don't take your girlfriend/wife. ...
So, what's it going to be, folks? Restaurants with soul? Places to have private parties? (I've probably collected enough ideas from the two previous posts to make up a list of either.) Or something completely different? Top 10 shrimp salad sandwiches? How about Top 10 Restaurants We've Never Mentioned in a Top 10 List?
(Elizabeth Malby/Sun photographer)
When I first thought of this topic, it seemed very negative, unlike most of our other Top 10s. But actually noisy restaurants usually have lots going for them, including good food, because crowds of people having a great time are the main reason they are noisy.
Still, these are places that don't have good soundproofing or lots of fabric or other things that might cut down on the noise. And they may play music that just adds to the chaos. Some restaurants have a very loud bar near the dining room, so unless you can get one of the tables far from the bar, you're in trouble.
I'm not saying don't eat in these restaurants. You'll simply enjoy them more if you go at an off time or on an off day -- unless noise is a plus for you because you equate it with high energy.
Here's my list, and thanks to everyone who made suggestions: ...
A friend asked me recently to recommend some quiet, relaxing restaurants that weren't too pricey. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to come with more than a few until I tried to make a Top 10 Tuesday out of them.
The problem is that new restaurants want to be buzzworthy. To call them quiet and relaxing would be the kiss of death.
That meant I had to look for somewhat traditional restaurants, preferably with lots of fabric, soundproofing and booths, three things a terminally hip restaurant probably wouldn't have.
If you're willing to spend the money there are restaurants like Charleston that by their nature are quiet and relaxing, but they don't exactly fit the "not too pricey" part. That also let out the Brass Elephant, where the entrees were all in the $30-$40 range when I was there last. Brightons Orangerie also seemed too expensive.
Of course, you shouldn't tempt fate by going to any restaurant on a Saturday night at prime time when you're looking to feel relaxed. But if you avoid these restaurants' busiest times, I think you'll find something that fits your needs (which may be simply to be able to hear your companion talk). ...
Night before last as I lay awake in my bed staring up at the darkened ceiling, it occurred to me I had done 75 Top 10s. OK, feel free to correct me if you want to go back and count, but you get my drift.
Then it occurred to me I needed to come up with No. 76 right away or I would be writing it on Labor Day, not the best day to get in touch with restaurants.
My husband suggested Top 10 Foods for Labor Day, but I pointed out it was actually the day after Labor Day so it might seem kind of dated. Then he suggested -- and this is why I'm glad I married him -- going back and seeing what I did the day after LAST Labor Day. ...
When I decided to go with a Top 10 Most Difficult Foods to Eat, I thought, no problem. I'll do a search in the Sun archives, key phrase "difficult to eat," byline "Large."
But I found that in almost two decades I've used the phrase three times: once to describe someone who finds it difficult to eat healthfully around the holidays, once complaining that Wayne's Bar-B-Que's wings had so much sauce they were difficult to eat, and once saying that the baguette at the Vanguard Cafe, which had been toasted, was so crunchy it was difficult to eat. (Vanguard Cafe? I don't even remember it, let alone its baguettes.)
In other words, there are few foods greedy people find difficult to eat, and I imagine that's true of most of you foodies.
Still, the object of this exercise is to think back to when you were first introduced to something, perhaps at a dinner party, that you had never faced before. Raw oysters on the half shell might fall in that category, but they are sort of self-explanatory. The idea behind this Top 10 is foods that either a) made you feel a little panicky that you would embarrass yourself if you tried to tackle them or b) take so much work they are hardly worth the trouble.
I decided to eliminate hardshell crabs from contention because, hey, all of us have been picking crabs from birth, right? And because you thought they would be No. 1 on the list.
Luckily I had a lot of help from my friends making up this Top 10. Also here: ...
Now that Top 10 Tuesday is part of the print edition, I feel even more pressure to come up with fabulous topics.
However, to balance that, next week is going to be extremely busy, what with the reinvention and my return from "vacation," so something easy would be nice, too.
Gailor wants me to do the Top 10 Most Difficult Foods to Eat. If this time we also ranked them, that might be fun. At the very least, the comments might be more interesting than "I hate the tortillas at El Mexicano."
But I'm also open for suggestions. I get requests like the following all the time, and a Top 10 list would be mighty helpful to point people to: ...
This Top 10 started out as a request from Dave for places to find good fish and chips because I didn't think we'd ever come up with enough to make it a Top 10.
Wrong.
What I didn't want to make this was simply a repeat of our Top 10 Irish pubs list. I was impressed that the combined efforts of readers, reviewers past and present, and Midnight Sun Sam (who had done a carryout column on fish and chips) produced a legitimate 10 that were mostly pubs but not mostly Irish pubs. Some are Irish restaurants, and some are neither.
Note: They are in alphabetical order, not ranked. No, Galway Bay is not No. 1. It's a "G."
A great order of fish and chips marries flaky, mild, white, very fresh fish (golden-crusted, natch) with hot, fresh, crisp-edged fries. You know a lot of grease must be involved, but you don't notice it because they are so well done.
I'm hungry. Let's eat.
Here's the list: ...
Thanks to Jessica Lemmo for originally suggesting delis as a Top Ten, and Donny B for reminding me of the idea at least twice until I finally got around to it.
What inspired me to do it now was the opening of Freda's Kitchen in Mount Washington, a Jewish deli that cures its own meats and makes everything fresh. It sounds like it deserves to make a list like this, except it's so new none of us has been there yet.
If you haven't read my earlier post, you may wonder why no Italian delis are included. My feeling is that they deserve their own Top Ten list.
As usual, I'm grateful for the earlier suggestions.
Joe's Place and the Charter Deli in Columbia were nominated by etucker. I hadn't heard of either of them, but I'm glad of the chance to get a little geographical diversity in by at least drawing attention to them. Comments telling us more about either or both would be appreciated.
I don't have any great childhood memories of delis because, hey, I'm from Tennessee. But I was taken to a Jewish deli in Philadelphia on the first day of my first job and fed my first corned beef sandwich with cole slaw on rye. I have absolutely no other memory of that day, but I can still remember how wonderful that sandwich tasted.
Here's my list: ...
A guy at the gym yesterday was telling me about staying at a Marriott in Houston, and one of the items on the breakfast menu was "bagels and locks."
The conversation segued into a discussion of delis in the area, and three of us ended up making a list of our favorites. Guess what next week's Top Ten is going to be?
What I'd like from you is not only your favorite deli suggestion, but also what you particularly like there or what you think its specialty is. Some specifics, in other words.
Let's exclude Italian delis. That's a Top Ten of its own. ...
When I started this Top Ten, I was thinking of places for lots of food at bargain prices, in which case you would head for the Bay Cafe in Canton at happy hour. But then I realized Midnight Sun Sam had already done a Best Of happy hour buffets. Unfortunately one of the five places he mentioned has closed its doors, so maybe that's not the best thing to be publicizing. Anyway, I decided to go for a more varied and possibly more interesting (food-wise) list.
For more suggestions, please check under a previous post. And I hope you'll have other thoughts for us about happy hour food deals and post them below.
Here's my list: ...
So far I haven't come up with a topic for next Tuesday's Top Ten that seems to appeal. I haven't even gotten much in the way of suggestions. Last week's post about next Tuesday's Top Ten had five comments.
I get more comments than that if I say, "Cauliflower. Discuss." However, one of them was LJ's referencing someone's "recent happy hour food idea." I just can't find the comment she was referring to.
So, what about best happy hour food for next Tuesday's Top Ten? Or happy hour food deals? Any suggestions for the list?
(Monica Lopossay/Sun photographer)
Here's another possibility for next Tuesday's Top Ten: soul food restaurants. Consumer blogger Liz Kay suggested it. Here's what she said:
Here's one that may span the city-county divide well. I think it's hard to find good soul food within the city. The few places that open do not stay open long --- Shamdanai's chicken and waffles closed in a minute. The chef has already left Night of the Cookers. For a while there was Heaven's Gate, a cafeteria on North Ave. run by a church, but that's closed now. And I'm not sure Timothy Dean is soul food ... I always thought it was upscale American.
There are some new possibilities in the city, such as Darker than Blue and that place on 25th St. and Calvert, but I've heard that the best options are in the county, on the west side. I'd be eager to hear what the Sandbox recommends ...
First of all, we'd have to define soul food. Anybody want to take a crack at it?
I think Casey Jenkins of Darker Than Blue wouldn't be happy to have his place described as a soul food restaurant. "Southern cooking" seems to be the preferred term -- the current way of saying, "I have the comfort food you know and love like fried chicken, corn bread and greens, but I'm less ethnic-centric and more upscale than just that."
(Janelle "Big Mamma" Robinson, the soul food chef at M & J's. Lloyd Fox/Sun photographer)
When I said if I got enough suggestions under my post on elite grilled cheese sandwiches I would make a Top Ten list out of them, I never thought it would actually happen. But here it is, with some help also from Midnight Sun Sam Sessa.
I figure it's a good counterbalance to the effete snobbery of last week's Top Ten on great restaurant cheese plates. Take heart, Jonathan Gilbert and Donny B. (For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, you can find their comments under the previous Top Ten post.) Oh yes, and Trouble's under the breakfast sandwich post.
Also, special thanks to Retired in Elkridge for making the suggestion in the first place, even though he had to drag me kicking and screaming because I didn't think any places around here were making elite grilled cheese sandwiches.
PS: If anyone knows the name of the "hole in the wall" at the corner of Eastern Avenue and Haven Street with a great grilled cheese sandwich that Eve mentioned, please post below.
Here's the list: ...
Continue reading "Top Ten Great Grilled Cheese Sandwiches" »
Kenneth Petty, a managing partner of Meli, suggested an interesting topic for next week's Top Ten: the best menus for Restaurant Week 2008. Here's what he said:
Restaurant week is meant to promote dining out in our wonderful city, not be an inconvenience, and definitely not to be participated in half-heartily and begrudgingly. ...
Continue reading "Next Tuesday's Top Ten and Restaurant Week" »
I like to introduce this subject before the end of the work week, which is when most of us do our Internet reading, because I always get some good ideas from you, either a topic that's better than the one I thought of, or good examples of whatever list I've settled on.
For next week I'm almost tempted to do Top Ten Locally Owned Bagel Shops because when I told Wing we had done bagels ad nauseam and then went back and checked with the search function, we actually hadn't done bagels ad nauseam. It just felt that way. The problem is that I don't think we can come up with 10. ...
I love cheese. The problem is that when I'm reviewing, cheese plates aren't something I order much because they usually aren't the restaurant's specialty and they are often meant to be shared, which means one fewer thing I can try.
So I turned to someone who's a cheese expert, LIVE reviewer Richard Gorelick, and asked him. I had actually thought of the ones he mentioned, but it was nice to have them confirmed. Yes, they are for the most part the usual suspects, but as Richard put it so well:
...[They are] more or less obvious choices, and I know you like to mix it up, but isn't it funny how good restaurants are good because they do so many things well...
Here's the list. A couple of these restaurants have siblings; I decided to choose one. If you don't agree with all the choices, blame me, not Richard: ...
Continue reading "Top Ten Places to Get a Great Cheese Plate" »
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: ...
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: ...
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: ...
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...
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. ...
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. ...
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)
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: ...
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" »
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. ...
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" »
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: ...
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)
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: ...