At the Waverly Mkt today -- many of the same vendors as JFX -- and picked up asparagus $6 for 2 lbs. from the pea man.

Did a Baltimore deli crawl with friends a few weeks back whiich wrapped at Belvedere Square as a good place to socialize, drink and eat in a foodie atmosphere.Cierello's (Italian deli), Neopol, Atwater's, candy and nut shop, sushi and Grand Cru wine bar which will let you bring in food from all the other places or eat theirs (which is pretty good too). Away from the downtown, so not particularly touristy.

Regardless of what Murphen is looking for, I miss Uigher bread. Used to get it at an Islamic Chinese place in SoCal. Anyone know where to find it between DC and Baltimore?

Add them to a soup as a garnish.

Yep. Just had lunch there today. As he says, "7 days a week" . Had a fine turkey sandwich.

Casa di Pasta in Little Italy makes fresh pastas and raviolis, along with sauces. Trinacria, as already mentioned, is good Italian deli/grocery. It's generally stronger on groceries and wines while Di Pasquale's in Highlandtown has a bigger array of deli items and cheeses. Neither is in Little Italy though.

Let's see, from another cooks a lot, ex-Texan, here's some more.

There's a farmer's market at Whole Foods on Wednesdays, another at Cross Keys nearby (can't remember day), the Waverly Market on Saturday (our preferred fave) and the the JFX market on Sundays. Fell's Point also has one on Saturdays, which is nice to sometimes combine with morning coffee on the harbor. There's also a produce pickup from a local farm on Ruxton Road and 83 most weekends. Wegman's is probably closest to Central Market though you'll be disappointed by the comparison (as an ex-Austinite I was). They have been pushing their organics lately. Belvedere Square has one expensive produce place, but the Italian deli (Ceriello') has the best meat you'll find around, and the Waverly and JFX markets have a couple of pricey meat vendors. MOM's is okay, but the selection is small. I have yet to find a good hispanic market like Fiesta (I miss them), but Tortilleria Sinola will feed your fresh tortilla cravings and the Markets at Highlandtown will do in a pinch for other supplies. Good Greek imports at Prima Foods, and there are several good Italian delis in town -- Di Pasquale's and Trinacria in particular. Oh, and there's another decent sized farm stand at Falls and Shawan Rd. In fact if you go out and explore north and west you'll find several farms that sell direct.

I could go on, but most of these have been mentioned elsewhere on the board already.

The Food Market in Hampden was offering a good menu. Felt like they were trying to impress on their first time at it.

Cereillo's often has them. Late in posting but may help for next time.

Alas, Andy Nelson's brisket is not up to good Texas standards. The times I've been there it's been dry and on the tough side.

Okay, for about as long as I've been here (which ain't that long) there's been a dingy storefront down in Hampden, a convenience store in the middle of the block between Parasio and whatever was east of there. I'll admit, I never had the inclination to go in - the faded beer posters and gloomy interior were enough to put me off. The prospect of limp vegetables and sad canned and bagged goods had no appeal. Then, not surprisingly, it closed and the whole place sat dark. Eventually the windows were papered over. Like a butterfly cocoon it sat for six months, brown-paper windows featureless and mysterious.

Then in the last few months there was activity. Work was happening inside. New signage went up. Paint and, god forbid, marketing. A new place was coming, even if it did have the uninspired name The Market. And then, in what must have been a trial by fire, the Market opened for brunch, just in time for HonFest. Therefore against all better judgement about trying brand new places we had to go.

Four of us went last Friday night at 8:00. We'd made reservations, which was a good thing. The place was jammed. Who knew everyone in Hampden was waiting for a place called the Food Market to open? First observations -- the service was friendly and efficient and the place was LOUD. This was not the have a quiet dinner conversation with friends place. It was a lean across the table to hear your dinner companions night.

With four of us feeling celebratory (I don't know why), we decided to share a selection of appetizers. The menu was divided into Little, Small, Big, and In-Between. We had an order of spiced edamame, soft pretzels with a beer-cheese fondue, and potato skins with duck confit and mornay sauce. The edamame was a modest-sized bowl dusted with a chile-based spice mix, quite tasty and light. The "pretzels" were 4 stubby soft breadsticks and crock of fondue sauce. The breadsticks were okay but not enough, but the fondue sauce was hailed by everyone. Nicely beery, cheesy but not gloopy. In fact it was so good it we added it to the potato skins which were deemed good but otherwise a bit bland.

We tried an assortment of main dishes, all of which hit the mark quite well. There was much sharing of tastes all around. The "small" crab cake was quite large enough and came on a bed of lobster mac-n-cheese. The crab was large chunks with little filler and fresh tartar sauce. The buffalo steak was cooked perfectly rare on a potato pancake(?) with housemade steak sauce. The third dish was scallops in a bacon-y cream sauce with the smoked bacon pronounced but not overpowering the scallop. Last was blackened tuna -- four large pieces of tuna, with a spice crust crisped by not horribly charred on a bed of edamame succotash and a sauce of caramelized soy around it. The sweet actually went quite well with the blackening. Everybody cleaned their plates and thought their meals were fine.

Splurging we shared two desserts -- a fresh peach cobbler with cognac sauce and ice cream (can't remember the flavor, but it wasn't vanilla) and chocolate mousse on shortbread. The cobbler was excellent, though some thought it too sweet. The mousse was very light and chocolatish. Unfortunately, the shortbread was so dense you practically needed a knife and fork to break it up.

Judgement all around was that we would definitely come back. It's another good addition to the Hampden restaurant choices. The cunning plan is to opt for the smallish bar next time and concentrate on the Small and Little plates.

Price for 2 Littles, 1 Small, 4 Bigs, 2 desserts and assorted cocktails, beers, and wines was about $200, a bit much for the night's budget but we were splurging.

Dang, wish I knew you were on a bike. Could have shown you some of the routes through the city.

Wegman's in Hunt Valley usually has very good fresh scallops.

Personally, I love chaats and would be happy to go to one, but Columbia/Ellicott is too far away for me. I'd need something more central/north.

First off, want to thank everyone for their helpful suggestions. There were a lot of options and it was a good thing because, like so many things, the day did not go quite as planned. Due to car issues, we didn't get there until post-lunch, so the idea of taking our time and having a leisurely lunch went right out the window. Instead, we decided to take our slightly-frustrated mood someplace where we could get a decent meal and a beer quickly. Fortunately, I remembered the Molly Malloy's discussion and since RTM was right there, it won.

To the poster who many had not discovered Molly's, I'd add that many have. It was packed after 1:00. We managed to squeeze a couple of bar seats, though. Being in a hurry we just split a steak sandwich and had beers. The sandwich was good, not astounding, but filled us up. The beer selection was good. The staff was really friendly and helpful (even suggesting we split an order instead of getting two dishes). I'd like to come back when it is less crowded and explore more.

After some time at the show, we decided to try for an late afternoon snack/early dinner. I remembered that 13th St was closest, so we went down there. After poking around, we decided to land at Zavino.That proved to be a real winner. We were pre-dinner, so things were pretty quiet. The wine selection was good, not too pretentious. We had a few small dishes -- grilled peppers with salt and oil and burrata with a bit of fig jam and bread. Again the staff was friendly -- my wife started trading recipes with the the pasta maker behind the bar.

From there we roamed to Di Bruno's for cheese. One the way back to the car we made one last stop at Jamonera just to check it out. We tried a small plate of the ham croquettes (so small I wonder if they shorted the order). They lacked the pronounced flavor I was hoping for so I'm not sure I'd order that again.

By the end, we had a enjoyable enough time to realize that we should come up to Philadelphia more often. Thanks again for everyone's help!

Two of us are coming up from B'more to the Flower Show on Friday and were looking for a good place for lunch that's reasonably in the area. Particulars are:

- Yes, I've searched the board but not knowing the city layout it's hard for me to sort out best suggestions.

-- We don't mind walking especially if the weather is good and there's interesting things to see on the way.

-- A place with good food, beer, and wine. We're fond of brewpubs, quirky places, local, spicy, charcuterie, low key, bistros, and so forth. Maybe not Mexican (because I lived in the SW too long) or standard bar food unless, of course, it's above standard.

-- We'll be hiking the flower show, so someplace comfortable and friendly is good. Formal places probably not so good. If there's a good bar we may linger.

-- Price is not an decider, though I have nothing against saving money.

A friend recommended Dandelion. The menu looks promising. Is it a good choice and are there other suggestions?

Thanks,

Zeb

I'd agree that Dogwood is a good choice. Gertrude's has the advantage of location if the weather is good.

Sounds like what you want is Lotties Hot Pepper Sauce. Made in Barbados -- mustard, scotch bonnets, tumeric, onions, vinegar, garlic. You can find it online or in a well-stocked hot sauce shop (usually).

The Rustic Gourmet is a storefront for the folks (same name) you find serving Indian dishes at the farmer's markets around town.

Parking's not a problem, lol.

Golden West = not a destination place. In Hampden, you might try The Corner instead, if you can survive their service. Plus Hampden is very Baltimore-y (to some folks).

If you want to do Woodberry and keep it more reasonable, see if you can get a seat at the bar. They've got a good selection of cocktails and small plates. We were just there with friends and had a really good beef tartare. They have inexpensive flatbreads (i.e. pizzas) with interesting toppings that change frequently. I think one was listed with cheeses and peaches (better than it sounds). Plus if you chat up the bartenders, they sometimes come up with unusual concoctions (got a sample of bacon bourbon they had made once).

You may be less impressed by Grace Garden than folks here. My experience living in Boston and NorCal was that good unique Chinese food wasn't that hard to find in either place. I've had outstanding Chinese feasts in Boston with Chowhounds (an all vegetarian banquet, a whole roast pork meal and more) . Here, our Chinese options are generally so bad Grace Garden, which is quite good, really stands out.

Brewer's Art does have great beer and I've had some very good meals there, and again you can get good choices on a budget. The front bar is a great place to sit and people watch.

Alewife has an immense beer selection and above the cut bar food. Never felt the area was particularly dicey, especially since you can usually find parking on Eutaw right in front of the place.

Can't speak to Wine Market since I was only there once and not overwhelmed.

I've had good reports on Clementine, but have only had some of their charcuterie that shows up in a few stores.

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Brewer's Art
1106 N Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21201

Golden West Cafe
1105 W 36th St, Baltimore, MD

Grace Garden
1690 Annapolis Rd, Odenton, MD

Wine Market
921 East Fort Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21230

As an ex-Wisconsinite, ordering online with them is actually a pretty good deal. They offer a much bigger selection of wurst than you could find of theirs locally. Plus they're very good about shipping -- generally reluctant to do so in the hot months, pack off fresh brats well, etc.

As a Hampdenite there are a bunch of reasonably cheap options:

King's Pizza -- Go for the middle eastern food, particularly the pita. Very hot and fresh. No alcohol served.

Holy Frijoles -- still open, still bad Tex Mex, but filling.

Golden West -- somewhat New Mex and filling.

Grano's (actually, go to "little" Grano's on the Ave) -- if he can cook pasta (as in equipment, not skill), getting their sauces to go is not a bad idea.

Angelo's -- "World's largest slice." If that's not a pitch to a starving student, I don't know what is.

Daniela's -- This is a new little place next to the BOA. Italian pastries, carry out foccacia, pastas and coffee. Daniela used to do meals at Sotto Sopra. Pastries are very good!

Baltimore Burger Bar (Puffs & Pastries) -- an expensive burger, but good with very interesting topping choices.

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Golden West Cafe
1105 W 36th St, Baltimore, MD

Sotto Sopra Restaurant
405 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Holy Frijoles
908 W 36th St, Baltimore, MD 21211

King's Pizza
215 W Potomac St, Brunswick, MD 21716

No order here:

Fresh pita at King's Kabob
Govt Mule at Woodberry Kitchen
Burger at McCabes
Cubano at Havana Cafe
Puttanesca sauce at (Little) Grano
Tortillas de Puerco at Tortilleria Sinola
Smoked bluefish from Neopol Smokery
Fish noodles from Grace Garden
Biscuit sandwiches from Blacksauce Kitchen (various farmer's mkts)
Cajun fries from Annabelle Lee Tavern

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Grace Garden
1690 Annapolis Rd, Odenton, MD

Woodberry Kitchen
2010 Clipper Park Rd # 126, Baltimore, MD

McCabes
3845 Falls Rd, Baltimore, MD 21211

Gertrudes at the BMA is another good choice, especially if the weather is good and you can sit outside overlooking the sculpture garden.

If you're looking for a somewhat simpler burger and beer option, I'd throw in The Brewer's Art. Plus their full menu has some good meat choices, but since it changes I don't know what's on it right now.

I think they have nothing to sell yet. They were mostly orchard fruits which aren't producing yet.

Cazbar would be a good choice. Turkish with a large selection of veg mezzes. On the Circulator route, a longish walk, or a short cab ride from your hotel.

There's a Salvadoran place -- Tropical Cafe (I think) in the Cranbrook Shopping Center on Cranbrook Road. It's a little hole in the wall place, but I had a great fresh pupusa there. It a little confusing to find because I think the sign outside still says Maria de Las Angeles. Worth a visit.

Today was one of those days of nine-hour meetings and dentist appointments, a day that leaves you questioning your ability to survive. And I might not have, until I pulled into the Cranbrook Shopping Center in the off chance I could find something for lunch. This little shopping center is on Cranbrook a mile or so off York, a kind of neighborhood mall, anchored by a health club on one end and god knows what on the other. I vaguely remembered seeing something that might have been a Mexican place after my last dentist visit and given my day I was willing to take the chance.

It turned out my memory was good, but wrong. Tucked into the middle of the strip was a little restaurant named Maria de Los Angeles (although the take out menu had a different name). Not Mexican, but Salvadorian. It's a clean little place with a half-dozen small tables, a counter/cold case with drinks and deserts, taped up pictures of the menu, and whiteboard with specials. The menu had a pretty extensive listing of choices -- pupusas with various fillings, tamales, soups, tortas, yuca, and a variety of meat and fish dishes. Since I wanted to try a couple of things I ordered a cheese pupusa and a baleada, a tortilla served with avocado, crema, and egg. Although I was the only one there, it took time to come from the kitchen, but when it came out everything was fresh and hot. The pupusa was griddle-charred, moist and chewy with fresh masa and white cheese. The baleada was a thick tortilla, freshly made and folded around big chunks of avocado and eggs slathered with crema. It easily filled a small plate, bigger than the standard empananda (more like a pasty in dimensions). Along with everything came a small side of curtido, vinegary cabbage slaw with a mildly spicy sauce. The whole meal came to just over $7 and was perfect for lunch.

I definitely plan on going back, if only to try the chilate con nuegado that was listed as a special. Plus the fried yuca and plantains, and the tamale de elote, and the tortas, and a whole lot more.