LittleNorthwest's Profile
Good falafel in Baltimore?
I really like the falafel at the Eden Cafe at the Jewish community Center on Park Heights Ave. I think that they make great Israeli style falafel. I wouldn't recommend much else there though.
What prepared foods are you looking forward to eating at the JFX market?
My 5yo daughter is looking forward to the veggie samosas from the West Indian Curry Shack.
My husband is excited about the lamb sausage sandwiches (we always bring a baguette from one of the bakeries as the lamb guy's bread isn't all that) and I love the Mexican Breakfasts from the stand run by the really nice family on the south/east side.
And donuts.
Important first date in Baltimore...Please help!
I agree with the Walters as the best option or the BMA. Both are free and filled with amazing things to spark conversation and romance (Narwhal tusks, skulls, federalist furniture, The Cone Sisters Collection). The best part of these small but impressive museums is that they are compact enough that you can see a lot in a relatively short visit. This will save you enough for a nice dinner.
I think that the new Grano location on Chesnut (the old Dangerously Delicious Pies) is very romantic and it is convenient to the BMA.
I also agree that Helmand is a good bet or Brewers Art.
Our favorite romantic restaurants are (which are judged by a mix of food quality, atmosphere, friendliness of owners, yummy cocktails and ease of use):
Thai
Peter's Inn
Salt
Woodberry Kitchen (upstairs)
Clementine
The Dizz
One thing: Don't get flowers! It is a waste of money, and overly formal and inappropriate for a first date - it might even make her uncomfortable. That is a gesture that is wonderful to show love and appreciation to someone that you have a relationship with. Also, what is she going to do with them while you are going to a museum and having dinner? Bring her flowers when she invites you over for a home cooked meal.
Good luck!
-----
The Dizz
300 W 30th St, Baltimore, MD 21211
Dangerously Delicious Pies
1036 Light St, Baltimore, MD
Peter's Inn
504 S Ann St, Baltimore, MD 21231
Woodberry Kitchen
2010 Clipper Park Rd # 126, Baltimore, MD
Dinosaur Birthday Cake
My daughter is turning 5 and she wants a Dino cake (species not important). Where can I get a good tasting and good looking dinosaur sheet cake that won't cost me a fortune?
looking for wedding dinner advice (long(winded) post)
We did our wedding at the Bistro at Maison de Ville and it was lovely. The space is cozy, and you could possibly get the whole place to yourselves. Chef Greg put together a special menu just for us, and I was told that the food was great (I don't actually remember eating).
Driving to Ocean City tomorrow: Where should we eat on the way?
We're driving down to the OC tomorrow from Baltimore and need a good restaurant for yummy no-frills dining. Anywhere near Route 50 between the Bay Bridge and Cambridge would work.
We're traveling with our 5yo daughter so we need someplace casual and kid friendly - but she is a good eater so no kids menu required.
platter for shiva
If it needs to be kosher your best options are the Knish Shoppe (dairy) and Goldberg's Bagels (dairy) or Accents Grill in the Greenspring Shopping Center (meat). If you want to bring baked goods your best bet is Goldman's Bakery (reisterstown Rd.). All of these places close early on Friday (and are crazy on Friday) and are closed on Saturday.
Avoid 7 Mile Market completely. The place is disgustingly dirty, and is an absolute zoo on Fridays. The only reason to go there is for the cultural experience of being in the center of the Orthodox pre-shabbat shopping frenzy.
If it doesn't need to be kosher, all of those other suggestions are good. You can also add on to that list Eddie's of Roland Park and Miller's Delicatessen in Greenspring Shopping Center.
-----
Accents Grill
2839 Smith Ave, Baltimore, MD 21209
Knish Shoppe
508 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville, MD 21208
Restaurants Everyone Loves Except You
Nora was nice, but not nice enough. Some of the food was cold, some not well seasoned all of it was expensive.
Glorious Mess: My relatively un-traumatic wedding report
Here are some pics of us eating and drinking in NOLA.
1. In-laws looking confused about the menu
2. My brother speechifying at Bistro Maison de Ville
3. Bourbon St.
4. Huffing powder sugar at Cafe du Monde
5. Brunch at Coop's
Restaurant Everyone Hates But You
We love the IKEA meatballs. We make a trip there just to by the frozen bags to use at home. They also have great cheap salmon caviar.
Restaurants Everyone Loves Except You
1. Restaurant Nora
2. Blue Duck Tavern
3. Cinghaile (Had a great meal once and two not great ones after)
4. Mari Luna Latin Grille (the new place)
5. Black Olive (Blah food, kitschy service & super expensive.)
My absolute least favorite is G & M Restaurant. The crabcakes are huge, but competely tasteless and full of imported meat & filler.
-----
Restaurant Nora
2132 Florida Ave., N.W, Washington, DC 20008
Black Olive
814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD 21231
Blue Duck Tavern
1201 24th Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
Mari Luna Latin Grille
1010 Reisterstown Rd, Pikesville, MD 21208
Glorious Mess: My relatively un-traumatic wedding report
Sorry for being out for so long (i've been busy being a diva).
Final segment. The wedding day arrived and @ 1:00 pm my dress did too. It was perfect. We got our fancyish duds on and headed over to the French Quarter Wedding Chapel, which is wonderful. Reverend Tony (born Jewish, trained Baptist) gave us the perfect 15 minute ceremony.
After the ceremony we had 45 minutes to kill before we could get into dinner so we all went to a bar where I payed for everyone's drinks, because the parent pride was too thick to cut with a credit card. The Hubby and I were in desperate need of caffeine and booze by that point in the evening (6pm).
We headed over to the Bistro at Maison de Ville after the drinks and we were seated in the courtyard, which we had all to ourselves. It was a beautiful space and secluded enough for us not to bother anyone. The food was great, I think. I didn't eat much, but everyone else enjoyed it (except my in-laws who asked if there was anything normal to eat on the menu. They actually stopped at Applebees on the way into NO because they were worried that there would be nothing decent to eat in town). There was gumbo, ceasar salad, duck breast, pork paillard, pot de creme, bread pudding, lots of wine & bubbly. Service was great, they happily helped us rearrange the tables, and kept our glasses full. There was only one mistake which was more funny that upsetting; they only wrote my name on the menu as if I were marrying myself.
The toasts/speeches/rants got better as the night went on and miraculously we had a ridiculously good time - especially after all of the parents left. We did a bar crawl down Bourbon - which was gross and fun, got beignets at 2 and made it back to Frenchman before the sun came up.
Brunch at Coop's Place the next morning was sloppy and yummy-perfect place to get some more hair of the dog. We got to watch the IronMan competitors coming in to the finish while eating delicious fried chicken, gumbo, oyster po'boys and throwing back shots of Wild Turkey. There were some grumbles about how dirty the place was, but no complaints about the food, price or overall atmosphere.
Last meal in NO was at August. Wow. Just me, hubby, one sister and the preferred set of parents. A perfect experience. The trio of fois gras was everything we were expecting. The staff were knocking themselves over to listen to our conversation about my friend who is dating a former sex-cult member & Orgasmic Meditation therapist. I wish I had not been so tired for that meal, because every bit of it was wonderful.
We left at 6am the next morning.
I am completely in love with New Orleans, and can’t wait to come back. We know that we only scratched the surface – next time we’ll get some locals to show us around.
-----
Coop's Place
1109 Decatur St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Knife sharpening in Baltimore
I think you are talking about Frank's Cutlery in Parkville. We went him and he did a great job. Going to Frank is not a business transaction, it is a true Baltimore experience. He has a bocce court in his yard which is very happy to talk about as well as a lot of other interesting tidbits about knives, food and restaurants in Charm City.
4121 White Avenue Baltimore, MD (Parkville area right off Bel Air Road)
(410) 426-6720
-----
Charm City Cafe
Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD
Glorious Mess: My relatively un-traumatic wedding report
Up to this point, we had been on our own. Untroubled by the baggage that would soon be arriving with our beloved families. But, we knew that the sweet romance of our first days in NO was about to come to a screeching halt....
Some Background: My father (by blood) is very rich and doesn't like to come off his money without leaving a lot of hurt, disappointment, name calling and unmet expectations in his wake. So, after rudely informing me that he wasn't sure if he wanted to join the family (his side) for dinner on Friday, I made other plans for us (the sibs). He calls me days before asking me what we're doing that night and I inform him that he was disinvited due to his surly attitude. He said he just didn't want to have to pay for everybody (something I never ask him to do - see previous comment on "come off his money"). So he back peddled and sent a bizarre email to the family inviting us out to dinner, his treat - sort of. He would spring for apps, entrees & dessert but we would have to pay for all sides and drinks immediately after the meal (cash only - no checks or credit accepted). So, after endless pissed off and disappointed emails between the sibs, we all capitulated - but decided that we weren't going to give in without a fight and that we were going to get our drink on before dinner.
I knew that it was bad when we he told us (3 hours before the meal) the name of the restaurant. I couldn't find it anywhere on CHOW or Zagats and the reviews I read on Tripadvisor were chilling.
7:00 pm...we met at Pat O'Briens (my brother's suggestion) and slurped down a couple hurricanes. In the early evening, the patio is actually quite empty and somewhat lovely for an hour of venting about parents and drinking the alcoholic version of Camp Echo Bug Juice. One thing the hurricane has going for it is that the more you drink, the better it tastes.
8:00 pm wandering around Jackson Square looking for the WORST restaurant in all of Crescent City (at least in my experience - this could be a whole other thread) (the big reveal) Montrel's Bistro (crash of thunder and evil laugh)
My father was already surly when we showed up and my step-mom was well into her 2nd drink and just delighted to have all her babies together. After a talking to, she promised that she would keep my dad in line or else beat the crap out of him. He actually got cheerier when scotch #2 came., but then the horror of the meal arrived. We were all a bit tipsy, and didn't pay attention to the apps that my father ordered, I'll try to remember.
eggplant in a crock drowned in gooey cheese (just gross), crawfish (tasted like dish water) and something else which I have obviously blocked out. The margaritas were fine. Then my fisherman's sampler (or whatever they called it) came. It was a big mess of deep fried seafood & fish that was too evenly breaded to not be frozen, flavorless, overly crunchy and generally inedible (but I did eat some of it). My betrothed had catfish and it was just as inedible. Also, overcooked rice and veggies and uneven service. And (as warned in trip advisor) when the bill came they told us that they would give us a discount if we paid cash and would not stop pushing when my father insisted that he wanted to pay with credit.
I should probably mention that it was pirate weekend in NO while we were there and they were having their Pirate Pot-Luck in a tent about 15 feet from where we were having dinner on the Montrel's Patio. As much as I mocked the pirates (as far as I can tell they are just the never grown up version of all of my D&D/comic book friends from high school who took their fetish to the next level - I can only imagine these lads and lasses after dark and behind closed doors - Oy) I really enjoyed how they kept popping up all weekend long, kind of like the chorus in a Greek tragedy or the witches in Macbeth.
As dinner was winding down, I decided to trek up the three (three!) flights of stairs to go to the not very clean bathroom. (stop now if you are sensitive) When I arrived I started to realize that the cheese and grease were not going to stay put ( I was actually sober at this point - due to the soberingly bad food). I did something that I have never done before - I made my dinner leave my body. Yes, it was that bad. After a few minutes of doing this a couple of wenches came in and asked me if I was ok, and brought me a cold towel. Thank god for the nice corsetted (I wonder if they can eat with those on) harlots of the sea.
10:30 pm: I felt much better and we spent the rest of the night dancing and drinking on Frenchman. I ate a taco at a cart that was fine @ 2:30am.
Be back tomorrow with the Wedding day report...and some more great meals.
Glorious Mess: My relatively un-traumatic wedding report
This is me in roast beef & gravy heaven and a few hours later covered in beignet fairy dust.
Glorious Mess: My relatively un-traumatic wedding report
I will finish posting tomorrow. But, I wanted to follow up on The Grocery. We were on the streetcar on the way to meet our friends at Rue de la Course and I saw it out the window. The name rang a bell from somebody's CHOW post, so we stopped in on our way back. Also, good beer selection and super friendly (and cute) staff.
Glorious Mess: My relatively un-traumatic wedding report
I am so sorry that I have not reported back. The mix of marital bliss, post-celebration liver failure, and wading through a sea of unwanted ceramic figurine gifts has left me little time to gather my thoughts. So, I will do thin in chronological order....the good stuff will come later.
My betrothed and I arrived late evening on Wednesday and quickly settled into our uber fabulous B&B (the B&W Courtyards) in Marigny. We were warned about walking around at night and getting lost, but we safely made it to Frenchman Street and shared a crawdad cake (off their late night menu) and had some Mint Palmers and Pisco Sours at the Marigny Brasserie. We enjoyed both very much. The cakes had great flavor, and we loved the drinks although the pisco sour tasted nothing like a traditional PS. I must admit - I barely remember this meal.
We got up Thursday morning and had a lovely breakfast of fresh fruit, warm pastries and delicious coffee on the unbelievably luxurious mix-matched china and perfectly polished antique dining table. We worked up an appetite walking across the French Quarter to the city center location to get our marriage license and then walking the 2 miles back. We needed to get something quick and road friendly so we popped into the Central Grocery. I was confused because I was expecting a line. Some surly dude them threw a sandwich at me and asked me for $8. Wow. That was the most amazingly delicious pile of meat, olives and bread I have ever had. That afternoon I also found out that my wedding dress had show-up in Phoenix...so there was still hope on that front.
Dinner at Cochon was great. and not (to our surpirse) very expensive. We had fried rabbit livers with a sweet spicy thai sauce that were delicious. perfectly fried, good size and the sauce was lick-the-plate good. The fried alligator nuggets were also yummy, but unremarkable. Great crawfish, smothered greens and something else I can't recall. The best part was a perfect pineapple upside-down cake with lemon ice cream, great cornmeal texture, not too sweet , inspired me to make updise down cake at home. Then we met up with my siblings and stayed out all night dancing and drinking on Frenchman.
The last meal we had before the serious family onslaught was at The Grocery. I think that this was by far my favorite morsel of the whole trip. The roast beef and gravy po'boy was just the right mix of refined flavor and a complete mess to eat. I loved the thinly sliced beef, delicious thin gravy, not too salty and I even enjoyed the mayo on it. Also, such a friendly and pleasant atmosphere, the outside tables are a great place to hang out.
We stopped in for beignets at Cafe du Monde on the way back to our room later that day and that was also a glorious mess.
From here it goes downhill real fast, then up, then levels out. I'll be back with more.
-----
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Marigny Brasserie
640 Frenchmen St, New Orleans, LA 70116
Private Room in restaurant for potentailly disastrous wedding party
I leave for NO one week from today....I have had some serious indigestion over the last week (potentially due to an over abundance of the bread of affliction/matza), my dress is lost in the mail and the tailor can't find his suit...oy. My family is getting better and worse all at once (gift of private yoga therapy & a valium refill).
Chef Greg set us up a lovely menu and (weather permitting) we will be in the courtyard. We have dinner for 2 at Cochon on Thursday, lunch at for 2 at Galatoires on Friday - is a jacket really required?. Dinner at August on Sunday with my (preferred) parents.
Where should I go for the Friday night throwdown with my siblings? We want great no frills/cheap food and good entertainment after. Is rock-n-bowl a good idea? Also, we love to dance (but aren't picky about the music).
The wedding is on the 17th - so keep your eyes out for our short dark and motley crew in and around NO. I am looking forward to giving you all the restaurant report.
-----
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Galatoire's Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130
Private Room in restaurant for potentailly disastrous wedding party
All adults and nobody is kosher.
Private Room in restaurant for potentailly disastrous wedding party
Horror of Horrors. This is turning into my (our) own personal hell. We're thinking about eloping from our elopement. More of the Rednecks want to come and the Jews are getting more passive aggressive-controlling.
Thank you for all of your love and support, I am this close to telling my family that it is canceled and inviting all of you.
We will be doing the ceremony at the French Quarter Wedding Chapel and the we'll be walking to the Bistro at Maison de Ville (thank you Charlie H for the suggestion!). We'll probably stop off for a toast on the 5 block walk over, not sure where yet - just look for all the short people and the bride with the blue tutu dress and zebra heels.
We might also need to do some type of rehearsal nightmare dinner as well and would like to do it somewhere cheap, that has great local fare and local color. I'm aiming for something divey that will gross out all of our parents and will thrill all of the siblings. Oh and also brunch on Sunday for the whole megilla- I heard that there was a good 11am beer & oyster place.
I have also made reservations for dinner at August, and need some other good high & low suggestions for the two of us to enjoy.
Private Room in restaurant for potentailly disastrous wedding party
So, after many calls and some seriously disappointing news that our first choice of the Calcasieu wine room is booked already (and almost everything else is not wheelchair accessible), we drilled down through all of your helpful suggestions.
The winner by a long shot is the Bistro at Maison de Ville. Chef Greg and I spoke and we are going to work together to create a menu that will fit our budget and taste. He was so warm, helpful and fun on the phone (this bodes well for NO). I also warned him about our special needs and he said that loud drunk Jews don't scare him. He actually seemed excited (way more than I am).
On the personal drama piece...the Rednecks aren't sure if they can come because (and this is just my speculation based on 2+ years with the Redneck) Mama redneck is scared of planes (and any food that doesn't come out of a can) and Daddy redneck probably doesn't want to spend 24 hours driving down with his batsh**t crazy wife and mother-in-law. Mama redneck actually asked what state NO is in, no kidding.....I am sort of relieved, but wish they would come to break up the horror of my family.
The Jews are all on board and have been blowing up my phone with demands about how to entertain them and who I should also be inviting and do I really want to marry this (wonderful/amazing/gift from God) redneck sheygetz plumber.
So, there is another question....
Where do we drink? I will need to be drinking three meals a day and I like delicious fried food (I'll eat cardboard if it's fried right) and mollusks with my fancy cocktails/expensive wine/cheap beer/bourbon for breakfast and lunch. Any recs?
Private Room in restaurant for potentailly disastrous wedding party
Very disaster = over inflated sense of importance, haughty ambience and prices that would piss off my father.
But, I think it looks like a fun place for the two of us to go and the menu looks lovely.
Private Room in restaurant for potentailly disastrous wedding party
Just to clarify, we were planning on coming alone but we realized if we didn't let them come and ruin our party for 2, they were going to ruin our life for 2. And, I just found out that to my absolute horror that my (original two) parents honeymooned in NO.
Thanks for all of your help so far, I forgot to mention the other twist...we need a wheel chair accessible restaurant.
So,
1. Arnauds is not accessible
2. Calcasieu is booked
3. August is booked
4. Galatoires looks very disaster
5. Luke is too German (Although my mom likes it)
I feel like I should make this a contest and the winner can join us for desert or maybe take home one of my siblings.
Private Room in restaurant for potentailly disastrous wedding party
My difficult urban Jewish family (who hate each other) and my partner's crazy redneck farmer family (who are scared of my family) will be joining us in NO for our April nuptials. We are looking for a fun restaurant that has a private room for about 18-20 people. We would like to keep the food costs to approximately $50 - $80 per person because we assume that they will all drink their weight in booze. I come from a serious food family, and the food needs to be very good, but not necessarily fancy. I would love some help finding a great space for this event.
Crabs outside of Annapolis
Went to Mike's last night. We're from Baltimore, but were in the area and it was recommended. We had a great meal and the outside seating was fun. My Ocean City boyfriend who is the most annoying seafood snob loved it too. Crabs were meaty and we had no light ones and the beer was cheap. We also had seafood skins which were huge and surprisingly yummy after we salted them.
Visiting Baltimore with a Todder
If you are willing to take a cab, my favorite breakfast/brunch and dinner place to take my toddler is Gertrudes at the Baltimore Museum of Art. Is has good regional cuisine and it is beautiful. But, the real reason I like it is that we always get a table outside in the sculpture garden and my daughter just runs around and looks at all of the fun art. Make sure to make a reservation and request an outside table.
foie gras
Although you get a few other things besides the foie gras. I LOVE the kobe beef and foie gras sliders with a side of duckfat fries at Salt Tavern. Although it is a bit pricey, it is my favorite burger and fry combo and worth every penny.
Baltimore for the Weekend...
I think that Woodberry Kitchen is a must as well as Peter's Inn. Both have menus that are friendly to the non-seafood eater and are always good.
Berger Cookies?
Thank you all for the history lesson and shopping tips. I am not sure whether these cookies will be to my taste, but my sugar junkie New Yorker friend will be excited for a care package full of them.
