pleiades's Profile
Really, does a great latte exist in Baltimore?
as a friend of mine grudgingly discovered when he ordered a latte in the Rome airport.
How t find obscure liquor/spirits in the D.C. metro area (specifically Latvian Black Balsam)
Is it imported to the US? MD stores can't direct-import, so if it doesn't already have a regional importer and distributor, the stores will be out of luck
Engagement Dinner in/around Baltimore - First Weekend of March 2010
they do a fine job with private parties, but you are on the bleeding edge of the budget. Call Martha Morningstar 410.576.0766
Really, does a great latte exist in Baltimore?
I should also add that a couple of the baristas at Atwater's in Belvedere Square are also good.
Really, does a great latte exist in Baltimore?
Spro.
http://www.sprocoffee.com/home.html
and the bar at Woodberry Kitchen, open during dinner service and also brunch.
That is it.
Where to find Glass Bottle Milk - Baltimore
South Mountain will deliver to your door, depending on where you live.
Oregon Grille -- taking the "host" out of hospitality
I checked the website, the "bar" is advertised as the bar area (as in, "jackets are not required in the bar", replete with a large bar menu, lunch specials and a Saturday Burger Special, and certainly nothing about a suspension of the menu on Saturday nights. Why offer a substantial bar menu of appetizers, main courses, soups and salads, to just 10 people in a room that seats twice that many?
anyhoo, if there really is a "no food at the tables" policy, why not make people aware on the web site, and save them the aggravation of driving all the way out there? It's a hike, and that is an unusual policy.
I don't think the OP feels the need to be special; more simply voicing frustration at a mystifying, unadvertised policy
Oregon Grille -- taking the "host" out of hospitality
OG= familiar atmosphere and decent but uninteresting food for luxury WASPs afraid of the city. Amusing anecdote:
Went there with a friend of mine a couple of years ago, on an expense account. Now, we both look on the young side, and were well dressed but not with any obviously pretentious labels or what-have-you. We were sized up by the FOH, and seated at a deuce against a wall, almost in a hallway.
And there we sat. Without menus. Without bread. Without water. For almost 10 minutes. I try to imagine that happening at Charleston or the Prime Rib, but that's what it will always be, a figment of the imagination, because those places actually take care of people.
But I digress.
Eventually we get water, and then menus, and are again abandoned, for another 10 minutes. Eventually we get to order, and my friend takes the server's suggestion of the steak special, which is a Prime NY Strip a poivre. We order a 2000 vintage Bordeaux off the list. The server returns with a 2002. We refuse, telling him we'll pay that price for 2000 but not 2002, and ask for the list back. *sigh* nothing interesting, at all. So he comes back, ask if we'd made a selection, and we ask if there are any selections available not on the menu. He reluctantly returns with the captain's list. We order something pricey but worthwhile from it...
....and everything changes. Now we're important. Now we have not one, not two, but THREE people doting on the table. They exchange our weapons-grade Libby glasses for Reidel. We get bread (yay!). We get the right wine from the right vintage
(yay!) We finally eat in peace, listening to the gents around us, dressed almost universally in blue blazers and penny loafers, discuss golf. We had a decent dinner, nothing to write home about, and we got the message loud and clear that we were NOT in the circle.
And the steak a poivre? Rang up at $48.
wine shops/wine recommendations
I don't know where you will end up shopping, so I'll resist making specific recommendations, but I can at least take a shot at some categories.
Oysters-
I believe the classic pairings for oysters will work just fine here. Champagne, for one. Sauvignon Blanc, for another. I would typically favor Sauvignon from the Loire Valley. The chorizo in the mignonette I think allows for maybe a little more sweetness and fruitiness, like a quality NZ Sauvignon or one from CA like Frogs Leap.
Jerk Goat Ravioli-
Wow. this is a tough one. spice, fat, fruit, and cheese.....I'm going to resist the urge to go with white wine and suggest a cru Beaujolais, but good one, like Marcel Lapierre's Morgon.
Stuffed Pork Chop-
here I think white wine is in order. Mild meat, bitter greens, sweet and spicy fruit sauce, then dairy fat. Quality Riesling from Germany at the auslese level of ripeness, Alsatian pinot gris, even a Vouvray.
my 2 cents
Valentine's Day
I agree with everyone else. Don't allow yourself, your budget, or your taste for romance to be held hostage by this trumped up Hallmark holiday. Cook together at home, and save the romantic night out for a date you can relax and enjoy.
Valentine's Day and Mother's Day...two dates universally referred to in the business as Amateur Night.
Langermanns...any info on him post-Georgia Browns?
Soft-opening service commenced last week. It's a biiig place, they clearly have ambitions for volume. I haven't gone yet, but will soon.
wine w/ 4 tilapia; beets/figs; yam-lentil stew
I dunno, that sounds like a white wine menu to me. Don't let the beets fool you with the color. They really are quite bitter and green in flavor, and IMHO marry better with Loire whites than red. A Loire white will pull in the goat cheese, too, and the bitter sauteed greens AND the fish.
Brewers Art lately?
we too dined there recently. We had a delicious meal of Watermelon consommee, Marvesta shrimp over fava beans, and those 18 hour carnitas. Steak frites was a BIG entree, and I could forgo the brown sauce myself, but can't argue with the meat quality. And I would also like to point out the very progessive pricing on the wine list. Sanity, unlike many restaurants (I am in a position to know what the wholesale prices are)
Best "affordable" steak in Baltimore?
Woodberry Kitchen is on our list, but only if you are on board with local and grass-fed. We
re fans, but I also understand people really used to corn-fed might object.
I overheard someone who's opinion I respect trumpeting a surprisingly good steak dinner at Ale Mary's. Also Corks does Steak Night, Tuesday I think.
And I'll second the PL recommendation too.
Champagne to start off a nice meal at restaurant?
I was referring to Champagne generally. It sounds to me like you REALLY wanna go for the DP, and I think you should. $120 is more or less the going rate. Is it over-hyped? Yea maybe a bit. Should you satisfy your curiousity? Yes. It isn't going to suck, it's Dom!
Now, etiquette. It is very un-cool to bring a bottle to a restaurant for corkage that's also on the list, so make sure the DP2000 isn't featured.
Wine in the Movies
Well then you'll notice the Roederer Cristal in both "Madagascar" and "Madagascar 2" LOL
Champagne to start off a nice meal at restaurant?
I think it is also worthwhile to distinguish between Champagne (sparkling wine made in the Champagne district of France) and sparkling wine, generally. Even non-vintage, run of the mill Champagne can be pretty pricey on a wine list. In the words of Ferris Bueller, "If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up." But if you don't, a bottle of Prosecco, Cava, or Cremant will still kick start the conviviality and pair well with oysters and amuses bouches.
13.5 wine bar in Hampden
I suppose it bears mentioning that there is no kitchen in the traditional sense. Just a prep area with a panini maker. Things like tenderloin are pre-prepared off-site. Probably packed up too warm and cooked through in transit.
Robert Oliver's Seafood Restaurant?
That is a cursed location and every local restaurateur knows it. Ergo, the space will either be empty, a chain, or not a restaurant.
Baltimore Seafood Restaurants
I would also like to add that the best Farm (and Boat)-to-table place we have, Woodberry Kitchen, always takes its seafood very seriously. And although they have no raw bar per se, they offer a superb selection of fresh regional oysters.
Help pls! Pay-what-you-will brunch in DC?
I think that's Spanish for "we'll be closed in a month."
Taco Cabana in DC?
I think you're missing the point a little.
TC is not a foodie spot. It is not a destination. You're driving around [insert major TX metropolitan center here] doing a million errands, you get hungry, you have a fiver in your pocket.....there's going to be one near you. And you will eat far better than McD, Crap-in-the-Box, WaterBurger, etc.
Taco Cabana in DC?
you nailed it. Us East Coast graduates of Trinity University have fond memories of B&C tacos at 2:30am after marathon study sessions, or drunken munchie attacks. For those of us who went to San Antonio as east coasters, TC was our first contact with this genre of cuisine. Is it the best that town has to offer? Hell no. Does it beat the absolute crap out of any other fast food like McDonald's and Jack in the Box? yes indeed.
Stoney Creek Inn for Crabs?
seeing as how there's a 50% chance she's the owner, you probably did insult her.
It's just a little mom and pop joint folks, no trained chefs or anything. if you're coming with your James Beard game on, best to stay away.
Seeking a semi casual and/or hip seafood joint in baltimore...
Nick's Fish House off 95 at the Hanover St. Bridge
Not much in that immediate vicinity.
Stoney Creek Inn for Crabs?
I usually go for lunch, so don't get into the mess of crabs. but the crabCAKES may be the best ever.
Source for buying sake in the MD/DC area?
Wine Source, Chesapeake Wine Co, Mt Washington Wine Co, all have good sake sections.
Beerlao in DC
Wholesaled in MD and DC by Chesapeake/Capitol Beverage Group. Your local store can call them up and order it for you if they don't stock it.
