BmoreHound's Profile
Need some specific rec's for Baltimore (Canton/Fells Point)
I would highly recommend not to go to John Stevens as it is a tourist trap and a bad one at that. The interesting thing about Shuckers is that it has been occupied by a succession of tourist traps, but last time I went (last summer), the food was pretty decent and a decent value.
But Ale Mary's beats them all and has outdoor tables.
For cocktails, I HIGHLY recommend going to Chesapeake Wine Company. They have a few outdoor tables (they fill up quickly) so you can bring your dog. They have wines by the glass or you can pop open a bottle of wine and they also make great cocktails.
No one recommends Pierpoint anymore but they were the first high-end restaurant in the area and still good.
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Pierpoint Restaurants
1822 Aliceanna St, Baltimore, MD 21231
Ale Marys
1939 Fleet St, Baltimore, MD 21231
Chinese Food in Patterson Park/Canton
I got take out from there once and it's steps down from Ding How IMO. I usually have a reasonable tolerance for Chinese take-out but I won't be eating there again.
As for Ding How, if you want recs, their chow fun is pretty good and their dumplings are not very greasy at all. They also generally do a good job with Chinese veggies.
I also get food from China Chef every so often - usually dumplings and lo mein.
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Ding How
12234 Tullamore Rd, Lutherville Timonium, MD 21093
Chinese Food in Patterson Park/Canton
Ding How is okay; prolly the best for delivery (not saying much).
People like Sam's kid as a pan-asian alternative; I think they deliver within Fells Point but not sure how far they deliver.
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Ding How Restaurant
631 S Broadway, Baltimore, MD 21231
Latest on Edward Kim?
I hope he is still here. We did a special event there last year and it was outrageously good; it's time to do another one.
Green Cilantro - Fells Point tapas bar
Sorry - was working and it was supposed to be shorthand for they don't use pre-made mixes. Probably obvious but I thought I'd mention it.
At any rate, despite my inelegence, I'd recommend trying it. Was a nice atmosphere, and besides, every city needs a good tapas bar IMO.
Green Cilantro - Fells Point tapas bar
recently opened and is now serving food. Used to be where Whistling Oyster used to be. Bar is very nice; windows open up and they do have some outdoor seating.
Hung out there the other night; had a lot of fun. They have usual Latin-type drinks (Mojito and Caipriahana - they say they make their own simple syrup) plus a cilantro martini that I found tasty. Sangria was not as good as their drinks.
Food was pretty good. I had grilled calamari, shrimp, ceviche, and a pork and potatos dish, and I think I like the grilled calamari and ceviche best.
Owner and server seemed very friendly.
At any rate, it's definitely worth a stop so I thought I'd point it out.
blue hill tavern in canton
Went last week and honestly, I can't see how they are going to make it. A couple of observations.
(1) The place is huge. Two floors of dining. When I went there, the good tables (they have outdoor patio tables on the second floor) were taken, but the interior tables were empty.
(2) They did a really good job with the rehab/construction. It's a cool looking place.
(3) Service was strangely schizophrenic. At the first part of the evening, the waitress stopped by frequently (almost too frequently), but after dinner was served, could not find her for dessert menu or the bill.
(4) The food was good but it's a somewhat strange menu. It's almost as if the chef wants to do something more adventuresome but the owner says that we have to have chicken and shrimp and crab cakes and burgers and steak. Still, I had the oysters and the wild boar, and everything was cooked very well.
(5) Drinks are expensive and don't seem to have much alcohol in them.
So all in all, I think it has the same problem as Saute - the food is not nearly interesting or good enough to be a destination restaurant like Salt or Jack's Bistro, but it's too expensive to be an every day restaurant. Plus, since it's huge (and they seem to have a large staff), they probably have a huge nut to crack. I hope they do well, but I can't see how the economics are going to work.
please help us decide 13 restaurants in Bmore
I would take off Ambassador, Milton Inn, and Cafe Zen. Ambassador because it's kind of humdrum, and Milton Inn because it's absurdly overpriced for what you get and you're not going to have a good time. Cafe Zen isn't very good. Spice Company has been closed and replaced by Alizee, which I want to try. Saffron is either closed or a shadow of its former self when Chef Kim was there. Boccacio and Brasserie Tatin has been talked about.
Obviously, you may have gone to some or all of these, but restaurants I would recommend considering if you've haven't are: Jack's Bistro, Three, Meli (sit outside), and Parkside on Harford Rd is an interesting place. Finally, you have no restaurants in Federal Hill - have you gone to all of them?
Peter's Inn
Chameleon Cafe
Elkridge Furnace In
Tersigeul's
Salt
Pazo
Henningers
Black Olive
La Famigila
Alizee
Jack's Bistro
Three
Samos - Baltimore
Do you mean that you want to eat there?
Earlier the better - I'd get there around 6.
Dog friendly patio in Baltimore
Most every place that has outdoor seating is dog friendly. Lots of places in Fells Point. Dudas, DuClaws, Miss Irenes, Todd Connors, Alexander's Tavern, even Ale Mary's and Tyson Tavern's not far from Fells Point. (I'd include John Stevens, but I wouldn't eat there.)
4 years?
In most cities, the vast majority of restaurants aren't around for five years so information in older threads are mostly pointless.
If you want to save the information, lock the thread but don't allow people to resurrect.
For example, I see a thread on "Moving to Federal Hill - need help" and I open it only to find that the thread was started more than a year ago and someone decided it's a good thing to write, "Welcome to the neighborhood." It's a complete waste of time and shouldn't be encouraged.
IMO.
Anyone been to Talara yet (Harbor East - BMore)?
Noisy like RA. Good comparison. We were shouting at the table.
Best of Baltimore
(1) Daily Grind
(2) Mahaffey's
(3) Patisserie Poupon
(4) Matthews or Iggies
(5) Have no idea.
Patterson Park area....
Probably too late but there are probably twenty places you can go.
**Sharkey's is right on Eastern Avenue and it's definitely a burger/beer type of place.
**I'd second Annabel Lee's and also suggest Birches as both have really good food.
**Some other places: Geckos (SW); Yellow Dog (more upscale); Saute (bit further from the park); Kislings and Tyson's Tavern (closer to Fells Point); Bleachers (sports bar); NicDevin's and Lagers are a bit further away from the park too (both are typical Baltimore bar).
Anyone been to Talara yet (Harbor East - BMore)?
Was surprised it was so crowded on a week night, but I'm sure the place will be very popular. Had a hard time getting drinks but servers were pleasantly apologetic.
Non-ceviche food was pretty good - we got several non-fish apps - pork shank, pork empanadas, wild mushroom flatbreads; one of the small paellas; and what they call a "filet mignon" sandwich (didn't really seem like it but it's hard to tell under everything).
To me, food was decent - not great - and expensive. That place is not cheat. OTOH, everyone had a good time - it's got a fun vibe to it. It's pretty loud.
I'm sure it will do well but it's not a place I can see hanging out regularly just because of the price.
Need Baltimore Crabhouse with MARYLAND Crab
Firmly believe that Bay crabs are better than TX/NC crabs but have had a hard time finding MD crabs anymore (for example, Mr. Bills usually gets all or the vast majority of their crabs from out-of-state). Prolly best bet is Eastern Shore. I was at the Crab Claw in Easton the other day and they had MD crabs (although they were small). If that's too far, then I'd call up some of the smaller places on the water and see what they say.
You would think that you could get live MD crabs in Jessup but I don't know for sure.
Mark's Duck House - Major Disappointment
Sorry you had a bad experience. I had a great dim sum experience about two weeks ago - the best I've had in quite some time. Of course I did get there very early.
Everyday Eating in Baltimore: Restaurants you frequent in the Baltimore area
Wow, dare I say that I think people could eat better?
In Fells Point/Canton, I'd have to recommend Birches as the place I go when I don't want to think but still want good food.
Then, if on a budget::
Matthews.
Eastern House
Taburzi's.
Wink's.
If not on a budget:
Red Star
Asahi
Annabal's
If want to splurge:
Jack's
Salt
Three
Single best Chowhound find in Baltimore
La Cazuela on Eastern Avenue. Consistently good; great place to take friends; exactly the kind of place I like to support.
Birches in Baltimore?
Birches is not a place to go if you need to get in or out unless you order apps. It's a family-run place (owner and wife) so that can either increase the charm or decrease the efficiency, depending on how you prefer your restaurants.
OTOH, I can't imagine anything better than having Birches nearby. On any given day, if you don't know what you want or where you want to go, you can stop in and have great food at about any price price you want. From filet to risotto to burgers and pizza and awesome french onion soup - what other restaurant in Baltimore has as much range with as little pretention as Birches?
If Birches ever closed, it would be a huge hole for many people.
As for Helen's, the best thing I can say is that they were among the first to try to bring a wine program to the neighborhood. Too bad they never invested as much in their food. I mean they don't even have chefs at Helen - it's run more like Bill Bateman's than a restaurant.
Hand full of Baltimore restaurants
Dukem is okay, but if you want your ethiopian fix, there's not really a lot of choices in town (at one point, there were five but aren't we're down to two?).
Hand full of Baltimore restaurants
Jimmy's on Broadway - I would highly recommend going once. Cheap, decent food. But more to the point, it's a pretty much a local icon - lots of movers and shakers have breakfast there.
One World Cafe - decent vegaterian. I'm not so it doesn't really fit my bill but man of my friends do.
Dukem - best in B'more for Ethiopian. Damning with faint praise.
Sabatino's - another old-time B'more restaurant. I went once and haven't been back. Overpriced IMO.
Duda's - Highly recommend. You can find out a lot about this place if you search the board.
Helen's Garden - I never liked this place foodwise but they have a good wine selection. If you go, they have specials on Wednesday night. Everything pretty much tastes the same there, which is to say "bland."
Dinner on Sat night in Balt - casual elegance
In Fells Point, I'd say Timothy Dean's. Great food; lots of energy. If you want to go further than that, perhaps Jack's Bistro in Canton?
40th wedding anniversary dinner for 40 around Baltimore
I believe you can rent the upstairs room at Birches - good food, good price.
But there are a ton of private rooms in and around Baltimore. Do you have any thing else to narrow down the request?
Very cheap eats in Fells Pt/Inner Harbor/Federal Hill area
I'd probably recommend an ethnic place as they are usually cheaper and may seem more adventurous for a high schooler. Ding How is chinese in Fells Point and can handle it. I would imagine the thai place on boston street would be available too.
A couple of family friendly places are Austin Grill and Amiccis.
If you think about it, could you please post what place is eventually chosen and how it works out? I think some of us would be interested in knowing what places would be willing to do this and how things turn out. For example, I can't imagine sending my high school daughter to a place like Mothers or Nacho Mamas or even One-Eyed Mikes (although I know that they'll end up there someday, I wouldn't want to be the one to send them there).
Junior's Wine Bar
Umm, I just have to point that we're talking calamari meatballs. Yes, they are a little fishy, but then so is calamari. I've had the meatballs and thought they were really interesting. Obviously not for everyone, but it's always refreshing to see something on the menu you've not seen before or haven't seen in a long time.
I may be in the minority, but...
Definitely agree on Mamas, although I think it's way worse than average. I would also include Helen's Garden on this list, though I've noticed that people have thankfully stopped recommending it.
Saturday Night Dinner in Balto
I'd recommend Jack's Bistro depending on how many friends you have. Interesting food - good to talk about, good energy, near Canton. I also had a really good meal at Tabrizi's in Harborview, which is convenient to get to (they have parking), though you might want to take a taxi over to Fed Hill for post-dinner drinks.
But if it helps, off the top of my head, here are some of the newer places in town (not listed in any particular order):
Woodberry Kitchen (will need a reservation; great food; can go to Hampden for drinks after)
Cinghiale
Three in Patterson Park (does a new chef count?)
Saute (brand new)
Annabel Lee (good food; good atmosphere; will be there for a while);
Yellow Dog
Juniors in Federal Hill (where Vespa used to be)
Darker than Blue in Greenmount
Night of the Cookers on Howard
Todd Connor in Fells Point (you should consider this)
Alexander's in Fells Point
My Thai, Indigma (indian), and El Patron (mexican) in Mt. Vernon (I've only been to My Thai and wasn't that impressed).
All the stuff in Inner Harbor East (Lemongrass, Tsunami, Ra Sushi - I think you can find better but they have all fun atmosphere. Ra Sushi is really loud though).
Watertable in the Renaissance (excellent food, but I'm guessing that you don't want to go downtown).
BWI and Inner Harbor rec's needed
Want to thank you first of all for organizing the trip. Sounds like quite an experience for some in your group, and I hope it works out the best for them.
I've given your post some thought and here's what I would recommend.
I assume that you're coming in Friday afternoon. If that's the case and you want to see the Inner Harbor, it should be a little less crowded on Friday night during the game so your instinct is right. As for dinner, while nothing is spectacular, La Tasca, Tir Na Nog, Edo Sushi, Five Guys, and M&S Grill are all decent. I've been to all of them with groups of people and have had a good time.
On Saturday, if you want some local flavor, I'm going to direct you to either Dockside or Della Rosa's on Boston Street just outside of Canton. I'm doing this for four reasons: (1) there's parking, (2) they are both one level, (3) they have experience with groups (Dockside has outdoor dining and Della Rosa's is a big joint), and (4) they are both more local joints.
It doesn't sound like you want a fancier place, but if you do, the best restaurant downtown is in the Renaissance - it's called Watertable and it's really quite good if not pricey. Watertable also has a nice bar, but I'm not sure how late it's open.
Finally, for your second lunch, there's not much out by the Westin. If you search on this board for "BWI," you'll find a bunch of recommendations.
Hope this helps. If it doesn't, I'm sure we'd all be happy to give two more cents.
Baltimore CITY- best french onion soup?
Second Birches. Not sure if he uses veal stock, but it's hands down the best in the City I've had.
