pleiades

what a great thread. Seems we're all tightening our belts of late. Right now i have beef cheeks braising away. They weren't as cheap as I thought they'd be, but then I have a feeling the butcher gouged me a bit for this "special order." A restaurateur friend assures me he can get them for me around $3-4 a pound. these should be done in about 30 minutes or so.....

Kermit Lynch has released a Vin du Pays from Vaucluse under his own "Kermit Lynch" label. I found both the 2002 and 2003 vintage to be decent weekday stuff for $8.

Yesssss......Shadowbrook. I guess it was an off night. I wasn't in the mood for Prime Rib, heaps of pasta, etc. At Oswald I had the summer vegetable medley, which was just about perfect. Crispy but not raw, warm and flavorful but not overcooked. Followed that with the duck confit and mopped up with the fresh figs. Killer food, good list, attentive but not overbearing service, a home run in my book. For the record, our service at Shadowbrook was exemplary as well.

Just a follow up- Turns out my manager had already made dinner reservations for all 3 nights we were there. Luckily, the first night was Oswald. My dinner was delicious, the best meal of the trip. And the best wine, too, with apologies to the places we visited: Bollinger NV, 2000 Dageneau Pouilly-Fume and 2001 Alban Grenache. The next 2 nights were dreadful; some place you have to take a tram to get to, 1st date/Mother's Day/ cookie cutter wedding kind of place with a wine list written by whatever Sunbelt distributor is in the area. Heavy banal food. Then some Gringo mexican place called Palapas in Aptos I think. Refried beans out of a can, ceviche featuring imitation crab, etc. Wish I had been able to talk her out of those places, but she was pretty attached to the idea of honoring the rezzies. On a side note, we had lunch at a place called Lido; I don't remember the town, but the digs were on the water and the food was very good. Thanks again for all the help; there was almost a mutiny on the third night from a contingent of us who either wanted to go back to Oswald or strike out for Manresa (which Steven Kent recommended).

Yea we'll haul down to Paso for the day; looks like we have 2 nights in SC, so it seems Oswald and Avanti are targets for wine savvy diners from the east. Organic a plus.

Thanks one and all for the help. I'm a wine saleman here in MD. It's going to be a group trip, and we are relegated to visiting the wineries we represent in the area: Justin, David Bruce, Wente, Steven Kent, and Gravity Hills. We're staying in Livermore and then jumping to the Seacliff Inn (??) I'd love to take up your offer at Soif, but I don't know how much my schedule will be my own, traveling, as I am, in a group with 2 minivans. I DO know we have two open dinner nights in Santa Cruz, and I want to avoid a default trip to Outback or some other nonsense. Thanks again!

So it looks like I'm heading to Santa Cruz for a couple of days of wine biz touring. I tried doing a search, but the engine doesn't like "santa" or "cruz" for some reason. Anything worth checking out for dinner?

I didn't mention Ambassador or Chameleon because neither is downtown. Cindy's spot on so there's nothing more for me to tell ya. Oh and yea, thanks for doing some checking!

It would help to know a little more about you and what you define as "reasonable," but I'll give this a go....(rezzies recommended at all) Pricing first. There's no "free lunch" in Baltimore (none with atmosphere, anyways), but there are tons of overpriced ones. You can spend $200 a couple in two dozen area restaurants, but only a few deliver the goods. So I'll mention a couple of those, and then move down the price ladder. My 1st suggestion is Corks, on S. Charles Street. Russel Braitch is kicking butt in this kitchen right now; combined with a focused N. American wine list and a great selection of American artisanal cheeses, Corks is my current fave. Depending on what you drink, expect to spend between $150-200. http://www.corksrestaurant.com/ I am also impressed with Ixia lately. Inventive food, increasingly tight service, and a wine list that is lifting itself out of the muck of corporate domination, so prevalent among restaurants these days. Nice digs, too. http://ixia-online.com Cozy, with good food, perhaps cheaper, and with a great selection of wine and beer, try Brewer's Art. Belgian-style house brews, an ambitious and generally delicious menu, in an old-school Georgian row...er...townhouse. http://www.belgianbeer.com/ Saffron is an India fusion place on Charles, just north of the monument. Great interior, menu firming up quite nicely, decent wine list. http://www.saffronusa.com/ Vespa is quite reasonable. opinions differ on the romantic part, as some feel it gets noisy when crowded. I find that an earlier dining hour eliminates this issue. Surprisingly authenic european dining experience- solidly prepared food, nice stemware, well chosen wine list, satisfying desserts, thoughtful selection of digestifs and after dinner drinks, and a good shot of espresso (at least when the owner is there to watch over it). Vespa 1117-21 S. Charles St. Baltimore , MD 21230 Phone: (410) 385-0355 The "romantic" bit disqualifies Helmand, a long time favorite for affordable Afghan. Comfy, but not particularly romantic. That's about it for all your criteria in the downtown area. Darin ought to be a long shortly; he's single, so he might be a bit more focused on the romantic bit.....my wife and I already have our faves. And also Miss Cindy might care to weigh in.

I found Chiu's to be quite good. I do like Edo for its BYOB, but for freshness I think Matsuri on S. Charles street has it beat.

I didn't fully take in the emphasis on NO fine dining... with that I think my suggestions of Ixia and Corks and probably even Vespa don't apply. There is also Golden West Cafe in Hampden, near Cafe Hon. Bohemian in a smart Austin TX kind of way. The chef/owner loves spice, and his culinary heart clearly lies in the New Southwest. The menu reflects that, with a sprinkle of Thai and Vietnamese. The food is tasty, honestly prepared, generously portioned, and inexpensive. Tom Rudis is the chef/owner, he's an interesting personality, and his place is worth a visit. And sometimes, on an early Spring evening, a cool Natty Boh hits the spot. Diss it all you want, but just like its G. Heilman brethren (Pabst and Lone Star) it at least tastes like beer, which is more than I can say for the "premium" brands like Bud and Miller. If there's no Anchor and no Sierra Nevada in the house (or a competent local draught), I'll take the Boh.

In proximity to Club Charles, I too would recommend Brewer's Art. If you want casual "pub grub" they have it (mmmmmm.....rosemary garlic frites), but if you feeling like taking a table in the cozy, wood panelled dining room, you won't regret it. And their beer is very, very good. http://www.belgianbeer.com/ Ixia is another good choice, now that they have a chef who's allowed to have full creative control. A swankier interior though, so it may be more "fine dining" than what you are looking for: http://www.ixia-online.com/ Frogprince's heart shall remain intact, as Matthew's Pizza is still around. And it is as he describes. Everyone I know says no place in Baltimore tops NYC for pizza, but at least Matthew's variant is unique- house made deep-dish crusts, the usual "classic" toppings, and no mango-salsa-mergherita froo fooness. It is, er, "townie" though. Zero decor, but so what. Also a bit more of a drive than the others. 3131 Eastern Ave. Highlandtown Baltimore, MD 21224 [map] (410) 276-8755 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, noon-8 p.m. Sundays And then there is Helmand. It's an Afghan place run by the brother of that country's current ruler. Terrible wine list, delicious food, and right in the neighborhood. http://www.helmand.com/cuisine.shtml Vespa is not cutting edge, but I like it. good cooking, great wine list, actual stemware instead of Libby's Finest Potato Mashers, reasonably priced. The owner will fall out of his chair if he's in there when you come through the door, however. Come to think of it, that will happen at most of these places. 1117-21 S. Charles St. Federal Hill Baltimore, MD 21230 [map] (410) 385-0355 5:30-10 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays, 5:30-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays I'll give you a fine dining option too, just because I like these folks a lot.Corks is at the top of their game right now. And they aren't stuffy fine dining. The staff is knowledgeable and laid back. Even a nice pair of jeans that haven't been too faded and a button down shirt/pullover will more than suffice: http://www.corksrestaurant.com/ there are other good choices, but all will require some more involved driving, like Chameleon Cafe. I personally like them quite a lot- husband and wife team, 30 years old, and parents to be. Sometimes the cooking is rough around the edges but overall I'm a big fan. Completely unassuming place, with comfortably arty decor. Because it is a little out of the way, it is 100% townie. I even saw your man John Waters in there once. 4341 Harford Road Lauraville Baltimore, MD 21214 [map] (410) 254-2376 bwolfsmith@aol.com 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturdays I hope that helps. I also hope we perform well enough to, ahhhh..to improve your opinion as articulated in the book. Cheers, pleiades p.s. it isn't crab season yet, so they'll all be flown in from out of state

Darn, sorry I am late to the party here..... Blue Moon is quite good. Also consider Golden West Cafe in Hampden, Helen's Garden in Canton, and Cafe Hon, also in Hampden. and Gertrude's at the BMA has a nice sunday brunch as well.

...wow they look fantastic. What do I do with the leftover mousseline? make more pasta I guess.

nah, it's a celebration! Frankly, I think we both need lots of people around tonight. It's just a group of five, so adding another chair for you is no prob! Assuming you are in Baltimore in a hour.......