jbraynolds

Actually, since many of the folks at Per Se are friends, I'm going to beat this horse a bit more. It's THEIR fault that people won't pick up their phone because they don't recognize a number? I'm trying to get my hands around this one, sorry. They call, you choose not to answer (what in the Hell did you do before caller id?), then you go on-line and bitch that they didn't call? Oh, I forgot...they have "small minds" so they're incapable of doing the telepathic brain merge with their clients to inform them of the reservation time. Fools! Let me speak slowly: they tried to re-schedule, you chose not to answer your phone. That's your fault. Talk about no-win for them.

Oooooh, I'll bet if you met most (if not all) of the upper management at Per Se you'd take back the "small brains" comment. But, then again, assuming that people in the restaurant trade are barely-functioning morons is pretty normal practice for foodies (read: amateurs).

You bet we agree. And I had to work across the street from It for almost four years. At least the old Bun Penny had cheap beer on tap and you could walk to a real hot dog or pastrami place back then. I'd go further vis The Inner Horror Experience. If you're in New York, you can go to The South Street Seaport, which is another Rouse development. You don't even have to close your eyes to imagine that you're on Pratt Street. As a public service, here's a link to the "travel and marketing page" of this forward-thinking, soul-sapping developer. Here you can see those places that must be avoided at all costs. It's a real rogue's gallery of places utterly devoid of local color, personality and/or character "Cheescake Factory, Hard Rock Cafe, California Pizza Kitchen..." Yeah! Places Not to Go That Were Developed By The Rouse Company

Okay, deep breath. The problem with visiting Baltimore is that it has become way too easy to get sucked into the vortex of chains or pseudo-chains. You could spend days there without seeing places and things that make the city unique (some would, proudly, say bizarre). Christmas in Hamden, the 4th of July parade in Dundalk, what's left of The Block, those last Little Taverns, Lexington Market, Marconi's (no more Hausner's), Swallow at The Hollow, Bar, the original Wharf Rat (I'm elated that it still exists), at least a walk by Memorial Stadium and so on. These are the places that I think of when I think of Baltimore, not some Rouse Company sleepwalk, some Six Flags Over Camden Yards (I think that they don't even serve Esskay franks anymore; I hear that it's Perdue chicken franks...yikes!), a freakin' Legal Seafoods on Pratt Street across from The Place That Shall Not Be Mentioned...you can do that crap anywhere.

Speaking of cliches, if it's open, I'd get a car and drive down to Cantler's. They have a gift shop now so the end might be near.

Oh, and if you think that there's anything down there aside from what you call "cliches" that an out-of-towner can't miss, please enumerate. Wasn't it you who broght up the coddies? Hmm, I believe it was. Point is, when someone from out of town says "I want to see Baltimore", I sure as Hell wouldn't send them to a pizza place, a tex-mex place or an Asian place. No, I'd send them to a Baltimore, MD place, a place where they can get something that they can't duplicate elsewhere. Ever had a crabcake in NYC? If that's all you've had, Baltimore is a revelation. So sorry if it's a cliche in your More Baltimore Than Thou book.

A six-pack of Natty Boh and a sack of Little Tavern burgers. Now THAT's Baltimore dining. Don't forget the Berger's fudge cookies for dessert. Berger Cookies

guile - "treacherous cunning, skillful deceit" "to disguise or conceal, to deceive or elude"

That Little Tavern that misscindy mentions, in Highlandtown, on Eastern, is the one to which I refer. In my overly big picture way of looking at Baltimore I guess I consider that area "Dundalk North", with all due respect to the locals. The owner is the same as the one down in Laurel, I'm told. They supposedly get their buns from the same purveyor that supplied all of the Little Taverns back in the day. There's some good stuff available on the web that tracks the rise, reign and fall of Little Tavern, btw.

Hell, almost all crab in Maryland, whatever the time of year, is flown in. The crab harvesting around the Chesapeake has been devastated since at least the early 80's. Freakin' national and historic tragedy, in my view. Given how much crab in all its' form is consumed in Maryland in a given year, I'd be surprised if even 5% of what's eaten is from there. Louisiana has the same thing going on with crayfish.

I like Petit Louis but it's pretty well cut from the Balthazar/Pastis template. I guess that it could be anywhere. I'd do the crab thing, also Little Tavern, find a place that does pit beef and DEFINITELY go to Marconi's, although it might be "fine dining", it's Baltimore fine dining, which is quite surreal. Talk about time warpo'mania. If you want real, old style Baltimore but less, um, formal than Marconi's, go to The Women's Industrial Exchange lunchroom, on Charles Street. Whoah. Chicken Salad with Tomato Aspic, salads from the 60's (that's 1860's), Deviled Eggs. It's a trip.

Thai Square, any time. Excellent Thai, which just means great food. Heritage India, especially for lunch. Two Amy's for the apps/small plates that taste like you're at Obelisk. The bar at Citronelle. Zaytinya.

I liked Gampy's when I was in (or out of) the proper frame of mind. It really wasn't about the food. And the crowd was extremely interesting. Next you'll tell me that the Mt. Vernon Stable rib place across the street is gone. There's one Little Tavern left...out in Dundalk. Old-timers will (fondly?) recall this DelMarVa take on White Castle that helped to close out many a night of drinking. There's also one down in Laurel, for what it's worth. Those are the last two of the former empire. Sigh. When The Wharf Rat was in the original, pre-beer pub location, they had what they called The White Trash Breakfast Special - a can of National Bohemian and a Moon Pie for 75-cents before noon. They also had 10-cent oysters that you had to shuck yourself. I haven't been to the fancy, yupped-up Inner Harbor location but am encouraged by the 3 for 3 special, which is in the original spirit.

GREAT fried chicken at Tyrone's. There's one on North, not far from Club Charles. Late night, after everything closes, Gampy's, right down the street from CC, is a real scene and has admirable, even, gasp, healthy drunk food. And do not miss drinking at The Mount Royal Tavern, by the Art Institute. There's also a place that's just called "Bar" down in Fell's Point that must be experienced. There's some great Baltimore bar-crawling info in the message boards over at moderndrunkardmagazine.com, which is one of the great websites in existence. THE greatest for the drinking man or woman. Have fun in Charm City!

I like the ATM machine idea. Get one of those things that pays the place where it's placed a buck and the owner of the machine a buck. Love it.

Yes, the staff is extremely attentive. E-mail and phone confirms, non-smothering service.

I went about a month ago, during the week of their review and was seriously underwhelmed. Most everything is cold, at room temperature or reheated so most of the work was done...whenever. What went on during service was, basically a bit of warming/reheating and lots of plating. Anyone who has worked catering knows exactly what I'm talking about. Sort of like in business or first class on an airplane. Lots of things in little shot glasses. And the place was empty (a Wednesday night).

Ray Kroc changed precious few 20's before he died in 1984. McDonald's didn't have to break many 20's until the late 1980's, actually. People (especially fast food consumers, who were mostly teenagers and young parents) basically didn't carry around 20's in, say, 1957, when the average annual wage was $3,641.72 (it's $33,252.09 today). $20 was two days wages.

Oops. My mistake. So, will a new chef be brought in for Mix or will they stick with in-house staff? Or is it too early to tell. Delouvrier at AD/NY is not at all a bad fit, in my opinion. My few meals at Lespinasse under his watch and a couple at Celebrites were superb.

I'm very curious and a bit puzzled by the placement of Delouvrier at Mix. Everything that he has ever done in NYC has been the antithesis of the whole Mix concept. If anyone was ever a practitioner of the Luxe Classique version of French cuisine, it's Delouvrier. And for what it's worth, he probably has a good 10-15 years on Ducasse. The new menus ought to be pretty intriguing.

A great motivator in starting one's own business is the ability to tell people like Ms. Two Doughnuts and Change Back from a Twenty that they can go eat something far less appetizing than the food being served. Since when did "good service" come to mean "wax, buff and kiss my ass after I humiliate your staff"? I love seeing some self-centered, self-important, abusive "The Customer Is Always Right" type say "I want to see your manager" and be told "well, you'll have to settle for the owner, and that would be me". Chapeau, Ann.

So, what happened to Psaltis? Did he quit? Was he canned? Demoted? Transferred? Shallow grave? Is he landing someplace else?

Thanks very much for the suggestions! I've heard good things about Codfather; anyone been there?

The Luger burger is fine but stop in at Keen's when you get back to Manhattan and compare their version. No contest in my opinion.

Anybody have insight as to the better destinations in Cape Town for fine dining, price not an object? Also wine bars and stores? Thanks in advance.