misscindy

I like Pazo a lot and it is a semi regular stop for us. We have tried enough of the menu to have favorites – the slow cooked lamb, pasta with veal and pork ragu, the spinach with pine nuts, chorizo and grilled potatoes and my personal fav - I think of it as a grown up version of fish and chips – grilled bronzini with lemon, olive oil and dill on top of a slice of fried potato. Ultra yum. And, just as all the other Wolf/Foreman restaurants, they have great cheeses. The staff is helpful and well trained and the wine list is shockingly reasonable. It is set in an old warehouse between Harbor East and Fells Point. The space is huge and big money was sunk into the interior. On weekends during prime time, it gets crowded beyond belief, I much prefer weeknights. It isn’t always perfect- I’m not sure that perfection is possible in a place of that size- but I enjoy it and it is a very welcome addition.

I agree. I started looking at this thread because my husband and I are thinking of coming up to NY for an evening at Per Se. We ate at the French Laundry last year and oysters and pearls is one of the best things I've ever eaten - anywhere. It really is subjective.

Just curious, but what does "not enough tactile presence" mean? Is that a fancy pants way of saying mushy?

Wow - woodfired-steamed crabs, huh? Never had it but wish I had. As for free crabs with beer, that's funny, I have heard about that. My father (who is 64) still cannot adjust to the fact that crabs are expensive. He always talks about how crabs were "poor people food" when he was a kid.

I haven't been. And, I gotta tell ya, I just don't see myself going. I enjoy watching Ray-Ray reek havoc on Sundays but I can't see going over to Canton (a neighborhood I already dislike because of the extreme yup factor) and standing in line (and I have heard there are lines!) for--dare I say it--corporate, chain type food. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong and it's really good. I actually don't eat bbq very often and I'd rather support a Baltimore football player of yore, Andy Nelson. Or, another independent place that I have yet to try, Big Bad Wolf. As a side note, I believe the name of the restaurant is Ray Lewis' Full Moon...is it just me or do you somehow sorta expect to see his hiney when you hear that name?

I was 7 or 8 years old. The kid I played with next door invited me to eat dinner at her house. Sure, ok. I asked my mom, sure, ok. So, I go over and sit down in their kitchen at the round faux wood table with those tall swivel chairs that were so popular in the 70's. A CB radio (no lie) was playing and chili was being served. So far, so good. I liked my mom's chili so I was ready. Bring it on. I looked at the pile of ground beef and beans in my bowl and thought...hmmm, this looks different. I tasted it and I quickly realized something for the first time in my life--my mom is a good cook! That was quickly followed by telling myself that it probably isn't a good idea to ever eat anything away from home again. I had no idea that food could be so bad. The chili was a nasty pile of lukewarm ground beef with kidney beans and a few tomatoes. It was dry and had no seasoning that I could detect. My coping mechanism was to eat lots and lots of saltines with it and then claim to be full. It was a long time before I agreed to eat at a friend's house again.

Steamed crabs are a huge investment of time and unfortunately these days, money. But, I certainly don't think a big chunk of lump blue crab with a little "mustard" and Old Bay is tasteless. And, as for the minimal return on a huge investment of time, I'm a fourth generation Baltimorean, so for me, that's sort of like saying why don't we skip Thanksgiving because it takes too long. It is time spent with friends and family, usually in someone's yard, eating something out of a brown bag on a picnic table covered with newspapers. It is a tradition that people in this region have enjoyed for countless generations. And, actually, the time element is one of the things I love about it. You can't rush through it - it forces you to sit the hell down for a long time and get your fingers very dirty. You might as well relax, make sure you have lots of beer on hand, turn the baseball game on the radio and enjoy yourself. I'm ready for summer.

Joe - you wrote what I was thinking. I love crab cakes but rarely order them out because a proper crab cake to me is a very specific thing and most places just don't make them "right."

I don't think I would be able to do a long weekend in that area without eating at the Inn at Easton...I really enjoyed my one and only dinner there. In fact, now I'm thinking I'd like to go again sometime soon.

Me too--although, it was a bit earlier in the 80's. My friends and I would sometimes pile into a car and make the trek from Baltimore to go shopping for vintage clothes and see bands. An old boyfriend's band opened for the late, great Stiv Bators at the Bayou and he introduced me...my hero Stiv wasn't exactly much of a conversationalist, though. He was much more concerned with the needle he was sticking into his arm. Ah, yes, good times. The last time I was in Georgetown (more than a few years ago, at this point), I had the same urge to flee that I get anytime I'm in a shopping mall. I haven't been back since. Such a shame.

I totally agree--the way people dress impacts atmopshere in a big way. My personal pet peeve? Shorts. For the love of God, if you are going somewhere that is even remotely stylish, please do us all a favor and put on your big boy pants.

I couldn't agree more. It's a real place, in a way that others can try to fake, but can't succeed at. Question: you mentioned drinking a draft. Do they sell draft beer there? I only saw beer in cans; but if they have good draft beer there, I might just have to move in. ← Yep, they have draft beer...but not good draft beer. I believe the choices are limited to Bud and Bud Light, both of which I dislike a great deal. It would be too strange if they had a great selection of beer.

Saturday night was the last night for Soigne. Boo hiss. It is truly a shame that you didn't get to try it because it was really, really good. The closing is a serious loss for Baltimore. Unfortunately, our scene just isn't deep enough to shrug it off. I heard something about the landlord buying out the lease. That theory makes sense because property values in that part of town have risen substantially since Soigne opened. An evil, evil thing to do. Word is that Chef Edward Kim is taking a position in DC - Merkado? Will be interesting to see if he can continue to turn out thoughtful, creative and delicious food in what will no doubt be a much larger, less intimate, operation.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Faidley’s and Brewer’s. Thanks for your report. Faidley’s makes an incredible crabcake but that isn’t the only reason I love the place so much. To me, it represents a part of Baltimore culture that is slowly but surely fading away. I love standing there, eating a crabcake, drinking a draft and pondering the culinary possibilities of raccoon and muskrat. And swamp rabbit (!). Spending time at Faidley’s provides a very effective fix for anyone bored with the generic or the trendy. And, Brewer’s is a regular stop for me, an ozzy or two after work will adjust your attitude in short order. I never grow tired of the beer or the space. Nice of you to remind us that we are lucky to have it, especially now, when I’m feeling like throwing myself a pity party over the unexpected closing of one of my favorites, Soigne, over the weekend. I may have an ozzy or two and think about it.

The "malt liquor" was never really a malt liquor at all, it was always a lager and was labelled a malt liquor because of regulations related to the ABV - some places insist that any beverage made from malt that is above a certain ABV be labelled as malt liquor. So I would be suprised that there was any difference between the two other than the label. (malt liquor as a beer style commonly refers to a lager that has the ABV pumped up by other fermentables, usually corn, with little to no hop presence - Singha is really a strong lager and is an all malt brew) ← I'll be the first to admit that my beer knowledge is lacking. But, I do understand that lager and malt liquor are not mututally exclusive and that malt liquor is lager, with a higher alcohol content. I think that malt liquor and lighter lagers are both bottom fermented resulting in higher sugar levels, which gave Singha malt liquor a sweet, spicy flavor I like. (I swear the stuff labeled lager and the stuff labeled malt liquor tastes different to me...is that impossible?) I think the reason Singha changed the bottles is to expand their market. Perhaps they also changed the brewing process to meet expected higher demand...I dunno.

I revived this thread because I've got a question about Singha that I'm hoping someone can answer. I understand that they are changing the bottles from the short bottle to a more standard long bottle. And, I only see the lager, rather than the malt liquor, in the long bottles. I like the malt liquor--ummm, gooood--but I don't like the lager. Have they stopped making malt liquor? Please, in the name of Billy Dee Williams, say it ain't so.

The Wharf Rat has decent pub style food and good beer, right across Pratt Street. I'm also fond of their bloodies. If you want to take a little walk up Charles Street, Afghan Kabob is ok, at Charles & Lombard. These are the two closest independent lunch options that immediately come to mind.

I've cooked with frozen Kafir lime leaves from local Asian markets and with fresh from my local Whole Foods and I can tell you that the fresh are a whole lot better. They can be frozen but I'd stick with fresh if possible.

Believe me, I’d be happy if my info was incorrect. I can appreciate both throwbacks and classical French.

I recently heard some brutally ugly things about this place from a reliable source. Said things involved instant mashed potatoes. I've never been there but I would proceed with caution. Sorry to say that it may no longer be expedition worthy.

Any other day of the week, I would agree. Lexington Market is closed on Sundays.

You will be close to Abacrombie and Dukem. And, another poster mentioned Nick's in the Cross Street Market in Federal Hill. It is open on Sundays and it would be a fun, very casual option.

This is kind of a tough request...your choices would be substantially better starting at 5, but here goes. There are a few places that I can recommend that I think are open at that hour. Of course, I'd call to confirm. My first choice for a sit down, tablecloth sort of place is Abacrombie Fine Foods. You can get an idea of the food served and the prices at http://www.abacrombie.net. Make reservations, they cater to the symphony crowd. I think that Wine Market may also be open, it is on Fort Avenue in Locust Point. And, there are several ethnic places that are open nearly all the time, like Chinatown Cafe on Park Avenue, Dukem Ethiopian on Maryland Avenue and Nam Kang (Korean) on Maryland Avenue. You may also have luck in a neighborhood like Fells Point where there are lots of bars and taverns. I understand that Kooper's Tavern on Thames serves up a decent burger and around the corner, the Wharf Rat serves decent pub grub. And, fyi, I think SoBo (a good choice) may be closed from 4-6 on Sundays... Hope this is helpful.

We have a 30" Viking dual-fuel range and I love it. I only wish we had the space in our galley kitchen for a 48". We've had it for 5 years and had one problem - the convection oven option suddenly stopped working - and I believe that is a fairly common occurrence. We had it repaired and it has been fine ever since. That incident did not have a negative impact on my overall happiness with the range. It performs quite nicely.

I don’t know if you are looking for lunch or dinner, casual or deluxe, but in any case, my suggestion would be to get out of the immediate Inner Harbor area. You could head to the Harbor East area and check out Pazo, the current fav of nearly everyone. If you are in town on a weekend evening though, be prepared for huge crowds and a long wait. If you get there early (they open at 5) it would be a good bet. Mediterranean tapas, great wine list, nice cocktails. South of the Inner Harbor, in Federal Hill, I like Vespa, casual Italian with great wine service, SoBo Café, a neighborhood place with updated comfort food. Thai Arroy is nice and BYOB. If you are there during the day, the Cross Street Market can be a fun spot for drinking and eating steamed shrimp and raw oysters. More upscale (and fairly expensive) dinner suggestions in the area are Soigne and Corks. In Mt. Vernon, the Brewer’s Art is a great choice for drinks and dinner. Dukem II for dirt cheap Ethiopian. Thai Landing for Thai. The Helmand for Afghan. These are a few of my favorite inexpensive choices. I’ll be happy to expand the list of you have some specific preferences. Enjoy your visit.