LizStambaugh "http://whatstoeatbaltimore.blogspot.com/"

Saturday nights are something Nathan and I look forward to every week. Not just because we don’t have to work that day, but because it’s generally the night we go out to eat someplace new. Most of the times we are kept company by an adventerous friend or two. This last Saturday night we were joined by our dear friend Chris. We had every intention of checking out the Red Square. We had called earlier about a reservation, and were informed that there was reservation required. Thinking back on it, Nathan said they almost sounded like it was a strange question… and now we know why. We showed up, but much to our dismay, they had decided to close the actual restaurant and to only pursue the night club scene. Hmmm… so since we had already paid for parking on the Charles Street corridor… we decided to make it a night of spur of the moment dining.

We decided we would give The Helmand a try, and pray they could seat a party of 3. Upon first arriving we were told they could squeeze us at a table the typically sat two, in about 15 mins. We figured that this was as good as it was going to get, and agreed to wait at the bar. While we were each enjoying a cocktail, we were informed they were able to clear out a nice table and seat us in 5 mins. We were thrilled to find out our table was in the middle of the restaurant, and quite roomy. The night was looking to be very promising.

I had never been to Helmand, and was very excited to try Afghan food. Chris had been there frequently, and Nathan had been there about three years ago. I was told by both that there wasn’t a bad choice on the menu. Actually, this made deciding very hard. They had a full list of weekend specials along with the regular fare. ( I encourage you to check out their menu on the website.)

After much debate I decided on the Mantwo for an appetizer, and the Dwopiaza as my main course. Of course I can’t properly pronounce either, I sheepishly pointed to the menu instead of butchering the names. Nathan had also ordered the Shorwa with a organic salad off the special list, and the Chopendez. Chris had the Vegetarian Aush as his appetizer, and the Koufta Challow as the entree.

Within a minute all three of our appetizers were brought to the table, fresh, hot, and very tasty

My Mantwo consisted of pastry filled with a onion and beef mixture on top of yogurt, vegetables and beef sauce. I do have to say it was amazing. I first was very skeptical if I would even like Afghan food, but after that night, I found out I love it.

Nathan’s Salad consisted of organic greens, Gorgonzola, red onions and avocado lightly covered in a vinegerette. He said it was very fresh and tasted earthy… which he then explained was a good thing.

Once our appetizers had been happily consumed, our table was cleared, and our drinks were refreshed. About 5 mins later, our main courses arrived. I do have to say it’s a shame one can’t capture aroma’s in a blog, because all of our food put off such distinct scents. This made the meal even more enjoyable.

My Dwopiza consisted of Lamb tenderloin, and vegetables served on pallow.It was seasoned well, and tasted amazing. The sauce was something I couldn’t recognize, but it was quite savory. (I will have to do some serious research on Afghan food, to see if I can make any in the future.)

Once we had eaten our meals, dessert was offered. We were so full we declined, and paid our bill and left. The staff was friendly, polite, and very efficient. There was no language barrier involved, and all were there to please the customer. Helmand was very packed with a diverse crowd. They also seemed to be very comfortable with accommodating large parties, as we passed a party of twelve on our way out. The decor was also nice, the walls had fabrics from the country, along with some very interesting teapots and cups. If it wasn’t over another table, I would have taken some pictures. (Guess you will have to go see for yourself!).

Last Thursday night, was Girls Night at The Melting Pot. I went, along with my mother and sister. They had a set 4 course menu for the night at $35.00 per person.

We started out the night with a few drinks, and I had the “Love Martini”. It consisted of Malibu, Cranberry Juice and Peach Schnapps. It also was garnished with strawberry slices.

For our first course we choose the Cheddar Cheese Fondue, which came with bread, vegetables and Granny Smith apples. The fondue consisted of beer, garlic and little bit of oil, cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Our waitress combined all the ingredients right in front of us, and mixed it till blended.

I didn’t think I was going to like the apple and cheese combination, but it turned out to be my favorite. The combination of sweet, tangy and salty was perfect.

Once we finished our first course of Fondue, we had our salads. They were your typical salad with croutons and Cesar dressing. But the one thing different was sugar encrusted pine-nuts.

Our third course was a sampling feast. We were to cook it ourselves in the “Court Bouillon Style” We were giving a new pot which was filled with vegetable flavored bouillon. We were also giving our raw foods, to cook ourselves. There was chicken, shrimp, ravioli, steak, and vegetables.

We also were given several different types of sauces, that went well with each of the meats and vegetables. My mother was particularly fond of the mushrooms, and there always seemed to be one floating around in the pot.
It was interesting to be able to cook your meal as you ate.

The last and BEST part of the meal!
Let me still tell you about dessert. We had the Flaming Turtle Chocolate Fondue. It was milk chocolate and nuts blended together. It came with sliced strawberries, rice-krispies, bananas, pound cake, brownies, and Oreo crusted marshmallows, and grahm-cracker crusted marshmallows. I could have had dessert alone and been happy. It was so much, and so good. By the end of the night we all had some sort of chocolate on us some-where. My two favorite combinations were the banana and chocolate and the grahm-cracker marshmallows and chocolate.

All in all it was an fun night. The price is quite high to eat there, so I would recommend The Melting Pot for special occasions only. I did notice something about eating there though. Whoever you are dining with, you will have to have to have the same tastes, as there is only one pot at each table. So you may want to keep that in mind when go there with someone.

I know, I know, what am I doing eating at a chain! Well in my defense, Ruth Chris is also a chain. Call it curiosity, but I had to give the new Cheesecake Factory in the Towson Mall a try.

Since my father was in New Mexico for my actual birthday, he offered to take the whole family out to dinner sometime during the Christmas break in honor of the day.

I decided a good place that would make everyone happy would be the Cheesecake Factory. There is a large age gap between my siblings and I, so it’s hard sometimes to find a place that not only all the adults can agree on, but also a 12 year old girl, and a very ravenous 16 year old boy will like also

We decided to meet for a late lunch around 2:00pm on Sunday. We figured that would give us enough time to eat, and get back home to see the Ravens beat the Jaguars!

Nathan and I had arrived around 12:30 to take care of some Christmas returns, and stopped by the Cheesecake factory to ask them on a time frame, since there was always the infamous wait down in the Inner Harbor. We told the hostess that we were expecting to have a party of 6 around 2:00pm. She suggested to arrive at 1:30pm and that we shouldn’t have any problems.

A 1/2 hr wait on a Sunday afternoon at the Cheesecake Factory seemed fair enough. So Nathan and I went about some shopping, avoiding from getting any snacks from the Auntie Anne Pretzel stand. (The smells are so tempting!)

Nathan and I showed back up at 1:30 and put our name in, while the rest of my family was in search for a coveted parking space. The hostess informed us it would be about a 30min wait, and gave us a buzzer. We sat outside on the benches and “mall watched”. Within 15mins our buzzer went off, and the rest of my family was still en route. We informed the hostess that all of our party was not here yet, but they were on their way. She said no problem, and seated us anyway. (How nice is that!)

Nathan started out with a Mojito, and I had a Strawberry Lemonade. The Mojito was decent, but I was surprised by the presentation of my lemonade. I was expecting the standard lemonade with strawberry syrup. Instead I got a tall glass rimmed with sugar, filled with lemonade and diced strawberries.

We then ordered our favorite appetizer, the crispy crab wantons.

Like everything at the Cheesecake Factory, it’s all in large portions. The wantons were as good as the last time we had them. If you like crab, you will like these. It’s crab meat and a cheese mixture wrapped in a wanton skin, and fried.

We also had an order of the Nachos but everyone dove in before I could get a good picture. I highly doubt any of my readers would want to see an empty plate.

Next we had our entrees. I had ordered the caramel chicken off the specials.

My father and mother ordered the bang-bang chicken and the lettuce wraps to share.

My brother ordered the BBQ pulled pork sandwich

And Nathan and my sister had each their own order of the Cajun chicken “littles”
(note the Todd Heap jersey in the background :)

I was curious about the caramel chicken. They did it in a peanut butter Thai style, but substituted caramel instead of the typical peanut butter. It was very spicy, but also had a nice sweet tang to it also. It also came with vegetables and a huge helping of sticky rice. I was barely able to eat half of it, and had the rest boxed for my lunch the next day.

Nathan’s favorite item at the Cheesecake factory is the Cajun chicken “littles”. They are glorified chicken tenders with a Cajun kick, that come with honey mustard to dip in. They also come with a giant helping of mashed potatoes and corn succotash.
Even with Nathan’s appetite he is unable to conquer the meal, and always has a few tenders left over for an evening snack.

I didn’t try my parents meal, but my dad did say it was very good, but not as spicy as mine was. He said the bang-bang chicken was more savory than spicy, but still good.

I did try a little bit of the pulled pork from my brother’s sandwich. It was no Andy Nelson’s but it was still pretty good. Instead of finely shredded pork, it was more larger chunks. It came with a large side of fries and a massive helping of coleslaw.

After we declared defeat on the entrees we decided that we would have to have some cheesecake. I mean we were at The Cheesecake Factory, it’s just a given. Since we were mostly so full, we decided to split slices. Nathan and my mother split a slice of the fresh banana cream cheesecake, while my sister and I split a slice of the key lime cheesecake. My brother decided he wanted a peach smoothie, and my father offered to play clean up. When we gave our waitress the ordered she was nice enough to ask if we wanted to bakery to half our slices for us, so there would be no fighting over who got a bigger piece.

My key-lime was rich, creamy and perfectly tart. It also was topped with some whipped cream and a lime slice to garnish. The banana cheesecake had fresh sliced bananas, Bavarian cream and whipped cream. It was all consumed before I could sample a bite, but I was told it was very good.

All in all it was a decent meal, and Nathan and I were happy to finally see a decent priced place serve good food and drinks in Towson. Also Nathan and I were trying to remember prices at the Inner Harbor verses Towson, and they seemed to be a little bit cheaper. For a party of 6 that had drinks, beer, appetizers, entrees, and dessert, it came to a little bit under $25.00 per person. (Which isn’t to bad)

If you have never been to a Cheesecake Factory it is at least worth trying out once, or maybe twice. All their servings are HUGE, and typically if it’s just Nathan and I we share an appetizer, side salad, entree, but split on the dessert. (You really can’t share the best part of the meal.) Even after splitting most of the meal, we end up with leftovers to take home. I do also have to note that they had a very nice bar set up, even with a few TVs to catch the game. And for $5.00 the mall has all day Valet Parking right outside the Cheesecake factory, which is nice for family with smaller kids.

So stayed tuned for more reviews, recipes, and maybe even a few laughs. Here you will always be able to find out What’s To Eat In Baltimore.

The Sunday before Christmas, Nathan, his parents, and I went to go see our friend Wade Tyree’s movie premiere at the Senator. We decided to have dinner before-hand at Ryan’s Daughter.

If you are ever looking for a great authentic Irish meal, Ryan’s Daughter is the place to go. Not only do you get a great pub feel, you are always guaranteed a tall draft of Guinness.

I have eaten several things off the menu, and it’s all wonderful. My favorite item off the menu is the Shepherds Pie. It’s the most glorified chicken pot pie ever. It has a buttery flakey puff pastry crust, and is filled with shredded chicken and vegetables. And to make it even better it’s topped with pipped mashed potatoes.

Nathan ordered the Potted Stew that night. The stew consists of braised beef and lamb and served in a bread bowl. It is very savory and equally tasty to my beloved Shepherds Pie. After our meal we walked over to The Senator to see Wade’s movie “Sinner”.

So if you are looking for a great Irish dinner, or a great pub to get a drink, Ryan’s Daughter is “The Pub To Eat In Baltimore”.

I was super excited to go to the Baltimore Foodies Holiday Party. Not only was it on my birthday, but I would be seeing some of my favorite people including Lars Rusin from The Great Cheese who also heads up the Baltimore Foodies. We were also going to see Beej and Darcy. To our surprise our friends Trey and Angela Lewis from Gunpowder Bison attended the dinner as well. Nathan and I grabbed a drink and began wondering around the quaint dining room.

I had never been to Jack’s Bistro before, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I found out that Jack is not really Jack, but Jack is Ted. And Ted is who most people would think is Jack. Maybe there was a Jack at some point, but I’m not sure. As Ted explained it, its a throwback to Three’s Company.

Anyway, Ted is a owner and the head chef at Jack’s Bistro. He’s a delightful man, and an amazing chef. By the looks of the regular menu, he also looks like he loves to have fun while creating dishes like macaroni and chocolate or foie gras poutine.

We arrived at Jack’s a little bit early so I could take some pictures. It was a good thing that we did, because once everyone arrived I would have never gotten the pictures that I did. They had everything set up buffet style, and I think that would have been better than 50 hungry people berating the waitstaff all at once. There was all kind of foods at different stations and Nathan and I were not shy to be the first to sample.

I first tried all the cheeses that were brought by Lars from The Great Cheese.

My favorite was the cheese curd. I could have eaten a whole bowl of those. I thought mozzarella was my favorite but after that…I’m a curd lover now.

There also was a designated “Veggie” area that consisted of two types of salads, and grilled asparagus. The asparagus was wonderful. I don’t know why it is, but grilled veggies always taste so much better. There also was a bowl of macerated fruit, which we discovered was quite strong. Nathan of course went back for seconds and thirds and now I know how to get him to eat healthy. Tomorrow I will be soaking his green beans in vodka.

At the end of the table of salad and cheese, they had a two chaffing dishes with Truffle mashed potatoes and Spanish Chorizo. Sadly I wasn’t able to get a picture before people dove in. But I will say this, after having Truffle Potatoes I don’t think we can go back to normal ones. They were so rich, and buttery and savory.

At the next station they were slicing fresh suckling pig and paired it with several sauces. I personally liked the cilantro sauce, which I would have never thought to put with pork. Of course, the photo of Beej and Nathan contains the only part of the pig that was left… the head!

On the same table was the Oyster Station. Ted was behind the bar the entire time shucking raw oysters to order. He was talking to all the guests and was an excellent host. Shamefully I am not a lover of raw oysters like most, so I waved and walked past quickly. Along with the oysters there were several vodkas to partake in.

You can also see on the right side of the picture above, the Sous Vide station was also set up. There was duck breast, pork loin and beef loin. There was also some sauces to go with your meat, I couldn’t remember all the names, but my favorite was a semi sweet apple bacon sauce. It went really well with the duck and beef.

All the food was amazing. The nice thing about the buffet is that you can keep going back, and back, and back….

On top of all that food, the event also featured an open bar. I tried to take some pictures but none of mine did it any justice. So the one I have posted is from Jack’s Bistro’s website. It was nice to see that they had some Brewer’s Art beers like Ozzy on tap, and also Delirium Tremens in small bottles. This is a favorite of Nathan’s and although Nathan loves Max’s on Broadway… he says it was nice to see Delirium somewhere else. So if you like Belgian Ale’s and you see a grey bottle with pink elephants on it, taste it. Nathan and Beej also discovered Barenjager. Barenjager is a German honey flavored liquor. The rest of the night all that I heard from Nathan was “Hey lets do some shots.”, followed by the clinging of glasses and him saying “I just raided Pooh Bears house and stole some honey.”

Once again I encourage all of you to attend a Baltimore Foodies event. Make sure to visit the website and sign up for their newsletter so you can get notified on upcoming events. And stop by Jacks and say Hi to Ted. You won’t be disappointed. We are going back soon and checking out the regular menu. Maybe I will see you there…

I know there has been a LARGE gap between my soft opening review and now. Please forgive me, as I know several of you have been waiting for the “Official” review.

I have to admit I’ve been to The Abbey Burger Bistro a few times prior to this event. It always seemed though I was there for just drinks, or dessert, or even worst of all, I didn’t have my camera.

Well this time around I planned ahead, and was prepared. My father-in-law decided he wanted to celebrate his birthday at The Abbey and I was very happy to hear it. Six of us arrived on a Sunday afternoon (before pre-March Madness) around 2:00PM. The bar was half full and so were the tables downstairs. The staff was happy to put together two tables for us to accommodate our party of six.

We decided to start out with some appetizers, and ended up ordering the Waffle Fry Nacho’s and The Original Wings. I have to start out and say that I am biased when it come to waffle fries. I love waffle fries, and could eat a basket of just them, but add nacho toppings and I was in heaven!

When the wings arrived, I was half expecting average wings, but was pleasantly surprised. They had your traditional buffalo style sauce, but ALSO had a slight flavoring of Old Bay! Though it wasn’t described on the menu, I swear I tasted Old Bay.

For dinner, we of course had burgers. I daringly opted to try the Peanut-Butter Burger, and Nathan ordered the Lamb Burger. We opted to each have half of each others so we could taste more than one burger.

I was very nervous about ordering the Peanut-Butter Burger, what if I didn’t like it? Nathan had tasted it before and kept assuring me it was good, but sometimes our tastes differ……severely.

The Peanut-Butter Burger came with Roseda beef, smoked bacon, creamy peanut-butter on a classic bun. Nathan advised me to order it on the medium-rare side to add juiciness.

The Peanut-Butter Burger was surprisingly tasty! It had a great combination of sweet and salty, and not too much peanut-butter to over-whelm. I do suggest, if you order this burger make it medium or rare. If you order it cooked any more the peanut-butter combined with the beef may leave it a little dry.

Next to the Lamb Burger, I have had this burger before and once again it was awesome. The Lamb Burger is very Greek styled with cucumbers, onion, herbed yogurt, lettuce, and of course lamb on all on a toasted pita bun. It was a nice cool and refreshing taste and of anything with lamb, I’m all for.

Nathan and I both ordered Sweet-Potato Fries with out burgers, and happily devoured them. If you have never had them, once again I encourage you to PLEASE try sweet-potato fries. Once you have those, you will never go back to regular fries, well, unless they are waffle fries.

For dessert Nathan had a home-made Chipwhich, and I a Banana Split with pistachio ice-cream. ( please don’t judge my pistachio obsession).

The Chipwhich is an ice-cream cookie sandwich made on home-made cookies. Nathan opted for vanilla ice-cream on his.

So once again, I challenge any other place in Baltimore to make a better burger than The Abbey Burger Bistro. I love The Abbey for its uniqueness, creativity, and oh yeah the large massive amount of craft beers they offer. I’m not sure, but I possibly may just be in burger-love with this place.

There is nothing better in life than a good burger and a cold beer. I am very excited about the Abbey opening up and by the looks of the crowd Friday night, I think there are also a lot of other people who are too. If you are wondering where the Abbey is, it’s where the Sky Lounge used to be in Federal Hill. They officially open up this week, however Nathan and I stopped by Friday for a sneak peak.

We walked to the Abbey around 6:45. The decor was warm and inviting. We were able to grab two seats at the bar, and there was only one table down-stairs left. By 7:30 all the seats in the house were taken, and it was becoming standing room only.

In regards to the food, they offer any combination you can imagine to make a burger by using a unique “check-list” menu. This is where you fill out a piece of paper that almost looks like a survey, picking your meat, bread, toppings, sauce, and cheese. You also get to pick out sides too. Nathan went with a lamb burger on pita, with cucumbers and a Greek style yogurt. It also came with a side of home-made chips. I went with an Angus burger on a regular bun that had cheddar cheese, a spicy sauce, and Fois Gras. I will say for all you Fois Gras lovers out there, they give you your fill. And all controversies aside, it was good…really good. I also had a “La Chouffe” which was a Belgian Strong Ale. It was quite tasty, and complimented my burger well. I ordered a side of regular fries with my burger, which was topped with a garlic stuffed olive.

Nathan and I were both very happy with our choice of food, and were actually very full. We noticed they had several milk-shake varieties that all offered some sort of alcohol in them. But since it was just a soft opening, they weren’t serving them yet. They also opened up the up-stairs bar around 9, and that helped ease the crowd.

The kitchen is open till 12:00 AM, so you can get your late night burger crave on. They also have a few TVs downstairs all tuned into an ESPN channel, so you can get your burger, beer, and football fix all at the same time.

We will most definitely be back, a week or so from now. Then I will share some pictures and an official review. So for now, you will just have to check it out for yourself. If you are wondering What’s To Eat in Baltimore, the Abbey is the place to check out. This is Baltimore’s only fully customizable burger bistro. Move over 5 Guys, The Abbey is grilling up fresh local burgers with creative flare and unique toppings… and ohh yeah… beer.

Now this place is right in Towson, on the same street they hold the Farmer’s Market.
It’s just a little small one of a kind shop, but I have learned that those kinds of places sometimes have the best food.

You walk in, go to the register and order your sandwich, and what toppings you want.
I ordered a burger with caramelized onions, bacon, and cheese, along with a side of fries.
Now I watched them make it, and I was quite impressed, he hand formed me a patty right there, and threw it on the grill. He than sliced some onions are started working on those, along with the 4 biggest pieces of bacon I have seen in awhile. The fries were the typical boardwalk style, which I covered in Old Bay, like any good Baltimorian does. I had to wait about 5 mins before my burger was done, and boy they were the longest 5 mins of my life. It smelled amazing, it looked amazing, and it was big.
The meat was properly cooked medium, as I requested. The cheese was thick, and fresh. And the bacon! Oh the Bacon! It was big slices, nice and crispy. My only regret that day was I ate all my fries in anticipation of this burger, and could only eat half of it.

Now the price is a little bit more than Five Guys, but I think their better than Five Guys.
It’s just your typical little burger joint, nothing high-class. But if you’re craving some good red meat in Towson, skip the bars and fast-food places, and grab your burger there.

Kali’s Mezze

Kali’s Mezze is a tapas restaurant in Fell’s Point. They focus on Greek and Mediterranean style foods, and I must say they perform it quite well. If you recognize the name Kali and are wondering if they have any relation to Kali’s Court… you are correct. Both restaurant’s (and nearby Meli) are owned by the same person, and all of them are very popular.

Now Nathan and I have ventured to Mezze several times, both together and separate. We have been there in small parties, and we have always been completely satisfied. So of course, when a special occasion came about in our family, Nathan and I both gladly recommended it. Our intent was to have a party of six, on a Friday night, for 8:00 pm.

We properly planned ahead and called and made a reservation on Tuesday of that week. A call back was even made to verify, since the restaurant seemed to be having problems with the phone line that day. After the call back to confirm the reservation, we felt safe, and very excited to go to a place that the rest of our family had not experienced before.

Friday night came, we showed up promptly at 8:00 pm… only to be told that they had no record of our reservation. They did have two other parties of six at 8:00 pm. Nathan and I were not happy at all, especially since we had been talking the place up all week. The matra’dee recognized us as regulars, and asked us to wait a moment to see what he could do for us. He came back about 10 mins later to tell us he could possibly seat us in 30 mins. We figured it was our best hope for a Friday night, for a party of six that apparently now had no reservation. So we waited outside, and observed the patrons of Fell’s Point. Luckily the weather was comfortable, and we always seem to have lots to talk about in our family.

After the matra’dee had notified us of our wait, he turned his attention to the other party of 6 that their reservation had luckily made its way into their books. He advised them it would only be a few more moments, and they would be seated shortly.

At 8:35 pm the floor manager approached us, and said he only had a table on the first floor that typically fits four. I didn’t realize that part of the tapas experience was not only sharing small plates… but also sharing small spaces! We unhappily accepted the offer, assuming that it was the best we were going to get. After we had all squeezed in, and were waiting for the waiter to approach us, I noticed the other party of 6 that had a reservation was finally seated at 8:40 pm.

Our waiter finally arrived 10 mins later, and added two extra place settings for us. He asked us what we would like to drink, and Nathan and I quickly chorused red Sangria, which has become our go to drink at Mezze. The rest of our table asked if they offered ice tea, after not seeing it on the menu. The waiter informed them they did have un-sweetened ice tea, and 4 glasses were ordered.

We perused the menu, giving our input of what was good to the rest of the party. Once the waiter returned with our drinks, we ordered our first round of food. The lentil soup, zucchini fritters, asparagus, chicken kabobs, tabboule, chilled beets, and the roasted salmon.

The waiter than returned with fresh complimentary pita along with the chilled beets. They were very good. They were fresh, cool, and drizzled with feta, walnuts and honey.

Second came the tabboule, lentil soup, asparagus, salmon and zucchini fritters. We than ordered falafel, two orders of braised beef, and the the beef and lamb meatballs. We also reminded the waiter that we still had not received the chicken kabobs my sister-in-law had ordered. He said it would only be 5 more mins, as they take longer to make.

Nathan loves the tabboule there, and says every time it tastes fresh and wonderful. My mother-in-law was the recipient of the lentil soup, and said it was flavorful and one of the best that she had had. The zucchini fritters are a favorite of mine, and the rest of our party enjoyed them as well.

The waiter than returned to see who needed refills, and all the ice- teas were topped off. Once the drinks were taken care of, the rest of the food we ordered came in one right after another, except the chicken kabobs……

The asparagus was very good, and the braised beef exceptional. It was cooked medium rare and fell apart as you put it in your mouth. The salmon had a very strong taste, but I love salmon so I enjoyed it. My husband on the other hand, turned up his nose and reached for more tabboule. The meatballs are always a favorite of Nathan and I, and were immediately scarfed down by the whole table.

Once most of the dishes were consumed, drinks re-filled a third time, the waiter came and asked if we wanted dessert. We than pointed out that my poor sister-in-law had not received her chicken kabobs yet, and that it had been 45 mins. He told us not to worry, that he would make sure they would be right out.

While we were waiting for our last dish, one of the kitchen help dropped a plate, and it shattered all over the dinning room floor. The staff immediately picked up the large fragments, and kicked the rest of it under the stairs. I was appalled, seeing I was wearing sandals, and so were several other patrons. Luckily my loving and concerned husband Nathan, kindly picked up glass that had landed under our table.

A few minutes later the waiter returned with the infamous chicken kabobs. It had now been a full hour, for only two sticks with chicken cubes and onions. I don’t know how they cook it, but it must be a slow method…very slow. The waiter had no apologies for the lateness, but refilled all the ice-teas.

The chicken kabobs were eaten, and we decided not to risk dessert, in fear we would be there another hour. We than asked for the check. After reviewing the bill, we saw there was zero compensation on Mezze’s part for our loss of reservation and wait. Also to our shock each refill of ice tea was charged for. To be honest I was quite livid, seeing the waiter never informed us and we hadn’t seen it on the menu.

Also he kept happily refilling them when they weren’t even finished, and didn’t even give us clean new glasses. The ice-tea count came up to 4 refills, for 4 people. (yikes!) As if this wasn’t enough, at one point the waiter took away all the glasses and brought them back… putting them in front of the wrong people. So now we are sharing more then small plates and small places… we are sharing glasses as well.

My father-in-law who so graciously offered to pay for everything, pointed the ice-tea situation out to the waiter, who simply responded. “Is that going to be a problem?”. My humble father-in-law kindly replied no, but if I had of known, I would have ordered water. Once again I was embarrassed at the performance of Mezze, after we had talked it up all week.

Recognizing the debacle it took to get us seated, and delay of food on the table, I decided to not subject my family to pictures. (Which I apologize dearly for.)

My summary of Mezze that I wish to pass along is the following: The food is always excellent and the staff is usually pretty attentive. Tonight must have been the exception for the staff. Never go there with a party of over four people. If I was evaluating the food only then Mezze would get top stars in my book. However after the experience we had (and the embarrassment) it left a bad taste in my mouth. We want to love you Mezze and we still do… but only for parties of two.

We decided to try the brand new Luckie’s Tavern located in Power Plant Live. At first we were highly skeptical of anyone serving food in the Power Plan Live area. Especially that location, all the past bars in that spot had subpar food… at best. After walking in and being greeted by the floor manager, things were looking up. We took a glance at the menu, which I would describe as “fun American bar food.” Minutes later we were promptly seated a large table towards the front of the restuarant. The atmosphere was upbeat and the crowd was young, the decor was post-modern. Everything, including the menu was spelling out “FUN TIMES.”

Nikole was our server for the night, and she was very friendly and attentive.
I ordered a burger with blue cheese and bacon, cooked medium rare. Nathan ordered the “Waffle Pressed Capone” that had fresh Prosciutto and Mozzarella. Chris ordered the Pan Roasted Pork Tenderloin. Kevin also ordered a burger with cheddar and a fried egg.

While waiting for our meals we enjoyed a few drinks and perused the menu to see what sweets would catch our eye. I eyed up the Banana Milkshake, and Nathan was intrigued by the house made fresh doughnuts. Chris recieved his side salad, which was a great mixture of organic greens, apples and blueberries.

Our food came out a few minutes later, hot and tasty. And when I say minutes later… I really do mean it. This was the most prompt service we have had in a while. We found out that our burgers were freshly ground in house, and were heavily applied with fresh cheese. I was originally expected crispy bacon strips, but bit into more of prosciutto style bacon. It threw me off for a few seconds, but the smoked flavor took over and won my taste buds.

Now before I go on about Nathan’s meal I have to point out that his favorite meal of all time is “Brinner”. ( Watch Scrubs, you will found out what it is.) So the fact that he got a waffle with prosciutto, basil, and mozzarella thrilled him. As an Italian, the name Capone helped the cause too. He said that he liked the different ingredients combined together, but upon first blush thought that the sandwich was “a little small.” Later he took that back, after eating both pieces he said that it was “just right.”

All the burgers and sandwiches were served with a side of fresh hand cut fries, which I happily consumed. Chris’s pork tenderloin was cooked perfectly and very tender. It had a sweet marinade that really complimented the natural taste of the pork

I do have to say Luckie’s made a bold move by not having nor offering any ketchup or mustard on the tables for the burgers. Instead just a small side of ketchup for the fries. To be honest neither condiment crossed my mind with all the cheese they put on it. So whether on purpose (or by accident), I give Luckie’s points for having a burger good enough to need no sauces.

After a few more beers, Nathan decided to give into his sweet tooth. He ordered the regular glazed doughnuts. I wanted to order the Banana Shake, but Nikole kindly apologized that they only had Strawberry, Chocolate, and Vanilla. I happily agreed to Strawberry, and Nikole was kind enough to make my shake complimentary for me since I had to change my choice! This is the type of service that can make or break a restuarant in it’s first few weeks of opening. With Luckie’s it had nothing to do with luck, it was the skill of everyone working that night… that made our expeirence so great.

Nathan decided a shot of the Van Gogh Single Espresso Vodka would go well with the doughnuts. He was very right, and it was a lovely combination of hot fresh glazed dough and rich coffee flavor.

After tasting the freshness of my Strawberry shake, I was not disappointed at all with having to change my choice. You could tell it was not a powder mix but fresh milk, strawberries and ice cream blended together.

I was quite impressed with have a good meal within the Power Plant area. I encourage everyone to try Luckie’s Tavern, especially before a show at Ram’s Head. Overall it was a quick fun meal out in Baltimore.

A few weeks ago I asked all my readers to give me their favorite places to eat in Baltimore. Several people recommended Ra Sushi, not only for the wonderful food, but for the great atmosphere and chic decor. So after asking Baltimore, What’s To Eat?… I ended up standing in front of the large glowing RA sign. I’ll be honest and say that I was really excited. I hadn’t bothered to eat much sushi lately and as I spent the majority of my college years only eating sushi. So after all the recommendations I got, I figured it was time to pick back up the chop sticks.

We had a reservation for 7:30 on a Wednesday night but ended up arriving a little after 7:00. We apologized for the early arrival and the wait staff quickly adjusted. We were seated immediately and received several smiles from passing restaurant staff. My eyes immediately went to the “schwank” decor, and the modern art. They had a separate sushi bar and a regular bar. There was also a TV for the sport fans. Modern music was pumping out of the speakers, making it feel more like a Las Vegas night club then a traditional sushi bar. The majority of the crowd was young beautiful hip professionals, but don’t let that fool you… there were some family’s dining at RA as well.

Nathan and I were seated at a table, and started out the night with some drinks. Nathan had a Sapporo and I a signature Ice Tea.

For appetizers we tried the Pineapple Cheese Wontons.
They were quite tasty being filled with scallions, cream-cheese, and pineapple. They had pineapple dipping sauce with a nice sweet yet spicy flavor. It also came along with a large portion of Asian slaw which complimented the dipping sauce well.

Next we reviewed the menu for RA’s specialty… SUSHI! After much debate, and thorough reading of the immense amount of sushi options, we opted to go with two Signature Ra Sushi dishes. Minutes later, they brought out the Mango Lobster Roll and the Ultimate Shrimp Tempura.

Nathan and I both expected to get about 4 rolls a piece, but we were pleasantly surprised at 8 rolls for each dish! Luckily we came prepared with hunger and were up for the challenge. Unknowingly, we had picked two dishes that were great opposites (but perfect compliments to each other). Sort of like our relationship, but that’s for another day and another blog.

The Mango Lobster Roll not only had the two obvious ingredients but also had cucumber slices, avocado, and came with a lovely kiwi-wasabi sauce. The rolls were served with a cool rice, so they were very refreshing. My favorite was the kiwi-wasabi sauce, which was sweet with a subtle hint of spice. It was the perfect flavor combination. Nathan used some of the extra wasabi because he likes everything “ultra-hot.”

The Ultimate Shrimp Tempura also had crab, seared tuna, and avocado. The rolls were served with a pleasantly warm rice and were quite savory. The tempura batter gave this roll a crunchy texture that worked well. Both rolls were great to eat alternatively. That way you didn’t get overwhelmed by just one flavor. So I encourage you to order a few different types of Signature Rolls and share them amongst friends. With the specials that RA Sushi has during Happy Hour, this would be a fun and relatively cheap way to end your workday or start your night life.

Once we finished conquering the sushi, we went onto my favorite part of any meal… dessert!

Nathan had the Fried Banana with Kahlua Ice-Cream and I the Coconut Creme Brulee.
I would have like Nathan’s dessert to have had a little less fried and a little more banana. Since they fried it in tempura, it tends to be a little thicker of a crust. The taste of the outside seemed to overwhelm the taste of the banana. I easily looked over the lack of banana after tasting the Chocolate Ice-Cream that was served on the side of the dessert. It was to die for. So my advice is to skip the Fried Bananna and order a double helping of ice cream!

My Creme Brulee was excellent. I love the flavor of Coconut, but hate the texture and my dessert delivered just that. It had properly set, and had a nice even sugar crisp on top. The coconut flavor was there, but it was not overwhelming. A perfect ending to a great meal.

The staff was friendly and attentive. It appears that RA draws a very diverse crowd. I would like to point out though if you are looking for a quiet dinner, than RA might not be the place for you. They like their music loud and their sushi fun.I can’t fault them for it either, because it all works together. RA is the perfect place to have a dinner with friends or large groups. So if you are looking for a hip, and lively place to have a good meal, I recommend you take the drive (or walk) down to Harbor East and check out RA Sushi. You won’t be disappointed. And that’s What’s To Eat in Baltimore!