Chameleon Cafe

Chameleon Cafe
4341 Harford Rd.
Lauraville, Baltimore
410-254-2376
New American
www.thechameleoncafe.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: Tuesday, August 21, 2007 (6:30pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

Chameleon Cafe is a pleasant but low-key place tucked in a row of cute stores but next to a supermarket on a busy road. The dining room is set back from the main road and high windows insulate the place from the market next door. Coupled with the sponge-painted burnt orange walls, it almost gives the place a Mexican-style stucco feel.

Service was very good. The specialty of the house is updated Maryland fare, made from high-quality local ingredients. Our server spent quite a bit of time highlighting where meets and vegetables for various dishes were raised or grown, and giving suggestions. There were no specials on the menu, though we had been told that the menu had recently been changed. While the menu highlights the origin of some of the ingredients, I confess that the flavors described didn't really leap out at me. Entrees were all in the low $20s.

Chameleon Cafe has a wine list and an extensive selection of interesting bottled beers. I had a decent trappist ale, for example.

To start, I ordered a corn bisque, which was far too salty. A dining companion ordered a different soup and also found it too salty. The friend green tomatoes another ordered as an appetizer were excellent, reflecting the excellent tomatoes used. I had their duck entree. The duck was of excellent quality and cooked perfectly. Unfortunately, the sauce in which it was served was bland and uninteresting. It was served with green beens that were plain but excellent in quality and preparation. The duck was served on a homey bed of chopped up potatoes, corn, and some sort of bean (lima?). It tasted like clam chowder without the clams and the chowder. Come to think of it, my bisque tasted like that too... but with more salt. Given the ingredients used in the food, the pricing seemed appropriate. However, the execution made me feel it was a bit overpriced.

While I liked the concept of Chameleon Cafe (excellent local ingredients prepared simply), I think the execution was only so-so. At this price point and style of food, I would prefer b Bistro. Still, if I was in northeast Baltimore, I'd be happy to eat at Chameleon Cafe.