Saigon Remembered

Saigon Remembered
5857 York Road
Belvedere Square/Govans, Baltimore
Vietnamese
410-435-1200
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: Wednesday September 26, 2007 (7pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

Saigon Remembered has a lot in common with Cafe Zen down the street. Both offer good but standard American versions of Asian (Vietnamese and Chinese, respectively) cuisine in a market without much competition.

Saigon Remembered is housed in a large space with high ceilings. It is far from fancy, but not unpleasant or dirty. Furniture, flooring, utensils, and such are all functional but no more. They have a full bar and several Southeast Asian beers (Singha from Thailand and 33 from Vietnam). Service was helpful and prompt.

The menu includes pretty standard Vietnamese fare like bun (steamed rice noodles) and lots of stir-fries with lemongrass and basil. The two main points of departure are a sushi menu (complete with a sushi bar; I didn't try it but it seemed like a weird add-on to me) and a "roll" menu. The rolls are not sushi but instead are the fresh spring rolls typically found in Vietnamese restaurants. My spouse and I (particularly my spouse) are big fans of these. Unlike other restaurants, there are about a dozen options for rolls, with a variety of meat and seafood options. Some of these are quite creative, like the salmon roll.

We stuck to standards. We ordered a pair of fresh spring rolls with beef (either $5 or $6), which was very good. The nuoc cham (fish dipping) sauce was great; the peanut sauce only so-so. We had a bun ($12) with grilled pork and fried spring rolls which was outstanding. The pork was served still on the skewers on which it was grilled. This was quite good. The basil tofu stir-fry ($12) we had was fine but did not wow me. These prices are roughly 40% more than comparable cities with more Vietnamese immigrants (e.g., Seattle). I also noted that many entrees had higher prices in the $13-$17 range.

In the absence of serious competition, I would be happy to eat there again if I wanted Vietnamese food. Take-out would also be a good option if you live nearby. I probably would not recommend it to anyone who had to drive more than 15 minutes to get there. Honestly, the prices seemed high to me, even for Baltimore.

Red Star

Red Star
906 S. Wolfe St.
Fell's Point, Baltimore
410-675-0212
www.redstarrestaurant.net
bar/pub
Cost: $$
Reservations: Varies
Date of meal: Thursday, September 20, 2007 (8pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

I went to Red Star last night with a large group of people. While reasonably busy, there were tables available. (I believe we made a reservation but our group was 10+.) Red Star fits nicely into the upscale brew pub category. The environment is clean and pleasant with lots of highly varnished, medium-dark wood paneling. Lots of light for a bar. Lots of exposed brick. Clearly a converted industrial space. The lack of cigarette smoke at this (and all other) bar makes it a lot more pleasant. (Expect more than one post from me on the economics of smoking bans in the not-too-distant future.) I would say that the place lacks a bit of personality, which is surprising given how hard I think they tried to make the place just right. By appealing to groups of yuppies, I think they are forced to go for unobjectionable. You don't want to take risks when you take a group of co-workers out for drinks after work.

Red Star has a wide variety of yuppie, micro-brew beers on tap. I think the place would be improved if these were explained in more detail on the menu so patrons could better choose between unknown beers.

For a brew pub, food is very upscale. For a yuppie brew pub, options are pretty much what you would expect. They have burgers, but with "gouda and smoky horseradish BBQ sauce with lettuce and tomato in an herbed tortilla"; they have pizza, but with "Smoked Duck and Truffle house smoked duck breast, brie, baby spinach and roasted pepper sauce, finished with white truffle oil".

I tried the Tuna Starshimi ($11, a respectable sushi-like tuna roll but probably an ordering mistake at a pub, even a yuppie one), the fish taco special ($11?, quite good with avocados), artichoke and crab dip ($13, disappointing at this price point), and their Margherita pizza ($9, decent production of a standard). I also stole one of my companions sweet potato fries, which were quite good. The diversity of the menu means that it works well with large groups. Overall, I would rate the food above average for a pub and slightly above average for a yuppie pub.

Red Star is an excellent place to come with large groups. (I know Baltimore has alternatives, notably DuClaw's nearby, that I need to check out.) To my taste, it lacks soul and as a result I probably wouldn't come with only one other person.

Big Bad Wolf BBQ

Big Bad Wolf BBQ
5713 Harford Road
Lauraville, Baltimore
410-444-6422
bigbadwolfbarbeque.com
barbecue
Cost: $$
Reservations: Take-out
Date of meal: Friday, September 18, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

Lauraville has two take-out barbecue joints; it seems obvious to compare them. These are Big Bad Wolf Barbeque (reviewed here) and Alabama BBQ Company. Both on Harford, Big Bad Wolf BBQ is a mile or so north of Alabama BBQ Company. Both are designed for take-out but eating in would be a lot more pleasant at Alabama. Big Bad Wolf is much less attractive, and has only a counter (right up against the serving area) and no tables. This might be OK if you are going alone but doesn't work if you want to eat with someone and talk to them. If you plan to eat in, go to Alabama (or even better go down to Rub in Federal Hill). If you are doing take-out (which is what both Alabama and Big Bad Wolf are set up for), decor and tables don't really matter.

Service was friendly, competent, and fast. They answered questions about what came with what and were happy to give me lots of sauces.

Big Bad Wolf is substantially cheaper. A half rack of ribs (multiple sauces included) is $8 at Big Bad Wolf and $11 (not including sauce, which adds $1.50 for one sauce). A full rack is $15 at Big Bad Wolf and $20+sauce cost at Alabama. I thought quality was similar or even slightly better at Big Bad Wolf, so Alabama seems inferior for take-out ribs.

More details about the ribs. I ordered a half-rack of pork ribs and a half rack of beef ribs (both $8). There are 6-8 sauce options. Servers were friendly and helpful. They were happy to give me as many sauces as I wanted in any (presumably within reason, but it didn't come up) quantity. Pork ribs were dry-rubbed with spices that added great flavor and were visible on the ribs. Pork ribs were a little dry relative to Rub, but about as dry as at Alabama. Beef ribs were cut across the bone like short ribs not between bones. I thought these were juicy and flavorful. (I can't compare as didn't try the beef ribs at Alabama, mostly because Alabama was rather expensive and I saw no easy way to try both pork and beef without spending $25). Ribs were served with corn bread which was not really worth the calories (but also thrown in free). I enjoyed both the Kansas City sweet and spicy sauces, though neither blew my mind.

While not the best ribs on the planet, Big Bad Wolf serves up pretty good ribs at an appealing price. If I was in the neighborhood and wanted take-out ribs, I would go to Big Bad Wolf over Alabama. If I was willing to pay a bit more and wanted to sit down, Rub provides a better product at a higher price.

Alabama BBQ Co.

Alabama BBQ Company
4311 Harford Road
Lauraville, Baltimore
410-254-1440
alabamabbqcompany.com
barbecue
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: Friday, September 14, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It


Alabama BBQ Company is a barbecue joint designed for take-out. There are a couple of tables and a little counter. The environment is actually quite pleasant, with bright colors and tasteful furniture; there are a few free weekly magazines to read. While it is certainly possible to eat here if you want to, the tables mostly serve as a place to wait for your meal.

I ordered the rib dinner ($13 for 6 ribs plus two sides and barbecue sauce) and onion strings ($3). (To my eye, this is on the expensive side for a take-out rib joint, so I was expecting stellar ribs.) The very nice and well-intentioned woman at the counter told me that my order would take a minute as the onion strings had to be fried; the ribs were ready. They then forgot about the onion strings, did a few other things, and assembled my ribs a few minutes later. They then told me my meal (excluding onion strings) was ready. Starting the onion strings late wasn't a big deal, but it did take a bit of extra time. I mention it mostly because there seemed to be a mix-up on another customer's order while I was waiting, yet another customer's bill told to pay the wrong amount (clearly an innocent mix-up), and also because I read a comment on another website which mentioned this problem also. I don't think it is an anomaly.

I chose the mild sauce for the onion strings and the raspberry glaze for the ribs. The former was solid but the latter was particularly good. Unfortunately, neither the ribs nor the onion strings lived up to their sauces. The ribs were fine and completely edible, but they were also dry (dry-rubbed also, but I mean not juicy or moist) and didn't fall off the bone. The onion strings hadn't been mixed up properly prior to frying and therefore much of the batter hadn't cooked. The onion strings that had been cooked properly were fine but nothing special, but half of them were inedible, uncooked batter.

To sum up,

• I liked: the decor (for a take-out joint), the sauces, and the friendliness of the service.
• I was so-so on: the ribs
• I didn't like: the onion strings, order-taking and payment, the cost

Alabama BBQ Company is too expensive for how good it is. Definitely not on the National or Baltimore price-quality frontier. (There is another BBQ joint up the street that I haven't been to yet, so Alabama BBQ may not even be the best option for take-out ribs in Lauraville. I'll let you know once I've tried them both.) While on the opposite side of town, Rub provides better ribs and better service at only a slightly higher price in an environment where you can more comfortably sit if you want to.

Update (9/19): Having been to both Alabama and Big Bad Wolf one mile up Harford, Big Bad Wolf provides an equally good product with more efficient service at substantially lower prices.

Thai Landing

Thai Landing
1207 N. Charles St.
Mount Vernon, Baltimore
410-727-1234
www.thailanding.us
Thai
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: Monday, September 10, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It


Thai Landing is a perfectly adequate Thai place in Mount Vernon. The space is small and narrow, with decor that is pleasant but nothing special. The walls have some Thai art and objects, but decorations are less extensive than at Thai Restaurant.

I ordered the Pad Thai and chicken green curry ($12 each). While the menu is fairly standard, these are about the most boring things I could have ordered. This is mostly by design; every Thai restaurant offers these dishes and this makes them easy to compare. The portions were relatively small, so that a hungry couple would not be out of line to order three entrees.

While not gross or horrible, I was a little disappointed with the entrees. The Pad Thai lacked punch; it was light on sugar and fish sauce and heavy on a brown liquid that I can only guess was oyster or soy sauce (two things you don't really expect or want in Pad Thai). The green curry was made with string beans that tasted like they were right out of the can; I suspect they were. The basil wasn't flavorful, and the curry also seemed to be missing any sweet or sour elements to add subtlety to the flavor. This is what Thai cooking tastes like if you have to make do without sugar, fish sauce, and fresh vegetables.

If I lived in Mount Vernon and craved Thai food, I'd be open to Thai Landing. However, I absolutely would not travel across town for it. Thai Restaurant in Waverly has better flavors and ingredients with (slightly) nicer decor at the same price point. While Thai Restaurant could survive in a competitive market for Thai food (e.g., Seattle or Philadelphia) with a 20% price reduction, Thai Landing could not.

Iggie's Pizza

Iggie's Pizza
818 N. Calvert
Mount Vernon, Baltimore
pizza
www.iggiespizza.com
410-528-0818
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not needed
Date of meal: September 6, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

I went to Izzie's for pizza. It's self-serve. You go up to the counter, order, pay (no tipping), wait, pick up your pizza, bring it to your table, and eat it. It's also BYO. Iggie's is about as upscale as possible given this. On a Thursday evening, it was quite busy with 20-something bohemian Mount Vernon types. Decor is simple but elegantly so. It would be an ideal place for a 2nd date if you were 21.

Pizzas come in 8 inch and 14 inch sizes. The 14 inch pizza was a little small for two (if you are pretty hungry) and a little big for one. The four cheese pizza with garlic was very good. Pizza here is very thin crust; much more Italian than American style. I like this but perhaps others find it a bit dry. Pizzas are interesting: duck confit is a topping, lots of goat cheese, etc. You don't come here for pepperoni. Pizzas were in the $14 range for 14 inch pizzas. They have frozen pizzas you can take home and bake later, but this seems to defeat the purpose.

Personally, I would rather go here than S'ghetti Eddie's. I think this reflects personal taste more than innate superiority. Prices are similar, though Iggie's is more expensive because pizza's there are 16 inches (30 percent larger surface area). Iggie's has far superior decor. Both have interesting options and good ingredients, but the thin-crust thing is more novel. While both aiming to be high-end pizzerias, they are relatively far apart and catering to different crowds. S'ghetti Eddie's is all about the Roland Park parents who want to bring their kids to pizza but want good ingredients and interesting toppings; Eddie's is for single bohemian 20-somethings from Mount Vernon. You couldn't take kids to Iggie's or a date to S'ghette Eddie's. There is room for both; these two products are about as differentiated as two high-end pizzerias can be.

Nam Kang

Nam Kang
2126 Maryland Ave. (at 22nd St.)
Charles North, Baltimore
Korean
410-685-6237
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not needed
Date of meal: September 5, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

Nam Kang is a medium-size restaurant in the basement of a rather sketchy block of Charles North (south of Charles Village and North of Mt. Vernon); there are lots of Korean establishments right around here. The inside is far from fancy, but it is clean and has homey touches. (The bathroom could have been worse but it could have smelled better.) A few excellent signs about Nam Kang:

1. When I called, the hostess answered in Korean.
2. Nearly all the patrons were Korean, the main exceptions for the night being my spouse, me, and a Caucasian graduate student I know who speaks in Korean and lived in Korea.

Nearly 100% of the speaking we overheard was in Korean (except for the annoying flat-screen TV showing CNN which we asked them to turn down). While I'm not a stickler for excellent English skills for servers in ethnic restaurants, our server's English was not really good enough to do her job. We were unable to successfully communicate the question "Can we have dish x served without ingredient y?" Despite her limited English, the server was attentive, competent, friendly and tried hard. They were not understaffed.

Panchan were outstanding. For those who haven't done these before, these are the little bowls of vegetables, kimchi, and such that they bring out before the meal. These are free. The highlights for me were the fish cakes (sweet and savory) and a chili-rubbed green vegetable (spicy but not overpowering). The tofu was a little bland.

We ordered bolgogi ($17, Korean barbecued beef in a sizzling platter) that was a bit sweet and quite good, though the price was a bit steep. The Bi Bim Bap ($11 since we got it in a hot stone pot, which is rice with egg and vegetables) was also very good. The stone was hot enough that you got the crispy rice goodness that comes from the rice getting seared against the stone. These are standard dishes and they were perfectly prepared. We also got one of our favorites, which is a scallion pancake (with not-too-spicy green chilis, $11) which was out of sight. Thing of a pizza-sized vegetable-laden version of what you can get as an appetizer in Chinese restaurants. Huge chunks of scallion and chili would just fall out of it. It was oily enough not to be dry but not so much as to be heavy and gross. This could not have been better.

At the end of our meal, they brought complimentary desserty beverages. These were latte colored and cold, with visible grains of rice. It had a rice and (????) bean-paste taste. Normally, I do not really like Asian desserts (a horrible generalization, I know, but I have tried a lot of them in my day) but this one was refreshing, palate cleansing, and tasted pretty good.

I absolutely loved Nam Kang. I think it would be a strong contender is Seattle, LA, or San Francisco (cities with lots of options for Korean food), though it would have to cut prices 20% to be competitive in these cities. I would be happy to bring Korean friends here.

Asahi

Asahi
629 S. Broadway
Fell's Point, Baltimore
410-534-4255
sushi
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: June 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

Asahi is a small, unassuming sushi joint in the heart of Fell's Point. The decor is extremely low-key; for example, they have a stack of books for patrons to read while they eat. I found all this pleasant but be warned that the vibe is neither romantic nor hip.

Service was good. We ordered a sushi combination and they were willing to make substitutions (who wants shrimp when you can get raw fish?). Sushi was plentiful and displayed nicely. Tasty and fairly fresh, it didn't blow my mind. However, the price point is very appealing (quality sushi entrees <$20). While I'd be willing to pay a bit more for higher quality fish, Asahi is a good value given the price and quality. To my mind, this makes Kawasaki (which is down the street) a better bet for Fell's Point sushi. Kawasaki has better decor/view, substantially fresher sushi, and is only marginally more expensive.

Bertha's

Bertha's
734 S. Broadway
Fell's Point, Baltimore
410-327-5795
Seafood
www.berthas.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: Varies
Date of meal: June 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

While Bertha's is known for its mussels, it is their marketing that makes my mouth water. (I guess this is what happens to you when you work as a business school professor for four years.) The first clue is that they have "www.berthas.com" as their website. They have bumper stickers,



and t-shirts.

What's more, people actually wear them. I haven't seen such brand loyalty since Vanguard or Harley-Davidson. (I bet you can guess which of these two brands I'm loyal to.) To top it off--which may be trying too hard--Bertha's has its own myspace page (which lists "her" marital status as "swinger").

Bertha's has a restaurant and a bar. The restaurant is substantially up-market of the bar; I haven't been to the restaurant yet. The bar is eclectic-kitchy-divey, a bit like a cross between Delux Cafe in Boston's Back Bay and Mama's Royal Cafe in the San Francisco Bay Area's Mill Valley. The walls are covered in bumper stickers.

You go there for the mussels (and maybe some beer). I got both, taking advantage of the many sauce options. Mussels were reasonably priced; they were also very good, although the bread for dipping was not as good. I enjoyed it and would be very happy to go back. However, I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. These mussels seemed pretty similar to those on offer at many solid Belgian brew pubs (Monk's and Eulogy in Philadelphia come to mind). Given Baltimore's smaller market, I'm delighted it has a yummy place for mussels in a low-key environment.

Little Havana

Little Havana
1325 Key Highway
Federal Hill, Baltimore
410-477-1975
Cuban
www.littlehavanas.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Accepted
Date of meal: Monday June 25, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

I went to Little Havana with a large group on a Monday early evening. Little Havana overlooks the water and has a great view. Since the weather was nice, we had a bit of a wait for an outdoor table. Indoor decor is like a typical bar for middle-income 20-somethings; nothing fancy but not gross either.

We ordered lots of mojitos, which were fine. Service was reasonable, which is better than expected at a bar with outside seating. The food, however, was disappointing. Most nights of the week have a special deal here, and Mondays have half-price sandwiches (which is a loss-leader for the alcohol, the price of which motivates a solid $$ on cost). I had a Cuban sandwich, which I normally enjoy. Unfortunately, this one was gross. The pickles were bad, the mustard of poor quality, the bread industrial. I couldn't eat it. We got a variety of sides, including nachos and French fries. These were edible but nothing special.

I would happily come here for a drink outside given good weather. I would not eat here again (even if I was forced to come, I'd eat before or after elsewhere), except perhaps to order fries.

Cafe Hon

Cafe Hon
1002 W. 36th St. (at Roland)
Hampden, Baltimore
410-243-1230
Traditional American
www.cafehon.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: July 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

Before I moved to Baltimore, I had never heard of a Hon. So I looked into it a bit. Apparently, Hons are archetypal white, working class, big-haired, middle-aged women of Baltimore. They are given this name because they call everyone "hon". If you look around Baltimore, you'll see bumper stickers and signs with ", hon" as a suffix. For example, "Believe, hon" ("believe" is Baltimore's branding slogan), "Impeach Bush, hon", or my personal favorite:

Note that this combines Baltimore's madison avenue branding campaign, "Believe" and the slogan of the Church of Flying Spaghetti Monster, particularly appropriate for this blog since it is the only religion I know with a food-based diety (no, not a deity).

I digress; back to Cafe Hon. It is straight out of the 1950s. It looks like an idea place to share a root beer float if you were a 14 year old on a date in 1958. This is the restaurant's angle. They push it pretty hard, and pretty successfully. To my taste, they are trying a bit too hard (or not quite hard enough, waitresses could be in costume if they wanted to put a little ironic distance on it), but I think this is more taste than fact. If decor is your priority and this is the kind of decor you want, Cafe Hon is the place for you.

As one would hope, the menu is sandwiches, burgers, meatloaf, crab cakes (it is Maryland after all), and other things you'd expect on a traditional American menu. Prices for sandwiches, burgers, and salads were about what you would expect ($10 range) but some of the entrees were quite pricey; given food quality I think I'd avoid these. When we went for dinner, we found the execution of the food completely fine but nothing special. Quantity was large; quality was so-so. If I was in the neighborhood and was in the mood for that vibe, I might go again for sandwiches or burgers. However, there are tastier places to go for a soup and salad in Hampden.

Helmand

Helmand
806 N. Charles St.
Mt. Vernon, Baltimore
410-752-0311
Afghani
www.helmand.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: Recommended
Date of meal: June 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

Helmand has a great back story. The owner is the brother (or is it cousin? or nephew?) of President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan. You can't go to Helmand without someone bringing up this fact. The food is good, though few of us are qualified to judge Afghani food. However, I am qualified to judge Helmand restaurants, as I've been to quite a few. There are Helmands run by Karzai's relatives in Boston (Cambridge, actually), San Francisco, and Chicago.

My favorite is the one in Boston. I went there many times and found the flavors more intense than those at my (only one) visit (so far) to the Baltimore Helmand. When I went to Helmand Baltimore (on a weekday) the wait was extensive despite our reservation. Staff was doing their best but they were a bit overwhelmed. Still, there was a bustle and intimacy to this Helmand that is lacking in the Cambridge one (where tables are more spaced out and the vibe is a little more austere).

I had a vegetarian platter, which was quite nice but nothing special. I was hoping for spicier. Still, this is a solid option for a medium-nice date or dinner with friends. I don't know of another equally nice non-standard ethnic (i.e., not Asian or European) restaurant in Baltimore.

S'ghetti Eddie's

S'ghetti Eddie's
410 W. Cold Spring Lane
Roland Park, Baltimore
410-235-5999
Pizza
www.sghettieddies.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: No, Take out
Date of meal: various
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

To date, I haven't been to anywhere in Baltimore with better pizza than S'ghetti Eddie's. However, my sample is small and I expect I'll revise this assessment. While completely solid, S'ghetti Eddie's is not earth shattering.

S'ghetti Eddie's is part of a group of restaurants (with Miss Shirley's, Loco Hombre, and Alonso's) all owned by the same people in the same cluster on W. Cold Spring just east of I-83. It's worth noting that pictures on the Miss Shirley's website show that it used to be located where S'ghetti Eddies is now.

The business model is quite smart. They aim to serve the yuppie parents of Roland park with pizza that is yuppie enough to please parents (broccoli rabe is a topping) but standard enough to please their kids. Pizzas are roughly $15 for a large. There is a pretty basic area to sit, though the place is mainly set up for take-out. Ingredients are of fairly good quality and I had no complaints about the pizza. I would happily do take-out from them again, though am on the lookout for other options.

In general, this complex of restaurants with the same owner raises interesting questions about local monopoly. Should one owner be able to control all or nearly all of the establishments (in this case, Keswick/south Roland Park restaurants, though you could say the same of gas stations) in the same area? To me prices seem high at all four restaurants. I wonder if prices would be lower if these restaurants had different owners and therefore competed with one another. Of course, one is always free to travel 10 mins in any direction for lots of food options (e.g., Petit Louis Bistro). However, busy people may be willing to pay a premium for convenience that limits the ability of of non-local establishments to compete with local ones. I don't think there is a real problem here; another mid-level restaurant with a different owner could probably set up shop here (assuming the whole complex isn't owned by the restaurant group). If it happened, I'd be curious to see if prices dropped.

Cafe Zen

Cafe Zen
38 E. Belvedere Ave. (at York)
Belvedere Square, Baltimore
410-532-0022
Chinese
www.cafezen.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: various
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It


I've eaten at Cafe Zen once and had take-out from there three or four times. As far as I can tell, this is the best Chinese place in Baltimore. This is really sad; while Cafe Zen is solid, it isn't amazing. I've also heard you have to go to the suburbs of DC to get edible dim sum. It's too bad we don't have more authentic options.

Decor is one step up from the usual Chinatown look, or maybe it's one step down. It is clean and simple but very far from elegant or even nice. Service is fine but unexceptional. The menu is totally standard generic American Chinese fare: mu shu pork, General Tzo's chicken, etc. Execution is better than average, but nothing special.

Cafe Zen is owned by the same folks as Zen West and is next door.

Zen West

Zen West
5916 York Rd.
Belvedere Square, Baltimore
410-323-3368
Tex-Mex
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: Friday August 3, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It


The decor at Zen West is Tex-Mex meets bar's bar. You sort of expect the floor to be sticky with beer and there is tons of space around the bar or in the center of rooms for standing or dancing. With that in mind, you would expect it to be frat boy central with lousy food. This is not the case.

When we went on a Friday night, the place had plenty of empty tables. It wasn't loud. In fact, we took my parents who wears a hearing aid. The volume wasn't a problem for him, which tells you it was pretty subdued. Maybe we were lucky enough to hit an off night.

Our server was excellent: helpful, friendly, knowledgeable. The menu was considerably more interesting than you might expect. One plus of Tex-Mex is you have both Tex (ribs, which were quite good) and Mex (an outstanding fish taco). Flavors and ingredients were really outstanding. I liked this place quite a bit.

While a bit more expensive than Holy Frijoles, it definitely has better food (decor is comparable though Holy Frijoles probably has a more fun bar). At the same price point, I think Arcos is probably superior in terms of authenticity and far superior on decor. I would be happy to go to Zen West if I was grocery shopping or seeing a movie across the street, though I think Arcos probably dominates it under most circumstances.

As an aside, it is odd to note that Zen West is owned by the same folks as Cafe Zen. Actually, when you note that they are next to each other and have Zen in their names, it isn't so surprising. Still, aside from solid if not mind-blowing food, they have almost nothing in common.

Holy Frijoles

Holy Frijoles
908 W. 36th St. (at Roland)
Hampden, Baltimore
410-235-2326
Mexican
Cost: $$
Reservations: wait at the bar
Date of meal: various
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It


The name is almost reason enough to go to Holy Frijoles. This is a good American-style Mexican joint. This is a great place to go with friends for margaritas or Corona's after work. Plus, it's in Hampden, and who doesn't like walking around on 36th Street.

There is a large bar with lots of seating (much of it full, the place is often quite busy) in case you have to wait for a table, assuming you want one at all. Lots of people come just to sit at the bar. Food here is just fine but nothing special: enchiladas, burritos, fajitas, etc. Decor is unexciting but unobjectionable. Prices are quite reasonable ($10+/- entrees). The place is not going to change your life (unless you happen to pick up your life partner at the bar), but it is a solid place to go under the right circumstances.

For dinner, I see no reason to go to Holy Frijoles when one can go to Arcos in Fells Point/Butcher's Hill. For roughly the same price (for similar dishes, Arcos has higher-end options that cost more), Arcos offers higher quality ingredients, a more creative menu, better service, shorter wait times for tables and more authentic and pleasant decor. Holy Frijoles is clearly not on the price quality frontier given this better option at the same price point.

Miss Shirley's

Miss Shirley's
410 W. Cold Spring Lane
Roland Park, Baltimore
410-889-5272
Brunch
www.missshirleys.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: weekend wait
Date of meal: several
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

Miss Shirley's is the quintessential generic, yuppie brunch place. Service is good and unobtrusive. The decor is bright, clean, upscale but unpretentious. Food is well-prepared with quality ingredients, with a diverse but fairly standard set of breakfast, brunch, and lunch fare options. (I believe they are open for dinner too but haven't been for that.) I would feel comfortable taking my parents there, having a social or business lunch, whatever.

My main complaint about Miss Shirley's is cost. At $13-$17 for omelettes and $3 for coffee, Miss Shirley's costs more than it should. I'm not sure there is any competition at or near this price point, but an entrant serving a similar product at 20% lower prices should be able to cover costs. I don't think there would be much point in trying to improve quality, as Miss Shirley's already provides everything most of us want in a brunch venue. Still, given the lack of other options, I will happily return to Miss Shirley's when I want a nice brunch.

Arcos

Arcos
129 S. Broadway
Upper Fells Point, Baltimore
410-522-4777
Mexican
www.restaurantearcos.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: Saturday, August 18, 2007 (5pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Extends It


Arcos has an amazing back patio. If the weather is nice, this is a real draw. In general, the decor is both pleasing and authentic. You feel like you are in Mexico. While we arrived early, there were very few people there even when we left. It is hard to imagine that getting a table would be a problem.

Alcoholic beverages were good and reasonably priced. I had the house margarita ($5), with Mexican beers (Sol and Bohemia, not just Corona) for $3.75. They have more expensive tequilas with more expensive margaritas to match, but I didn't try these.

Chips were the yummy high-fat ones and salsa was good.

The menu is divided into appetizers, lighter fare, and entrees. We ordered two items from the lighter fare despite being quite hungry. This proved to be plenty. The "Tacos al Pastor" ($9.xx, only available Friday and Saturday nights!) were the real standout. These are small soft tortillas served with barbecued pork, onions, guacamole, etc. The pork had a great tangy flavor to it, and the tacos were served with an outstanding cilantro sauce. We also ordered the tamales (also about $9), which were good but not as exciting. Entrees were in the $13-$17 range, though again we didn't order any. For dessert, we split the fried ice cream which was pretty good but not amazing. This put us quickly into a food coma.

I would highly recommend this place. It would be a great place for a date, or a group of friends. The reasonable prices and nice atmosphere are a great combination.

Thai Restaurant

Thai Restaurant
3316-18 Greenmount Ave. (at 33rd St.)
Waverly, Baltimore
410-889-6002
Thai
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: several
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It


Yes, that is really what this restaurant is called: Thai Restaurant. I guess this does not bode well for creativity. I've done take-out from this place several times, and eaten in a few times as well. Thai Restaurant is supposed to be the best Thai place in Baltimore. This is a better-than-average Thai place but is far from earth-shattering or original. Like the Ambassador Dining Room (which serves solid Indian fare), there are dozens of equally good Thai places in most major cities. Ambiance too is pretty standard for decent Thai places. Whereas comparable places would have $10 entrees in other cities, entrees here are in the $13-16 range. If one thinks of this as the premium for quality food in Baltimore, then pricing is about right. Outstanding Thai places in other cities (Djan's in Seattle comes to mind) have better food, nicer atmosphere, and lower prices. Still, I'd be happy to order take-out from there or wanted casual Thai food.

Ambassador Dining Room

Ambassador Dining Room
3811 Canterbury Rd. (at University)
Tuscany/Canterbury, Baltimore
410-366-1484
Indian
www.ambassadordiningroom.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: late June or early July, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It


If you sit outside at the Ambassador Dining Room, you overlook a beautiful garden. This is a bit surprising given that the place is in one of the large nondescript apartment buildings on the north side of the Johns Hopkins Homewood campus. Still, if the weather is nice, this makes it a great place for a date. I wouldn't both coming if weather ruled out outdoor seating. The food is standard Indian fare. It was good but not special or interesting. Honestly, the entrees were quite expensive ($15-20) given the quality. In any major city there are a dozen restaurants of this quality with $10 entrees and excellent service. Of course, almost none of these places have the beautiful garden. To the degree you are paying for the garden, this is a very poor choice for take-out. I also think that Baltimore restaurants are on average 20-25% more expensive than restaurants of comparable quality in other cities. This explains some of the cost of the Ambassador Dining Room.