Matsuri

Matsuri
1105 S. Charles St.
Federal Hill, Baltimore
sushi
www.matsuri.us
410-752-8561
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Varies
Date of meal: Monday September 17, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

The obvious comparison for Matsuri is with Kawasaki in Fell's Point. Both are slightly upscale standard sushi places in yuppie neighborhoods. The price point is similar; decor is similar; menu is similar. I really liked Kawasaki, and I liked Matsuri also. However, I didn't think the fish at Matsuri was quite as fresh as at Kawasaki.

We arrived at Matsuri at about 7pm on a Monday. Please note that you can park in the parking garage around the corner and get a free hour from validation at Matsuri. The place was full but the wait was no more than 2 minutes (presumably the time needed to clear the table). We spent those two minutes sitting outside at one of the tables next to the sidewalk. While these would be a pleasant place to sit in warm weather, the view of the street is obviously inferior to the water view at Kawasaki. On the first floor, there are a few tables and a small sushi bar. Decor is pleasant with lots of hardwood and Japanese art and decorations. We were taken upstairs, which was cozy and well decorated. There were many paper cranes hanging from the ceiling. I did not get the sense that this was overflow seating (a feeling common for second floor seating). Please note that there is a large table at the back of the second floor with recessed seating (you sit on the floor but the area below the table is dug out so you can sit comfortably) that would be a great place for a large group-ish group (maybe 10-12 people).

We were given menus. We ordered a Sapporo (Japanese beer, $4), seaweed salad ($5), vegetable tempura ($6), a small sushi combination ($13, sushi sekiwake, 6 pieces of sushi and a tuna roll), and a "perfect trio" sashimi ($24, with 6 pieces each of tuna, salmon, and yellowtail). Service was good.

Both the seaweed salad and veggie tempura were standard but quality. I enjoyed them but both were similar to other goods that I had had. The sushi and sashimi were good but not amazing. They lacked the freshness and variety of Kawasaki. The tuna in particular was a little dry, low in fat, and not particularly fresh. The salmon and yellowtail were better but did not have the freshness of Kawasaki.

If I was in Federal Hill and felt like sushi, I'd be happy to come back to Matsuri. I would put the quality of Matsuri as similar to or slightly better than (but also more expensive than) Asahi and superior to XS. However, if asked I'd prefer to go to Kawasaki even if it meant an extra 10 minutes of driving.

Three...

Three...
2901 E. Baltimore St.
Canton/Highlandtown, Baltimore
410-327-3333
American (New)
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Not Accepted
Date of meal: Thursday, September 13, 2007 (8:30pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

Last night, my spouse and I went to Three... This is a new restaurant on the northeast corner of Patterson Park. They don't take reservations, but there were plenty of tables at 8:30pm on a Thursday night. We took an inside table; outside tables on the street looking across at the park were all taken. (There was a disruptive and drug-addicted woman waving a half-used roll of toilet paper and a tube of Pringles outside, so I'm glad we sat inside.)

Three... has character. (This was a fact noted in a review in the Baltimore CityPaper.) I liked the vibe tremendously. As you enter, there is "Rx" laid into the marble-like composite at your feet; Three.. was a pharmacy in a past life. (Three... bears a slight resemblance to Rx restaurant in Philadelphia, perhaps for this reason; it used to be a pharmacy too but tries to run with it.) The walls are exposed brick, with richly- colored, abstract paintings on the wall. These were a bit like a cross between a Rothko and a Pollack. As you enter, the room is narrow and deep, with windows (and one table) on your right and a row of 4-6 tables against an exposed brick wall on your left. Half-way down the room, the space becomes an appealing bar. A hole was cut into the exposed brick on the left so that you can see the second room of seating for diners. This was decorated with black-and-white photographs (as best as I could see looking through the hole cut in the exposed brick). I liked the light fixtures that hang over the row of tables against the inner wall. Against the wall was a long bench, with a colorfully patterned upholstery. Music was by St. Germain. All night. (Dear Management, please get an iPod and set it on shuffle; variety is the spice of life.)

The menu is mostly tapas in size and New American in cuisine. Our server was very friendly and helpful. (We chatted a bit, and she was interesting too.) She recommended her favorite tapas dishes. We ordered 5 tapas dishes, mostly ones she recommended. I can't tell you about two of these (one with figs, another with tuna) because they were out of these by the time we ordered them. I'm all for running a tight inventory so you don't keep things longer than they are fresh. It would be ideal not to recommend dishes that have run out, but our server was funny and friendly about it and I don't mind at all. We ordered two more dishes.

We ate:

1. thinly-sliced, lightly-fried eggplant with a tomato compote/marmalade (there is a fancy name for this which I am forgetting). It was way too salty, almost to the point of being inedible. My spouse loves salt in her food to the point that I make jokes about it, and we both felt this way. Our server was kind enough to keep bringing us water; I didn't have the heart to tell her this reflected the saltiness of the dish and not my dehydration. Of course, I have no trouble telling all of you.
2. barbecue pork ribs with a garlic rub. These fell off the bone and were great. Too bad they were also way too salty.
3. scallops ($12) with a yellow pepper puree and crispy leek strings. Scallops were fresh and cooked just enough but not too much. The puree was nice but could have used a bit more punch. The crispy leeks are a brilliant idea. Why don't we see more of them in other dishes? (Think fried onion strings except with really thin slivers of leek, so thin that frying them doesn't make them oily but crispy.) The chef is really onto something here. I liked this dish but thought the sauce/puree was a bit too subtle.
4. ceviche, served on a bed of limes and orange rounds. Ceviche is tough to nail. In my view the trick is to put enough acid on it to "cook" it (so we don't get sick when eating it) while still having a complex and not overpowering flavor when eating it. To my taste, this ceviche was good but a bit overpowering.
5. flank steak with papaya, onions, and tomatoes. This dish was awesome. I loved it. Subtle, unusual, tasty, with high-quality ingredients. Steak cooked just right. Completely owesome.
6. dessert ($6): chocolate chess pie from Dangerously Delicious Pies. Very good. Served with whip cream because they were out of ice-cream.
   

Three... has a fair bit in common with Salt. Salt is trying a bit too hard to be hip, whereas Three... has a more inviting, neighborly, and personalized feel. (Our server knew we hadn't been there because she hadn't seen us before; we got great service even though we weren't regulars.) Both have interesting combinations of ingredients and a fun environment. Both have names that are too common to google without difficulty; Three... is especially bad in this because the street address is also the city name. Ironically, the thing that Three... had that Salt did not was too much salt in the food. I liked this place a lot. The price point is appropriate by national standards and therefore cheap by Baltimore standards. (We spent $68 including tax but not tip for a full meal for two and one glass of wine each. Three... is probably cheaper than Salt.) Decor, service, vibe and menu make me want to absolutely love it; execution of a few dishes was problematic and this makes me only like it a lot. (I'm hopeful these kinks can be worked out; after all this is a new restaurant.)

This restaurant would be absolutely perfect for a nice date. I would recommend it and happily return. If they would work the kinks out of their food preparation, it would be on my favorite restaurants anywhere in the country.

Kawasaki

Kawasaki
907 S. Ann St.
Fell's Point, Baltimore
sushi
410-327-9400
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Varies
Date of meal: August 29, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

I had an excellent sushi experience at Kawasaki last night. When we arrived at 7:30 or so, there was plenty of seating indoors. All the outdoor tables were taken, but one opened up after a very brief wait. Kawasaki's decor is better than that of most Japanese restaurants, with the outdoor seating area overlooking the pier. This can also be seen from the tables by the window, which are low to the ground with floor cushions for the patrons.

We ordered the sushi and sashimi boat for two ($40, the boat for three is $55), as one in the group wanted vegetarian sushi (go figure). This was the most expensive thing on the menu, with other sushi combination in the $15-20 range; while I gave this a cost of $$$ I'd say it is a low $$$ and maybe even a high $$.

The boat took a while to be prepared (20-30 minutes), but was worth the wait. It had the usual combination of salmon, yellowtail, tuna, mackerel, red snapper (I think), and shrimp. The salmon and yellowtail were both outstanding. I was disappointed that it did not include unagi (eel) but was happy it did not include octopus, clam, or egg. It included two rolls, one with asparagus and (maybe) tuna, the other with a spicy sauce. The boat included a bit of seaweed salad, which was excellent, and some pickled vegetables. Everything was great, with fresher fish than either Asahi or XS. Asahi is slightly cheaper (but not much); XS has a slightly hipper vibe (but no view). Still, at this point I would go to Kawasaki over either of these options. The only better sushi I've had (except at astronomical prices) was at Oishii in Boston's Chestnut Hill.

One minor drawback of Kawasaki was service, which could have been faster and more responsive. Service was competent and polite, but they were understaffed both in and out of the kitchen.

Kawasaki has a rather sordid history of exploiting illegal immigrant employees and not paying taxes. This shuttered another branch of the Kawasaki brand on Charles Street. I understand that the Fell's Point Kawasaki is now under new management; I have no reason to believe current management engages in any illegal or unethical conduct, which is why I was happy to go. I guess the optimal number of employees went down once employees had to be legal, be paid more than minimum wage, and have taxes withheld and paid.

Costas Inn

Costas Inn
4100 Northpoint Blvd.
Dundalk, Baltimore
410-477-1975
Seafood
www.costasinn.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Recommended (reserve "large" crabs)
Date of meal: Saturday August 11, 2007 (7pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It


Costas Inn is a traditional, paper tablecloth, hammer as utensil, crab place. To say it is casual would be an understatement. It is Dundalk, which is East/Southeast of downtown and pretty far off my radar screen. I had never heard of the area before this meal.

We made a reservation the day before; they suggested we reserve crabs which we didn't do. When we got there, they were out of large crabs so we got medium-sized crabs. We hat potato skins and crab dip to start and crabs for dinner. Potato skins were great; crab dip wasn't. Crabs were good; prices are high but that is pretty much par for the course. (If you haven't done this before, be warned that eating crabs is extremely messy and a lot of work.) We also had two pitchers of beer (there were four of us). All in, the meal cost $40 per person plus tip.

La Tavola

La Tavola
248 Albemarle St.
Little Italy, Baltimore
410-685-1859
Italian
www.la-tavola.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: Friday July 20, 2007 (6pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

We had an early and quick meal here last month. We were in a hurry to get home so we skipped dessert and appetizers and each had a pasta. I had the fettuccine alla romana; my spouse had the gnocchi. (Both were in the $15 range; I'm using a $$$ for cost because meat entrees are in the low $20s.) Put simply, both were outstanding, if not healthy. Flavors were rich; ingredients were of good quality. We were very impressed. Our server was extremely helpful and friendly; she didn't push the specials up-sell too hard, recommended a yummy cocktail for my spouse, and helped us get out quickly. Decor is standard boring nice-Italian-restaurant-in-America.

We liked it a lot and look forward to returning for a more leisurely meal. While not up to the standard of the best Philadelphia Italian restaurants (e.g., Caffe Casta Diva or Bistro La Viola), I think it is superior to the other Italian restaurant I went to a the same price point, La Scala.

La Scala

La Scala
1012 Eastern Ave.
Little Italy, Baltimore
410-783-9209
Italian
www.lascaladining.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Varies
Date of meal: Friday, August 24, 2007 (6pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

I made reservations for 6pm on Friday night at 5pm the same day. While it was filling up by the time we left at 7:30, reservations are probably not going to be very necessary except perhaps for large groups or at 8pm on a Saturday.

There are two levels. The main level has a bar with a dining room behind it. There is a second floor for overflow seating, which is where they stuck us. It was overflow seating, and felt like it.

At La Scala, they have a very long list of specials in addition to the main menu. These are full of crab and lobster; prices are not mentioned. I like the idea of specials as a way to serve the freshest ingredients available that day, but that is clearly not what is going on here. Specials are used here to get (a.k.a. trick) people to spend more on entrees than they had planned. Of course, other places do this also. A more consumer-friendly approach would be to say the prices when listing specials, or put them on a board. Given that several specials showed up on online reviews, I'm guessing they are always "specials" in which case it would be more transparent to put them on the menu.

Our server, while perfectly professional, was not really able to give any suggestions. When my spouse asked if he had any pastas he particularly enjoyed, he said everything was popular and good. I'm not sure what this meant except that he didn't have much knowledge about or interest in the food, which was the sense I got generally. I think we may have just gotten a bad draw, the server helping the table next to us seemed quite a bit better. (As we walked out of the restaurant, a regular was greeted with hugs by the manager; as someone who had been shuttled up to the second floor for indifferent service I felt like I got 2nd class service as a 1st timer.)

For wine, I had a glass of Chiani Classico (Valliano, $8) that was drinkable but not memorable. My spouse had two glasses (I was driving) of the Poliziano (Montepulciano, $13) which was quite good but not surprisingly so at that price point.

Before food is brought, they serve excellent warm bread with olive oil. There is also a cold vegetable plate with potatoes and green beans. These have a sharp flavor, of what I suspect is balsamic vinegar. I thought these were good and a nice touch.

As an appetizer, we had the Funghi Abbruzzesse (about $7), sauted mushrooms topped with cheese. While neither the mushrooms nor the cheese was terribly good, the sauce (rosemary, olive oil, maybe some wine) was richly flavorful.

For entrees, I had Fettuccini alla Amatriciana (about $18), which has prosciutto, onions, and tomatoes. To my taste, this Amatriciana was way heavy on the tomatoes to the point where the other flavors couldn't come through. It wasn't terrible, but it felt smothered. My spouse had a the chicken Raffaelo (also about $18), which was chicken with artichoke hearts with prosciutto in a wine sauce, served with a side of penne pasta. It was kind of like a veal marsala but with chicken; we both thought it was excellent. Portions were large, and we took much of it home despite enjoying it thoroughly.

For dessert (which our server did have opinions about, perhaps to help make a sale), we split a cannoli (about $6). You can have one cannoli filled with up to two fillings. Options include chocolate (which we got), espresso (which we got), hazelnut, and something else. The chocolate was excellent (and recommended by our server) while the espresso was not. It had a hard graininess to it, like flavoring came from dumping in lots of store-bought pre-ground espresso beans.

Overall, our meal was fine but not as good as it could have been. At $90 (not including tip) for two people, I was a little underwhelmed. Fortunately, Little Italy has many other great options. At the price point, I think La Tavola offers better service and better food (in our limited experience) at the same price point, in the same neighborhood, and with similar menu.

Brasserie Tatin

Brasserie Tatin
105 W. 39th St.
Tuscany/Canterbury, Baltimore
443-278-9110
French
www.brasserietatin.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Recommended
Date of meal: weekday dinner, April 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

I've been to Brasserie Tatin once for a work dinner. If Saffron and Gertrude's had a love child, it would be Brasserie Tatin. All three are perfect for work and should probably be avoided otherwise. Brasserie Tatin has a decor like Saffron, kind of plush with warm reds. The food is plain but well prepared.

The environment is a little bit more lively than Gertrude's. The bar is actually pretty happening, though with upper-middle class folks in their 40s as drinkers. Does this count as happening? I think of this liveliness as a drawback; Gertrude's sedation is sometimes ideal. Once you are no longer catering to the octogenarian and University administrator set (and with the ban on age-based forced retirement the intersection of this Venn diagram is not disjoint), you might as well go to Petit Louis Bistro. It is just about as much fun as Brasserie Tatin (read kinda fun if you are upper-middle class and in your 40s), but with better and more interesting food.

Gertrude's

Gertrude's
10 Art Museum Dr.
Charles Village, Baltimore
410-889-3399
Traditional American
www.gertrudesbaltimore.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Recommended
Date of meal: various (lunch)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

I've been to Gertrude's twice for lunch. If ever a place was aptly named, it is Gertrude's. This was my late paternal grandmother's first name, and she would have loved the place. It's attached to the Baltimore Museum of Art. You will find it filled with middle-aged and elderly women who go there in connection with museum trips. At lunch it has more than its fair share of Johns Hopkins' senior administrators.

Gertrude's is not interesting, hip, cool, trendy, or dynamic. It doesn't try to be. It is quiet and serene. The outdoor space is pleasant and the indoors have excellent but cool (as opposed to warm or bright, not cool as in hip) natural light. Dishes are well-prepared with quality ingredients from a menu that could not be more predictable. Lunches include a variety of sandwiches and crab cakes. I have ordered these twice, and enjoyed them quite a lot. They let the crab do the talking and go easy on other fillers.

It would not occur to me to come here for a date, an anniversary, or a birthday party for anyone under 40 chronologically or under 50 at heart. I would absolutely take my parents or my surviving grandparents. I would do a work dinner, or better yet lunch, where I wanted to talk seriously without interruption. It's the kind of place where no one would think it odd to pull out paperwork and go over it will a colleague if you were both wearing professional clothing.

The punch line is that for the right occasion Gertrude's is perfect. I'm just trying to minimize the frequency of these occasions.

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.

Salt

Salt
2127 E. Pratt St.
Butcher's Hill, Baltimore
410-276-5480
New American
www.salttavern.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Recommended
Date of meal: weekday in July, 2007 (9pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It


Salt has a simple, elegant, hip vibe that makes you very cool for going there. The place was full of very cool people, even on a weekday at 9pm. Even so, we were able to get a table pretty much immediately and without a reservation.

My spouse enjoyed a colorful alcoholic beverage in a martini glass. We had the duck-fat french fries, which were actually a little disappointing given the gluttony implied by the name. Given the restaurant's name, I guess I shouldn't be surprised to find their fries too salty. On the plus side, the aoili dipping sauces were underwhelming. Still, our entrees were outstanding. We had an excellent white fish, which was elegantly presented and perfectly cooked. I had a beef (I think, how embarrassing that I'm not sure) three ways, and I remember liking all three preparations. Entrees were in the $20-25 range.

I liked Salt quite a bit and plan to return.

Regi's

Regi's Bar and Grill
1002 Light St. (at E. Hamburg)
Federal Hill, Baltimore
410-539-7344
Traditional American
www.regisamericanbistro.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: late June, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

As we walk into Regi's and as for a table, the host asks us, "So what's the deal with Singapore? Where is it? Is it a country? What" He might or might not have said hello or welcome first. My spouse and I told him (it's a city-state adjoining Malaysia), and he was very grateful. We got a free appetizer out of it. I sort of wish they had asked us harder questions so we could have doubled down for a free entree. Apparently, a pair of diners had been asking each other this question and turned to the host, who didn't know either. I thought this whole vignette says good things about Regi's. It's casual and friendly; people aren't afraid to talk to each other.

Decor is pleasant and hearth-like in a way that is standard for places that serve traditional American food. Service was good, and as the story indicates, friendly.

The menu had pretty standard appetizers (crab dip, calamari), sandwiches (bistro burger, turkey and brie), and entrees. We had the "Mongolian pork chop" and a salmon entree. Both were dried out and a bit disappointing. At the price point (entrees about $20), execution of these dishes should have been stronger. I think you can do better at that price point, for example at b bistro or Peter's Inn. Still, Regi's food isn't horrible and the environment is pleasant. It may be wiser to go there for sandwiches instead of entrees.

Pazo

Pazo
1425 Aliceanna St. (at Central)
Fell's Point, Baltimore
410-534-7296
Tapas
www.pazorestaurant.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Recommended
Date of meal: various
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It


I've been to Pazo twice. Once my spouse and I went; once we took my parents.

Pazo is housed in a converted factory or warehouse. It has an extremely high ceiling and a n open second floor that looks down over the main restaurant. As you come in, the left third or so of the restaurant is a bar and lounge area, with the right two-thirds is dinner seating. The restaurant is large, with (and I'm guessing here) perhaps 50-100 tables. There is a DJ booth as well. It is loud; do not go if you want to have a quiet romantic dinner.

If you want to be a young urban scenester, then Pazo is a good bet. The decor is fancy and sleek. Diners are attractive, generally young professionals; doubly so for those at the bar. They may be trying a bit hard to be cool, but they are fairly successful. The place draws lots of single, high-earning 20- and 30-somethings in Baltimore, which I guess is the goal. If an investment banker friend from New York came to visit, this is where I would take them for drinks.

While service was generally good, Pazo suffers from the usual pitfalls of large restaurants. When I called an hour ahead to say I might be 15 mins late, the person answering the phone (who was nice and professional) had to put me in touch with the manager to make sure we'd be seated. When someone other than our server brought us the wrong pizza, he said it was what we ordered when it wasn't after we asked him if it was the right pizza. When the restaurant is this big, training/monitoring of staff by management and monitoring of patrons by servers is tough. A personal touch is out of the question.

Food is mostly tapas-style small plates, though they do have entrees as well. Tapas may not be exactly the right word as food is Mediterranean more than Spanish. Prices are reasonable and about what you'd expect ($10 tapas); food is clearly a loss-leader for alcohol. From looking at the menu, dishes look great. Menu items push all the right word-buttons. For example, the Bruschetta has "Wood Roasted Red Peppers" and not just peppers. This is pretty standard at such places.

Unfortunately, the execution was spotty at best. The "Wood-grilled Eggplant Dip" was yucky. The "Tonno Crudo" (aka tuna tartare) was served in overly-large cubes on wooden skewers, which looks good until you realize that the pieces are too big to eat and the skewers impale you. The ceviche was so-so. The Pizza Catalan was quite good. My dad (who knows a lot about wine) was quite put off by how pretentious the wine service was; the server insisting on decanting a wine without knowing why when decanting wasn't necessary. Our dessert was served on a cool-looking plate so wobbly that eating from it was difficult. The food-related punch-line here is that substance clearly wins over content. I suspect that most of the people who go to Pazo don't care; they go for decent food that sounds more impressive than it is and sophisticated in a scenester environment.

I would go back if I wanted a sophisticated environment. I would definitely go back if I wanted to feel sophisticated while having drinks (particularly on an off-night, when it wouldn't be too busy to enjoy). I would not go back if I really wanted to enjoy good food.

Petit Louis Bistro

Petit Louis Bistro
4800 Roland Ave.
Roland Park, Baltimore
410-366-9393
French
www.petitlouis.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Recommended
Date of meal: weekday mid-July, 2007 (9pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Extends It

We had a late-night meal at Petit Louis Bistro. I was surprised at how busy it was when we sat down at 9pm on a weekday. There are very few places in Baltimore where I've found getting a table to be a problem. This contrasts sharply with New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Philadelphia, or Seattle where all the good places get booked up for Saturday night by Wednesday.

Food was excellent. We started with escargot served in their shell, with the usual garlic butter. For dinner I had steak frites. Both dishes were prepared traditionally, but execution was really great. Steak was of good quality, cooked medium rare as instructed, and frites were perfect. We also had a chocolate mousse thing for dessert that was great. I even liked the bread they served, which I wouldn't mention except that it came in very handy with the garlic butter for the escargot.

The decor is traditional Paris bistro. They are probably trying a bit too hard to recapture Paris to the point of cheesiness, but it is very pleasant. We had excellent service. Entrees were in the low $20s range. I think this place sets the standard for nice-ish restaurants in northern Baltimore. While it can't quite stack up to the best French bistros in other cities (e.g, Pif or La Boheme in Philadelphia) there are many cities of similar size and good food (e.g., Seattle) that don't have a French bistro to match.

Taste

Taste
510 E. Belvedere Ave.
Belvedere Square, Baltimore
443-278-9001
Eclectic
www.tasterestaurant.biz
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: weekday week of August 8, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

We went to Taste the week after restaurant week. I saw an offer for a $25 gift certificate in the Baltimore Urbanite. When I called for reservations on the same day we came in, they told me that they weren't honoring their offer because they were extending restaurant week. Restaurant week is probably as good of a deal as this offer, but it doesn't seem cool (or perhaps legal?) not to honor their offer. Nothing in the ad mentioned these limitations. When we arrived, the place was nearly empty. They didn't have our reservation on file, which didn't matter under the circumstances but didn't bode well.

Their restaurant week options were quite extensive. Typically, restaurant week options at pricier restaurants are limited and lame. I was impressed that they were basically offering a full menu to choose from. I was also surprised because the Baltimore Restaurant Week website had a limited menu for Taste.

The decor is really swanky. It's quiet, romantic, sophisticated, and with the right chef could make for a great restaurant. Service was well-intentioned but a bit spotty.

The food was disappointing. Nothing horrible, but not really memorable. I had the salmon on a maple slab, which was dry and the fish wasn't good quality. My spouse had a salad with steak on it. It was also lame, though I think this probably was not the best possible choice. That I don't remember what we had as appetizers or dessert probably tells you something.

I wouldn't come back here without a compelling reason, but wouldn't make a fuss if a friend suggested we go there. The decor is nice enough that perhaps it warrants another try. Restaurant week fare is seldom representative. Petit Louis seems far superior if you want a nice $20 entree restaurant in that general neck of the woods.

XS

XS
1307 N Charles St. (at Preston)
Mt. Vernon (technically in Mid-Town Belvedere), Baltimore
410-468-0002
Japanese
www.xsbaltimore.com
Cost: $$$
Date of meal: Thursday, August 16, 2007 (9pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

XS is in a skinny building and has four floors. The first one is a coffee shop. The third one is a sushi bar, with additional seating for meals on the second and fourth (half) floors. There is a DJ booth floating at the level of the 4th floor looking down on the 3rd floor.

The sushi is somewhere between so-so and mediocre but is reasonably priced ($15-$20 for sushi dinner combinations). It's clear that food is a loss leader for alcohol sales (e.g., $9 mohitos). Given this, it was disappointing but not surprised to find that drinks were weak (literally as in low alcohol content and metaphorically as in of poor quality). After all, how can one be convinced to buy more alcohol if you feel tipsy after the first drink.

The menu is noteworthy though not in a good way for a foodie. They don't really have serve cooked entrees. They have a few Pan Asian noodle options (e.g., Pad Thai), some appetizers, and sushi. There was a cooked fish (Cod) dish on offer as a special. I suspect this lack of a cooked food menu reflects a dearth of kitchen space.

While I'm glad I went so that I could say I'd been there, this is not a good place for a foodie. They aren't shooting for that so this isn't really something to fault the restaurant owners. I suspect it is a good place to impress a 20 year-old club-goer. Even then, the scenester ambiance is too contrived and nakedly commercial to be convincing.

b bistro

b Bistro
1501 Bolton St. (at Mosher)
Bolton Hill, Baltimore
410-383-8600
New American
www.b-bistro.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Recommended
Date of meal: several
National Price-Quality Frontier: On It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Extends It


b is a simple but outstanding bistro. The ambiance is clean and unpretentious but also attractive and tasteful. You would feel comfortable eating in jeans here and also comfortable bringing your stuffy grandmother. (Not that my grandmother is stuffy; she is adorable and sweet.) Pastas are great; fish is great; desserts are great. Entrees are reasonably priced (entree cost: about $18-24) given the quality. Service is good too. They have outdoor seating as well. Really, I have nothing negative to say about the place.

Peter's Inn

Peter's Inn
504 S. Ann St.
Fells Point, Baltimore
410-675-7313
New American/Eclectic
www.petersinn.com
Cost: $$$
Reservations: Not Accepted
Date of meal: Wednesday July 18, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: On It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Extends It


Peter's Inn is perhaps my favorite spot to eat in Baltimore. It looks like a biker or dive bar, but the dishes are creative, well-prepared, and delicious. It reminded me of Deluxe in Boston, but with more inventive food. The atmosphere is funky and interesting; walls are covered with random stuff that doesn't quite go together and isn't supposed to. On Wednesdays, they had a few outstanding half-price wines (regularly $30-$40/bottle) that were available by the glass or bottle. I had a lamb dish that was amazing. A friend we brought raved about the cheddar grits. We had an amazing chocolate mousse. Prices (entrees <$20) struck me as quite low given the food quality. Of course, they were probably high if one pays for fancy ambiance. Service was good. We walked right in without a problem, but it was 6pm Wednesday; it is easy to imagine the place being packed on Saturday at 8pm. I could come up with negative things to say about the place (plates were way to big for the tables), but mostly this is just looking for things to pick at. I thought Peter's Inn was really special. If you aren't stuffy and like interesting places to eat that serve good food, it is tough to beat.