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.

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.

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.