Nasu Blanca

Nasu Blanca
1036 E. Fort Ave.
Locust Point, Baltimore
Spanish/Japanese
410-962-9890
Cost: $$$$
Reservations: recommended
Date of meal: Wednesday September 29, 2007 (6:30pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

I don't know of any other Spanish/Japanese fusion restaurant in the U.S. This means either that the owners of Nasu Blanca are incredibly creative, or that this combination doesn't make a lot of sense, or both.

I went to Nasu Blanca for a work dinner party with 4 other people. While the restaurant was relatively empty when we arrived (at 6:30pm on a Wednesday) it was full when we left. Nasu Blanca has two floors. The lower floor has a bar and a bit of seating, but most tables for dinner are upstairs. The Nasu Blanca site is a nice, stylish gut remodel. The downstairs decor was swanky and upscale but in a way that seemed a bit hollow and forced given the unrenovated buildings around it. The upstairs decor was a little boring for my taste, but they were trying and it was pleasant. Unfortunately, the upstairs feels like overflow seating even though it is not. I'm not sure what they can do about this.

The menu has two sides. The left had appetizers; the right entrees. At the top of each page were Japanese dishes, with Spanish ones below. The Spanish entrees were all paellas, which seemed needlessly narrow. What's the point of being Spanish-Japanese fusion if you aren't going to have fun in mixing and matching striking flavors? The menu looked more standard "New American/eclectic" than sharply Japanese/Spanish; I'm not sure I would have guessed that it was more than pan-Asian eclectic except for the large numbers of paella options. The alcohol menu included a wide variety of sakes, as well as wine and beer. Food was quite expensive, with entrees in the $30 range.

We ordered:

• Japanese eggplant ($8), grilled with a miso sauce.
• edamame ($5), no surprises
• spicy tuna tempura ($13), sounded more interesting than it tasted, but still not bad
• sashimi appetizer was amazing
  
• braised short-rib appetizer ($12+/-), I love short-ribs and these were great but it wasn't that interesting.
  
• panko-crusted walu ($28), got good reviews from my colleagues
• pumpkin-seed crusted lamb chops ($32+/-) were excellent
• scallops ($32+/-) had a nice pan-Asian flare but were a bit generic.

Food was brought at a glacial pace, and this was clearly not intentional. The server was nice but the lowness was a problem all around and made the meal less pleasant. (Our guest almost missed her train as a result despite ample warning of our constraints.) The prices were very high. I know Baltimore has a 20-25% markup compared to other cities for nice restaurants and ethnic ones. I guess I should not be surprised that a nice ethnic-fusion place has high prices. Still, entrees here would be more appropriately priced in the $22-$26 range rather than the $28-$45 range. Nasu Blanca would be a good place to go if you wanted a fun work dinner, but only if you weren't paying for it yourself.

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.

Rub BBQ

Rub BBQ
1843 Light St.
Federal Hill, Baltimore
barbecue
410-244-5667
www.rubbbq.com
Cost: $$
Reservations: varies
Date of meal: September 3, 2007 (6pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: On It

I sat at the bar at Rub for dinner on Labor Day. Rub is a bar and restaurant, where the restaurant tables surround the bar. When I was there it was fairly empty, but you could imagine the bar fills up on weekend nights. The decor is Texas barbecue meets sports bar (I counted three flat-screen TVs in a pretty small space), though its cleaner and more put together than this might suggest. To give an example, "napkins" are paper towels available on rolls at the tables, but the stands that hold these towels were chosen carefully with a horseshoe pattern that evokes the Texas cowboy thing. At the same time, there is the sleek and slightly industrial feel of a factory or warehouse conversion, which I suspect it was. There is an outdoor patio in the front, though this is not particularly scenic. It is worth noting that the location is a half-dozen blocks south of the Federal Hill action. To my eye, being on a non-commercial street gives makes it a bit less of a scene than other bars to the North. You wouldn't stumble into Rub from the bar next door (because there isn't one) but you would plan to meet a group of friends there.

Rub has roughly a dozen beers on tap (including two with the Rub brand) as well as margaritas and the usual full bar. I ordered their ribs ($13 for a half rack, $22 for a full rack, both with choice of two sides). Ribs were tender and fell right off the bones. They weren't dried out, and all of me (except my arteries, which are still angry with me) enjoyed the fatty goodness. Given the name of the place, I was surprised to find the ribs flavor not as intense as it could have been. It really needed barbecue sauce, which I wasn't necessarily expecting given, again, the name.

This brings me to my main beef (pork?) with the place, which I suspect will not happen to you. No one asked me what kind of barbecue sauce I wanted and didn't bring me any. I wasn't confident enough that there should be any (again, given the name) to ask; I didn't want to feel like an idiot for asking for sauce and being told "we have our special rub which is meant to take the place of barbecue sauce." (Everyone was very nice and not snooty, so this concern was probably unfounded.) I didn't realize I should have asked for (or better yet, been offered) barbecue sauce until I got home and found it on the menu. Please note that the ribs are a bit bland without barbecue sauce; the rub is too subtle to take the place of barbecue sauce.

Sauce mishap aside, service was great. The bartender was friendly and helpful. She recommended the cream spinach, which was solid but a bit of a disappointment given how much she talked it up. The mac-and-cheese was OK but also bland and not interesting. I regret not getting the sweet-potato fries, which the bartender recommended along with the cream spinach.

I liked the food at Rub quite a bit; I didn't absolutely fall in love with it. While I suspect I'll find a hole-in-the-wall joint with slightly better ribs, it will be tough to beat the combination of quality ribs with a fun, up-beat bar environment. This would be a great place to go with a group of 20-something friends for ribs and beer.

Update (9/6):
The whole sauce situation was helpfully cleared up for me by Xani at Black Coffee and a Donut. She sent me this picture from her recent visit (thanks Xani!):
The barbecue sauce was in front of me the whole time. This useful carriage was at the bar and on the tables; it was just turned away from me so I didn't know the back side (shown front here) had sauces. Arghh. Clearly I've been in the ivory tower too long because:

1. I don't get the real world well enough to spot basic necessities when they are right in front of me; and,
2. I know this enough to be afraid to ask for fear of tipping others off to my cluelessness.
   

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.

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.

Bicycle

Bicycle
1444 Light St.
Federal Hill, Baltimore
410-234-1900
New American
www.bicyclebistro.com
Cost: $$$$
Reservations: Recommended
Date of meal: Thursday July 26, 2007
National Price-Quality Frontier: On It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Extends It


Bicycle has a beautiful outdoor patio that we really enjoyed, though the interior decor is very nice as well. This is a standard, very good $25 entree New American restaurant. It would be great to bring parents or a date for a special occasion, or to go for a work function. It is nice and upscale but not fussy or uptight. It's quiet without being oppressive.

We were really impressed with the entrees, which included an outstanding braised short-rib dish and a great chocolate dessert. If you want to spend this amount on dinner at a nice but not fancy restaurant, I haven't found a better spot in Baltimore.