Trinidad Gourmet

Trinidad Gourmet
418 E. 31st St.
Charles Village/Waverly, Baltimore
410-243-0072
Cost: $
Reservations: take-out
Date of meal: Friday September 28, 2007 (7pm)
National Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Inside It

Trinidad Gourmet isn't really a restaurant. It has a counter, but that's about it. It is designed for take-out. It also has a rather extensive barrier between the counter and the patrons; the proprietor is obviously worried about crime.

The menu has a wide variety of Trinidadian food. Oxtail stew, goat curry, jerk chicken, etc. Entrees in the $7-$9 range. I had the jerk chicken dinner ($9) which includes rice and beans (mixed together), sauteed spinach (my choice of vegetable) and plantains. The jerk chicken was tasty and well-cooked. I would have liked it with a bit more spice, but it was juicy and fell right off the bone. The spinach was simple but excellent; it was fresh, perfectly cooked and not overly oily or creamy. Rice and beans were good but standard. Plantains are always yummy, but these were a bit mushy for my taste.

Trinidad Gourmet is a solid choice for inexpensive take-out in the Charles Village and Waverly area. I prefer The Yabba Pot (which serves Caribbean-inspired vegan food nearby at the same price point with nicer decor and more inventive cuisine), but others who want more meat may not.

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.

Yabba Pot

The Yabba Pot
2433 Saint Paul St (at 25th St.)
Charles Village, Baltimore
410-662-8638
Vegan
www.theyabbapotcafe.com
Cost: $
Reservations: Not Needed
Date of meal: many
National Price-Quality Frontier: Extends It
Baltimore Price-Quality Frontier: Extends It


The Yabba Pot rocks! In all seriousness, I almost bought a house two blocks north of The Yabba Pot so that I could be near it. That the house is still for sale must mean I have non-standard criteria for houses. Good vegan food is hard to find even in cities with large yuppie vegan populations. To the best of my knowledge, Baltimore is not such a town. Still, this place is probably the best vegan restaurant I've ever been to in any city. The proprietor, Skai Davis, is a very nice woman from the Virgin Islands. (Her staff is not always so nice, but I can live with that.) Entrees vary from day to day and are ordered from the counter (cost: about $10). You can sit there and eat in a bright, cheery, simple environment. It is not fancy but it is perfectly pleasant. Take-out is also a good option. I've had a number of amazing tofu dishes, and even a kale dish which I liked even though I generally don't like kale.