RESTAURANTS

Mo’s Seafood in White Marsh, MD

categories: RESTAURANTS

Of all the restaurants I visit in Baltimore, I have to admit I never thought I would be writing a review about Mo’s Seafood.   I’m not saying that Mo’s Seafood is unworthy of a review, but It’s a famous Baltimore staple and because I was raised in Baltimore, I’ve been to Mo’s numerous times and I was sort of…over it.

But on a Friday night I was invited to visit the newest location in White Marsh, so I decided to give it a go.  Pulling up to the restaurant I was impressed with the Tuscan-style exterior.  I could see the restaurant was full of people as we drove by the big windows along the front entrance.  Once inside, my friend and I managed to snag a couple of stools at the bar and lucky for us the stools were available because there was a wait for a table.  I counted about 10 televisions mounted on the walls making it a prime destination for watching sporting events.

I glanced over the menu and after a few suggestions from friends I settled on the Salmon Imperial…and I’m glad I did!

Salmon Imperial

The salmon imperial was served over roasted potatoes and my choice of a side.  I opted for the vegetable medley topped with parmesan cheese.  The vegetables (broccoli and carrots) were a little hard and could have been steamed a little longer, but the salmon did not disappoint.  The salmon was moist and flavorful and the imperial was made with large chunks of crabmeat and  stuffed with two large scallops and two large shrimp. The imperial sauce was tangy with a little kick.  I forgot how good Mo’s Seafood really is and not to mention reasonably priced, my meal was only $15.00.  The portion size was large which I like, large enough for leftovers the next day.

Mo’s has Happy Hour from 4-7pm and again 10pm until close.  The happy hour menu features $6.00 appetizers and a variety of drink specials.   It’s safe to say that Mo’s Seafood will see me again soon, preferably the location in White Marsh because I feel like we had a connection…wouldn’t want to mess up a good thing.

Cap’n Crunch French Toast

categories: RESTAURANTS

Two all-star breakfast favorites join forces to make one awesome meal and leaves you wondering … Why didn’t I think of that?

My recent visit to Blue Moon Café (1621 Aliceanna St. Baltimore, MD ) was my second trip there.  The first time I visited was a few years ago with a few co-workers, back in my “late-night/early-morning” bartending days.  The restaurant is open 24 hours on the weekend, so that makes for a great grub after the club.   I don’t remember the food I ate, but I do remember the place being a very small and kitschy restaurant in Fells Point.  My second time around I was on a mission to taste their famous Cap’n Crunch French Toast.  I have many mention it on social media and I know a few people who’ve visited and raved about it.

CapnCrunchToast

I am officially one of the ravers because this French Toast is awesome!  The Cap’n Crunch isn’t added in the batter mixture because that would be a little nasty, instead The Cap’n Crunch is encrusted on the outside of the French Toast giving it a savory crunchy topping.  The bread is soft on the inside and gives the firm outside a nice balance.  It’s not as sweet as I originally thought it would be, but I could still taste the flavor of the Cap’n Crunch cereal.

If I can remember correctly, the cost of the French Toast is $7.99 and it comes with fresh fruit, whipped cream, and powdered sugar…not bad for two heavenly pieces of delicious carbohydrates.  The only downfall with this breakfast is Blue Moon Café doesn’t serve hot syrup 🙁 forgive me but I like my breakfast breads dripping in hot syrup. I asked the waitress why and she said something about “safety…hazard…hot liquids”  –  O.K. I get it.  Surprisingly without the hot syrup, I enjoyed my French Toast very much.  I’m starting to think that’s the idea…serve the toast with little distractions and lots of flavor.

 

 

Brio Tuscan Grille

categories: RESTAURANTS

I recently visited Brio Tuscan Grille (100 East Pratt St., across from the Gallery Shopping Center) in the lovely Baltimore Inner Harbor. I was more than excited to try Happy Hour at Brio as I was already familiar with the $3.95 Happy Hour menu because I’d previously visited the restaurant.  And Yes you read that correctly, the appetizer menu during Happy Hour is $3.95!!!

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This little piggy in me likes to order three appetizers whenever I visit Brio because truth be told, they are $3.95 and whatever I don’t eat and I can take home and eat the next day 🙂 My tasty top contenders of the night were the Ravioli Caprese, Crispy Shrimp Piccante, and the Brio Burger.

The Ravioli Caprese is topped with a pesto cilantro drizzle, fresh tomatoes, romano and mozzarella cheeses.  I’m a cheese girl, so if you give me food with any cheese (anything but American cheese)  I get excited.  Romano cheese is a sharp cheese of Italian origin and mixed with the mozzarella it made a winning combination. The Caprese is served with four large ravioli rounds and it’s enough to share with another person.  The Shrimp Piccante is a crispy breaded shrimp served with a spicy aioli sauce.

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Ravioli Caprese

The Brio Burger was delicious!  Served with homemade chips, provolone cheese, and topped with a flavorful tomato garnish. I suggest  you get the burger with nothing added, specifically how it’s advertised.  Be forewarned…my friend attempted to add onions to her burger and was told onions are an additional $4.00!  Ummmm the onions cost more than the actual burger!  She’ll pass..thank you.

Brio Burger

Brio Burger

The Happy Hour drink menu is also very impressive offering 11 cocktails at $5.00 each.  I always say variety is the spice of life and the cocktail menu offers (2) Sangria’s (white and red), (3) Mojitos and (2) Cosmos.  All the drinks on the Brio menu are what we like to call “Craft Cocktails” in the bartending world.  Craft Cocktails include fresh ingredients like fruit, mint, and specially made juices.  These drinks are muddled, strained, shaken, and stirred in numerous ways… basically your cocktail is made with tender loving care.   I must say our cocktails were delicious!

I looked on like a proud mama as two of my friends asked to have the strongest drink on the menu and eventually everyone at my table ordered a Sangria Rosa made with red wine, fresh pineapple and strawberries.  I also ordered the mojito and it was very delicious, dangerous in bar standards because it taste like kool-aid and those are the drinks that creep up on you.

Of course I had dessert, mainly because it was served in the cutest little oversized shot glass and they had cheesecake!! Brio offeres a dessert sampling of all your favorites like cheesecake, brownies, creme brulee and they are priced at $2.99 each.

Brio Cheesecake

Brio Strawberry Cheesecake

TEN TEN American Bistro

categories: RESTAURANTS

That Baltimore Harbor East is really making my heart flutter with all the new restaurant additions they’ve introduced within the last two years.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of visiting the neighborhood hidden gem known as Ten Ten American Bistro (1010 Fleet Street, Baltimore, MD). The restaurant is located in the Historic Bagby Furniture Building on Fleet St. adjacent to the Whole Foods Market. I call it a “Hidden Gem” because it’s literally hidden – pull up to the valet, get out of your car, hang a quick right, walk between Fleet Street Kitchen and Bagby’s Pizza Co., through a pedestrian alley courtyard, and there you will find the restaurant… hidden. I’m not complaining because valet was free and a minor detour sure beats circling the block three times and walking five minutes to the restaurant with the wind beating my face.

The restaurant decor is like most in that area with hardwood floors, exposed brick, and leather seating. The restaurant seats about 75 people comfortably and maybe six more at the bar area. The floor plan is split level with a sheer veil-like partition and three steps separating the main level and upper level.

TenTenBack

TenTenGlass

The upper level features a corner wall with built-in wine storage, more seating, and a large corner booth that my eight friends and I had the pleasure of filling. Bagby’s does branding well with signature wine glasses on the table etched with the “TenTen” logo. The entrée menu features the traditional American restaurant fare with flair, items such as crab cakes, fish, chicken, shrimp & grits, pork ribs, and steak. These items are paired with non-traditional ingredients such as duck cracklings, sunchoke puree and quail egg. I will say, even though the items are traditional, the taste is exceptional. I decided on the barbecue pork ribs served with cornbread and greens. The ribs were slow-cooked and tender, a nice compliment to the sweet and sticky barbecue sauce.

TenTenRibs

But as always, I had food envy when three of my friends ordered the chicken breast topped with a fried quail egg with a side of sweet potatoes. Eggs are the one thing I know how to cook and when I make them at home I always opt for sunny-side up. One bite of that seasoned chicken with egg and I wanted more. I was slightly disappointed when all my friends removed the egg from the chicken and ate their chicken without it – where’s the fun in that? The entrées are reasonably priced between $18.00 and $25.00.

TenTenChicken

No desert for us because we were still celebrating a birthday and brought our own cake to enjoy with our meal. After the birthday song concluded and the cake was cut, the manager came over to our table and advised us that the restaurant normally charges a fee to customers to customers for bringing their own cake, but I guess we were having such a good time he didn’t charge us.

The Bagby Restaurant Group also includes the aforementioned Fleet Street Kitchen and Bagby Pizza Co. I look forward to visiting both in the near future.

TenTen

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Darbar

categories: RESTAURANTS

A hankering for Indian food and a coincidental suggestion from a friend recently led me to Darbar  located on Aliceanna St in the heart of Fells Point.   Just shy of one year in business (opened in April 2011),  this quaint restaurant is slowly picking up momentum as the newest and best in traditional Indian cuisine in Baltimore.

Darbar ExtSide

It’s pretty hard to overlook Darbar  while driving on Aliceanna St; it’s oddly located in the middle of a residential neighborhood and the exterior resembles a city storefront more than a restaurant.  Colorful holiday lights and bright white spotlights border the windows at the front entrance of the restaurant, however once inside, the lights are dim and the mood was subdued, an immense difference from the outer appearance of the restaurant.  Traditional Indian artwork adorns the walls and pristine white tablecloths are neatly draped on every table beneath properly placed silverware and glassware.  The restaurant has two main dining areas, one larger than the other, separated by a single large arch doorway.

The  hostess greets my party of two at the door and we are escorted to the larger, more populated dining area and seated in a quiet corner.  Our waiter dressed in formal black pants, white top, and a bowtie, strikes a match to light the dinner candle in the center of our table. As I looked around I noticed pairs of patrons and I understand why… low lights + candles = romance.  The waiter  quickly brings out the complimentary papadums served hot with an assortment of tamarind chutney, mint chutney, and onion chutney.  Papadums, for those who may not know, is a thin wafer-like flatbread with the texture of a cracker. The papadums was very colorful with visible sesame seeds and grains fried into the dough, this makes for a healthy texture and compliment to anchor the chutney.  The tamarind chutney was especially delicious with its red color and unique sweet & sour flavor; often called “ketchup of the east” it gave a tangy kick to the papadums and reminded me of a slightly upscale version of chips and salsa.

Darbar App

On to the main course,  we stuck with the basics of Middle Eastern cuisine and ordered naan ($3.95) curry shrimp ($14.95), and chicken tikka masala ($14.95) served with rice and peas.   The curry shrimp was the correct consistency of spicy; enough spice to please my palette, but not too spicy or overpowering.   The highlight of my meal was definitely the chicken tikka masala, this dish absolutely blew my mind – it was just that good.   The tikka masala sauce had a smooth buttery sweet flavor that reminded me of southern cooking or comfort food.  Not all Indian restaurants make their sauce that sweet, but I personally enjoyed it.  The servings were very large, enough for myself and my friend to eat and still have leftovers to take home.

Darbar1

The service our waiter provided was great, and management also checked in on our table to confirm the dining experience was going well.  As we left Darbar around 9:30 p.m. on a Wednesday night, the dining area was full of patrons and that’s certainly a good sign that this restaurant is doing something right.

Creme Restaurant & Lounge

categories: RESTAURANTS

**UPDATE** Creme Restaurant & Lounge has been renamed “Warehouse 518”. 

Being the self-proclaimed “Foodie” that I am, I make it a point to never miss an opportunity to participate in Baltimore Restaurant Week.  Some time ago I visited Crème Restaurant & Lounge (518 N. Charles St) in downtown Mount Vernon.

The newly opened restaurant is located in the same building that housed the previous Ixia Restaurant.  From what I am told, not much has changed with the décor of the space;   brightly colored walls in shades of yellow, blue, and red are accented with gold trim.  The color combination sounds like an odd mix but it actually works well together in the space. I must admit, I visited Crème previously for brunch and sampled their Chicken & Waffles and Shrimp & Grits so I already knew what delicious caliber of food to expect.

S&G

The Restaurant Week three-course menu at Crème featured a full array of what the restaurant has to offer.  Strategically I ordered the caesar salad as my appetizer because (a) I like caesar salad and (b) two of my friends ordered the shrimp risotto and I knew I would taste theirs…way to get my sample on!  The shrimp risotto was true to taste and texture. The consistency of the rice was tender and blended well with the flavors of parmesan cheese. It was accompanied with two perfectly placed shrimp skewers that added a little spice to the dish.

Rissoto

For my entrees selection I ordered the “Meat and Potatoes” a boneless beef short rib with sautéed spinach and sweet potatoes au gratin and this dish did not disappoint!  Our server told us that the chef marinates the short rib for over eight hours giving it the tender and flavorful combination that the regular patrons have come to love. I found it to be everything he described and more.  The potatoes side dish was a casserole-like mix of au gratin and sweet potatoes that I found pleasantly surprising because I was wondering how they were going to mix the two.  My only suggestion and slight disappointment about that the au gratin is that I wish the portion size was bigger because it was about the size of a post- it-note.  I don’t know, call me greedy but I like lots of potatoes with my meat.  It definitely left me wanting more.

My dessert choice was a no-brainer thanks to a pre-scan of the menu the day before, I ordering the “Not Ya Momma’s Banana Pudding”.  The pudding was served layered over a cinnamon pie crust in a small martini glass.  The pudding was tasty and nothing out of the ordinary.  The real star of the night was the coconut cake which was a warm slice of pound cake with vanilla icing and coconut shavings.  The dessert was phenomenal and so delicious that my friends couldn’t stop talking about it all night or the next day.

 

 

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