Hampden

Vegan Restaurant Week Preview at Golden West Cafe

Maryland is hosting its third annual Maryland Vegan Restaurant Week February 8-17, 2019.   With 35 participating restaurants, (28 restaurants are in
Baltimore City) this is the largest Vegan Restaurant Week in the country.  This year, the organizers are asking that restaurant goers vote on their favorite vegan menu item and post photos with the hastags #MyBmore #VeganRestaurantWeek #MDVeganEats #MDvRW.

I was invited to preview the Vegan Restaurant Week options at Golden West Café in Hampden, Baltimore.  I’m not a vegan but I like to eat so I was excited to attend a vegan food event with other vegans and non-vegan foodies.   I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the menu options, not that I thought I wouldn’t like them, I just didn’t know what to expect.

Vegan Chicken Box
Banh Mi Tofu
Oyster Po Boy made with Fried Mushrooms
Seitan Kebobs
Muffuletta
Monster Mac Burger
Fish Tacos

 

Vegan Cocktails
Vegan Cupcakes – Champagne and Strawberry
Vegan Chocolate Desserts

My favorite were the Oyster Po Boy and the Fish Tacos…guess I’m a seafood girl at heart. LOL!  For more information and a full list of participating restaurants, visit https://www.mdveganeats.com/

Be sure to follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on social media …  

@ArlisAppetite on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

 

BlueBird Cocktail Room

 

As a former bartender, craft cocktails are something I can appreciate. So you can imagine my excitement was on another level when I heard about The BlueBird Cocktail Room, a new bar opening in Hampden. I’ve wanted to explore more restaurants and bars in Hamden, Baltimore because I have a few friends that live in that neighborhood and I’m always in the area.  Last Friday, I attended a blogger Happy Hour/Meet-Up and finally got a chance to check it out.

Tropic of Quebec
Mint Julep
The Handsome Devil
Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms
Lamb Meatballs

Happy Hour is definitely the time to do a little menu sampling. The appetizer bites are 1/2 priced Monday-Friday from 5-7pm and because we were with a large group I got a chance to sample a few items.  The Happy Hour cocktails are $5 house wines, $5 Pimm’s cups, and $2 Natty Bohs. My favorites on the food menu were the lamb meatballs and squash blossoms. They gave me five meatballs which were so filling, I almost didn’t’ have room for anything else.  The “Tropic of Quebec” cocktail is an Orange Creamsicle in a glass, so sweet and reminiscent of childhood on a hot summer day.

The décor is somewhat romantic… think chandeliers, dark floors, dark blue walls, blue sofas with bright yellow accents. They have a long high-top table in the middle of the space and quiet, intimate sofas and corner tables along the perimeter. You have to order your food/drinks at the bar and the server gives you a number to take back to your seat.  The food and drinks arrived at the table pretty fast, which was a good thing because the space was filled with customers on a Friday evening.

This would be a perfect place to impress a first date!  Send me a message or reply, tell me what you think. Also, I need suggestions for your favorite bars and restaurants in Hampden.

And always follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on social media …  

  

The Dizz Does Not Disappoint

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The Dizz  located at 300 W. 30th Street,  is a happening Hampden staple Hon! No matter when I visit this place it’s always bustling with people and food is consistently coming out of the kitchen. The Dizz is two-levels and I’ve noticed they reserve the upper level for larger parties.  I especially love when I visit and the front and side patio areas are decorated with colorful plants and umbrellas or festive holiday decorations. Recently, I visited with a friend for a quick bite to eat during lunch and The Dizz did not disappoint.

The menu is extensive, they offer appetizers, soups, salads, entrees, platters, pizza, sandwiches, wraps, daily specials and much more. My friend and I decided on sandwiches because that seemed like the lighter mid-day option.  Boy were we wrong… in a good way. The sandwiches were huge! All sandwiches come with a heaping side of fries, you have a choice of curly fries, regular fries or sweet potato fries.   I ordered the Blackened Salmon BLT.  I asked the server to add avocado slices, because avocado makes everything better.  When she brought my sandwich out she said “Wow, it looks delicious with the avocado!”

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Blackened Salmon BLT with curly fries
Look at the size of that salmon!
Look at the size of that salmon!

The salmon was so big that is couldn’t fit on my average-sized kaiser roll…I love it when I get more food than expected.  This was a massive piece of salmon.  The salmon was perfectly tender and seasoned well. The roll was fresh and so was the tomato and avocado.

My friend ordered the Roast Beef Sandwich on Rye melted provolone.  He commented that the roast beef was moist and he especially liked the dijon horseradish mustard that came on the sandwich.

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Roast Beef on Rye with Melted Provolone

As I said, I’ve been to The Dizz many times before and another one of my favorites is the Cornmeal Encrusted Cajun Catfish.  This catfish is delicious.  The cornmeal on the outside is crispy and the fish is moist and juicy.  I’ve gotten this more times than I can remember.

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Cornmeal Encrusted Cajun Catfish

Have you visited The Dizz?  I would love to know your favorite meal to order.  Please comment below.

Be sure to follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on Instagram.com/Arlisappetite and twitter.com/ArliBaby.

A Look Inside MOM’S Organic Market in Hampden

The MOM’s Organic Market in Hampden is finally here! If you live or work in that area you’ve noticed the Rotunda Shopping Center getting some much-needed improvements.  A new supermarket, new apartments and other stores are coming to the Hampden Neighborhood. MOM’s Organic Market opened today and they are offering swag bags, free trees, samples and lots of goodies during the weekend of April 1st – April 3rd 2016.  I took a few photos for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy!

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A look inside my free swag bag
"Pink Lady" Organic Juice with Apple, Orange, Beet, Ginger, Lemon, Lime and Kombucha
“Pink Lady” Organic Juice with Apple, Orange, Beet, Ginger, Lemon, Lime and Kombucha

This was my first time drinking an organic juice and it was pretty tasty! I can’t wait to try another flavor.

Be sure to follow my foodie and cocktail adventures on Instagram.com/Arlisappetite and twitter.com/ArliBaby.

Come with me on a Rocket To Venus

Last week, my work friends and I decided to take a rocket to Venus.

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Well not an actual rocket, but we visited the bar/restaurant  Rocket To Venus (3360 Chestnut Ave) in Hampden for a few Friday night cocktails.

This was my first visit to Rocket To Venus so I didn’t know what to expect.  I pulled up to a grey and black corner building with limited parking. The parking wasn’t an issue, because most of the places I visit in Hampden are in residential neighborhoods, so I was already prepared to walk. Once inside I concluded that Rocket To Venus is a neighborhood bar with a rocket-themed interior.

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There are about six u-shaped large booths along the right wall and on the left side of the restaurant is open-table seating with about six tables and a bar with high-top seating. The windows in each booth are small and round resembling that of a rocket ship window.  The ceiling above the open seating area has circle-shaped cones that look like the bottom of rocket or space shuttle.  Some of the windows in the booths have terrariums on display and for sale.

We got there around 5:00 pm and grabbed the booth closest to the bar. I went up to the bar to ask about the happy hour specials.  The bartender advised me that “call drinks” were $5.00.  I ordered a whiskey cranberry with a splash of apple pucker and my two friends ordered wine.

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A waiter come over to our table and gave us two menus, a food menu and a cocktail menu. The food menu had daily specials on the left side and the regular/winter menu on the right. I was a little disappointed that the rocket theme didn’t extend to the menu, there were no rocket or space themed items.  I ordered the clam chowder from the specials menu.  It was cold outside and I wanted something to warm me up. I was a little hesitant because everyone doesn’t know how to make good clam chowder.

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Seasonal Clam Chowder

I was pleasantly surprised with my clam chowder order.  It was hearty and full of clam, potatoes, celery, spices and arugula. I dare to say it was one of the best I’ve ever tasted.

We also ordered two appetizers for the table, the Vegan Spring Rolls and the Pierogies.

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Vegan Spring Rolls
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Pierogies

The spring rolls were crispy and full of rice noodles, cabbage, tofu and peanuts.  They were actually pretty big for an order of two. The pierogies were pan-fried and filled with sauerkraut, mushrooms, chives and topped with caramelized onions and served with a horseradish sour cream. I especially liked the pierogies because it was my first time tasting them.  I thought it would be like a dumpling but it was a little different – I googled the difference.

The food at Rocket To Venus was delicious, but the service wasn’t that great.

 

Lunch at Frazier’s On The Avenue

Frazier’s On The Avenue has been a staple in Hampden since 1939.  Originally located on 33rd Street and Elm Ave (hence the name …On The Avenue), it is now located at 916 W. 36th Street.

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I recently visited Frazier’s with three co-workers and my empty stomach.  This was my first time at the restaurant/bar so I asked my lunch companions for suggestions.  My co-worker Mark was very excited about ordering the tater tots.

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Loaded Tots

Apparently the Tater Tots are a big deal because they have their own section on the menu. With six varieties to choose from – chili, crab, loaded, pizza, plain and hangover hash, Mark ordered the loaded tots with nacho cheese and bacon. The tots came with sides of  chipotle ketchup and sriracha ranch.  I’m a serious cheese lover, but I’m not a fan of nacho or cheese whiz. I tasted one tot with the sriracha ranch and it tasty.  I think the dipping sauce masked my dislike for nacho cheese.  Mark on the other hand loved them and scarfed them down.  If nacho cheese is your thing, I think you will like the tots.

I ordered a cup of Maryland Crab Soup as my appetizer.

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Maryland Crab Soup

The soup was seasoned well with lots of vegetables, but not a lot of crab meat.  That’s the problem I always find with crab soups, restaurants don’t add enough meat.

One of my co-workers suggested the shrimp salad sandwich, so I ordered that.

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The shrimp were a nice size and they were plentiful.  The amount of shrimp in my sandwich definitely made up for the lack of crab meat in my soup.

Another co-worker ordered the Turkey Club Sandwich and that was huge also with lots of meat.

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My lunch companions also suggested that I order the fries well done.  They said the fries are fresh-cut and are sometimes not cooked properly. The fries weren’t a favorite, they were a little wilted and not crispy like fries should be.  This was to be expected because I was pre-warned.

I think Frazier’s On The Avenue is a cute lunch restaurant if you’re looking to grab a good sandwich or burger.

 

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