Topside Baltimore, a popular nightlife location in the Mount Vernon, Baltimore district, is now open for breakfast and lunch. Today, I had the opportunity to check out their new weekday breakfast menu. I’ve been to Topside for weekend brunch a few times, so I decided to order a few items that I haven’t had. I decided on the Chorizo Breakfast Burrito, Grilled French Toast and the Stonefruit-Tomato Tartine. When the food came out to my table, I could see the food styling influence of the new Executive Chef Scott Hines. I had brunch at B&O when he was there and the food was beautiful and delicious. I especially liked the thick bread loaf french toast because I’ve never seen it served like this anywhere else in Baltimore. The tartine featured a perfect balance of salty ricotta cheese spread on multigrain bread topped with sweet ripe peaches, I may go back and order that with just a cup of coffee.
After breakfast, I took a peek at the lunch menu and if features a few items that caught my eye. I can’t wait to go back for lunch.
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Revival Hotel’s rooftop bar has one of the best panoramic views of the city. I’ve been to Topside a few times but recently I went there to check out their new brunch menu items.
Brunch is from 10:30am – 2:30pm and I had a Sunday 11:30am reservation. When I arrived the friendly hostess sat me near a window for the perfect view of the Washington Monument and the perfect perch for my Mimosa. Topside offers a $15 bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Mary option with the purchase of a brunch entrée. There weren’t that many people there when I arrived but the tables started to fill up around 12:30. There are eight brunch menu options and an extra five sides or add-on options. My friend and I ordered one entrée each, an additional side and we split another entrée.
I ordered the Buttermilk Biscuits and Gravy that came with two eggs any style. The gravy was made with goat from Prosperity Acres Farm. My friend ordered the Green Chorizo Chilaquiles and that came with fried eggs. We wanted to order something sweet also, so we ordered a Dutch Baby. It was my first time tasting one and I’m glad we ordered it. I’ve seen them on a few menus but never knew how delicious they were. They are a cross between a pancake and the light custard taste of Crème Brûlée. And we also ordered the bacon and Topside Potatoes. The potatoes were wedges were a nice size and fried up crispy and golden brown.
Of course I had to order the Old Fashioned to finish off my brunch because Topside makes one of my Top 3 Old Fashioneds in Baltimore City.
Out with the old and in with the new. The former Midtown BBQ & Brew in Mt. Vernon, Baltimore is now Flavor Restaurant and Lounge (15 E. Chase St.) The restaurant was remodeled and revamped back in September 2015 and re-opened with new owners, a new look and a new menu. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Midtown BBQ & Brew because every time I visited the menu items and the ingredients in the food weren’t consistent. It took me a few months but last week I finally visited Flavor Restaurant and Lounge.
I went with a friend on a Wednesday after work around 5:00 p.m. prime happy hour time. Flavor Restaurant and Lounge has happy hour 3-7 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday (closed on Monday). The interior was unrecognizable, all new furniture a fresh coat of paint and new decor has turned this place into a classy after-work destination. The new menu specializes in small plates and cocktails. They do have entrees, appetizers and desserts, but welcome sharing food with friends. On this particular Wednesday there were no customers there when we arrived, which is great in my opinion because my food won’t take long to prepare. We scanned the happy hour menu and decided to order the 1/2 Pound Steamed Shrimp ($10.00), Spring Flatbread Pizza ($8.00), Grilled Chicken Tacos ($11.00) and the Truffle Mac & Cheese ($9.00).
Spring Flatbread PizzaGrilled ShrimpTruffle Mac & Cheese
My friend and I especially liked the Spring Flatbread Pizza with pesto, zucchini, roasted tomatoes and mozzarella… so much flavor in each slice. I also liked the steamed shrimp because they had a hint of Old Bay and a hint of garlic. The Mac & Cheese was made with rotini noodles, a light crispy breading on top and a heaping of cheese throughout the serving. Gruyère and white cheddar made an interesting cheese combination as it was tangy and pungent, but in a good way.
Grilled Chicken Tacos
We also ordered the Grilled Chicken Tacos but I was not pleased with them. They were served with roasted corn salsa, lime sour cream and a light slaw. Unfortunately the chicken was dry and surprisingly it didn’t come with the lime sour cream on it. I had to ask for the lime sour cream on the side.
Vanilla Bread Pudding
For dessert I ordered the Vanilla Bread Pudding topped with vanilla glaze and powdered sugar. The bread pudding was also accompanied with brûlée-style oranges. The bread pudding was full of flavor and also surprisingly light and fluffy.
LemosaPeach-Strawberry Daiquiri
Happy Hour at Flavor Restaurant and Lounge also features two signature cocktails – Peach Strawberry Daiquiri and the Lemosa, both $5.00. They also offer $2.00 off glasses of wine and $1.00 off draft beer. The recipe for the Lemosa is easy… view it here.
Have you been to Flavor Restaurant and Lounge? Tell me about it.
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The Owl Bar ( 1 E. Chase Street) in The Belvedere Hotel is one of Mt. Vernon’s precious gems. This hotel has history! Along the entry walls leading to the first floor restaurant are old black and white photos of celebrities that have visited the hotel. What once was a hotel is now luxury condos, two restaurants and banquet and event space. I’ve visited The Belvedere Hotel many times before, mostly when they had a lounge nightclub on the top floor, but that space is now an upscale restaurant with panoramic views overlooking downtown Baltimore.
I recently visited The Owl Bar with three friends on a Sunday afternoon. We got there around noon and we pretty much had the place to ourselves for a while. There were maybe two other tables occupied. We sat at the bar and ordered the bottomless mimosas for $15.00. I’ve said it before, I like sitting at the bar for bottomless because it’s easy for the bartender to see that your glass is empty and fill it back up. I really like the decor at The Owl Bar because it has the historic feel of the original hotel but with a modern twist. With a name like “Owl Bar” of course there is owl memorabilia like stain-glass windows and owl mugs, photos and figurines. They also have a collection of superhero mugs that I notice get requested and used a lot. Cool lighting fixtures and fabric upholstery add to the updated modern appearance.
If mimosas aren’t your think they have a serious Bloody Mary Bar with the fixings.
The brunch menu includes your traditional breakfast items: Omelette, Fritata, Two Eggs Any Style, Eggs Benedict, Quesadilla and Pancakes. The menu also features fresh brick oven pizzas, The Owl Burger, Cobb Salad and Crab Dip. They used to offer the best Chicken and Waffle option in town, but they took it off the menu … I guess it wasn’t a popular item. I’ve had just about everything on the menu except the omelette so I ordered that this go round. I didn’t prefer the omelette because I like my omelette ingredients cooked together. The eggs and the ingredients were cooked separately and the ingredients were put on the egg and it was folded over.
Owl Bar Omelette
My friend ordered my favorite, the Breakfast Quesadilla with bacon, potatoes and cheddar cheese inside and it’s served with salsa and pico de gallo. I’ve ordered it so many times because I like it and I’ve started making my own at home.
My other friends ordered the Owl Burger and the Pancakes with a side of bacon. We also ordered the Cobb Salad to share. The pancakes were light and fluffy. The cut of bacon they use is always great it’s not too thin. The Owl Burger is a house blend of chuck, short rib, brisket and it was tasty! If you like meat, you’ll like this burger. The Cobb Salad is always our go-to shareable item because it features the perfect portion mix of the ingredients and we love the dressing.
Owl Burger, Brioche French Toast and Nawlins SkilletLil’ ol’ me leaving brunch reminiscing about the great mimosas
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**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.
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.
