Month: January 2016

Stella Notte in Ellicott City, MD

categories: RESTAURANTS

Last week I visited Stella Notte (8809 Baltimore National Pike) for dinner and drinks with one of my best friends. My friend suggested that restaurant because it was a midway point between our residences.  I actually drive by the restaurant when I’m coming home from Columbia Mall, but never noticed Stella Notte because it’s on the other side of the beltway. My friend mentioned to me that she saw online they had a martini bar and happy hour specials, so we both agreed to check it out.

We got there around 6:30 pm and the restaurant wasn’t busy, this was to be expected for a Monday Evening.  When we walked in I asked the host if they were still offering Happy Hour in the martini bar, he didn’t seem to know about the happy hour specials or the happy hour – He actually told us “I don’t know, I’m not sure” and proceeded to escort us to the martini bar area.  A host not knowing anything about happy hour – a little strange.

The martini bar is an intimate room on the right side of the restaurant with dim lighting and quiet corners.  There is a bar located on the far wall with bar seating, five high top tables and five regular dining tables. The bartender came over to our table with menus and told us about the Monday night specials and the happy hour.

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The Happy Hour offers $1.50 reduced cocktails Monday – Thursday and $2.00 on Friday.  I ordered a Chocolate Raspberry Martini and my friend ordered a Blue Hawaiian Martini. The martini menu was very extensive, as it should be for a martini bar.  There were 15 martini options on the menu along with wines and other drink selections.  The martini’s were flavorful with just the right amount of alcohol. They also offer 1/2 priced bottles of wine on Monday.

The Monday nights food specials is “Create Your Own Pasta Dish for $9.99”.  The pasta and sauce of your choice is $9.99 but there is an additional fee for meat and some of the other sauces.

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I ordered the Fettuccini Alfredo with Shrimp and my friend ordered the Fettuccini Alfredo with Sausage and Peppers.

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Fettuccini Alfredo with Shrimp
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Fettuccini Alfredo with Sausage and Peppers

The fettuccini noodles and alfredo sauce was tasty and the shrimp were slightly spicy with a cajun kick.

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Cannoli Mousse and Bailey’s Cheesecake

The real star of the show was the dessert.  I’m not certain if they have a specific person making the desserts, but if they do kudos to the chef!  This cheesecake was phenomenal. I could taste the Bailey’s Irish Cream in the cheesecake.  This cheesecake was on the same level as the Cheesecake Factory. The cream inside the cannoli was sweet and the outside shell was flaky.

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Stella Notte Dessert Tray

I would definitely come back to Stella Notte for the drinks and desserts.

Stripped Palazzo Pants

categories: ARLI'S ATTIRE, FASHION

My top priority when dressing for brunch is being comfortable.  Everyone knows brunch includes lots of food, bottomless mimosas, and an expanding waistline.

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I wore these Palazzo Pants to brunch a few months ago, when it was still warm, and they were so comfy with the perfect amount of stretch.  The vertical stripes give the illusion of long legs.  My best friend says they remind her of the Balmain Palazzo Pants.  The top is a short-sleeve body suit with equal amounts of stretch.  And I matched it up with a blue necklace and chunky ring.

Similar Pants:  Here, Here, and Here

What is your favorite brunch outfit?

5 Quick Tips To Navigate Restaurant Week In Any City

categories: RESTAURANTS

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Restaurant Week originated in New York City in 1992.  It was thought up as a way to reach customers who wouldn’t normally visit restaurants in their city. Restaurant Week offers a prix-fix menu for a two-course lunch and/or three-course dinner. Fast forward 20 years later and many cities and states have kept the concept of Restaurant Week alive.

For us foodies, it’s like a bi-annual Christmas. Depending on where you live it could be a tri-annual Christmas. I live in Baltimore City and we host a Restaurant Week twice a year, but Baltimore County also hosts Restaurant Week events.  For me that means I can also drive 30 minutes to Baltimore County and participate in their Restaurant Week.

Because I have attended so many restaurant week events, I have a system and a way I like to plan my visits.  It can be a bit overwhelming if you’ve never participated in Restaurant Week.  If you’d like to take full advantage of the event, follow my five quick tips to navigate Restaurant Week.

1. Research

Research

The Restaurant Week organizing committee always releases a list of participating restaurants in your city. The list usually comes out one week before Restaurant Week begins. Most lists are very detailed with information such as:

  • Restaurant name
  • Location
  • Phone Number
  • Cuisine Type
  • Lunch, Brunch and Dinner menu items
  • Parking Information
  • Neighborhoods
  • Online Reservation Information

The aforementioned details are very helpful for your planning process. If you plan on visiting several restaurants you can map it out.  If you have a taste for seafood, you can filter and sort through only the seafood restaurants. If you want to grab a quick lunch near your job, you can search by neighborhood and view the lunch menu and once you get there you’ll already know what to order.

2. Read –  After you’ve researched and narrowed down the restaurants you would like to visit, take the time to read about them.  There are various online platforms that give restaurant reviews – Zagat, Trip Advisor and Yelp, just to name a few.  Read as many reviews as you can. There is nothing worst than visiting a restaurant and it’s not a good experience. Such a waste of time and money.

3. Reserve 

Reservation

Don’t forget to make a dinner reservation.   The same way you are researching and reading in anticipation for Restaurant Week, so is everyone else.  Or they may not be researching or reading because they already know their favorite restaurant is on the list. Restaurant Week always has great attendance because it’s the perfect time opportunity for a group activity or date night.  Everyone loves a reasonably priced meal at a fancy restaurant. Some cities extend their Restaurant Week for a few days after the week because there was such a great turnout with high demand.  So please  make a reservation because it will be crowded especially during dinner. OpenTable  is a great reservation website to use.

4. Rally

Rally

My personal favorite of the list because I like to rally my friends together or separately to join me on my restaurant tour. I sometimes like to eat alone, but during Restaurant Week I like to eat in the company of others because my taste odds are better.  I can order one dish, my friend can other another and someone else can order another…this way everyone can taste the different dishes that restaurant has to offer.  Also there will be no confusion when the bill comes because the price is already preset and each person pays the same…unless of course cocktails are ordered.

5. Rest –  So many choices, so little time.  Restaurant Week can be overwhelming because I always want to visit every restaurant. Maybe you want to do lunch today, dinner tomorrow, lunch the next day, brunch on Saturday…whatever you decide, make sure you get some rest.  A three-course dinner is a lot of food, take time to enjoy it and enjoy the experience before you move on to the next restaurant. Don’t go overboard and remember there will be another Restaurant Week in the future and you will have the opportunity to visit the places you missed.

Visit FindRestaurantWeeks.com for a full list of participating restaurant cities and states.

Please leave a comment below if you have any other tips or if you found these tips helpful.

Happy Eating!

Contemporary Japanese Flair at Azumi in Harbor East

categories: RESTAURANTS

The word “Azumi” means “Safe Residence” in Japanese.  I recently visited Azumi (725 Aliceanna St), the Japanese fine dining restaurant at the Four Seasons in Harbor East Baltimore,  and it’s safe to say this restaurant is here to stay.

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Outdoor seating, breathtaking harbor views, bright colors and a DJ booth are all things you will remember when visiting Azumi.  It was recently named one of “Baltimore’s 15 Most Beautiful Restaurants” by The Baltimore Sun. Think of Azumi as a fancy pants Ra Sushi.

There is an open-seating lounge area when you walk into the restaurant. Behind the lounge area is a long bar against the wall that seats about 10-12 people and the other half of the restaurant is for table seated dining.

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I visited with my best friend during Happy Hour and we ordered four items from the Happy Hour menu and one from the appetizer menu.

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Clockwise From Top: Pork Spare Ribs, Edamame, Rock Shrimp Tempura (Not on the Happy Hour Menu) Spicy Tuna Roll and Salmon avocado Roll.

I especially liked the Pork Spare Ribs, they were sweet and sticky.  But the serving size was too small, it left me wanting more.  But of course that’s what you get for Happy Hour prices. The sushi rolls were also fresh and delicious.

But the real star of the show was my dessert! It was an artisan dessert.  It was so pretty I forgot to ask for the name.  It was a cold custard drizzled with caramel sauce accompanied by a peanut brittle slice, thin-sliced chocolate bar, fruit, and edible flowers.  It also had a few pieces of Japanese Guava Candy. Pretty fancy huh?!!

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As you can see from the Happy Hour menu above, the prices are reasonable.  Azumi would be a nice place to visit for a birthday celebration or to impress someone during a business meeting.  Speaking with the bartender he told me that the place gets a good crowd on the nights when they have a DJ.  I would love to visit during the Summer on a Saturday night when the DJ is there, I think it would be a cool party scene.

 

Rooftop Brunch at The Black Olive Restaurant

categories: RESTAURANTS

The first time I visited The Black Olive Restaurant (803 S. Caroline Street) was for an invite only champagne sip and tasting. I remember being excited because the location had a rooftop patio making it one of a few locations in Baltimore City. The Black Olive Restaurant is a rooftop restaurant above the Inn at Black Olive Hotel.  Located in Baltimore’s Harbor East district, the hotel website boasts that it’s the only eco-organic hotel in Maryland.

At the champagne event, I only drank champagne and did not order food from the restaurant.  On my second visit, I was invited to a birthday brunch and I was very excited to try the food because my best friend and her husband visited for dinner and they told me  the food was delicious.   The Black Olive Restaurant specializes in authentic organic Greek cuisine. Beforehand I looked over their website to see what the brunch menu had to offer, but I was surprised to find the website didn’t list a brunch menu, just lunch and dinner.  I did notice that the restaurant received many accolades and awards for their food and wine.

When I arrived on a Sunday for brunch, the restaurant and patio view were beautiful.  Sheer white curtains hanging from the ceiling mixed well with the warm breeze blowing through the patio doors.  The brunch menu presented to me had about six entree options.  There was not a bottomless mimosa option, but my friend managed to negotiate with the manager and worked out a deal for our party of 12.

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I ordered the Crabmeat, Spinach and Cheese Omelet accompanied by potatoes and fruit.  My friend ordered the French Toast, scrambled eggs and sausage.

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I must say that I was not pleased with the meal. I was expecting so much more from the rave reviews I’d gotten from my friends and with the obvious accolades and awards the restaurant received.

My omelet was bland and the eggs were rubbery.  My potatoes tasted like they were from a frozen pre-made batch. My friend’s French Toast was actually pretty good, light and flavorful.  The wait staff and the owner/manager were very friendly and attentive, they kept the mimosas coming.

I really want to give The Black Olive Restaurant another chance.  I plan on visiting again during lunch or dinner hours and I will update with a new post.

Have you had breakfast at The Black Olive Restaurant?  What did you think about it?

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