Month: June 2016

The Dizz Does Not Disappoint

TD5

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!”

TD
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.

TD3
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.

TD1
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.

Little Red Riding

LRR1

LRR3

LRR2

Summer is here and I decided to have a random photo shoot at work with my friend’s bike. Why? Because it was a nice day outside and I was eating lunch in the courtyard and I had on a cute dress.

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

  

Sunday Brunch at Bistro RX

Bistro RX (2901 East Baltimore St) is a cute corner restaurant in the Linwood/Patterson Park neighborhood.  It actually sits on the Northeast corner of Patterson Park.  My best friend recently moved to that neighborhood and we decided to go there for Sunday brunch.  I pulled up to the restaurant around noon and immediately found a space outside, I think it was because this is a neighborhood restaurant that everyone walks to.  My best friend called two hours earlier and made same day reservations so when I walked in there was no wait. I was immediately seated at a high-top two-seat table at the front of the restaurant across from the bar.  There are two main areas, the front bar area and additional seating for larger parties in the next room.

I was the first to arrive and immediately ordered the bottomless mimosas ($10.00 per person). My waitress was attentive and filled my glass whenever she noticed it was empty.  I drank a total of 3 mimosas before my best friend finally arrived.  Because I was there for about 45 minutes, I had time to scan the menu and order for the both of us.

PP1
Katzenjammer Hash Skillet

 

PP
Baltimore Benedict

 

PP2
Blueberry Pancakes with Bacon

I ordered the Katzenjammer Hash which included bacon, chorizo, ham and scrapple atop breakfast potatoes topped with two poached eggs and hollandaise. Some restaurants don’t know how to cook a poached egg but this was the  perfect poached egg if I do say so myself.  Lots of lump crabmeat on the benedict and the pancakes were fresh and fluffy.

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

  

#EatArt

DSCN0338

Every now and again I come across a unique event invite that catches my attention and #EatArt was one of those events.  The concept of this event was “Food meets Art” or “Art meets Food” … whichever way you prefer.  I assumed to expect food and art but I didn’t know any other details so of course I was intrigued.  The event was hosted by Culinary Socialite Chef Cat and The Incredible Creation.  Chef Cat is a chef at Dovecoat Café, one of my favorite places to get a bomb breakfast sandwich.

DSCN0320

I pulled up to the Impact Hub in North Avenue’s famed Arts District and immediately found a space in front of the building on the street.  I think they also have a parking lot because people were walking from the side of the building into the front door. Looking inside a large window as I walked to the front door I saw paintings I from some of the evening’s featured artists.

Walking in I noticed the bar and headed straight for it – if you read this blog regularly, you know how I get down.  Guests were encouraged to try one of the bright yellow-colored complimentary drinks on the bar.  One of the bartenders told me it was a “Pineapple Cocktail Punch”.  There was also a full bar available for mixing other cocktails.

DSCN0367

DSCN0332

After I grabbed my drink and began to walk around a bit, I learned each artist was paired with a chef to collaborate on a painting and a signature dish.  There were six artists total and five chefs, one of the chefs didn’t show, but that was fine because the lone artists did well on his own.

First up was Chef Cat with the help of Sous Chef Robbie she created a dish with Spicy Italian Sausage, Quail Eggs, Kale, Plantain, and beet hummus.  I think they did a great job with the food interpretation they presented based on the artist’s work.

DSCN0362
Chef Robbie concentration on cracking those tiny quail eggs

DSCN0323

 

DSCN0322

Next up was the lone ranger and his burger painting.  If you ask me his art didn’t need food accompaniment because I wanted to bite that burger right off the canvas.

DSCN0371

The Wisdom Cake Company baked miniature cupcakes and I sampled the maple cinnamon buttercream with chocolate cake.

DSCN0329

Chef Biscuit had a great presentation with her Lamb Ball with peach and mint yogurt, fried plantain and cinnamon sticks.  Her paired artist created and island inspired painting to compliment the dish.

DSCN0326

DSCN0327

As I made my way to the other room I noticed a larger crowd starting to form as they were making their way in and mingling with other guest.  The Impact Hub is an open and clean space to host a workshop or event. Artwork adorned the walls and there are two large rooms and several smaller more intimate meeting rooms.

DSCN0377

DSCN0384

DSCN0375

DSCN0357

DSCN0358

In the other large room was a live band entertaining the crowd, vendors and more food and artists.

DSCN0383

DSCN0382

DSCN0334

An inclusive food event wouldn’t be complete without a vegan option and Chef Ishan Bey nailed it with his Vegan Lamb Chop and Blue Mashed Potatoes.  He also made a Butterfly Pea Blue Tea.  His artists artwork was very eye catching, for obvious reasons.  I think he did a great job with the colors and the lines and capturing the food that Chef Bey prepared.

DSCN0356

DSCN0338

Chef Justin Holloman created a deconstructed Mexican Street Taco.  He was hard at work on the presentation, he gets and A+ for that.

DSCN0342

DSCN0352

DSCN0354

This was a great event for food and art lovers alike! Be sure to follow @culinary_socialite on Instagram for more events.

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

  

What’s Your Flavor? Tell Me What’s Your Flavor!

FL2

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.

fl9

fl8

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).

FL3
Spring Flatbread Pizza
FL
Grilled Shrimp
FL5
Truffle 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.

FL7
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.

FL6
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.

FL1
Lemosa
FL4
Peach-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.

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

  

%d bloggers like this: