RESTAURANTS

LaTolteca Authentic Mexican Restaurant

categories: RESTAURANTS

I remember long ago driving to Boston Street with my friends for weekend day drinking and night clubbing, but now memories of my youth in Canton have been replaced with commercial businesses and restaurants.  One restaurant in particular I love to visit at least once a month is LaTolteca (2324 Boston Street).  LaTolteca is an authentic mexican restaurant chain in Maryland. They have other locations in Belair, Cockeysville, Salisbury and Hagerstown.  I’d never heard of the restaurant until I was driving down Boston Street one day and noticed their newest location in Canton.

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The most important amenity I love about LaTolteca is they offer free valet on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Trying to find a parking space on Boston Street is hell, so they get a gold star for that!  When you walk in the restaurant, immediately you feel like you are in another place.  The furniture is crafted after colorful pieces of artwork. The table tops and chairs are adorned with 3D brightly colored lacquered art.   There are about six booths that run along the Boston Street perimeter. Each booth is positioned under a window, so patrons can open or close the window if they choose.

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The bar runs along the opposite wall of the restaurant and is lined with bar stools.  There are also high top tables situated in the middle of the restaurant.  LaTolteca has two levels, though I haven’t been upstairs I know they use that area for private parties and they’ve just started Salsa dancing upstairs on Friday nights. I was sad when Talara closed in Harbor East, because they had one of the best salsa parties but it’s good to know of another one.

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The cocktail menu includes a variety of margarita and tequila specials.  They offer eight different margaritas that range from sweet to spicy – strong and stronger.  They also have three different pre-made frozen margaritas ready to serve from the frozen drink dispenser. They also have bottled beers, beers on tap and Mexican beers such as Dos Equis.

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Every customer is given warm chips and dip when they sit down.  They give you two dipping sauces, one is salsa and the other is a creamy white dip that I later found out was Queso Blanco Dip (White Cheese Dip). The queso dip is amazing!  I always end up getting a second serving.

Now this may sound crazy, but I’ve been to LaTolteca about six times and I always get the same exact thing.  The menu is very extensive, every Mexican dish you can think of they serve at LaTolteca.  The first time I browsed the menu, the seafood fajitas caught my attention and they were so good that I’ve never really wanted anything else. The “Del Mar Fajitas” include shrimp, crab meat and scallops cooked with onions, tomatoes and bell peppers with a tilapia fillet on top. Served with rice, beans, guacamole, lettuce, sour cream and tortillas on the side.

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Del Mar Fajitas

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My friends are more adventurous than me and they’ve sampled quite a few of the other entrees such as the Hawaiian Fajitas made with grilled chicken, shrimp and charizzo mixed with grilled pineapple, onions and tomatoes inside half a pineapple with melted cheese on top. Served with Spanish rice, fried beans and guacamole salad.

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Hawaiian Fajitas

All entrees range in cost from $15.00-$30.00 depending on the ingredients and serving size.

My next visit will be on Friday and I plan to eat, drink and visit the upper level for Salsa dancing.  Maybe I’ll wear my emoji girl red dress – 💃🏾

For more information on LaTolteca, visit their website at http://latoltecamd.com.

 

Lunch at Lumbini

categories: RESTAURANTS

I was introduced to India cuisine about four years ago.  My first taste of Indian was Chicken Tikka Masala and I’ve loved it since that moment.  If I really think about it, that was the perfect introduction because that dish encompassed the essence of Indian cuisine, a balance of sweet and spicy.   India cuisine in my opinion is like soul food because it’s hearty and filling, but unlike soul food it’s a bit expensive.  A serving of chicken tikka masala can run you $15.00 and that includes the rice, chicken and masala sauce but doesn’t always include the cost of the naan bread.

My best friend lives in downtown Baltimore and she took me to Lumbini (322 N. Charles Street) for lunch and to my surprise it was buffet style!  All of my favorites, all I can eat for the reasonable price of $12.99.

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This Gold glass is EVERYTHING! Love It!

Have you been to Lumbini?  What’s your favorite Indian dish?  If you like like Lumbini or Indian Cuisine, check out my review of Darbar in Fells Point, Baltimore.

Currently Craving: B & O American Brasserie Grilled Salmon Cobb Salad

categories: RESTAURANTS

I’m not a healthy food loving person.  The food I tend to like is greasy, fattening and bad for your health (bacon lovers unite!).   But I do love a good salad on any given day of the week. I know I know… not all salads are healthy,  but with all the veggie variations I like to think they are.

Salmon Salad

One of the best salads I’ve had recently was the Grilled Salmon Cobb Salad from B&O American Brasserie (2 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD).  The salad is only available during lunch hours, however I went once after 5:00 pm and asked for the salad and they made it happen.  It took a little longer because after lunch they swap the lunch menu items for the dinner menu items, but it was worth the wait.  I’ve been there for lunch a few times and each time the salad was phenomenal. The ingredients are fresh and the salmon is cooked to perfection – golden and moist with a flaky crust.  The salmon is seared first and then put in the oven to finished the crisp outer layer and seal in all the juices.

The other ingredient that makes the salad delicious is the Green Goddess Dressing.  I’ve seen this dressing just recently in the dressing aisle at the supermarket but I’ve never purchased it.  The dressing is mayonnaise based with sour cream, anchovies, garlic, chives, parsley, lemon and pepper.  There are other variations of the recipe and other add different seasonings to it but the aforementioned ingredients are the basis of the dressing.

If you are looking for a little adventure in your salads, try this Green Goddess Dressing Recipe I found on SimplyRecipes.com.

 

Brunch Review: The Point in Fells

categories: RESTAURANTS

My first visit to The Point in Fells (1738 Thames Street Fells Point, MD 21231) was on Christmas Eve 2014 and I must say I had a jolly good time.  It was the Wednesday night dance party and the DJ played hit after hit.  There were drink specials and the place was packed, so packed that the party seemed to trickle out onto the sidewalk.

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My next visit to The Point in Fells was for Sunday brunch.  A much different atmosphere than the holiday party. There was no DJ or music, but the place was still packed with football fans watching the game. The point has food and drink specials for everyday of the week and Sunday Brunch seems to be a very popular day.

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The restaurant/bar has two-level seating and additional outdoor seating.  I arrived there around 1:30 pm and there was a 30 minute wait because the upstairs area was closed for a private party.  The Sunday brunch runs from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.   Our table wasn’t available until 2:10 pm and the first thing I ordered was the bottomless mimosas, but I was disappointed when the waitress advised me that the bottomless option stops at 2:00 pm… womp womp.  Another strike out on the bottomless.

My brunch selection was the Happy Crab – a crab cake and chicken sausage sandwich with a sunny side up egg, spinach and  cheddar cheese on a pretzel bun. I’m always a fan of crab cake but I was interested to see how it pairs with chicken sausage.

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It paired pretty well.  The chicken sausage had a little spicy kick that overpowered the crabcake, but still a good combo.

My friend ordered the Chicken and Waffles. It was your basic waffle with a fried chicken breast.  The chicken breast was really big and she couldn’t finish it all, so of course I helped her.  Come to think of it my sandwich was pretty big also. The brunch menu is great for sharing.

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As if our shareable meals weren’t enough, we also ordered dessert.

Our first choice was a bread pudding with a Gran Marnier Liqueur caramel sauce.  It took a while for the dessert to come out and the caramel sauce was hard and had a toffee-like texture which was unexpected because we were expecting a liquid caramel topping.

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The second dessert we ordered was an apple crisp with warm apples, ice cream and strawberry topping.  It was tastier than the first option.

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Overall the brunch at The Point in Fells was decent. It was a family-friendly dining experience with friendly and knowledgeable staff.  I would like to visit again preferably on their Thursday Burger Night or All Day Happy Hour Friday Night.

Have you ever been to The Point in Fells?  Tell me about your experience.

The Sushi Place

categories: Happy Hour, RESTAURANTS

** UPDATE** This restaurant location has closed. Thanks for the memories.

Every since Townhouse put an end to my “Taco Tuesday” weekly specials (sad face),  I’ve been looking for a place to go for a good Tuesday night happy hour… and I think I’ve found it. Tuesday night I visited The Sushi Place (7 E. Lexington St) in downtown Baltimore for their 1/2 price Sushi Tuesday specials.  The Sushi Place has other locations in Baltimore, but the one on Lexington Street is their newest location and has been there for about two months.

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I must admit Tuesday was not my first visit to The Sushi Place.  I’d gone there for the first time on Friday night around 11:00 pm, just in time to order before the kitchen and bar closes at midnight.  I ordered a Raven’s Sangria and naturally I expected it to be purple, but it wasn’t, nonetheless it was delicious.  Because of time constraints I didn’t have much time to look over the menu, and I ordered the Spicy Tuna Poppers because they were the first thing I’d glanced over that looked interested.

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The Spicy Tuna Poppers were out of this world!  Cooked Tuna mixed with cream cheese stuffed into a half jalapeno pepper,  tempura fried, and topped with a tri-color sauce…more about the sauces later.  I wasn’t sure if I was hungry or if they were really that good, but my second visit on Tuesday confirmed they were really that good.

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In addition to ordering the Spicy Tuna Poppers again, I also ordered the “Feeling Crabby,” which is spicy crab and mozzarella on a quarter cut avocado drizzled with wasabi mayo.  The ingredients sound great together and they were, but the execution could have been better.  The spicy crab and cheese mix wasn’t warm, it was room temperature, and I think it should have been warmer especially on top of the avocado.

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I also ordered fried Chicken Gyoza, which can be ordered steamed or fried.   Gyoza is a fancy name for dumpling or pot sticker.  And I ordered Edamame, not much to be said about it as all Edamame taste the same, but my bartender suggested I get the spicy rub on top in addition to the salt and it did give it a different kick.  It’s funny how I went on 1/2 price sushi night, but didn’t order any authentic sushi *shrugs* oh well …maybe next time.   The Sushi Place uses a three sauces with their food – Ginger Sauce, Eel Sauce, and Wasabi Mayo.  Together these sauces create a signature or house sauce that can probably be put on anything and make it taste great.

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Bushido Roll

What I like most about The Sushi Place is the chill vibe.  The lighting is dim, the furniture is black  and they also play music throughout the restaurant, a good selection of hits…think Chris Brown or Usher station on Pandora.

Tuesday nights also offer Happy Hour drink specials to go along with the 1/2 price sushi.

Talara: Saturday Night Happy Hour

categories: Happy Hour, RESTAURANTS

** UPDATE** This restaurant location closed on Feb 7, 2015.  Thanks for the memories. 

The typical Saturday night is usually reserved for dinner and dancing while Monday-Friday evenings are reserved for Happy Hour.   It’s very rare to find a Happy Hour on a Saturday night,  but Talara Baltimore offers a pretty impressive hybrid of both.

If you’re not familiar with Talara it’s a South American themed restaurant located in Harbor East Baltimore.  The menu features sushi, seafood, and tapas with a fresh latin flair.  They also offer Salsa lessons on Monday nights.  The signature cocktails there are the Mojito, Sangria, and Caipirinha,  and they are $5.00  each during happy hour.

Talara Cocktails

The Mango Mojito is my favorite cocktail at Talara, mainly because it’s made with fresh mango and mint.

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Salmon Asian Tartare

On my recent visit I ordered the Salmon Asian Tartare and the Blackened Chicken Tostada.  The tartare is a sushi tapa served with a sweet aioli sauce and topped with caviar.

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Blackened Chicken Tostada

The tostadas were somewhat of a fancy nacho covered in cheese, chicken, and salsa.  The tostadas I liked  because the chip was not soggy under all the toppings and even though you only get five chips, it was pretty filling to me.  Just like the cocktails during happy hour, the tapas are also $5.00 each

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Pulled Chicken Tacos

Talara on a Saturday night is the place to go if you want a chill, under the radar atmosphere to have a few drinks and eats with friends.

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