Gordon Biersch

The second I heard a Gordon Biersch was opening downtown I was pretty pumped up. As far as I'm concerned, if every restaurant were a brewpub I'd be a happy man. And knowing that Gordon Biersch specializes in traditional German beer...well, that definitely didn't quell my excitement either.

Speaking of German beer, these guys do it right. I ordered the fleet to get a feel for everything they offered and left very impressed. Most of their beers, like the Marzen and Schwarzbier are lagers, but my favorite of their staple beers is the hefeweizen. This doesn't surprise me as I've been a hefe fan from my early days but theirs really stands out. The banana flavor, typical in hefeweizens, really comes through and makes for an extremely refreshing beer.

I had the lucky fortune of being invited by Gordon Biersch to try their Summerbrau (a Kolsch style beer) on a separate visit and I was very impressed with that beer as well. As their brewer Chris Cashell explained to me, Kolsch style beers are meant to be gulped down in the summer. Thankfully, the relatively low ABV and straight forward flavor profile make that possible. Summerbrau pours a gorgeous clear yellow and smells tart and lemony with a grainy malt aroma blanketing it all. Everything that comes through in the aromatics plays into the taste as well and combines for the perfect beer. In fact, it was so good I decided to bring a growler home with me.

But, don't let me get carried away. Gordon Biersch is about more than just the beer. They also serve up some delicious food. What you see pictured above is a plate of perfectly cooked Steak Frites. I asked for my steak to be cooked medium rare and that's just what I got. The meat was juicy and tender and I was surprised to find myself enjoying the steak sauce they swirled about. Normally, I'm not a steak sauce kind of guy but it worked really well here. The frites were also done well, althought, I did find them to be a bit salty. However, you're going to have a delicious beer sitting right there to wash it all down so the extra salt isn't as big of a deal as it might have been at another time.

Deana was the lucky winner of the brewhouse chicken. When we were doing our "what are you gonna have" conversation prior to ordering we both had this meal in mind. Ever the gentleman, I decided that she should order the chicken and so she did. The chicken was grilled and smoothered in a gravy they make using their Marzen beer. Deana found her meal to be tender and we both really liked the gravy even though we found the main flavor to be garlic and less Marzen. It should also be noted that the squash and zucchini served on the side were actually prepared well and weren't thrown on as an afterthought like I see done far too often.

For dessert....yes, we still found room....we ordered bread pudding. Man, it was the good stuff. The bread was hot, thick, moist, and gooey. I always make fun of the chefs on Chopped who cook bread pudding in the dessert round, but if I were a judge you'd never hear me complaining. Gooey bread, pecans, caramel sauce, and melting vanilla ice cream are a few of my favorite flavors and when put all together like this you've got a desert for the gods.

If you haven't made your way to Gordon Biersch yet, be sure to put it on your to do list. The food is delicious, the beer is great, and they have some great outdoor seating for this time of year. And if the Summerbrau sounds like it's up your alley, better get up there sooner than later as it's only offered seasonally.

Price: Average
Recommendation: Like Beer? Like Food? Then you should visit.
What to Order: Steak Frites, Bread Pudding, and a hefe.

 

Bellagio Pizzeria

For the past year, one of my go to joints (can't believe I just used that word) for a good sub has been Bellagio Pizzeria. The service is always quick and the food always delicious. You place an order, grab a City Paper, sit back and wait to sink your teeth into a great sub.

I always opt for the Cheese Steak sub that comes with fries and a drink for around $9. If I'm trying to keep it quasi-healthy, I might opt for the Chicken Cheese Steak which is equally delicious. It starts off with the great rolls they serve the subs in. It's soft but not soft enough that the meat is leaking through soggy bread after 3 minutes. If you're one who enjoys their condiments you'll be happy to know that they get the condiments right every time. The subs are never over or under cheesed. The mayo keeps everything nice and moist. And if you get "hots" added to the sandwich they always hook you up with the perfect amount. You know it's there but you won't be looking for water after every bite either.

Deana ventured on to the road less traveled on our last visit and ended up trying their Italian Cold Cut. It was delicious. The creamy Italian dressing they serve it with is something my 12 year old self would have thought life was all about.

The only problem I have now is deciding on the Italian Cold Cut or Cheese Steak on my next visit. I guess I can take solace in the fact that I'll be a happy sub loving dude either way.

Price: Quite Affordable
Recommendation: Seek em out
What to order: Any of their Cheese Steaks

Bombay Nights

I want to apologize right off the bat for this review not being as detailed as I'd like. The day I attended Bombay Nights I went with co-workers as part of a "welcome to the team" kind of lunch. Because I was still getting to know all the new guys and girls I decided to keep my professional food blogging skills on the DL. However, I wanted to make sure I talked about it here anyway, brief though it may be.

If you work in the White Marsh/Nottingham/Perry Hall area Bombay Nights is a great place to get really good food at a really great price. During the week you can get a smorgasbord of Indian food for about $9.95. The buffet includes roughly 10 different options from curry to tandoori to tikka masala. There are also all kind of chutneys and sauces to mix and match with the variety of breads and crackers they have available.

I thought it was kind of funny that I had never had Indian food in my entire 30 years of life and then all of the sudden I was eating Nan (very tasty by the way) for the second time in a week. The fact that it was a buffet led to some of the food being a tad dry or not quite as fresh as it would be if it were being cooked to order but this was still an excellent deal. For a little less than $10 you can have a lunch that won't put you to sleep like the Subway Club you eat every day and you can do so in a restaurant full of beautiful decorations.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: Visit for the lunch buffet ASAP
What to order: Lunch Buffet

Gino's Burgers and Chicken

Gino's Burgers and Chicken restaurants have been popping up everywhere lately. Being an out of towner I hadn't heard of them, but my girlfriend let me know that they used to be quite popular once upon a time. Naturally, my interest was peeked. When we found a Groupon offer to the Towson location we had the perfect opportunity to see what Gino's was all about.
We ended up at the Towson location on Friday night and it was PACKED. The line was nearly to the door but it moved surprisingly quick. The first thing I noticed was the giant sign of milkshake offerings. As you know from the By the Scoop review I'm a huge fan of peanut butter and I ended up with a Reese's Pieces Milkshake. My girlfriend, on the other hand, decided on a Cherry Cheescake shake.

The shakes were really big and thick. The huge straw you see in the picture came in very handy. However, on the whole they were kind of "ehh" on the scale of tastiness. They weren't bad but they weren't anything special either. My Reese's Pieces Shake tasted like a pure vanilla shake with a bunch of broken candy that eventually sunk to the bottom.  Deana's Cherry Cheesecake didn't have any cherry flavor and even worse there was no cheesecake presence to be found either. That was kind of a letdown.

For dinner I ordered a Bacon Blue Burger and Deana had the Chicken Caesar Wrap. Out of the two, the wrap was easily the winner. The chicken tasted really good and we both really liked the ceasar dressing. My burger, while okay, was a huge bummer. The bun was nearly twice as big as the burger but that was the least of my concerns. The fact that the "Bacon Blue" burger didn't have any blue cheese crumbles on it really annoyed me. Putting cheap mass produced blue cheese dressing on a burger and calling it "blue" doesn't cut the mustard with this guy. With that said, the bacon on the burger was really tasty.

The best part of the dinner were the Wild Fries we decided to split. Wild fries are french fries with cheese, ranch dressing, and bacon crumbles over the top. The fries alone were really good and crunchy. I was a little worried they were going to be soggy and covered in ranch dressing (not typically a huge fan) but it was really well balanced. Both of us agreed the fries were worth coming back for.

Because we went with a Groupon deal we had some extra money left over and were able to order chicken fingers and a cookie to go. Even though I didn't get to the chicken for a full day it was really good. The breading they use was a big hit with my tastebuds.

It seems to me that the chicken is the way to go if you end up at Gino's. Between the chicken fingers and the wrap Deana had, I think it's safe to say they know what they're doing the chicken. On the other hand, the burgers and the shakes were a big let down.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: It was okay, but it has its strong points. Give it a shot.
What to order: Chicken Caesar Wrap and Wild Fries.

Original Fish and Chips

Just like about every other couple in America, Deana and I find ourselves in need of a Wal Mart run every 2 or 3 weeks to stock up on the necessities of life. More and more frequently we find ourselves choosing the Wal Mart location on Carroll Island because the crowds aren't quite as bad as the others nearby. After trying Original Fish and Chips (located right across the street from the Wal Mart) last week my guess is that this Wal Mart has become our default from here on out.
Original Fish and Chips is a small take out establishment (they did have two small outdoor picnic tables), that I've been meaning to try ever since I moved to this side of Baltimore County. Heading in I wasn't quite sure what to expect because I don't eat fish but it turned out not to be a problem. The manager asked me what I like and when I mentioned shrimp he promptly pointed out all of the different options I had.

Not knowing that I was going to be served shrimp the size of of my hand, I ordered the 5 fried shrimp platter. I'm a pretty big eater and would probably opt for the 3 shrimp platter next time the shrimp are so big. Not only were they huge but they tasted very fresh and were fried just right. They obviously knew what they were doing when it came to frying the seafood and that made it all the more disappointing when I tried the chips. They were ample size but not crunchy enough to be considered chips. However, they more than made up for it with some excellent hush puppies. The puppies had a bright yellow inside and were nice and sweet with a tasty onion flavor in the background. I'm not sure if you can order a side of hush puppies, but if it's possible I think passing on the chips for more hush puppies is the way to go.

For the fish lovers out there, fret not, for my girlfriend tried the fish and loved it. She is a woman of few words but she mentioned at least 3 times throughout the meal that the fish was "great" and that she would visit again to try the fish any time. If it was so good she spoke up that often you can take it to the bank. The fish must be good!

Original Fish and Chips might be a little out of the way for some of you, but it's definitely worth the drive. The prices are rock bottom cheap, the portions are huge, and they know how to fry some seafood. If find yourself looking for a good piece of fried fish make Middle River your destination.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: Visit ASAP

What to order: Fish and Hush Puppies or Shrimp

Manhattan Grill

The season might have ended three or four weeks ago, but I just received my winnings from this year's fantasy football season over the weekend. To celebrate, I decided to take my girlfriend out for dinner. Being the attentive boyfriend I am, I took her to Manhattan Grill as she mentioned she'd like to try it out the last time we drove by.

Manhattan Grill is split between a sports bar and regular restaurant. The bar is completely separate from the restaurant, which I thought was nice touch. If there is a big game on I'm sure the bar can create a bit of noise, but if you aren't into sports or just feel like relaxing the restaurant is a perfectly quiet place to enjoy a nice dinner.

On the drive to the restaurant I had all intentions of ordering a steak, but after looking over the specials I quickly changed my mind.  Chipotle aioli dipping sauce combined with my love for any and all things spicy made for a very easy decision when we ordered the Cajun onion rings as an appetizer.

Unfortunately, the onion rings let us down. While the breading tasted good and had a spicy punch they were simply over breaded. After eating 4 or 5 of these things I was already feeling full and believe me when I say that's not normal for me. The chipotle aioli, what I was most excited about regarding the appetizer, didn't add very much to the party either. In my eyes, it was like eating mayo that was slightly tinted red. The chipotle flavor was nowhere to be found. 

I wasn't too bummed about the lackluster rings though. Coming shortly was my dinner and I was seriously excited to dig in. Key Lime BBQ grilled chicken had my name all over it. I've been trying to eat sensibly lately and the opportunity to eat grilled chicken full of flavor sounded perfect. Once again, I found myself seriously let down. The chicken was cooked perfect and was as juicy as you'd like, but the Key Lime BBQ sauce was absolutely boring. When you read Key Lime on a menu, you're instantly thinking bright tart flavor and there was no citrus presence at all. And that tang you expect in a BBQ sauce was nowhere to be found either. The baked potato I ordered on the side was fine, but a potato is a potato. Overall, my meal was a serious sleeper and a big disappointment.

The one redeeming feature of our meal was the Brazilian Steak Salad my girlfriend ordered. They lived up to the "grill" in Manhattan Grill and really cooked a tender piece of meat . Paired with fresh bleu cheese crumbles and fresh slices of avocado the salad was the highlight of the night.

Overall, the food experience at Manhattan Grill was kind of "meh". I wouldn't totally write them off in the future, but I'm not itching to go back either. If I were to find myself back at Manhattan Grill, the steak seems to be the way to go judging from how well the meat was cooked on the Brazilian Steak Salad.

Price: Upper end of Average

Recommendation: If you're in the area give it a shot.

What to order: One of their steaks.