Little Havana

You may have noticed that restaurant reviews have been popping up less and less on Baltimore Bistros and Beer.  As recently as a few weeks ago, I actually stated out loud to my wife that I thought I was done writing about food. It’s not that I don’t like writing about restaurants, but taking pictures and notes in the middle of nearly every meal has become something I look less and less forward to each time we go out.  I didn’t want to put anymore conversations on hold while I did my blogger due diligence, because quite frankly, it’s not an ideal way to enjoy dinner. I’ve got this thing where I like to be in the moment as much as possible and while I’m definitely at one with the food, I’d rather be focusing on the people sitting across from me at the dinner table. 

And then we ate at Little Havana and tried Ropa Vieja. It was fantastic. In fact, it was so tasty that in the middle of eating their Ropa Vieja I decided to compromise with myself. If I went to dinner and had a truly exceptional experience or tasted something that really went above and beyond the norm, I came to the conclusion that it’s only right that information finds its way on to my blog. The whole point of this blog (from a food/restaurant POV) is to help give people an idea of what’s good around Baltimore and have them try new things and so that's what exactly I'm going to continue to do (just maybe in a slightly different format).

Little Havana’s Ropa Vieja is one of those food items that deserves your special attention. But does that surprise you? Slow cooked meat is a gift from the gods. If it has to sit around cooking for hours on end before it’s ready to eat you know it’s going to be good.  This version of Ropa Vieja lives up to those expectations.  The tender strands of meat are flavored with tomato and cumin and come across as an alternate to texas style chili with a heavier focus on the tomato flavor and less on the spices. But what really sets this Ropa Vieja apart is the yuca it’s nestled all over. I’m not sure if I've had yuca before, but I loved it on this night. The texture of the melt in your mouth meat and firm but creamy yucca was something to write home about (or blog about).  When the last bite was consumed, sadness poured down over me. 

But the sadness was short lived. After the Ropa Vieja was gone and my carne tacos were inhaled a piece of key lime pie magically appeared in front of me. That pie was some of the best pie I've come across in a restaurant setting. The pie itself had a uniquely creamy texture that can’t be found just anywhere and that alone had me going in for bite after bite despite the fact that I was already stuffed to the gills. And the crust was equally fantastic and almost as half as thick as the pie itself.  Creamy pie, crunchy buttery crust.  It’s not a sentence, but that says it all. Or maybe it doesn't? The flavor of the pie was also stellar. It was tart but not too tart and sweetened just the right amount creating a happy balance between the two dissonant featured flavors.

As the days get colder I can think of few things more ideal to warm me up than a plate of Little Havana’s delicious Ropa Vieja . And if it’s exceptionally cold their Key Lime Pie and the fantasy of eating it on the beach will surely do the trick. Get there soon. Little Havana awaits.

Brewer's Art

If you come to this blog it's because you're a fan of one of two things. You're either a fan of the Baltimore food scene or you like good beer. If both of those descriptors fit you, than Brewer's Art is an absolute must visit. If only one of those descriptors fit you, Brewer's Art is still a place you need to visit. It's just that good.

The first time Deana and I ever visited Brewer's Art was during a Restaurant Week. One of the appetizer options offered was something called Liptauer Cheese Spread. My initial thought was "Cheese Spread? Weird. You don't see that everywhere. Let's get that." We did and we were happy souls. On the day of our Restaurant Week visit they used some spicy red pepper in the spread and it was fantastic. Creamy cheese, pepper with a little bite, and some super crunchy crustini combined to make one of my favorite appetizers in all of Baltimore. More recently, we went back with my brother and sister-in-law and the spread was just as good. The main difference between our first and last visit was that the pepper used wasn't as spicy and the crustini had a sauerkraut flavor that was superb. My brother, the ultimate consumer of cheese, gave it a rousing review.

On our most recent visit, I decided to try Braised Duroc Pork Cheeks for dinner. As is often the case, I like to try things I've never had before and since I've never chewed on a cheek before I decided now (or then as it were) was the time. The Cheeks were also served with a baby Bratwurst, split peas in a cider gravy, and swiss chard. This was the perfect plate. The cheeks had the familiar taste of pork with a crunchy outer texture juxtaposed against the tender inside. The bratwurst didn't tread on any new territory, but who would want that anyway? Brats should be brats and this one was as good you could want. The spicy mustard they served on the side was a great compliment. Swiss chard was also something I had never tried and I really enjoyed the earthy flavor it gave off. However, my favorite part of the dish, and also something new to me, were the split peas. They kept a crunchy texture and the cider gravy they were served with gave them an almost baked bean like flavor that went perfect with the pork cheeks. 

On my initial visit to Brewer's Art I ordered the Steak Frites as did Deana and my sister-in-law Amy on our most  recent trip. The steak frites are delicious in their own right, but what I really want to talk about is the out of this world customer service Amy received when her steak came out cooked a little more done than she had asked for. She was feeling a little self conscious about complaining, but we convinced her that it wasn't worth fighting through a meal she didn't ask for. She let our waitress know about the issue and there was absolutely no argument. Our waitress apologized that it was over done and said she'd have a new steak up as soon as possible. A few minutes later the manager one duty stopped by the table to apologize to Amy and thank her for giving them a chance to make things right. Brewer's art displayed some of the best customer service I've seen and I'd like to personally thank them for going out of their way to make sure our table left satisfied. The meal ended up being great and left all of us happy when all was said and done. 

As far as Brewer's Art's beer is concerned, I've never had a beer from them that I didn't completely enjoy and that wasn't totally full of flavor. I've sampled gruits, their staples in Resurrection and (the now infamous) Ozzy, and on this particular night I was smitten with their Charm City Sour Cherry (flavor is self explantory) and Biere De Mars (tart red ale) . I give them major props on putting out beers that are big on flavor without ever taking your palate hostage. 

I'm sure I could sit here and come up with a fun to say "be sure you visit Brewer's Art", but I'm not even going to try. You should visit because the food is great and the beer is as good as anything else being put out locally. Visit now. Eat good. Drink great. Be happy.

Price: A little on the expensive side, but they do have great happy hour pricing

Recommendation: Must visit for the foodie and beer geeks among us.

What to Order: Whatever your heart desires. They won't let you down. 

Padonia Ale House

This review was written by Deana

Douglas and I love to visit places with both good food and a good draft selection.  One such place that we had been meaning to visit was Padonia Ale House. This past weekend we finally made it there for dinner.  I've heard a lot of good things about Padonia from people I work with and with over 40 beers on tap plus a large bottle selection we could definitely see why. They had a nice mix between local beers and everything else and enough variation in beer styles that anyone should be able to find something they like. 

For dinner, I was in the mood for something spicy and wings sounded perfect. I loved that you could order 5 wings instead of the typical order of 10 or 12. The small batch saved me from having to talk Douglas into sharing with me. I also really liked how the wings were "sauced". It seemed like the buffalo sauce was added into the batter rather than being applied afterwards making them a lot less messy than your average wing. Because the wings weren't drowned in buttery buffalo sauce the wings were able to stay crispy but still have a good buffalo sauce presence. I would definitely order these again.

Douglas had been here on his own a few months ago, and suggested the buffalo chicken cheesesteak but since I had already decided on wings, I went with the Pulled Pork sandwich.  The pulled pork was served on a pretzel roll, which happened to be a little too well toasted for me, but the thick, slightly salty bread did go well with the juicy sweet barbecue sauce and coleslaw on the sandwich. It wasn't my favorite pulled pork of all time, but it's not something I would necessarily shy away from in the future either. 

On this particular visit Douglas had chili and a meatball sub.  The chili had a bright tomato taste, and was covered in a nice layer of gooey melted cheese. This wasn't your typical cumin, chili powder, spice fest type of chili, but seemed to have a sweeter thing going on. Perhaps chili sauce was added in, but whatever it was made for a nice change up in a bowl of chili. 

His sub was a bit hit and miss. The meatballs  had a really good flavor and the sub roll was perfect with the crusty outside and soft chewy inside.  His only complaint was that it could have used a little more sauce. Douglas seemed to think it got a bit boring to eat after awhile and could have used a little sauce added on the meatballs to mix things up and provide a touch of moistness. With that said, this was one of the neater meatball sandwiches we've eaten and our stain free pants after dinner appreciated that

If you find yourself in the Towson or Timonium area and looking for a place with good food and lots of good beer to choose from give Padonia Ale House a try. Not everything on the menu is a perfect, but the Wings, Chili, and Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak Douglas tried on a previous trip are all winners.

Price: Average
Recommendation: Nice stop for a good beer and a straight forward meal
What to Order: Chili, Wings, Buffalo Chicken Cheesesteak

Noodle Charm

This review was written by Deana

Spice and Dice is one of our favorite places to visit for a lunch date.  They’re quick, friendly, and have consistently good Thai food.  So when the owners of Spice and Dice opened up Noodle charm right next door a few months ago, we had to try their Thai noodle dishes.

We visited Noodle charm right after it opened, and then again a few weeks ago when we were looking for something good and fast to eat on our way out of town for the weekend. Noodle Charm was every bit as good as we remembered it being the first time.

On this visit, we chose to start with crispy wontons.  These were deep fried wontons filled with yellow curry potatoes and served with an awesome sweet and sour sauce.  The wontons were perfectly crispy with a soft, creamy potato mixture in the middle. The filling had a good flavor that pairs very well with the sauce.  The sweet sauce was complemented with spicy red pepper flakes, cilantro and green onions.  These might end up being one of those things we order regularly when visiting Noodle Charm.

For dinner we both ordered the tofu veggie noodle soup.  They also offer many choices with chicken broth and beef broth and several choices of meat, but this time we chose to try tofu for the first time. Douglas was a much bigger fan of the Tofu than I was, but it was nothing to be scared of trying.  It had slightly chewy bread like consistency, and took on the flavor of the mushroom broth which was fantastic. The broth  was full of crisp veggies and the noodles of our choice along with the tofu. I chose a flat rice noodle while Douglas chose egg noodles. Oddly enough, we both had noodle envy and preferred the others to our own.

The soup was the perfect option for a cold snowy night’s dinner and I’m sure we will be visiting again for more noodle soup as soon as possible.With the friendly staff, great food food, and super affordable prices you just can't go wrong.

Price: Very affordable
Recommendation: Must visit
What to Order: Crispy Wonton and whichever noodle bowl speaks to you. You can't go wrong.

My Thai

I like Thai food. I mean, I really, really, really like it. It's not the type of cuisine I grew up eating, but ever since I was introduced to Spice & Dice in Towson it's become one of my favorite types of food to seek out. Their ability to blend spicy, sweet, tangy, herbaceous flavors is something to behold. So, it was with great anticipation that I headed to My Thai a little while back.

Given that the name of the restaurant was My Thai it only felt naturally to order one. Obviously, I'm more of a beer guy and don't usually go for mixed drinks but My Thai came through with some tasty cocktails. My Thai's My Thai consists of Raspberry Rum, Van Gogh Dutch Caramel vodka, and orange and pineapple juice. Overall, it was a very sweet forward drink with the Raspberry Rum coming through most prominently. Typically, I'd save a sweet drink like this for after dinner, but  the My Thai does well to combat some of the spicy dishes you might be in store for. Pictured below is their Sugar Cane Punch which is a mix of Anejo 7 year rum, orange and pineapple juice, sugar cane, muddled citrus,and cherry. In comparison to the My Thai the punch was much more citrusy and the rum packed a fairly strong burn on the way down. But that's just fine by me. Afterall, if I'm drinking liquor I want to feel the heat

For an appetizer, we started off with lettuce wraps. Other than a Wedge Salad there is no better way to experience iceberg lettuce than a lettuce wrap. The cool, crisp texture  of the lettuce leaf is the perfect vessel to place their mixture of tender chicken, fresh onion and peppers, cilantro, and spicy citrus vinaigrette. This might be the ultimate appetizer due to it's ability to pack a wallop of flavor while at the same time remaining light and leaving plenty of room for your dinner ahead. 

Speaking of dinner, I choose Red Curry while Deana selected Pad Thai. I loved the curry. There were tons of fresh vegetables such as peas, carrots and eggplant,chicken, and the sauce was a nice contrast of spicy, sweet and creamy. I particularly liked the texture of the curry as it was thicker like a sauce and not so much broth like. I prefer when curry sauce can kind of sit on top of rice as opposed to seeping through. Most important of all, the Thai Basil (my favorite of the Basils) and it's unique anise flavor was used in just the right amount. 

Deana's Pad Thai was every bit as full of flavor. The Pad Thai was a rice noodle dish mixed with chicken, sprouts, egg, peanuts and tamarind sauce. It was surprisingly creamy and also slightly tangy thanks to the tamarind sauce which Deana really enjoyed. Peanuts served on the side end up becoming a nice contrast of texture in comparison to an otherwise crunchless affair.  

Fans of Thai food and those of you looking to try something new would serve yourselves well to try out My Thai. The food is fresh and full of a myriad of delicious flavors. From starting our meal with mixed drinks down to the last bite of Red Curry our dinner at My Thai was one to remember. 

Price: About Average

Recommendation: Great place to experience good cocktails and fantastic Thai food

What to Order: Everything I mentioned above was great, but I wouldnt pass on the mixed drink or lettuce wraps

Mission BBQ

Given that today is Veterans Day, I feel like it's most appropriate to finally review the trip I made to Mission BBQ. They are a simple outfit who produce great food for a fantastic cause. I don't think I could explain the Mission BBQ objective better than they already have themselves so I'm not even going to try. Taken directly from their website:

Who are we? Two friends passionate about superior BBQ, patriotic for our country, and who believe in running a business with meaning and purpose. 

We believe there is nothing more American than BBQ. And nobody more American than the brave men and women who have sworn to protect and serve our communities and our country. We do what we do for the love of our soldiers, firefighters, police officers, first responders—all our loved ones in service. 

We set across this great land from Texas to Kansas City, the Carolinas to St. Louis...to discover the secrets of great BBQ. 

Every day we strive to serve you authentic BBQ made from the freshest, most delectable ingredients, and serve it to you in a patriotic dining room filled with tributes to those who’ve made our country great, given to us by the people who earned them. Stop by at lunchtime, and you might catch us during our daily salute to the Stars and Stripes. 

We don't do any of this because we have to. It's because we want to.

And you out there reading this don't have to eat there because you have to. But I promise that once you try them out you'll be eating at Mission BBQ because you want to. The food is every bit as good as their message.

On my first visit I decided to try out the Pulled Pork, Ribs, and Mac & Cheese. Deana went with Brisket and Cornbread and Mac. Served up simply on a tray and paper they leave you with no doubt that flavor is meant to be the star of the show.

The pulled pork was simple but tender and topped with a healthy amount of coleslaw. It wasn't BOOMING with flavor, but it had a ton of bark mixed in and the fact that they keep the pork so simple made it all the more fun to mix and match all of their housemade BBQ sauces. My favorite sauce was their Baja Bold which I believe is made with habaneros and provides a nice amount of heat. The ribs were unique in that the rub had old bay seasoning mixed in. I'm not the biggest fan of Old Bay, but they don't go overboard with it and once again you can go to town adding one of their many sauces to the rib. You can stick with your favorite, or make every bite a completely new experience. And the Mac & Cheese was as good as you'd expect. The Mac was creamy with just a touch of bread crumb added to the top.

Deana's Brisket was probably my favorite bite of the night. And if not the Brisket, the Cornbread was right there as well. The brisket was beyond tender and juicy. The juicy meat and the crunchy bits where the rub resided made for a great bite. I could have ate that stuff all night, no sauce needed. The sweet Cornbread was a perfect counter point to the peppery brisket.

Mission BBQ? Mission accomplished. These guys do a great job of putting together outstanding BBQ that is simple but done right. So this winter when you get that hankering for good BBQ and realize it's only 28 degrees outside, be sure to seek out Mission BBQ and let them serve you right. You won't be disappointed and they'll provide the rare occasion of going out for a meal and feeling good about the food and a good cause all at once. 

Price: Very affordable

Recommendation: You HAVE to visit this place

What to Order: Brisket, Cornbread, and anything else you're in the mood for. 

Slices Pizzeria on the Avenue

One thing I'll never understand are people at the workplace who eat lunch at their desk. I get that people are busy and hard working, but for me I relish that one hour in the middle of the day when I get to stop looking at a monitor and go out by myself to just eat and think. And one of my favorite ways to spend that hour is to take a short walk over to The Avenue for lunch followed by a quick perusal of books at Barnes & Noble. So, when Slice opened up at The Avenue this summer, I was very happy to have a new place to grab a bite to eat. 

I've visited Slice a few times and I'm still not sure how I feel about the place. If I had to sum the place up in one sentence I'd say it's a tiny building with BIG slices and BIG prices. The inside of the building has very little seating. It's changed over time, but it's gone from having nowhere to sit at all to maybe 4-6 seats. There is a little standing bar area where you can put your plate and the outside has 3 tall tables that you can stand at, but I think the lack of seating is going to a very big issue as the weather becomes colder. Nobody is going to want to stand outside in December. 

The pizza itself is usually pretty tasty. It's not among the best pizza I've had, but it's as good or better than most and for a simple lunch it suits me just fine. The slices are massive --- I'd consider one slice to be the equivalent to two at most places. Their basic slice of cheese is good. The sauce is thick and robust, the cheese isn't too greasy, and the crust is really good. I've also tried their buffalo chicken pizza, and while it's not bad their buffalo sauce to blue cheese ratio is way off. I've had it two on different occasions and both times the blue cheese was heavy handed while the buffalo sauce was almost at a barely noticeable level. When I order anything "buffalo" I want the buffalo to be the star of the show.

And the price is just a bit too much. I've gone to lunch before with Deana and we split two slices and a drink with our total coming in around $15. That's just too much. I can get an entire pizza for that price or close to it. I like the idea of a huge slice of pizza, but I don't think they are worth quite what they are charging. If they modify the size of their slices and come down on the prices I think this is a great addition to The Avenue. But as it stands, it's not somewhere I find myself going regularly simply because it falls out of my lunchtime price range most of the time. 

Price: Expensive

Recommendation: If you're looking for something quick on a trip to The Avenue give them a shot. 

What to Order: I'm always a sucker for a good slice of cheese

Glory Days Grill

Despite the fact that my aging body doesn't agree with spicy foods anymore there is something about a good buffalo wing that makes me ignore all the future hurt I'm sure to endure. Sure, I'll be waking up around 3AM in the fetal position and popping Tums like there is no tomorrow. But whatever, a heat head has to do what a heat head has to do. And when I'm in the mood for wings one of the first places that pops into my mind is Glory Days Grill. 

Their wings, specifically their hot wings, are spicy pieces of perfection. The wings themselves aren't breaded, but are simple meaty wings fried in a way that leaves the skin crunchy and the meat inside juicy and tender. I hate when I order wings and I get those little wimpy wings with no meat. Glory Days hooks you up with wings from the buffest birds around. 

The sauce on their wings is perfect. They are covered in hot sauce, but you aren't served chicken hot sauce soup. There is a nice burn to the sauce, but it's not the type of burn that has you in tears. Something unique to Glory Days is the jalapenos they serve with their hot wings. The jalapenos seemed like a waste the first time I saw them come out like that, but I learned to love how the juice leaches out on to the wings. The mix between the jalapeno flavor and the wing sauce makes for a unique taste.

And most importantly, they are served with some of the best blue cheese dressing I've ever come across. One of my favorite bites on this planet is dipping a perfectly sauced wing into the dressing only to find a huge chunk of blue cheese mixed in with the creamy dressing. The coming together of the flaming wing sauce and blue cheese is something I would like to live over and over again. 

This weekend when you're friends are wondering where to go for some good wings be sure to check out Glory Days. They never disappoint. 

Price: Average

Recommendation: A great weekend spot to watch a game, grab a beer, and snack on some wings. 

What to Order: I think you know by now. 

Pabu & Sake 101 with Tiffany Soto

A few weeks ago I was invited to attend a Sake 101 Class taught by Tiffany Soto at Pabu. As much as I love to read and learn about beer,  it's always fun to learn about something new. So when the chance to learn from a Master Sake Sommelier came up I was excited to accept the opportunity. 

The cost of the Sake 101 Class is $25 and that gets you a tasting of 5 different Sake's, a few different snacks (we had fire roasted edamame and Pabu wings) and a roughly hourto hour and a half long class taught by Tiffany on all things Sake. Going in I had next to no knowledge of Sake and found the class extremely informative and fun. Of all the fermented beverages out there Sake has to be the most intensive in regards to what goes into putting out a finished product. The care involved is amazing. 

The Sake 101 class is essentially a way of learning to navigate the vast world of Sake. You learn common misconceptions about Sake. For example, sake is not meant to be served hot or taken as a shot. Students are taught the basic components (Rice, Water, Yeast, and Koji-Kin) of Sake and what they mean to the finished product. And maybe most helpful we were taught a variety of common vocabulary that can help you learn to navigate a Sake menu. One of my favorite Sake's of the tasting was an offering called Aoki Honjozo Diaginjo Niigata. Prior to this class I would have just saw four words and had no clue what to expect. Now I know that the Sake in front of me is a 5 ingredient Sake because of the word Honjozo, the rice was milled by at least 50% because of the word Diaginjo, and that it was produced in the Niigata prefecture.

If you'd like to learn more about Sake follow Tiffany on Twitter @HeySakeLady for more Sake related information. And be sure to sign up for one of her Sake 101 classes. They really are a blast and even if you don't come away loving Sake (you will!) you'll learn a whole bunch of cool facts that might help you answer a Jeopardy question or two in the future. 

After class, Deana and I decided to stick around for dinner. When you're inside one of  the best Japanese restaurants in Baltimore you don't walkout without eating....especially if you're a food blogger. And so we ate and we ate well. 

We ordered the Robata Platter which consists of 5 different meats on skewers served over a bed of rice. There were a variety of chicken, pork, and steak skewers but the highlight for us was the Berkshire Pork Belly. It's the one I took a bite out of before I remembered to take a picture. Whoops! Pork Belly makes me forget to think. The flavor of the pork belly was so huge. It was simply marinated in Japanese pepper and sake which allowed the pork flavor to shine through. And the texture was very unique. It's not often you bite into a piece of meat as thick as this and still manage to get a super crunchy exterior while at the same time maintaining a tender and juicy interior. That's a bite of food I won't soon forget. 

We also decided to try the Tsukue Chicken Meatball with Jidori Egg Yolk for some chicken on chicken action. They were another solid appetizer and I really enjoyed using the egg yolk as dipping sauce. The smooth and creamy texture coating the meatballs made for a unique bite. If you like what adding an egg does to a burger, you'll be a big fan of using an egg in this way.

And now we get to what was the best part of the night and also the most intimidating. See, I was a sushi naysayer from way back. I've tried it here and there but there was always an odd taste I couldn't get over. It wasn't that I thought it was bad, I just never liked it. However, I try to keep an open mind so I told myself that I wouldn't taste sushi again until I was sure I was getting it from a restaurant I knew was putting out a great product. Pabu was that place and the Ken's Roll you see before you was some of the best food I've ever had. It made me love life to be eating something so tasty. The roll consisted of shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, avocado, pine nuts, and chili garlic furikake. It was the perfect bite and this is coming from a guy who avoids nearly all fish. There was tender rice, crunchy tempura shrimp, the creamiest avocado that has ever crossed my lips, and tuna that literally melted in my mouth. It was superb and I now consider myself a sushi yaysayer. 

After riding the wave of savory perfection that was the Ken's roll we decided to end the night with Pabu's Desert Omakase. The Omakase includes Green Tea Panna Cotta, Crimson Honey Gelee, Japanese Style Cheesecake, Blueberry Sorbet, Sesame Peanut Butter Ice Cream Mochi, and Tograshi candy bar. I really enjoyed the Green Tea Panna Cotta. I've never had anything so light and delicate before and I found it very interesting to have a tea flavored desert. The Blueberry Sorbet was fantastic as well. It tasted as if I were eating the freshest berries around. What I found most enjoyable about the Sorbet and Gelee was how they worked as a great palate cleanser. Both had soft flavors that played an excellent contrast to the bigger flavors we had at the beginning of our meal. 

Between the Sake 101 class, pork belly, and sushi our trip to Pabu was one of the most fun food related dates Deana and I have had in ages. Everything about the restaurant from the people to the food to the decor were top notch and I can't recommend a visit strongly enough.

Price: It can be as cheap or as expensive as you want to make it.

Recommendation: A must visit as far as I'm concerned

What to Order: Ken's Roll and be sure to sign up for a Sake 101 class.