Celebrating International Pineapple Day with Bahama Breeze

Last week I was invited to celebrate International Pineapple Day with Bahama Breeze. Normally, I'm not a big fan of celebrating made up holidays, but complimentary pineapple cocktails were being offered and who am I to decline a friendly invitation!

Our brand new to Bahama Breeze server suggested we start off the night with a Goombay Smash. At first, I thought we were going to be taught a new move to smash Goomba's in the latest version of Mario, but in fact the Goombay Smash was a nice mix of pineapple juice, orange juice, and a healthy dose of dark rum. Next year, when you go to celebrate Pineapple Day, this is the drink to do it with.  The pineapple juice is the star of the show making the Goombay Smash totally refreshing. Initially, the rum felt a bit heavy, but after mixing my drink around a bit and allowing the ice to melt a tad the drink became dangerously easy to drink. So, be careful out there guys! It's a big drink. 

To go along with our drink we were served a variety of appetizers. The first app, and also our favorite, was the coconut shrimp. The shrimp were crunchy and breaded quite nicely. Yes, there was plenty of coconut but not so much that you couldn't taste the shrimp themselves. They were served with a citrus-mustard sauce that was a nice change-up from cocktail sauce or some of the weird sweeter sauces other restaurants have tried to pass off with coconut shrimp.

Another highlight of our appetizer session were the Beef Empanadas. They were filled with a mixture of beef, potatoes, and what looked like carrot or possibly sweet potatoes all stuffed inside delicious deep fried pastry. On their own, the empanadas were perfect savory little pockets of happiness, but the chutney served on the side played the perfect sweet counterpoint to the savory empanadas.  Deana, who came along with me to bask in the fruity celebration, was in empanada heaven when these came out.

About the time we were finishing those up the empanadas they brought another pineapple themed drink called Painkiller to the table. Painkiller was a delicious mix of coconut milk, orange and pineapple juice, a little ground nutmeg and rum. It was good but both of us definitely preferred the Goombay Smash simply because we weren't huge fans of the creamy coconut found in the Painkiller.

By that point, we could have called it a night and left full and happy, but the words Banana Nut Bread Supreme caught our eyes and we just couldn't leave well enough alone. And thank god gluttony got the best of us because this was a fantastic desert. Hot banana nut bread, fresh banana, vanilla ice cream, butterscotch brandy sauce, and a fat happy Doug. If Deana weren't making me the best birthday cake in the world a few days later, I would have been plenty happy trekking back to Bahama Breeze and enjoying this desert once again.

When all was said and done, I was very happy that I celebrated International Pineapple Day with Bahama Breeze. As a beer drinker it was nice to be reminded how refreshing a cocktail can be with the Goombay Smash and I'll never be mad at the dessert we shared. You might have to wait a year to celebrate the next Pineapple Day, but if you're in Towson and you're in the mood for a good drink and some tasty bites  keep Bahama Breeze in mind. It's good stuff.

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.

Burger Brothers

Wow. A restaurant review. I bet you thought I quit doing these. Nope, I just took one of those unintended sabbaticals I'm apparently so fond of. But worry not, for I have what seems like an endless backlog of reviews to get through for you guys.

Today, we're going to visit Burger Brothers in Towson. Deana and I found them one day before she headed back to work for one of her late Fridays. On those days, we usually walk around the Towson Town Center and then meander out to the circle until we end up in a restaurant. On this particular day, we found Burger Brothers. Before then, I'm not sure I'd heard much about the place, but I'm glad we went in because we were served a very good burger for an even better price. As far as burgers that are sold for less than $10 this has got to be one of the best options out there. 

Apparently, I was in a healthy/spicy mood on that day because I ordered a cheese turkey burger with caramelized onions, lettuce, mustard, ketchup, mayo, and a heaping mound of jalapenos. Something about pickled jalapenos and a burger really gets my Pavlov's Dog going. I was a little hesitant about ordering a turkey burger because most restaurants usually just serve you a round piece of cardboard or communion wafer. In other words, a burger with no flavor. That's why I asked for 7, 803 different condiments. I figured if the burger was dry I could always drowned it in stuff, but it turns out I didn't need all the extras after all. The burger was fantastic.

As much as I like burgers, I don't always want to spend $14 to get something good. That's where this place comes in. Burger Brothers provides a burger that is right up there with the best of the best, but at a price that will keep you coming back often. Give them a try and see if you don't agree. 

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: Definitely visit
What to Order: Any burger that peaks your interest

Havana Road Cuban Cafe

Other than a Cuban Sandwich I had never tried Cuban cuisine. Recently, while wandering around Towson looking for somewhere to eat, the sign for Havana Road tripped my "place I need to eat for blog" radar and I excitedly entered ready to try some new flavors.

Other than the Cuban sandwich, I think it's safe to say the next most popular Cuban dish is Ropa Vieja. I decided to go with that and Deana chose Vieja Lechon Asado. We were both pleased with our meals and it quickly became quite obvious why Havana Road is talked about so often as a must visit restaurant.

The Ropa Vieja was right up my alley. Tender strands of  beef were coated and topped in a savory tomato based sauce that ultimately reminded me of a Cuban version of goulash. Meat that is cooked slowly and transformed into magical tender bites of perfection always remind me of "home cooking" and this Ropa Vieja had me conjuring memories of a Cuban childhood I never had. On the side I was served a cup of deliciously creamy black beans that I mixed in with my rice and a couple perfectly fried plantains. The slightly sweet plantains were a nice counter balance to the savory Ropa Vieja.  

Deana enjoyed her Vieja Lechon Asado, but not quite as much as we enjoyed the Ropa Vieja. There is just something about the sauce that is hard to top. However, the Vieja Lechon Asado was delicious in its own right. Anyone who enjoys good BBQ would like this dish as it reminded me a slowly cooked BBQ pork butt. The pork was juicy and tender with plenty of spicy bark pieces mixed in. It was topped with a nice helping of sauteed onions that added a nice sweetness to the dish. 

For dessert we had Pineapple Rum Cake that was a great finish to an already exceptional dinner. The cake was thick, dense, moist and filled with flavor in every bite. Rum, caramel, pineapple, brown sugar......do I need to go on? This cake was one of the best desserts I've had in a restaurant setting and does a great job of once again making you feel like you're eating a meal from your own home. 

Our visit to Havana Road ended up being a real eye opening experience. Considering my exposure to Cuban food was so limited, it was great to learn a little bit more about the food and flavors offered. Not only will I be back to Havana Road Cuban Cafe again, but in the mean time I plan on doing my best to recreate some of these dishes in my own home. 

Price: Average

Recommendation: One of Baltimore's best.

What to Order: Ropa Vieja and Pineapple Rum Cake

Potbelly Sandwich Shop

What are you doing for lunch?

I think I'm going to hit up Subway real quick.

If you're anything like me you've probably had that quick lunchtime back and forth a million times in the last decade. You're probably sick of always having the same answer and moreso you're tired of the same flavors. Fear not, for I have a solution and it goes by the name Potbelly Sandwich Shop.

Despite the fact that I was tired of eating the same old sandwiches on repeat, my craving for a good sub never abated. There were other options for a good sub local to me, but when you factor in turnaround time and price (almost as important as the food itself during lunch) my choice for a good sub were slim indeed. However, about once a week I venture into Towson to have lunch with my lady and that's how I first came across Potbelly.

As soon as you enter Potbelly you realize that this isn't your average fast food sub spot. The staff is always happy to serve you and the products they serve are quality. The bread is chewy and ends up with a nice toasty flavor when it finally makes its way through the conveyor. The meats themselves are always tasty. Turkey tastes like turkey. Ham tastes like ham. And the meat isn't weightless like some of the stuff you might be used to. You might not end up with a 12 inch sub at Potbelly, but you won't need it because you're eating real substantial food. My favorite part of any sub at Potbelly are the condiments. Without fail, I order lettuce, Italian Seasoning, Oil, and what they refer to as Hot Peppers. The Hot Peppers are basically a giardiniera and they bring a flavor to the sub you won't find anywhere else. Man, I can't wait until my next visit! The vinegar tang and spicy peppers are addictive.

What makes Potbelly especially unique is how they show they value the customer by repeating your order back to you in order to ensure that they are preparing exactly what you're asking for. It probably drives them nuts to endlessly repeat orders all day, but that small attention to detail really pays off. And it might sound like a small detail, but the fact that they offer chips that aren't your typical gas station stock also pays dividends with a guy like me.

I'm not one of those people who get so wrapped into work that they skip lunch or eat something insignificant just to hold them over until dinner. I need a good lunch and if I'm going to eat I want it to be worth my while. Potbelly has my back and they have made the idea of eating another sub for lunch exciting once again. The food is way above average and the staff is top notch. So today, when you're debating if you have time for lunch do yourself a favor and see if there is Potbelly nearby. Your tastebuds will thank you and before you know it you'll be looking forward to lunchtime again just like me.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: Hit 'em up on your next lunch break.
What to Order: Turkey Breast w/ Swiss, lettuce, Italian seasoning, oil and hot peppers.

Orient

"Do you want Chinese?"

"Eh, not really."

Sigh. "Okay. But you know I had to try". 

And so goes the weekly conversation with Deana in regards to Chinese food. For whatever reason, I rarely find myself excited about eating Chinese. I've lived all around the Beltway and no matter where I find myself I'm rarely pleased when it comes to what Baltimore offers in the way of Chinese food. It always surprises me that I can live so close to a city and the pickings can be so slim. I'll never understand it....especially when I can drive to my hometown in podunk nowhere and find Chinese that is better than 95% of what I've tasted around here. And now that we have all that negativity behind us, let's talk about one of the restaurants I've actually made return trips to. I'm talking about Orient in the center of Towson. 

Because I haven't fallen in love with Chinese food at this point in my culinary adventures, I'm always willing to try something new in hopes of sparking a match between tastebud and food. On the night of our visit I decided to get a little adventurous and ordered Cold Noodles with shredded cucumbers. Yes, they were literally cold noodles and they were topped with some sort of peanut sauce and cucumbers. I won't be ordering that again and I can't recommend it either. I always joke that I could eat peanut butter off of cardboard, but I can confidently declare bullshit on myself now. It wasn't literally peanut butter, but it just wasn't appealing. It was too sweet and the peanut sauce was much too thick. Oh well, I gave it a shot. 

We had much better luck with our main courses. Deana went with Kung Pao and I went the spicy route with Szechuan Crispy Beef. I loved mine. I don't know how they do it, but the way they get the outside of the beef so crispy while keeping the inside tender is one of the world's great mysteries. At least to me, but I'm sure there is a perfectly understandable cooking technique behind it all. The sauce is a spicy sweet concoction that would have Guy Fieri all jammed up about the sweet and the heat. But for me, this meal is all about the texture. The beef and crunch veggies on top of tender rice is where it's at. 

Deana's Kung Pao was also a clinic in texture. The chicken was some of the most tender chicken I've come across and it played really well against the peanuts. Personally, I've never been a huge fan of Kung Pao sauce so my opinion doesn't mean much, but Deana gave it high marks. As a Kung Pao connoisseur from way back you can take her endorsement to the bank. 

And there you have it...a review of Chinese food from someone who admittedly isn't the biggest fan (at least in regards to that of Baltimore). Feel free to dismiss this or do what I hope you'll do and take into consideration that Orient is one of only two or three Chinese restaurants in the area I'll visit more than once.

Price: Average

Recommendation: Worth a shot

What to Order: Crispy Beef

Towson Tavern

At least once or twice a week I find myself in Towson after work. Usually it's to meet up with Deana before she heads back to work on one of her long days and sometimes it's just to get some exercise walking around the never ending mall. On one of those occasions we were looking for somewhere to eat when we walked up to the circle and found Towson Tavern calling our names.

The inside of Towson Tavern was very nice. It had a very modern look, and if I remember correctly the bar even had a marble bar top. Very swank when you consider most of the other casual restaurants in the vicinity.  Given the look and the prices on the menu, I think it's safe to assume they aren't looking to attract the college crowd that most everyone else in the area goes for. 

Not knowing what to expect going in and dining without the biggest appetite we had a little trouble finding something on the menu to fit our appetite and our budget. Nearly every entree was over $20. We weren't looking to spend quite that amount so I ended up with the $16 Burger and Deana decided to order the Pork Lollipop appetizer.

Happily, the lollipops were of fairly substantial size for an appetizer and it was more than enough for Deana on that day. The pork lollipops were covered in a ginger marmalade that served as a bit of a sauce. The sauce was very good, but at times the ginger could smack you in the face. The lollipops themselves were very crunchy and reminded both of us of fried chicken. I can't say that this was my favorite appetizer of all time but Deana commented more than once that she would order the lollipops again. So, I guess you can chalk these up to personal taste. If you're a fan of pork and ginger there's a pretty good chance you'll like this one. 

When it comes to my meal, I'm not sure I've ever spent as much on a burger as I did at Towson Tavern. Obviously, my expectations were pretty high. At $16 their margin for error was pretty slim. As fate would have it, this was a damn good burger. Was it $16 good? Eh, I don't know, but I didn't leave feeling like I was had. Taking that and the fact that I annihilated the burger in record time into account, I guess I can't really complain all that much. My burger was large, juicy, tender angus beef topped with tomato, homemade aioli, and arugula. I really enjoyed the arugula as opposed to traditional iceberg lettuce. Not only did it add a nice freshness to the burger, but the peppery taste was quite nice as well. Typically, they serve the burger with sweet potato fries but I passed on them for traditional fries. The fries were delicious and you get served a TON.

So, despite their prices being a little on the high side you can go in knowing that they don't skimp on the portions and the flavor is there.  Overall, Deana and I had a good dinner and we look forward to visiting them again some time in the future.

Before I go, one thing I thought I should make mention of was the fact that despite referring to themselves as a Tavern their draft list at the time of our visit was lacking. It wasn't the all-time worst or anything. In fact, in the grand scheme of things it was probably somewhere in the middle, but given their upscale menu I think it would behoove them to ditch some of the typical big beer brands and replace them with more craft options. They had a few, but I'd like to see even more in the future.

Price: Expensive
Recommendation: If you're looking for something a bit fancier in Towson, this is a good place to try.
What to Order: Burger

The Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit 2013: Italian Gardens

The rules of The Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit are simple.  Each category is worth 2 points (allowing for half points). The only pizza I'm considering is the basic slice of cheese. At the end of the year, the highest score wins the coveted Baltimore Bistros and Beer's Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit title. This week's entry is Italian Gardens. Click here to see how the last entrant fared.

Droop Factor - Sadly, the crust passing the droop test (folded with the tip standing at attention) is probably the best thing that Italian Gardens pizza had going for it. Droop factor is important, but when it's the best thing going for you it's not looking good.

Score - 1.5

Greaseification - After my first few bites I was thinking to myself that this pizza was kind of greasy for a simple slice of cheese. When Deana confirmed that it was a greasy without any prodding from me I knew it was time to ding them a point. It's not greasy to the point of a pizza foul, but it's definitely there.

Score - 1

Aroma - When I first moved to Baltimore 7 years ago I actually worked in the mall that Italian Gardens resides in. I was the most unknowledgeable garden department salesman in the history of Stebbins Anderson. If I sold you something and ruined your lawn back then....my apologies. But what does that have to do with aroma? Not much, except for the fact that the smell permeated the inside and outside of the mall with delicious pizza at all hours of the day. Yesterday, when I walked in I was instantly reminded of that delicious smell.

Score - 1.5

Cheese - Italian Gardens is topped with  a fairly typical but tasty mozzarella. It's slightly salty and a little bit creamy. In other words, nothing to rave about but nothing to complain about either. Thus, the middle of the road score.

Score - 1

Sauce - This is where Italian Gardens pizza falls flat on its face. The sauce literally has no flavor. At first, I thought it was because I was tasting it straight out of the oven, but even as it cooled the flavor of the sauce never appeared. I don't know what the deal was but I was super disappointed.

Score - .5

Crust - The crust wasn't bad. There was good flavor with a slightly crunchy yet tender texture. As far as the three main components of a pizza are concerned (cheese, sauce, crust) the crust comes out the winner.

Score - 1

Overall Score - 6.5 out of 12

As I mentioned above, I used to work in the mall that Italian Gardens is located in so I was semi familiar with their stuff. I'm very surprised that I'm giving them as low of a score as I am. Prior to eating last night I didn't suspect that they were going to blow my mind, but I definitely wasn't expecting that they would put up the lowest score thus far in the Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit.

 I don't want to make it sound like this pizza is flat bad. It's not. I judged this pizza based solely on what came to my table. After eating the pizza as it came to me and taking notes I was able to spice it up a bit with some pepper flakes, oregano, and grated cheese. It tasted much better, but they shouldn't leave it to me to season their food in order to get some flavor going on. If I ever find myself in that mall again hungry I wouldn't be afraid to spend my money on a piece of pizza. But as far as the Great Pizza Pursuit is concerned, it looks like Italian Gardens just isn't going to have what it takes.

The Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit 2013: Pasta Mista

The rules of The Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit are simple.  Each category is worth 2 points (allowing for half points). The only pizza I'm considering is the basic slice of cheese. At the end of the year, the highest score wins the coveted Baltimore Bistros and Beer's Great Baltimore Pizza Pursuit title. This week's entry is none other than Pasta Mista (Towson location). I've reviewed them in the past, but it was a review of the restaurant as a whole. Today, I'm only focusing on their slice of plain cheese pizza. Click here to see how last weeks entrant fared.

Droop Factor - The crust on this pizza defies gravity. As far as droop factor is concerned, Pasta Mista cannot be beat. The pizza is layered with the perfect amount of sauce and cheese to prevent the oh so annoying droopy crust.

Score = 2

Greaseifcation - I like made up words here at Baltimore Bistros and Beers. I also like when swimming classes aren't mandatory in order to avoid drowning in grease. Pasta Mista manages to keep the grease to a minimum thanks to the proper portioning of cheese I referenced up above.

Score = 2

Aroma - Just like the score indicates, the smell of Pasta Mista's pizza is ordinary. In other words, it smells great because it's pizza, but it's lacking the celestial pizza scent that Pizza Johns had to offer (and to which all shall be compared).

Score = 1

Cheese - I focused really hard on the flavor of the cheese trying to find something that would stick out, but I just couldn't come up with anything. It wasn't great, it wasn't bad, it was just cheese and because of that it's getting a middling rank of 1.

Score = 1

Sauce - Just as with the cheese I focused on the flavor of the sauce hoping that some specific feature would jump out at me. But again, the sauce was just "meh''. I like a bright, acidic pizza sauce and I just wasn't getting that last night. The flavors were all kind of muddled together.

Score = 1

Crust - The crust of Pasta Mista's pizza is by far the best feature of their pie. When you fold the slice it stays there without swaying back and forth. The crust is thin, light, and crunchy, falling just short of having the cracker like crunch I'm looking for.

Score = 1.5

Overall Score -  7.5 out of 12

This week's review of Pasta Mista made me laugh a bit. Almost everything good about last week's pizza (Pizza Johns) ended up being mediocre at Pasta Mista. And everything weak about last week's pizza was strong at Pasta Mista. Pizza Johns had an excellent sauce and cheese, but a crust that left a little to be desired. Pasta Mista offered sauce and cheese that was pretty forgetful, but their crust was excellent. Would I recommend a slice of Pasta Mista cheese pizza? You betcha. But do they have what it takes to called the Best Pizza in Baltimore? I'm not so sure. Only time will tell.

Bahama Breeze

Last night, Deana and I had the privilege of attending a small event at Bahama Breeze in which they allowed us to try a couple of their new Island Cocktails before they are released to the public on February 4th. In addition to the drinks, they also fed us like kings and served nearly half of their appetizer menu to us.Needless to say, it was an exciting evening and definitely the highlight of running this blog so far. I hope many more events like this are in my future!

So, let's get into their new Island Cocktails. The first libation they served up is known as The Daisy de Santiago. Based on the visuals, I was expecting it to taste a bit like a Mojito, but I found that The Daisy de Santiago was more along the lines of a gin and tonic with a fair amount of herbal flavor. The addition of chartreuse liquor made this a really unique tasting beverage. It's a very clean drink and one I think
would go down well on a hot summer day (It should be noted that it also tasted great on a cold rainy winter night. ). I also think this is a great choice for any one who isn't a huge fan of overly sugary cocktails.

The next drink we had to sample was referred to as The Yaka Hula Hickey Dula. I think it's fair to say that this was the favorite of the two drinks amongst the "of age" drinkers at the table. It reminded me of a Mai Thai and I quite enjoyed the dark rum flavor that was prominent  throughout. The 151 they floated across the top and the rum soaked pineapple made this a very fun beverage. Obviously, if you're a fan of rum you're probably already a fan of this cocktail.

In the food department we were served a real smorgasbord. There were coconut shrimp, pulled pork sliders, cheeseburger sliders, onion rings, beef empanadas, goat cheese and flatbread crisps, spinach dip, and Jamaican wings. Everything was good, but since they served us so much I'm only going to go over a few of my favorites.

It was a tossup, but the beef empanadas were probably my favorite of all the appetizers. The dough had a great flaky texture. Inside was a mix of beef and potatos. Combined with the corn and black bean salsa and dipped in the aioli this reminded of a Caribbean egg roll. I highly recommend you try these.

Coming in a close second were the Jamaican wings. They were full wings covered with a blackened jerk spice mix. What made these wings particularly nice was the fact that they were grilled. Because of this I felt like they were a little juicier than the average wing. The jerk mix offered just enough heat to wake your taste buds up but they were served with a delicious BBQ sauce on the side to help combat some of the heat. The mix of the spicy wings and sweet BBQ sauce made for a great combination of flavors.

The last appetizer I'm going to give some love to are the pulled pork sliders. Deana loved these awesome little bites of tender pulled pork.  The pork was served sitting on top of a fried plantain and served with a little BBQ sauce drizzled over the top. The curveball that was the plantains made this a must try appetizer for anyone that is a fan of pulled pork (and who isn't?).

So, there you have the highlights of last nights event. The food was great, the new drinks were delicious, but most important of all  the people of Bahama Breeze really treated us well. The next time you find yourself in Towson wondering where you should head for a good sip and a great bite look these guys up. It's good stuff!

One other blogger in attendance last night was local blogging celebrity Eli of Adventures of a Koodie. Check his site out if you'd like to get a kids point of view of last night's event.

Spice and Dice Thai Restaurant

Spice and Dice Thai Restaurant is easily one of the best restaurants I've come across since starting this here blog. Groupon gave us our introduction, but their delicious food and eclectic atmosphere has brought us back time and again.

After you read this post and you're planning your visit (shortly after you visit their website to print out a $5 coupon) go there with the expectation that you'll be ordering an appetizer. I'm sure all of their appetizers are delicious, but the one we keep coming back to are the Spring Rolls. The rolls are super crunchy on the outside and filled with a delicious mix of veggies and what I believe to be some sort of super thin noodles. But the best part of all is the sweet chili dipping sauce they serve it with. It's sweet. It's spicy. It's delicious and I highly recommend trying it for yourself.

For dinner, we've tried a whole slew of menu items and they were all great, but for the purposes of this blog I'm going to stick what I have pictures of. On this visit in particular I had Udon Noodle Soup and Deana went with Yakisoba.

 

As you can probably already tell from the picture alone, the Udon Noodle Soup is totally rad.  You get a huge bowl filled with tender noodles, a protein of of your choice, and crunchy vegetables that appear like hidden gems throughout the bowl. The broth is clean and flavorful. Anytime I'm in the mood for a noodle dish the Udon Noodle Soup(or their Ramen!) is never very far from my mind. 

 

But if you're not in the mood for soup or brothy meals in general I come bearing good news. Deana LOVES, and I mean LOVES the Yakisoba at Spice and Dice. And I don't blame her, because this stuff is good. Delicious noodles, vegetables, a protein, and a lovely, slightly spicy sauce (kinda reminescent of thinner Szechuan sauce) makes for one hell of a dish. If you don't like their Yakisoba, you don't like life!

 

If you've never had Thai this is a very good place to start. All the dishes I mentioned above are great, but we've also had Ramen and Jungle Curry during other visits and we've never been anything less than thrilled with our meal. The food is great and the staff is very friendly. One of the cooler things they do at Spice is Dice is feature a jazz group on Thursday nights. Good food and free entertainment ?! I'll take it every time.

 

Price: Average

Recommendation: Oh, you didn't know? Your ass betta caaaallllllllllll somebodyyyyyyyyy!

What to Order: Spring Rolls and Yakisoba

 



Eyptian Pizza

When I first moved to the area I remember asking a co-worker where to get good pizza. He mentioned Egyptian Pizza, and while I drove by their location in Belvedere Square a million times since,  I hadn't developed the courage to walk through the doors. I wasn't sure what "Egyptian" pizza meant, and besides, Ryan's Daughter is 100 feet away. To get me to forgo a chance to drink a good pint and eat a Reuben is asking a lot. However, Groupon, once again came through in a big big way.
For reasons I'm not privy to I've become a hummus eating machine the past few years. While perusing their menu for an appetizer I came across Foul. It's very much like hummus with the notable difference being fava beans replacing the garbanzo beans in hummus. The texture is a bit like refried beans and it has a nice garlic flavor. The pita bread they serve for dipping is awesome. It's not the best pita I've ever had but it's definitely up there. Even if you aren't a huge fan of hummus or foul, it's worth ordering just to try their pita.

As for pizza, we decided to order one more traditional style pizza and another that we considered semi-exotic (at least as far as pizzas go). The first was the Romano pizza. The Romano has mozzarella cheese, garlic herb butter, roasted garlic, red bell peppers, slivered green onions, marinated eggplant and goat cheese. I really liked the addition of goat cheese as it made for a very creamy texture. And while I don't see it on their online menu, I'm pretty sure sundried tomatos were on the pizza. Typically, I'm not a huge fan of sundried tomatos and their overpowering flavor, but mixed in with all the other ingredients it added just enough of a burst of sweetness. The best part of their pizza is the crust. The woodfire oven the pizza's are baked in add a flavor you're not going to find in a typical pizza shop.

The second pizza we chose was the Wild Mushroom pizza. This pizza has fresh sliced tomatoes, caramelized garlic cloves, mushrooms, marinated potatoes and mozzarella. No, this isn't a list of crazy ingredients nobody has ever heard of, but I haven't ordered a potato pizza too many times in my life. Personally, I loved this pizza. It didn't have huge flavor, but the creamy texture you get from the potatos is excellent and extremely unique in a pizza. And if you are a fan of mushrooms the flavor is very nice. Most importantly the tomatoes give the pizza just enough acidity/sweetness to keep this pizza from being too one note.

The restaurant itself is kind of small. We got lucky and didn't have to wait very long but on a busy weekend evening I can see wait time being an issue. Big parties (I'm talking bigger than 4) would probably be better served going somewhere else as this is a "take a date" kind of place with it's small intimate dining room.

Overall, I was very pleased with my trip to Egyptian Pizza. Nothing that I ate was out of this world, but if you're looking to try a pizza that goes beyond the everyday toppings and combinations this is great place to visit. The next time I'm in Belvedere Square Ryan's Daughter is going to have some competition.

Price: Reasonable
Recommendation: Give them a visit.
What to order: Wild Mushroom Pizza and Foul

Pasta Mista

When I first moved to the Baltimore area I was living right in the middle of Towson. I came down for grad school and really had no idea what Baltimore was all about. The one thing I didn't expect in such a highly populated area (compared to where I came from) was the difficulty I'd encounter trying to find pizza that didn't taste like squishy bread and tomato paste. At the time it seemed as if Seasons Pizza was everywhere and being the smart guy I am I figured it couldn't be that bad if they were successful enough to open up franchises at a pace rivaled only by Starbucks. Seven years later, I'm still wondering how Seasons stays in business.

But that's neither here nor there. The reason I bring any of that up is to illustrate the terrible stress I was under for nearly 4 months searching for a delicious pizza I thought I might never eat again. And then one day I came across a simple article in the college newspaper detailing exactly what I've been talking about----the nearly impossible pursuit of finding good pizza in Baltimore. The author of that article raved about Pasta Mista with such passion that I'm pretty sure I drove down to the Towson location after class and tried it out for myself. I've since found other pizza places just as good if not better than Pasta Mista, but because of the travails I encountered searching for pizza early on in my Baltimore experiences,  Pasta Mista will always be held in high regard for this blogger.

These days,I no longer live in Towson  but I was fortunate enough to be in town a few weeks back and was able to rekindle the romance that once burned so strongly between myself and the pizza. I was also able to introduce Deana to Pasta Mista for the first time. Needless to say, she is their newest fan. And I have to give her props for letting me maintain a relationship with someone I once was so close with not so long ago.

The day we visited both of us were drawn to the chicken parm pizza. It was as good as I remember. The crust was thin and crispy. The sauce had that delicious sweet/acidic tomato taste I love. And the chicken was nicely breaded and tender. For a quick lunch, you're not going to do much better.

Pasta Mista might not be "the best pizza in Baltimore" (they are in the discussion), but for my money there is no better place to get a simple slice. They always have 8 or 10 different pizzas up front for you to pick from. By the time you pay and fill your cup up with something to drink they already have your slice heated through and out of the oven. Variety and speed? I'll take it. Add to the fact that the slices are huge and the price is cheap....I'll take two!

If you are new to Baltimore and encountering the same problem I once had fret not my friends. For Pasta Mista comes bearing gifts of frankincense,myrrh, and delicious pizza.

Price: Cheap
Recommendation: Must visit
What to order: Every pizza they make is a winner.

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.

Ryan's Daughter - Irish Pub and Restaurant

I'm not even going to wait to reveal how I feel about this place. Ryan's Daughter is by far my favorite Irish Pub in the Baltimore area. Once upon a time, I lived in the Towson area and I would visit this place almost bi-weekly. Sadly, it's been almost two years since I've found myself inside their friendly confines, but after revisiting this awesome Irish Pub over the weekend I promise to never let that long of a hiatus between visits take place again.

Everything about Ryan's Daughter is awesome. They have authentic Irish Pub decor. Authentic Irish food like Shepherd Pies,Boxtys, Bangers and Mash, and Fish & Chips are scattered throughout the menu. Something like 12 beers can be found on tap and that's in addition to the 20 craft beers and 10 imports they carry in bottle. Beer snobs like myself will be thrilled to find that they serve their draft beers in the appropriate glassware. And if you're a whisky drinker they have a serious variety of both Scottish and Irish varieties available. I think the single best thing about their menu is the fact that they take the time to list out each and every beer and whisky that they carry. There is nothing more annoying than walking into a pub you know carries a large variety of libations only to end up picking something at random because you could only remember one of the 450 beers the wait staff rambled off at warp speed.

Unfortunatly, I don't have any pictures of my visit, but for very good reason. As I mentioned earlier, I haven't been to Ryan's Daughter in nearly two years. That means I haven't had a chance to taste the best Rueben sandwich I've ever had and I was a little out of sorts due to all the excitement and anticipation. Add to the fact that they served our order up in record time the throught of taking a picture completely slipped my mind.

The Reuben is a perfect mix of corned beef, sauerkraut, swiss cheese, remoulade sauce, and rye bread. For me, the remoulade sauce is what it's all about. The best way I can explain the taste is to compare it to a "fresh" thousand island dressing. There is no relish in the sauce, but instead there is a celery flavor. I truly cannot get enough of that stuff. Not only does it taste great on the Reuben, but it makes a great dipping sauce for their chips which are also out of this world. My history with chips is a medicore one at best. Usually, chips equals giant soggy french fries. Ryan's Daughter's chips are CRUNCHY  on the outside with a capital C and full of creamy potato on the inside.

If you're not a fan of corned beef or sauerkraut on your sandwiches they have you covered. Try the Rachael which is every bit as good as the Reuben and is also served with the life altering  remoulade. My girlfriend ordered the Rachael and left crowning Ryan's Daughter Rachael as the Queen of all Rachael's.

Needless to say, I'm a huge fan of this restaurant and I think you'll be too. Give this place a try and then come back and let me know what you think.

Price: Average
Recommendation: Visit Ryan's Daughter tomorrow....and then don't wait 2 years before your next visit.
What to order: Ruebon with Chips. Kilkenny to wash it down.