Baltimore dining

Baltimore’s Pabu: the joy of eating

April 27, 2013 By Lori Leave a Comment

A colleague is telling me about a recent dining experience at DC’s The Atlas Room. “The food is so outrageously good, that we keep putting down our forks and giggling.” I don’t know that chefs should aspire to create dishes that make guests break into peals of laughter. But there is something to be said for food that induces some expressions of glee. A recent excursion to Michael Mina’s Pabu in Baltimore’s Four Seasons Hotel elicits quite a few exuberant exclamations at our table.

We are here with friends who I will refer to as Chef S. and his wife. Chef S. is a discerning diner and accomplished home chef. When Chef S. tastes something particularly pleasurable no words are necessary. At first there is a look of wonderment as the tastes fully register on his palate. This is eventually replaced by an expression of pure joy. That’s what I’m talking about.

Our approach to Pabu’s Japanese izakaya (small plates) menu is to incorporate pescatarian options to satisfy my husband’s kosher requirements along with some very appealing beef, pork, and shellfish dishes for the rest of us.

Fire-roasted edamame with sake, mirin, soy, and Japanese chili is a cut above other similar versions. The intermingling of salty and spice is a perfect way to ease into the whirlwind of flavors to come. Ahi tuna poke with tobiko, scallion, and wonton crisps has flavor that builds to a satisfying finish. We could easily devour a second portion, but it’s too early in the game to stuff ourselves with one dish, no matter how good it is.

Pabu ahi tuna poke

Amberjack with kanpachi, yuzu-chili, fried shallot, and pine nuts is a nightly special. And special it is. The fresh and delicate fish has just a touch of crunch and loads of flavor.

Pabu Amberjack

Tiny eggplants with spicy miso glaze is one of the don’t miss dishes from Todd Kliman’s Washingtonian review. We are glad that we don’t. This is the first of several dishes we order featuring miso glaze. We don’t notice this when ordering. Fortunately, its a sticky sweetness that could enhance any dish, and we don’t tire of it.

Pabu tiny eggplants with spicy miso glaze

Maryland crab okonomiyaki with fried egg, pork belly, and mustard mayo is something of a mess at first glance But the pile of ingredients featuring contrasting colors each have a distinct flavor: tangy pickled ginger, creamy egg, and deliciously salty pork belly, not to mention the delightful crab. Could this be our favorite dish of the night? Perhaps.

Pabu Maryland crab okonomiyaki

The Berkshire pork country ribs with red chili glaze have me licking my fingers. The miso glaze makes another appearance, gently coating the wonderfully tender meat. This might be my favorite dish of the evening.

Then again there is roasted bone marrow. I’ve never really understood the appeal of bone marrow. Until now. Pabu’s spicy miso glazed (here it is again!) bone marrow is accented with ramp salsa verde. The bone marrow begs me to pick it up to ensure that I leave no morsel of meat untouched. I cannot ignore the call. Seriously this is my favorite dish at Pabu.

PABU ROASTED BONE MARROW

Four people are now grinning from ear to ear, as each dish that arrives at the table is better than the one that preceded it.

Dessert is debatable, and we’re leaning towards going without. But when we are presented the dessert menu from the neighboring Wit & Wisdom (also in the Four Seasons hotel), in addition to Pabu’s menu, we feel we have hit the dessert lottery. We decide to go with Wit & Wisdom’s offerings which includes “Banana” – warm banana cake, banana sherbet, cinnamon chocolate, brown sugar wafer and “Coffee and Cake” – devil’s food, espresso curd, and brown butter coffee sherbet. They are both heavenly.

Wit & Wisdom Banana

Wit & Wisdom coffee & cake

There are many areas of the menu we’ve left unexplored including sushi, sashimi, and rolls, which may have been a tactical error. On the other hand, it’s certainly an excuse for a return visit.

The casual atmosphere is inviting and comfortable. But it’s the background music from the 80′s that makes us feel right at home, and brings more smiles to our faces.

Pabu is one of those places that I’ll be thinking about for a long time. It makes me realize that when at it’s best, food really is a laughing matter.

Pabu, 725 Aliceanna Street, Baltimore, MD

Review from Washingtonian’s 100 Very Best Restaurants for 2013*

*Pabu is on Washingtonian’s list of 100 Very Best Restaurants for 2013. Washingtonian‘s Todd Kliman explains why Pabu, as well as Baltimore’s Woodberry Kitchen, make it on the magazine’s list in one of his recent online chats: Our feeling was that both those places offer an experience that is not so common in DC, and that those experiences are worth sharing with our readers.

Filed Under: MD Dining, Pabu Tagged With: Baltimore dining, Baltimore restaurants, Four Seasons Hotel, Maryland dining, Michael Mina, Pabu, The Atlas Room, Todd Kliman, Washingtonian 100 Very Best Restaurants, Washingtonian restaurant review

Woodberry Kitchen: when once (or twice) is not enough

January 22, 2013 By Lori 2 Comments

As a frequent restaurant goer who tries to keep up with the DC area dining scene, I have a dilemma. Is it more important to constantly sample new places, or is there value in returning to the tried and true? There are so many unexplored restaurants on my to do list that it actually makes my head spin. At the same time, one of the ways I judge a restaurant is how I feel about returning. Whether I actually return in a reasonable amount of time is the true indicator of my feelings.

When my BFF invites us join her for a birthday celebration at Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore, I am delighted. She and her husband have never been. But I’m also thinking, can another visit live up to my own hype? And what about Pabu? If we’re heading to Baltimore, shouldn’t we try the area’s new darling of the dining scene? It feels like the Woodberry Kitchen buzz has died down a bit, and I wonder if this is just because the newest always gets the most attention.

As we arrive, it is clear that there has been no slowdown in WK’s popularity. The place is hopping and the hallways are filled with people waiting for tables. I check in for my reservation and get a cheery “welcome back!” This gives me the warm fuzzies. Now here’s a reason to visit a restaurant more than once. Familiarity breeds….appreciation.

We begin our meal with a wonderful flatbread of pumpkin, tomato sauce, ricotta, chili oil, and sunchokes. It is far superior to any pizza-like dish I’ve had in recent memory, from the crispy exterior to the fresh slices of slightly sweet pumpkin, and just the right amount of heat.

Woodberry Kitchen flatbread

A well-prepared dish always brings me to a happy place. WK’s Marvesta Shrimp Out of the Oven makes me joyful. The shrimp is brimming with flavor, with flecks of pepper and an underlying sauce spiced with horseradish, garlic, butter, and paprika.

According to its website, “Woodberry Kitchen relies on longstanding relationships with the growers of the Chesapeake to provide the ingredients that nourish and delight our guests.” This dish, made with shrimp naturally raised in Maryland, exemplifies how well Chef Spike Gjerde does in meeting this goal. It’s another reason I was attracted to WK in the first place.

Woodberry Kitchen shrimp

I am relieved by the reactions of BFF and her husband. They marvel at the rockfish with its crispy skin dusted with salt, light creamy sauce, and an accompaniment of beautiful cauliflower.

Woodberry Kitchen Rockfish

Of course no birthday celebration is complete without dessert, so we order apple tart with maple ice cream as well as peanut chew with fresh cream ice cream. The kitchen also sends out a complimentary dish of lemon lush ice cream with “Happy Birthday” written on the plate in chocolate. I’m guessing this is the work of our server who has amiably guided us through the entire meal.

The ice cream at Woodberry Kitchen is rich and creamy, with strong developed flavors. I’m delighted that we have a chance to sample three different kinds.

Woodberry Kitchen peanut chew

Woodberry Kitchen Apple Tart

It is undeniable that the discovery of a new restaurant can be thrilling. But at Woodberry Kitchen I learn that my next meal is very likely to be my best meal. In the words of Arnold Schwarzenegger…I’ll be back.

My April 2012 review of Woodberry Kitchen

Filed Under: MD Dining, Woodberry Kitchen Tagged With: Baltimore dining, Chef Spike Gjerde, Maryland dining, Woodberry Kitchen

Divine Food at Baltimore’s The Food Market

October 8, 2012 By Lori Leave a Comment

One of my favorite Sunday outings is to the funky Baltimore neighborhood of Hampden. The stores are filled with a mix of kitschy furniture, clothing, and art. The streets are where hipster meets blue collar, and I imagine there to be more tattoos per capita than anywhere else in the country. There is also an interesting array of restaurants, although if you are looking to shop and then dine, it’s important to note that many of the stores close around 5:00 pm.

Look up Hampden on Wikipedia and you’ll see this fun fact:

Hampden received perhaps its most prominent nationwide exposure in 1999, when Baltimore native John Waters filmed his movie Pecker there. Starring Hollywood actors like Edward Furlong, Christina Ricci, Martha Plimpton, and Lili Taylor, the film depicted a very elaborate & fictional view of Hampden and a young Hampden resident’s dream to escape it.

We are here to dine at the recently opened The Food Market. Our friends have been here a few times already, due to a connection to someone involved with the restaurant. I’m eager to try the “approachable, serious comfort food” prepared by Chef Chad Gauss. Gauss has a ready-made following. based on his runs at other area establishments including recognition by Baltimore Magazine in 2010 as “Best New Chef” for his work at City Cafe.

I’ve done a fair amount of homework about the restaurant, which has replaced a grocery store, hence the name. Online reviews consistently compliment the food, but there are multiple comments about the excessive noise level. This is a hard to avoid result of an industrial decor featuring hard surfaces throughout. Efforts have been made to address the issue and I’m looking forward to hearing what our friends think about the difference. Literally.

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/ingoodtaste/2012/06/first-look-at-the-food-market

The menu is organized in sections: little, small, big, and in between. The littles are an easy decision for us: blue kernel popcorn and buffalo pickles. They are perfect bites to accompany cocktails that shine. I have “Delicious Grapefruit Sangria” which is a blend of wine, orange juice, lemon and lime juice, and campari. The Buffalo pickles with gorgonzola and hot sauce are not to be missed. The fried sour pickles rest atop cheese and a snappy sauce. These first bites of food make me sit up and declare “oh yes” I know this meal is going to be good.

The Food Market Buffalo pickles

I am going to confess something that perhaps I should not. I am hoping not to be judged harshly for it. I order a “small” plate of duck confit potato skins with brie mornay and au poivre cherries. I ask our server if the portion is large and she smiles and tells me that there are three good-sized potato skins. This does not make me happy. No one in my party is able to share this with me, because they don’t eat meat and/or milk and meat. I order it anyway. It’s appeal is irresistible. I am simultaneously embarrassed by my gluttony and ecstatic at the realization that my suspicion of greatness is not wrong. The crispy skins are filled with shredded slices of duck, creamy mild Brie, and delicious sweet cherries. I eat just one (at this meal). This dish alone may be the reason that I am now forced to take drastic steps towards weight reduction. Does it help to say that I didn’t eat the bread, even though I am told it is delicious? ….I didn’t think so.

The Food Market duck confit potato skins

I suppose that I could stop here and not order from the “large” portion of the menu. But then I would have deprived myself of the marvelous Lamb Meatabally’s Kebob with mint salsa, Israeli couscous, and squash chow chow. This would have been a tragic loss, as the depth of flavors and fresh ingredients in this dish are as destination-worthy as the potato skins.

The Food Market lamb meatabally’s kabob

My husband has grilled bronzini with whipped potatoes, almond green beans, and lemon caper raisin butter. The fish is extremely fresh- which is a good thing. The purveyor happens to be sitting next to us- an Israeli who goes by the name Tony (not his real name but he thinks it’s more appropriate for a seafood vendor).

The Food Market Bronzini

The local bison pot roast with ancho sweet potatoes, pickled peppers, and parsnip au jus is a hearty dish accented competently by both sweet and sour accompaniments.

The Food Market Bison

Also notable is blackened tuna with succotash, soy caramel, toasted rice, and wasabi peas.

The Food Market Blackened Tuna

Desserts certainly aren’t necessary but why worry about calories at this point? I’ve read great things about the Heathbar bread pudding, and this is confirmed by my friends. We also decide to share Grandma Steve’s apple cake with salty caramel ice cream. The bread pudding is a bit dry and nothing special. My friends remark that they’ve had a different version of the dessert here that is superior to what we are served. The apple cake is not but, although a little heavy on cinnamon. I’ve had better versions during the recent Jewish high holiday season, when apple cake makes frequent appearances. The salted caramel ice cream hits the spot. It seems to be an off night for desserts. I would give desserts here another chance on a future visit.

The Food Market Heathbar bread pudding

The Food Market apple cake

In terms of the noise level, the investment in acoustical tiles have helped. It’s now on par with any loud and bustling restaurant. This is a good thing, as the customer base on a Saturday night at least, covers a wide spectrum in terms in terms of age. Unbearably loud is never a good thing with older diners, no matter how delicious the food.

My next trip to The Food Market in Hampden will be for brunch, so that I can take another turn at exploring the neighborhood offerings. I will definitely be back soon, because in my opinion the food is simply … Divine.

The Food Market, 1017 West 36th Street, Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore City Paper review

John Water’s Baltimore

Filed Under: Baltimore, MD Dining, The Food Market Tagged With: Baltimore dining, Chef Chad Gauss, Hampden, John Waters, The Food Market

Ramping up the flavor at Baltimore’s Woodberry Kitchen

April 26, 2012 By Lori 1 Comment

Birthday celebrations usually result in my spending hours trying to decide where to dine. There’s no better excuse for ramping up to a high-end dining experience. This year the location for my husband’s birthday dinner planned itself. I am heading back from a quick trip to Cleveland on a flight that gets into BWI just in time for dinner. It’s a no-brainer. BWI+ Birthday Dinner= Woodberry Kitchen.

Woodberry Kitchen, in Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood, is actually not a high-end restaurant in the typical sense of the word. It’s got more funk and down-home appeal than razzle dazzle. But it’s allure is undeniable. A charming atmosphere, skilled service, and great food put it high on my list. The fact that this Baltimore restaurant merits a spot on Washingtonian‘s 100 Very Best Restaurants 2012 speaks volumes. What really makes Woodberry Kitchen so special is Chef Spike Gjerde’s passionate commitment to local sourcing.* This wouldn’t mean a thing if he didn’t take those local ingredients and execute some pretty fantastic dishes.

My plane is earlier than expected so I try to change our reservation. No dice. Fortunately, we are offered a high-top table near the bar as an alternative. No reservations needed. It doesn’t seem much different from the regular tables a few feet away, so we jump at the offer.

Since we’re now dining on the early side we want to take things slowly. The cocktail menu offers some enticing options featuring local ingredients whenever feasible. My drink is the “Second Date” with House spiced rum, Bonal, crushed strawberries, honey, and Stephanie’s bay bitters. The fresh strawberries at the bottom of the glass have me reaching for a spoon. My husband has a “Manhampden” featuring Maryland-style rye, California sweet vermouth, new fashioned bitters, Peychaud’s, and an orange twist. We enjoy our drinks, taking in the attractive dishes breezing by us, as we try to decide what to order.

Many restaurants boast a farm to table concept. You know it’s taken seriously at Woodberry Kitchen when you peruse the menu. Ramps and asparagus are incorporated into nearly every dish, reflecting what’s truly in season at the moment. It takes about five seconds for for me – I mean us- to decide on a starter to share. I remind myself that it’s my husband’s birthday and this should be his choice. I’m hoping he’ll agree to the asparagus flatbread with green tomato relish, ricotta, and cilantro. I have to give him time to consider other options, so I hold my breath and wait. Fortunately, he’s in agreement.

My first bite makes me gasp in astonishment. While I’ve ordered a flatbread with ingredients which I obviously find appealing, I am not quite prepared for flatbread perfection. The thin and crispy crust is what I always hope for and rarely receive. The combination of ricotta and cilantro surpasses my expectations. What gives the dish added depth is a delicate touch of sweetness created from homemade harvest chutney made from eggplant, tomato, and a selection of winter vegetables.

Woodberry Kitchen Flatbread with Asparagus and Ricotta

I’m thinking I should select something with ramps from the supper portion of the menu. I’ve read countless tweets about ramps lately. I feel like I should join in on the craze surrounding this suddenly popular wild onion. This shouldn’t be difficult as it’s incorporated in almost every item listed. Except that the one I have my eye on is Springfield Farm Chicken & Biscuit with braised kale, asparagus, and an herb pan sauce. No ramps. I need the server to steer me in the right direction. She describes the chicken with a gleam in her eye which I cannot resist. She promises a memorable chicken dish with crisp skin and a tender and juicy interior. The kitchen delivers. The fresh greens and herb-infused sauce render me powerless against my brain, which tells me I am too full to go on. Just a few more bites, I tell myself, and then I’ll stop.

Woodberry Kitchen Chicken and Biscuit

Meanwhile, my husband is enjoying his entree of Cherry Glen ricotta dumplings with asparagus, ramp leaves, turnips, scallion broth, and ‘allegheny’ cheese. The flavor is more delicate than my dish, but there’s something alluring about the chewy, slightly crispy around the edges, texture of the dumplings. I’m coveting more than just a taste. Plus, this dish has ramps.

Woodberry Kitchen Cherry Glen ricotta dumplings

Dessert is an easy choice when we are told that the strawberry rhubarb cobbler features rhubarb delivered that very day. Plus it’s topped with fresh cream ice cream. Fresh and fresher. It has slipped my mind that I mention my husband’s birthday when my reservation is confirmed. The staff at Woodberry Kitchen, however, remember.

Woodberry Kitchen Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Fresh, local, seasonal, sustainable, farm-to-table, slow food. These are concepts that are being embraced by chefs around the country, as they should be. Woodberry Kitchen takes them to a higher level. One where you feel good about the food you are eating, and where flavor and value run rampant.

Woodberry Kitchen, 2010 Clipper Park Road, Baltimore, MD

Washingtonian review

*A recent article by David Hagedorn in The Washington Post details how Spike Gjerde’s commitment to local sourcing plays out at Woodberry Kitchen.

Filed Under: Around the US, Woodberry Kitchen Tagged With: Baltimore dining, Chef Spike Gjerde, David Hagedorn, farm to table, locally sourced food, Maryland dining, Washingtonian 100 Very Best Restaurants, Woodberry Kitchen

Getting a group-on at The Black Olive & Sotto Sopra in Baltimore

March 22, 2012 By Lori 3 Comments

This isn’t about discount dining. It is instead about the challenges of dining with groups. A few times a year I travel with my colleagues for out of town meetings. As staff, we have assignments that often begin before dawn and meetings that last until sundown. There is no time to leave the hotel. Except for dinner. Often one dinner is preplanned (not by me) and others are on our own. This is where I come in, leaping at the opportunity to scope out the possibilities. We are headed to Baltimore, a city which is equidistant to DC from where I live, but somehow still fairly undiscovered.

Night one is with a group of twenty-six at the Greek restaurant The Black Olive in Fells Point. I haven’t planned this one, but am anxious to try the restaurant rated #4 in Baltimore magazine’s 2012 Best Restaurants list.

I’m going to skip to the ending and circle back around. I’m glad that the food is so good at The Black Olive. They aren’t so adept- at least on this particular night- with handling a large group. But redemption is on the plate.

It quickly becomes apparent that this is going to be a long night. We are seated at one very long table in an area off to the side of the restaurant. One server comes to the table to pour wine. She brings over one bottle at a time, pouring (slowly) and then going back for more. I really want/need a glass of wine. It’s been more than 30 minutes and we haven’t ordered. Some of us are getting antsy. Others seem happily oblivious. I wish one of them was me.

Eventually someone else is sent to serve our group. We have a four course menu with limited choices, which will help move things along. I am feeling fishy: scallops for my first course, fish soup for my second course, grilled whole bronzini for my third course, and mango sorbet for dessert.

More time passes and the first course arrives. I am served calamari instead of scallops. I don’t eat calamari. So as everyone else enjoys their first course, I must be content with the wine. The scallops are worth the wait. Perfectly grilled, juicy,and tender. I have scallops. I have wine. I am getting happier.

scallops

The fish soup has a nice flavor. I say yes to some additional black pepper (which is added post photo). I’ve never seen such large flakes of pepper before. They actually have me coughing and gasping a bit. This is not a bad thing. I like the soup, even though less pepper would be preferable.

Black Olive fish soup

The bronzini is the star of the night. It is simply prepared – grilled with olive oil and lemon juice. The simplicity accentuates the freshness of the fish. Fish fans should hightail it to Baltimore. The accompanying vegetables are topped with a delicious garlicky sauce.

Dessert is served without our coffee, which finally arrives when we’re close to being on the way out. We are a bit weary by the end of our meal at The Black Olive. It has been a long night. But somehow the beautiful simplicity of the meal makes up for some of the missteps in accommodating a large group. I am ready to go back – although with twenty or so fewer people next time.

The next night I have organized a group of staff to go out to dinner at the Italian Sotto Sopra in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood. There are twelve of us. If we were feeling weary the night before, we are downright exhausted at this point. I have to twist a few arms of people who want to bail out. There is concern about another lengthy dinner. I manage – with some effort- to keep the group intact. I am trying to downplay the fact that there is a party of 50 already in the restaurant that night and they are squeezing our group in. I know that this could get ugly. There is nothing worse than angering a group of people you have to see every day of the week.

We arrive at Sotto Sopra and they lead us through the large group to an area in the back. The restaurant is beautifully decorated with colorful murals on the walls.

photo from www.600block.com

I settle into my food happy place when I see the menu. I’m delighted with the choices as is everyone at the table (even if there is some initial uncertainty about what to order.) There are only a few other tables of patrons in the restaurant aside from the large group, and they seem to be ordering at the same time. I can’t imagine how the kitchen is going to handle this. I am amazed when they do- effortlessly- at least it seems that way to us. If they are overwhelmed by serving so many people at once, they never show it.

My starter is a panzanilla invernale with arugula, beets, dates, pancetta, goat cheese, and a tangerine dressing. If you follow my blog regularly you may be thinking, “really, beets and goat cheese….again?” I know, I know. But I find the addition of dates and pancetta and the tangerine dressing irresistible. Sometimes you have to go with your instincts. This is a great combination of salty and sweet. I am not ashamed to say that I would order it again.

A few people have a caesar salad, which they describe as deconstructed and reinvented. They rave about the presentation and taste.

I am relieved when a colleague agrees to split pasta dishes with me, as I am having trouble deciding on an entree. The first is ravioli d’aragosta with lobster, brandy shallot reduction, and fried leeks. I would have been perfectly content with this dish, but our second pasta blows me away and it’s hard to compare.

ravioli with lobster

Our second pasta is sacchetti di zucca con salsiccia. Translated: pumpkin pasta with amaretto cookies, broken sausage, and cream. The combination may seem unlikely, but somehow it works. Wonderfully! This gets passed around the table and the feeling is unanimous. The dish may not look so beautiful, but trust me, it has a great personality. This is one of those dishes that I would go out of my way for- or at least all the way to Baltimore.

Sotto Sopra has scored a home run for our team. The service is competent and the food memorable. We couldn’t appreciate it more. We consider sharing a dessert or two, but the wishes of those who are ready to head back to the hotel drown out the voices of those who wouldn’t mind a taste of something sweet. For once I can’t say that I really mind. Sometimes tired does trump eating.

Heading home from Baltimore, I reflect on the meeting and it goes without saying, the restaurants. Dining with groups can be a challenge- for the restaurant and the patrons. An experience that begins with shaky service can still end well if the food is good. A restaurant that excels at serving a group with good food and service makes a lasting impression. My discovery- I can travel north just as easily as south to find great food- with or without a group.

The Black Olive, 814 S. Bond Street, Baltimore, MD

Sotto Sopra, 405 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD