Vino Rosina has been an understated fixture in Baltimore's Harbor East for about as long as I have. They opened to little fanfare in 2010, about 18 months after I joined Laureate Education, located a block away. My coworkers and I have been regulars these last few years, due as much to their proximity as to their impressive wine collection. The interior is wood and exposed brick with an open bar area and decorative wooden wine racks separating it from the dining room, creating a comfortable space. I also enjoy their food menu and have been watching it evolve.
Read MoreA Return to an Old Haunt
We discovered The Golden Szechuan Inn about 10 years ago when we first moved to Harford County and were living in a rental townhouse at Seven Oaks off Hansen Road in Edgewood. Back then, there was still a Blockbuster Video nearby. Back then, it was the only Blockbuster that carried DVDs. Ten of them. Times change.
Read MoreA Salad Named For an Emperor
So many foods taste so much better when prepared properly. This is especially noticeable with Caesar salad. It's easy to just toss together a half-assed Caesar salad like so many restaurants do. With romaine, croutons, a little hard cheese, and an egg-based dressing, a basic Caesar is fairly minimalist. But a good Caesar - that is minimalist art. Today's lunch included such a salad.
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babo: a market by sava
You know you've made it when you can open a market with your name in it and people come. This is the case with Sava Lelcaj, owner of Sava's State Street Cafet in Ann Arbor, and now babo: a market by sava just down the street at Division and Washington. I visited babo on the weekend they received their liquor license to sell wine and beer, and it was a flurry of activity. The staff was busy, but remained warm and friendly.
Read MoreOld Habits Die Hard
I'm one of those kids who got branded with their parents' faith through the name they gave me. I am named after my mother's two favorite saints - Saint Mary and Saint Teresa. While not Catholic, my religious upbringing in a very formal Episcopal church was not too far away. I grew up with confession on Saturdays, incense and sermons on Sundays, potlucks on Wednesdays, and all the religious holy days and observances. And, of course, the privations and purification of Lent, including meatless Fridays.
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Breakfast for Lunch at Miss Shirley's
I first learned of Miss Shirley's when I encountered their food truck in Fells Point. I was quite pleased to learn that they have a sit-down restaurant in the Inner Harbor just a few blocks from my office. Located in the Constellation Energy building on Pratt Street across from the Power Plant, Miss Shirley's is in the same building as a professional colleague I've had the pleasure of working with at two different jobs. So, with the weather in Baltimore on the cusp of true summer this week, I made Friday lunch a two-for-one treat and met my work buddy for lunch.
Read MoreMy So-Called Lunch
When you get used to eating lunch at the same place, enjoying the same menu of favorites, and then suddenly they are closed, it's like losing your best friend or something, you know?
Brian Krakow
This week the whole social order was thrust into full upheaval when The Silver Platter shut down to redo their menu. When the familiar silver truck was missing from the lot on Central Street, we panicked. At lunch time, we wandered aimlessly through Harbor East looking for something good to eat for a reasonable price. Many people gave up and brown bagged it. I decided to return to some of my old haunts. Here is a rundown of my lunches this week.
Monday: Whole Foods Salad Bar
Healthy and not too expensive, this has remained a staple of my weekly lunch routine even with more tempting options. It is sensible and reliable and, at $7.99/lb, not too expensive if you avoid the heavier items. The bar offers spinach, chopped romaine, and mixed greens. One side has staples like cut vegetables and assorted dressings. The other side has pre-made combos like artichoke and tomatoes, Asian slaw, and marinated root vegetables. This week, I got the fried chicken salad over spinach with cherry tomatoes, grated carrots, celery and bleu cheese. It came out to about $6.50, mostly due to the chicken salad, made up of breaded chicken breast cut into bite-sized chunks, cheddar cheese and tomatoes in a creamy dressing. I felt like I had made a responsible choice, both dietarily and fiscally.
Rickie Vasquez
Tuesday: Curbside Cafe
This relatively new addition to my lunch routine is parked outside my building every Tuesday and draws a reliable crowd who just fall short of chanting "Taco Tuesday" once breakfast has worn off in anticipation of lunch. The menu has a definite Latino influence with a standard selection of burritos and sides like beans and rice or fried plantains. But these gals play it a little funky by adding a corn and mango salsa and my new favorite - the curried chickpea and potato burrito. I get mine in a bowl with lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, the aforementioned corn mango salsa and sour cream (this is what one of them recommended, and she was right). The curry is spicy and works with the slightly sweet mango salsa. And even with the lack of meat, it is very filling and keeps me satisfied through the afternoon without feeling like a boulder. This week I also got a side of plantains with salt and pepper (they also come with Adobo or curry) for a total of $6.50.
Sharon Cherski
Wednesday: Harbor East Deli
By mid-week, I was really feeling kind of lost and turned to an old comfort food from my childhood - the bologna and mayonnaise sandwich. Harbor East Deli does make a good sandwich, and I've had this one from them in the past - bologna on white with lettuce, tomato, mayo and Swiss. It's a little pricey at $6.50 but is a quite the meaty sandwich, so I always feel like I'm getting what I pay for. I ate half for lunch with a sadly over priced Cesar salad ($5.99 for chopped romaine, grated Parmesan, and a packet of Ken's Steakhouse dressing), making for a total of $14.50. When the 3:30 doldrums rolled around, I ate the second half and was well-fueled for the evening's cardio workout. Even though bologna isn't really part of my current dietary regimen, I retain a certain weakness for it, and when I choose to indulge, I rarely regret it.
Jordan Catalano
Thursday: Legg Mason Cafeteria
The Legg Mason Cafeteria is open to the public, and for this we are eternally grateful. They entertain the international financial crowd, so you know the on-site dining is better than at most offices. This week they had a duck lunch on the menu - roasted duck breast with sage risotto, garlic green beans and a fig compote. I saw that item listed for Thursday's lunch when I checked their menu earlier in the week and was gastronomically counting down the days. As good as it was to think about eating duck for lunch, the reality fell just slightly short. The duck had a nice irony taste, and the green beans were cooked to perfection. The risotto, though.....It was strongly flavored and salty and just no good on its own. Even when I mixed in some of the fig compote, the risotto was still overpowering. Which only goes to show that sometimes the thought of something is better than the reality. Other than that, it was a lovely lunch. Coming in at $9.50, it was the deal of the week.
Rayanne Graff
Friday: Ra Sushi
I can't remember the first time I had a Bento box, but I do know that it has always felt natural for me. My particular eating habits are well-suited for it. I gravitate toward eating my food in sections - first the veg, then the meat, etc. And even though I know there is something a little overt about Ra Sushi - a little trendy and less than authentic - I really like their bento box. It's one of the most genuine items on a menu that features things like the Viva Las Vegas roll ("Kani kama crab and cream cheese rolled in rice and seaweed, lightly tempura battered and topped with spicy tuna, kani kama crab mix & sliced lotus root; finished with a sweet eel sauce and spinach tempura bits"). Yeah. My bento came with an egg roll, a gyoza, slaw in one corner and a green salad in the other, and four shrimp tempura on a bed of rice. Even with the presence of so many deep-fried items, it was not greasy. Plus the rice was sticky enough to eat with chopsticks. It wasn't outstanding, but it felt familiar and good and just what I wanted. And that's a lot of food for $9.00.
And, of course there was a cupcake from IcedGems . Today I tried their new Hot Chocolate, and it tasted true to its namesake - a light chocolate flavor topped with a marshmallow icing that gave me heart palpitations. Despite my cupcake dalliances in August, I remain loyal to IcedGems for creations like this.
A Little Taste of History
The Dallam family has been dairy farming since the 1700's, making Broom's Bloom one of those wonderful historical artifacts of Harford County that predate the American Revolution. The dairy has been modernized as times have changed over the last three centuries. The most recent addition consists of large solar panels on the barn and over the farm store where they sell local meats and cheeses along with their milk and home made ice cream. They also serve the best lunches in the area.
Broom's Bloom serves a standard variety of soups, sandwiches and quiches that are all made fresh out of real (and usually local) ingredients. Their cream of crab soup is the best in the state, including much fancier bisques I've had at more upscale establishments. Leave it to 9th-generation dairy farmers to understand a cream soup, it is consistently perfect - never scalded or scorched or separated and always seasoned with a light hand to let the flavor of blue crab dominate.
They also offer three lunch specials that are variations on soup/salad/sandwich combos that include a very small ice cream for desert. My favorite is The Dairymaid's Delight: a cup of soup, a plate of cheese and seasonal fruit, and a choice of a cornbread muffin or buttermilk biscuit. I'm usually partial to the cornbread, which is moist with a golden crust and just a touch of sweetness.
Tonight they were out of the cream of crab, which provided me with the opportunity to try something new. One of tonight's soups was the intriguing Southern Comfort - tomato soup with peppers, shrimp and sausage served over grits. The tomato stock was smooth and a little creamy and tasted like fresh tomatoes. The peppers and sausage were sparse which prevented them from overpowering the tomato. My cup had two nice-sized shrimp and about two fingers of grits at the bottom. I ate the shrimp first and then scooped the grits up from the bottom through the stock. While it seems like an unlikely combination, it was actually quite delicious and made me glad that they were out of my usual..
This was my first visit in the evening, and my cheese cubes were served with pineapple chunks instead of the usual orchard-fresh apples, peaches, pears, and berries that have accompanied my many lunches.
Gareth ordered The Cowman's Repast: A bowl of soup, half a sandwich, and a very small ice cream. He got his usual Maryland crab soup and paired it with half a tuna salad sandwich. The nice thing about a sandwich at Broom's Bloom is the unmistakable freshness of a tomato that was allowed to ripen on the vine before it was picked and then only traveled a few hundred feet before it was sliced for the sandwich. It is worth pulling the thick slices out of your sandwich and eating them plain. The tuna salad is also better than most with a light touch on the mayonnaise and a little hard-boiled egg mixed in.
We both ordered Andes Mint ice cream, mine in a bowl, his in a sugar cone. They also offer regular cake cones and waffle cones. You can upgrade to a sundae for just a little bit more. All their ice creams are very smooth and creamy, even flavors like graham cracker and cake batter. Their variety runs the gamut from these kid-friendly flavors to more traditional vanilla and caramel cashew. Flavors change daily and can be found on their Facebook page .
The Dallams are as much a part of Harford County as our historic Quaker meeting houses, stone walls and embankments, and Revolutionary War battle sites. They participate in several local farmer's markets and sell the meat, eggs and breads produced by other local farms. Their country store and lunch counter are the latest in a long history of community involvement as the Dallams continue to help shape Harford County. Broom's Bloom is located on Rt 543 less than a mile off of 1-95 between Riverside and Bel Air.
Mexican Food Comes to Harford County
Today, at the recommendation of a trusted source, I tried Fiesta Grill Mexican restaurant. Located in the mini-mall on Tollgate Road adjacent to The Harford Mall, it's an unlikely place to find authentic Mexican food. But, at long last, the real thing has arrived in Harford County. For a little background information, here is a brief history of Mexican food in Harford County. And I can assure you it will be brief as there is not much to tell.
We arrived in the area after spending a couple of years in the city. This was before the stretch of Broadway between Johns Hopkins and the Broadway Market became Spanish Town. Still there were a couple of really good places, like the late and much lamented La Rotisseria, purveyor of the best rotisserie chicken, green sauce, and (if you were really lucky), hand-made pupusas. We did not know how good we had it.
When we moved to Edgewood, our choices were quite suddenly reduced to the Taco Bell on Route 40, and the Bel Air ChiChi's. With a commute that ended at White Marsh, any hopes for a decent taco for lunch were also dashed.
Shortly after moving to Havre de Grace, the clouds parted, and we saw the arrival of La Tolteca, a regional chain in the DelMarVa area. Suddenly, we had tamales, stuffed poblanos, chorizo, and bean dip (!) within a 10-minute drive of home. We became regulars and blew through the menu in a few months. Shortly thereafter, we realized that everything actually tastes the same and is really just the same fillings and sauces in your choice of packaging. Which is one of the drawbacks of a chain. Still, the Churchville location provides live mariachi music, and some semblance of authenticity is maintained.
Now, after just over a decade in the area, we have all kinds of chain Mexican food, from the palatable (if not entirely authentic) Baja Fresh to the deplorable Chipotle Grill, the one place I walked out of based simply on the smell of the food.
This is what a taco looks like
And, just around the corner from them, the surprising Fiesta Grill. The take out menu they gave me has the tagline "Authentic Mexican and Salvadorean Cuisine", and it certainly appears to be so. The menu in the restaurant is a mixture of Spanish and English and did not include the more Anglo-sounding items I found on the take out menu, like the Surf and Turf burrito, a combination of grilled steak and crab. They also serve America's favorite items - nachos and taco salad.
The rest of the menu has a variety of burritos, tacos and quesadillas with everything from chorizo to grilled fish. I went for one of these more traditional selections and ordered the Taco de Lengua and yucca fries with a mandarin Jarritos, Mexico's ubiquitous bottled soda.
The kitchen is an open area immediately behind the counter, similar to the places I have visited in Spanish Town. You can watch them prepare your meal if the two TVs are not of interest. On my visit they were showing a Latino novella and not the usual football, so I watched the action in the kitchen.
Yucca perfection
After a brief wait, my yucca fries were delivered. Thick, tender, and steaming hot, they were lightly dusted with paprika and, despite being deep fried, were not greasy. They came with a cream-based dipping sauce that had a hint of egg similar to the aiollis I get at home.
The tacos arrived shortly afterward. The meat had been prepared in a savory brown sauce with chunks of green pepper that was flavorful without being hot. It was served on two soft corn tortillas that had that bread-like quality of freshly made tortillas and reminded me of the tortillaria on Eastern Avenue in Baltimore. There are none of the usual heavy trappings of American tacos - no cheese or sour cream - just fresh cilantro leaves and chopped onions in generous quantity, plus a thick lime wedge. I abandoned the yucca and proceeded to eat the tacos without stopping until they were both gone. And I took the yucca home with me to finish later.
Flavor Cupcakery lives up to its name
Which brings me to Friday's cupcake - this week from
, located just a couple of doors down. I stayed with the Latino theme and got the Tres Leches to go. Even in the superior packaging, it barely survived the drive home in today's pre-hurricane humidity. What I thought was icing turned out to be a very lightly sweetened whipped creme, a highly appropriate topping for the rich vanilla cake. The cake itself felt and tasted like it had indeed been soaked in cream. It was a very well executed novelty variety and a strong showing on their part. While I'm not going to throw over
anytime soon, it's nice to know I can get my cupcake fix locally and not just on Fridays. I fear for my waistline.
And for those of you who don't know what exactly was in my tacos, you'll have to Google it.
Sweet Devotion Cupcake and Creperie Cafe
Today I cheated on IcedGems. I was lured in by the carrot cake, blantantly on display and listed as, not a specialty flavor, but a standard right along side vanilla, chocolate, caramel and Red Velvet. Regret was soon to follow.
Mmmmmmmm cupcakes
I entered Sweet Devotion Cupcake and Creperie Cafe with lunch intentions and because I feel a genuine need to support anyone in Harford County who wants to reach beyond pizza, pit beef and Chinese take-out. I must first admit that I am spoiled when it comes to crepes. My counterpart makes a savory crepe that is somehow both hearty and light. He makes a perfect bechemel sauce and is a firm believer in the whole "everything is better with cheese" philosophy that is a cornerstone of my formative years in Wisconsin. That being said, I am no stranger to restaurant crepes. When I worked in midtown Baltimore, I was quite familiar with the devine wilted spinach crepe on Sotto Sopra's lunch menu.
Sweet Devotion's savory crepes seem to lean closer to the American palate with combos that you could also package in a nice roll - The Classic Ham and Swiss, The Caprese and even Chicken Cordon Bleu. Their complete menu is posted on their website . Being an avid seafood fan, I went with The Norwegian - smoked salom, tomatoes, Boursin cheese in lieu of the traditional bechemel, and a surprise sprinkling of capers.
Each crepe is made to order on large flat irons right behind the counter. The crepe itself is broad in diameter and thin in weight and is folded around the filling. It is a light and delicate creation that melted in my mouth but was a little bland. I tend to be more partial to the heartier rustic crepes and missed the added body you get with a pinch of buckwheat in the mix.
Real food on real dishes
The crepe is served on a bed of mixed greens on an actual china plate with real cutlery, giving Sweet Devotion some serious bonus points. The salmon worked well in this setting. The Boursin cheese, however, felt a bit too salty to go along with the already salty smoked fish. The sliced tomatoes counter balanced this somewhat but were not evenly distributed throughout the crepe for consistency in this area. This particular combo might be best eaten at home with a nice Pilsner.
And then there was the matter of the cupcake. The fellow behind the counter seemed a tad curt when I asked if the cupcakes were baked on premesis. He assured me that they are baked fresh every day and that there was a batch coming up at that very moment. Imagine my joy at seeing carrot cake on the menu! While I am an unrepentent IcedGems junkie, if I'm jonesing for the earthy spicy goodness of carrot cake (which is quite honestly most of the time), I'm SOL as they do not make the stuff, not even for special occaisions. So, even though I was planning on sampling both a savory and a sweet crepe, I ended up with a cupcake that was sadly inferior to my usual Friday cupcake experience.
The cake itself was light and moist but surprisingly lacking in flavor. Any flavor. It wasn't very sweet. It wasn't very spicy. It wasn't much of anything. And the texture was odd, not just because of the presence of the dreaded pineapple. This adds nothing to carrot cake and invariably gets stuck between my teeth. Really what is the point? I've gotten used to the gourmet cupcakes I've been eating in town, and this one reminded me more of a grocery store counterfeit. And the icing was an over-whipped version of the traditional cream cheese icing. The flavor was just OK, but much like the cake, the texture was also somewhat troubling.
It sure looks tempting........
.........but the pineapple cannot be ignored
Overall, this was a pretty decent crepe experience. In addition to providing Harford County with something that resembles what our forebears would recognize as food, these guys seem to be taking a more mindful approach to their business. In addition to the real dishes for my eat-in order, I was asked if I wanted my credit card receipt (I said no as they just clog up my pocketbook until I can't close the thing anymore and I have to do a grand mal purge of them). This gives them some environmental cred, which I consider important in our local businesses. In addition to a counter and the usual table and chairs, Sweet Devotion has a sitting room with a sofa and chairs around a giant set of checkers (pictured below). I'll be visiting them again for a sweet crepe and another shot at their cupcakes. They also serve coffee and scones.
The Sitting Room
Pit Beef
The mid-week visit to The Silver Platter resulted in a perfect pit beef sandwich. And this time I got the highly recommended potato ribbons. Today was definitely a clean-plate day.
The Gathering
The professional food truck vendors in Baltimore are organizing. Last month they all came together in the first collective event that they dubbed The Gathering. I missed that first event but made it to the second Gathering yesterday evening.
And it is fairly well organized. A large parking lot at the end of Wolfe Street provided enough space for about a dozen or so food trucks, some seating, the requisite line of Johnny-on-the-Spots, plus a wine and beer table and a small live band. Located on the water, this seemed a superior location that the first Gathering, which was held on Central Avenue in a vacant lot with little shade and no cross breeze.
It was a beautiful evening, coming after a couple of weeks of fairly incessant heat and temperatures in the city regularly reaching triple-digits. There was a good-sized crown of happy food truck enthusiasts, and we all managed to form respectful lines at each truck without the need for corrals. Really, we all just cooperated and no one cut the line or pushed through the crowd. IT was a shining moment for civility. The whole thing had the air of a neighborhood block party and Baltimore felt like a community instead of the uneasy mix of white-collar well-to-do's bumping up against the downtrodden and potentially dangerous.
Represented at The Gathering were:
Chasin Cafe
And several others whose names I could not determine. I had the company of a couple of fellow foodies from work. We just couldn't try everything, so we did a couple of circuits and determined what we wanted to eat.
Our first stop was Flippin Pizza for two slices and a free mini stromboli. The portions were generous, but the slices were thin. I did not indulge in this, and my colleague offered little feedback, leaving me with the impression that this was fairly average.
Our next stop was The Gypsy Queen Cafe, famous for bacon - chocolate covered bacon, caramel bacon donuts, and the cone of grilled cheese with bacon. We had to try it. Served in a waffle cone and covered with barbecue sauce, this concept item was good only until the sauce was gone. The bacon was sparse and could have been more crisp. And without the sauce, the mac and cheese was bland and flat. The waffle cone was avoided altogether.
Our third stop was a cart that I've wanted to try for some time but have been thwarted by geography as they never come down to Harbor East - the Haute Dog. They did not disappoint. They serve large all-beef franks stuffed into a small baguette of really good bread that has been skewered rather than sliced so the dog fits snugly into the hole. I'm not entirely sure what it was dressed with as one of my colleagues purchased it. We tasted sweet relish and tomatoes, but she said it also had dijon and "something-something-something" that sounded good to her so she said OK. Overall this was was winner. The dog was well seasoned and not too salty. The bread had a nice crust and good texture that was chewy without being a jaw-breaker. And the toppings - whatever they were - complemented the meat without overpowering it.
Our last stop was the Dangerously Delicious Pies where we got a little something to take home. More on that later.
Overall, it seems like Baltimore's food truck vendors are proving themselves to be a serious force in the restaurant community. This Gathering was deemed better than the first by my colleagues. There was a shortage of seating - which we did not mind - and a shortage of garbage cans - which we did. Also, while we avoided the adult beverages, we heard someone in the crowd say that in addition to paying for your drinks, you also have to pay for your over-21 bracelet. I'll be there for the third Gathering, though, as Baltimore's burgeoning food cart community is worthy of our support.
Iced Gems Baking - over 30 varieties of cupcakes
Chasin Cafe - sandwiches
The Silver Platter, where they can now recognize me in a crowd
GrrChe Gourmet Grilled Cheese
Dangerously Delicious Pies - sweet and savory
A Flippin Pizza employee
Flippin Pizza - two slices and a mini stromboli
Souper Freak, featuring soups inspired by Maryland, including a watermelon gazpacho that I almost tried
Chocolate covered bacon. With Teddy Grahams. Nirvana.
The Caramel Bacon donut
Fun for the whole family
The Haute Dog
The Gypsy Queen Cafe Mac and Cheese cone
Friday Night at Wok To Go
It's Friday night at Wok To Go and the drizzle outside is pulling a light but steady stream of customers over to the take out counter. One of the tables is occupied by two elementary school children who mind their business as we wander to our usual spot. The sushi chef greets us, and an unfamiliar white boy is behind the counter.
There was some discussion about dinner on the drive over, and after a cursory glance at the menu we are ready to order. The sushi chef speaks to one of the children in his staccato dialect and she runs back to the counter, returning with the white boy. He dutifully takes our order, tells the sushi chef to put on the kettle for our tea (which we find somewhat shocking) and then disappears. We begin to suspect that he is actually a delivery driver and that he may not be a permanent employee.
A familiar voice is raised in the kitchen, audible to us and a small family who have joined us in the dining room. We recognize it as belonging to one of our usual waitresses. We imagine she is keeping everyone in line. As our food begins to emerge from the back - one item at a time but delivered by one of the other regular waitresses - the children continue in their activities and the hollering continues.
As we eat, we see her charge out of the kitchen, her decisive and deliberate stride bring her toward us. The sushi chef says something to her that we do not understand, but it stops her cold, turning her around and moving her back to the kitchen where her displeasure continues.
She does eventually make it into the small dining room to help deliver food, frighteningly efficient tonight and sincerely apologetic. We are amused as any issues she is seeing in the kitchen have been barely noticed by us beyond the sporadic delivery of our dinner. She is our favorite server. We smile and tell her that everything is wonderful. Which it is.
The food is very good as always. Gareth has the shredded chicken in chili sauce and has to wipe his forehead and nose. It is in an aromatic brown sauce with peppers and onions and I can smell it from across the table but do not try it for myself. I get the clear broth with mushrooms - a sweet onion soup that is lighter than my usual miso. I also order the shomai but no entree as I overindulged on ribs for lunch. Even Gareth's order of Crab Rangoon does not tempt me. He tries it with the plum sauce and agrees that it is a definite enhancement.
We linger over dinner and discuss our plans for the weekend that stretches in front of us like an empty beach in the sun. I look at the bare feet of the baby at the next table over and wonder at how all baby feet look so similar before they are misshapen by shoes, a stray thought that Gareth finds completely random.
Even though we did not get anything from the sushi bar this time, I drop a tip in the sushi chef's fish bowl as I know he has been taking care of us this evening. The flow of take out has not abated as I read my fortune: A new friend helps you break out of an old routine.
Sometimes It's the Simple Things
Today I had the cupcake that was just plain over the top. I ate it before my 1:00 meeting and was still a little jittery 90 minutes later when I started this posting. It was The Cookie Monster, a vanilla cupcake filled with chocolate chip cookie dough and topped with blue icing and a couple of mini cookies (see photo below). It sounded ingenious. It was sweet. It was too sweet. I ate the whole thing anyway. It was sweet to the point of no longer being enjoyable by the time I got to the last bite. I regretted it immediately. I am still buzzed. I am impressed. At this point, I am dreading the inevitable crash. If there is no crash, Iced Gems will have truly achieved confection perfection, and they will become a permanent fixture in my Friday routine.
Oh, and there was also lunch before that.
We who work in the city have been blessed with an increasing number of mobile food vendors. This is especially nice in the Harbor East district. Sandwiched between Baltimore's two prime tourist spots - historic Fells Point and the re-gentrified Inner Harbor (courtesy of William Donald Schaefer RIP)- we are faced with an over saturated restaurant market that provides very few places that you actually want to eat. I've heard rumors that the Baltimore City government recently made it easier to get a license for a mobile food truck but have been unable to confirm. Regardless of the reason, more of them are appearing thoughout the city. I am grateful as every Friday finds a new food cart within a few blocks of my office.
Today I found GrrChe the gourmet grilled cheese truck. The menu features standard grilled cheese - American, cheddar, Monterrey Jack and brie (no kidding - brie) on your choice of white or wheat. They also serve the best side dish ever to go with the grilled cheese - tomato soup. They wisely make this their lunch special.
In addition, they offer some high-end variations on the grilled cheese, including The Lobster Grille - lobster, brie and cheddar served open face, The Middle Eastern - Armenian cheese, olive oil and mint (of all things) on a pita, and one who has already earned a reputation in my office, The Grilled Mac and Cheese. Here's the link to their full menu. It's also posted on the side of the truck.
Feeling a bit worn out from a week punctuated with rapid-fire bursts of stress, I went for classic comfort and got the special with cheddar and a tomato. Each sandwich is made to order and cooked on a grill inside the truck in about the same amount of time you would take to cook it yourself - about 7 minutes. This is reassuring in a time when so much food tastes like it was prepared in advance and simply reheated in a microwave. The sandwich is cut in half on the diagonal and wrapped neatly in foil like your mother would do. It also comes with one of those food service pickles that I always find a little sad and immediately cast aside.
The bread was grilled to a light golden brown and was lightly buttered but not greasy. The cheddar was melted thoroughly and evenly, and the tomato was warm but not wilted. In other words - it was perfect. The bread had a good texture similar to Texas toast and supported the sandwich well. This is an important factor given the double-whammy of oil from melted cheese and butter. The bread held up and retained its flavor. Though billed as sharp cheddar, the cheese was not what I would call sharp. This only means that it was not Wisconsin aged-for-seven-years sharp. It was still far from bland and was complemented by the subtle fruity sweetness of the tomato slice just the way it is supposed to be.
The soup was like tomato plus. The broth was smooth and creamy with chunks of several varieties of tomatoes (some that appeared to be heirlooms), plus what looked to be tiny pieces of carrot and zucchini. It had a rich, earthy, herby flavor more reminiscent of mushroom soup that tomato soup, and I wondered if it was actually in a meat stock. Definitely more robust than most tomato soups, it accented the simple perfection of the grilled cheese when I dunked my sandwich in.
This was without a doubt the best version of grilled cheese and tomato soup I have ever had. Coming in at $7.50, it was also the deal of the day.
It is now approaching 5:00 - a full four hours later - and the sugar buzz has receded with no signs of a crash. Proving that made from scratch really is better for you, Iced Gems now has a customer for life.
Cupcake Overload
Grilled Cheese Perfection
And Then I Found Ribs
From my college days in Madison trolling the Capital Square or Library Mall for cheap lunch, I have always approached the food cart with a certain carefree attitude, impervious to any potential health risks associated with dining from a mobile eatery that can easily move to evade health officials (a risk cited by a respected friend and colleague). Some of my street lunches have included the ubiquitous hot dog and chips (sampled in every city I have ever visited like some sort of gastronomical litmus test), Vietnamese from Madison's famous I Am Here cart, and the best knish I've ever had from a cart outside the New York Library. The Silver Platter is not in this category of mobile eatery.
On Central Avenue between Eastern Avenue and Bank Street, the Silver Platter lunch cart sets up shop daily Monday through Friday. The menu consists of familiar classics like brisket and mac and cheese, but with a gourmet twist. For example, the mac and cheese has lobster and truffle mixed in, and the brisket is served with Aoili. In addition, there is a good variety of seafood options - yet another reason why I enjoy the East Coast so much - like Buttermilk-Soaked Calamari, Firecracker Shrimp and Seared Scallops with prosciutto. (To see their menu, visit their Facebook page.)
All of this was very interesting, however I was on a mission for one particular item. This week all of my lunches have been working lunches where I nibble at some variety of salad while those around me actually get up and leave the building for a moment. And, every day, when they return with their lunch, I have smelled the unmistakable aroma of ribs. So, when opportunity presented itself today, I took the stroll down Central to get myself a little of that.
The cart is parked in the middle of the block about half a block shy of Mustang Alleys. When I arrived, a line had not yet formed, and I quickly ordered the Sweet Chili Baby Back Ribs (no sides or soda). The operator of the cart proved a couple of slices of watermelon to tide me over while I waited, an unexpected and very civilized touch. We made light conversation. He got me caught up on the expansion of Bagby Pizza to include a bar (follow the link to their site for more info), and I recommended that he contact Iced Gems for a Friday lunch combo. If they both set up next to each other, many of us would just show up with folding lawn chairs and camp out by their carts and never make it back to the office. They would kill.
The wait was so short I did not even clock it. I received a hefty serving of eight ribs on a bed of fried onion strips that held the sauce of which there was plenty. The meat easily fell off the rib bones and could be eaten with a fork, thus eliminating the potential hazard of getting sauce all over yourself from chewing the meat off the bone like a dog. And the sauce was amazing. It is both sweet and spicy as the name implies. The spicy comes in part from a healthy dose of red pepper flakes that enhance the flavor without becoming the primary note. the main component of the sauce is the sweetness, which tasted like a fruit base - mango or peach, I could not discern which. It's this sweet fruitiness that is the principle flavor of the sauce, so sticky it confirmed the exact location of the cavity I am getting filled next week. The spicy chili is a strong supporting player here and hits the tongue as the sweetness approaches the very edge of being overwhelming. The spice rises up and balances it out. Neither hot nor cloying, the Sweet Chili sauce on these ribs is near perfection. And though I have been only eating to my personal capacity and blogging about the evils of deliberate overeating, I rejoined the Clean Plate Club with much enthusiasm, eating the entire portion that could have easily fed two.
This extreme rib experience was followed up with another Iced Gem - the raspberry-filled lemon Elizabeth, which was superior to last week's Red Velvet. Filled with seedy and flavorful raspberry jam and creamy lemon icing, this moist little cupcake revealed the reason behind this bakery's name. It was indeed a perfect little gem of cake to top off a completely indulgent lunch. (CORRECTION: The Iced Gems truck is actually staffed by an employee and not the owner as reported in my last entry.)
With aching teeth and bloated belly, I faced my afternoon meetings feeling woozy but satisfied.
On Central Avenue between Eastern Avenue and Bank Street, the Silver Platter lunch cart sets up shop daily Monday through Friday. The menu consists of familiar classics like brisket and mac and cheese, but with a gourmet twist. For example, the mac and cheese has lobster and truffle mixed in, and the brisket is served with Aoili. In addition, there is a good variety of seafood options - yet another reason why I enjoy the East Coast so much - like Buttermilk-Soaked Calamari, Firecracker Shrimp and Seared Scallops with prosciutto. (To see their menu, visit their Facebook page.)
All of this was very interesting, however I was on a mission for one particular item. This week all of my lunches have been working lunches where I nibble at some variety of salad while those around me actually get up and leave the building for a moment. And, every day, when they return with their lunch, I have smelled the unmistakable aroma of ribs. So, when opportunity presented itself today, I took the stroll down Central to get myself a little of that.
The cart is parked in the middle of the block about half a block shy of Mustang Alleys. When I arrived, a line had not yet formed, and I quickly ordered the Sweet Chili Baby Back Ribs (no sides or soda). The operator of the cart proved a couple of slices of watermelon to tide me over while I waited, an unexpected and very civilized touch. We made light conversation. He got me caught up on the expansion of Bagby Pizza to include a bar (follow the link to their site for more info), and I recommended that he contact Iced Gems for a Friday lunch combo. If they both set up next to each other, many of us would just show up with folding lawn chairs and camp out by their carts and never make it back to the office. They would kill.
The wait was so short I did not even clock it. I received a hefty serving of eight ribs on a bed of fried onion strips that held the sauce of which there was plenty. The meat easily fell off the rib bones and could be eaten with a fork, thus eliminating the potential hazard of getting sauce all over yourself from chewing the meat off the bone like a dog. And the sauce was amazing. It is both sweet and spicy as the name implies. The spicy comes in part from a healthy dose of red pepper flakes that enhance the flavor without becoming the primary note. the main component of the sauce is the sweetness, which tasted like a fruit base - mango or peach, I could not discern which. It's this sweet fruitiness that is the principle flavor of the sauce, so sticky it confirmed the exact location of the cavity I am getting filled next week. The spicy chili is a strong supporting player here and hits the tongue as the sweetness approaches the very edge of being overwhelming. The spice rises up and balances it out. Neither hot nor cloying, the Sweet Chili sauce on these ribs is near perfection. And though I have been only eating to my personal capacity and blogging about the evils of deliberate overeating, I rejoined the Clean Plate Club with much enthusiasm, eating the entire portion that could have easily fed two.
This extreme rib experience was followed up with another Iced Gem - the raspberry-filled lemon Elizabeth, which was superior to last week's Red Velvet. Filled with seedy and flavorful raspberry jam and creamy lemon icing, this moist little cupcake revealed the reason behind this bakery's name. It was indeed a perfect little gem of cake to top off a completely indulgent lunch. (CORRECTION: The Iced Gems truck is actually staffed by an employee and not the owner as reported in my last entry.)
With aching teeth and bloated belly, I faced my afternoon meetings feeling woozy but satisfied.
Here Comes the Cupcake Truck
The gourmet cupcake thing has fascinated me since I first heard of it about a year ago. Who doesn't like cupcakes, especially when they come in flavors like Birthday Cake and Chocolate Volcano? Baltimore has what I consider to be the perfect execution of this bakery trend - the cupcake truck, properly known as Iced Gems.
With headquarters in Reisterstown, the owner of Iced Gems drives to key intersections in the Baltimore metro area where she sells her cupcakes for a few hours at a time before moving on. She uses Facebook to alert her customers of her travels throughout the city. She is usually in the Harbor East district on Friday afternoons and has a loyal following among my coworkers. Today I finally caught up with her during my lunch break and found out what the fuss is all about.
The concept of driving around with a van full of cupcakes is genius. The whole experience has the childhood nostalgia of the ice cream truck. The van is a similar size with a side window for service. The flavors are posted outside next to the window and vary from the classic vanilla to the more exotic English Rose. People waiting in line are almost giddy with anticipation. And, for $2.50, they get a modestly sized cupcake with a generous topping of icing.
The cake-to-icing ratio appear to be about 6:1, which is not bad and certainly better than the grocery store, your neighborhood Starbucks, or the recently-departed Cake Love. I peeked into the interior of the van and saw neat rows of cupcakes on bakery racks, each uniform in this ratio with some flavors (like Peanut Butter Cup and Oreo Cookies) having an additional garnish. The overall appearance was quite appealing.
Carrot Cake was not on the menu today, so I went with my close second - Red Velvet. The single cupcake was carefully placed in a small bag for me. I handled my cake with the utmost care and got it back to my desk unscathed. I noticed that orders of multiple cupcakes are placed in a box with dividers to keep the cakes separate. Individual boxes might also be a good idea. The bakery in Chicago's renown Bakin' & Eggs served me a carrot cake cupcake to go in a box that survived 10 hours on the Turnpike before I finally ate it somewhere near Pennsylvania.
Around mid-afternoon, the sweet tooth bit. As I sized up my cupcake, I was glad that it was not too big and looked to be a normal serving size rather than the gargantuan portions that are becoming part of the American way of life. It is always a shame to have more than you can finish as the left overs so often go to waste.
The icing was creamy and substantial but not quite as tangy as I like my cream cheese icing. The sweetness of the icing was complemented by the well-flavored cake that had a genuine cocoa taste with a light hand on the sugar bowl. The cake tasted made-from-scratch without the tell-tale super-moistness of mixes that always strikes me as somewhat unnatural. This is not to say that it was dry. On the contrary, the texture of the cake was just about perfect. It held up as I ate it with a plastic fork. I am pleased to say that most of it ended up in my mouth rather than my desk.
I was also impressed with the cocoa that came through in Iced Gem's Red Velvet cake. I have had many red velvet cakes that made me forget that it is actually a variety of Devils' Food with cocoa as its foundation. This flavor, along with the sticky sweet icing made for the ultimate afternoon snack. Now I, too, am hooked.
With headquarters in Reisterstown, the owner of Iced Gems drives to key intersections in the Baltimore metro area where she sells her cupcakes for a few hours at a time before moving on. She uses Facebook to alert her customers of her travels throughout the city. She is usually in the Harbor East district on Friday afternoons and has a loyal following among my coworkers. Today I finally caught up with her during my lunch break and found out what the fuss is all about.
The concept of driving around with a van full of cupcakes is genius. The whole experience has the childhood nostalgia of the ice cream truck. The van is a similar size with a side window for service. The flavors are posted outside next to the window and vary from the classic vanilla to the more exotic English Rose. People waiting in line are almost giddy with anticipation. And, for $2.50, they get a modestly sized cupcake with a generous topping of icing.
The cake-to-icing ratio appear to be about 6:1, which is not bad and certainly better than the grocery store, your neighborhood Starbucks, or the recently-departed Cake Love. I peeked into the interior of the van and saw neat rows of cupcakes on bakery racks, each uniform in this ratio with some flavors (like Peanut Butter Cup and Oreo Cookies) having an additional garnish. The overall appearance was quite appealing.
Carrot Cake was not on the menu today, so I went with my close second - Red Velvet. The single cupcake was carefully placed in a small bag for me. I handled my cake with the utmost care and got it back to my desk unscathed. I noticed that orders of multiple cupcakes are placed in a box with dividers to keep the cakes separate. Individual boxes might also be a good idea. The bakery in Chicago's renown Bakin' & Eggs served me a carrot cake cupcake to go in a box that survived 10 hours on the Turnpike before I finally ate it somewhere near Pennsylvania.
Around mid-afternoon, the sweet tooth bit. As I sized up my cupcake, I was glad that it was not too big and looked to be a normal serving size rather than the gargantuan portions that are becoming part of the American way of life. It is always a shame to have more than you can finish as the left overs so often go to waste.
The icing was creamy and substantial but not quite as tangy as I like my cream cheese icing. The sweetness of the icing was complemented by the well-flavored cake that had a genuine cocoa taste with a light hand on the sugar bowl. The cake tasted made-from-scratch without the tell-tale super-moistness of mixes that always strikes me as somewhat unnatural. This is not to say that it was dry. On the contrary, the texture of the cake was just about perfect. It held up as I ate it with a plastic fork. I am pleased to say that most of it ended up in my mouth rather than my desk.
I was also impressed with the cocoa that came through in Iced Gem's Red Velvet cake. I have had many red velvet cakes that made me forget that it is actually a variety of Devils' Food with cocoa as its foundation. This flavor, along with the sticky sweet icing made for the ultimate afternoon snack. Now I, too, am hooked.
The Appeal of Crab Rangoon
When I completed the PMP exam and learned that I had passed, my first thought was that the computerized testing system had made a mistake. Despite the ProMetric staff notarizing the print out confirming that I had indeed passed, there was a lingering doubt on the edge of my brain that was sure that I would receive an email from the PMI on Monday explaining the error.
Then I felt a wave of relief. I danced in the elevator on the ride down from the (ironically enough) 13th floor and called my counterpart with the news.
Being the dedicated wife that I am, I scheduled my PMP certification exam on our anniversary weekend, and we had discussed dinner in the city at Tapas Teatro on North Charles Street (a review will be coming at some point this summer). On returning from the exam (also in the city), I was exhausted and declared that what I really wanted was Crab Rangoon.
My dietary fixation with Crab Rangoon, aka cheese wontons, has always mystified Gareth. They are greasy and heavy and usually upset my stomach. As far as comfort food goes, though, they remain in my All Time Top 5. The little packet of deep-fried, melted cheese is definitely part of it. The plum sauce accompaniment create a sticky sweet juxtaposition to that salty, greasy wonton that really hits most of my favorite flavor points.
My two favorite spots for Crab Rangoon are:
1. China Palace, Rt. 40 next to the Waffle House, Havre de Grace. The Crab Rangoon at China Palace are perfect triangles of goodness that take several bites to consume. This allows for the forbidden double-dip into the plum sauce after the first bite when the cheesy filling is exposed. Trust me, it's worth the scornful looks. China Palace features a thicker wonton skin that seems to handle the deep frying without becoming too greasy; however, it gets a little chewy as they cool, so it is best to eat them all at one sitting.
2. Wok To Go, Churchville Road behind the Advanced Auto Parts that used to be Hollywood Video, Bel Air. Facebook Friends will already be aware to my frequent check-ins at Wok To Go. As a regular customer, I am compelled to note the successful execution of creative sushi and contemporary Chinese take-out that Wok To Go has achieved. The quality of the food is consistently good and flavorful, and we have both enjoyed everything we have ordered. The sushi selection ranges from traditional rolls to more ambitious combinations of fish and veg that stay within the highly palatable realm - nothing too weird. The Chinese dishes are all standard fare but with a fresher and more robust taste. A dedicated posting is long overdue and will be forthcoming.
The Crab Rangoon at Wok To Go are wrapped in a very light wrapping with a dollop of cheese in the middle and the edges gathered together like a sachet. The end result is a cheese wonton that is slightly larger than bite-sized but most often ends up being eaten in a single bite anyway. The gathered edges create little creases that holds the plum sauce nicely. While a large mouthful, it delivers a complete package of crunchy, creamy texture, and sweet, salty flavor. I invariably scald the roof of my mouth on the first one and continue in blissful agony until I have cleaned my plate.
So, on the night of my 12th anniversary, I and my newly-minted certification forsook romance in the name of well-deserved comfort. Gareth congratulated me and went along with it. And I remained somehow skeptical of my achievement until I received the official email from the PMI, but never doubted for a moment that choice I made 12 years ago.
Then I felt a wave of relief. I danced in the elevator on the ride down from the (ironically enough) 13th floor and called my counterpart with the news.
Being the dedicated wife that I am, I scheduled my PMP certification exam on our anniversary weekend, and we had discussed dinner in the city at Tapas Teatro on North Charles Street (a review will be coming at some point this summer). On returning from the exam (also in the city), I was exhausted and declared that what I really wanted was Crab Rangoon.
My dietary fixation with Crab Rangoon, aka cheese wontons, has always mystified Gareth. They are greasy and heavy and usually upset my stomach. As far as comfort food goes, though, they remain in my All Time Top 5. The little packet of deep-fried, melted cheese is definitely part of it. The plum sauce accompaniment create a sticky sweet juxtaposition to that salty, greasy wonton that really hits most of my favorite flavor points.
My two favorite spots for Crab Rangoon are:
1. China Palace, Rt. 40 next to the Waffle House, Havre de Grace. The Crab Rangoon at China Palace are perfect triangles of goodness that take several bites to consume. This allows for the forbidden double-dip into the plum sauce after the first bite when the cheesy filling is exposed. Trust me, it's worth the scornful looks. China Palace features a thicker wonton skin that seems to handle the deep frying without becoming too greasy; however, it gets a little chewy as they cool, so it is best to eat them all at one sitting.
2. Wok To Go, Churchville Road behind the Advanced Auto Parts that used to be Hollywood Video, Bel Air. Facebook Friends will already be aware to my frequent check-ins at Wok To Go. As a regular customer, I am compelled to note the successful execution of creative sushi and contemporary Chinese take-out that Wok To Go has achieved. The quality of the food is consistently good and flavorful, and we have both enjoyed everything we have ordered. The sushi selection ranges from traditional rolls to more ambitious combinations of fish and veg that stay within the highly palatable realm - nothing too weird. The Chinese dishes are all standard fare but with a fresher and more robust taste. A dedicated posting is long overdue and will be forthcoming.
The Crab Rangoon at Wok To Go are wrapped in a very light wrapping with a dollop of cheese in the middle and the edges gathered together like a sachet. The end result is a cheese wonton that is slightly larger than bite-sized but most often ends up being eaten in a single bite anyway. The gathered edges create little creases that holds the plum sauce nicely. While a large mouthful, it delivers a complete package of crunchy, creamy texture, and sweet, salty flavor. I invariably scald the roof of my mouth on the first one and continue in blissful agony until I have cleaned my plate.
So, on the night of my 12th anniversary, I and my newly-minted certification forsook romance in the name of well-deserved comfort. Gareth congratulated me and went along with it. And I remained somehow skeptical of my achievement until I received the official email from the PMI, but never doubted for a moment that choice I made 12 years ago.
2010.07.17 Outback Steakhouse
After a gruelling week, Gareth and I decided we deserved steak and mashed potatoes. But where do you find a decent steak in Harford County? The Laraupin Grill in Havre de Grace serves a couple of nice cuts, and they will cater to your cooking preference, including my tendency toward blue meat. While we appreciate their support of local talent, we were not in the mood for live music. And, we were not up to braving the city on ArtScape weekend. So, we decided to put our aversion to chain restaurants aside and try the Outback Steakhouse in Bel Air located in the Tollgate Shopping Center across from the Harford Mall.
We arrived at around 8:00 and had a short wait. When the hostess promised a 20-minute wait, she was right almost to the minute. This quick and efficient service appears to be the rule at Outback.
The dining room was nicely arranged, the music unobtrusive. A server took our drink orders almost immediately. We both ordered iced tea, which was delivered in a matter of minutes with the customary bread and butter. Outback serves a distinctive brown bread with whipped butter. As restaurant bread goes, this was more flavorful than most.
The appetizers looked like standard chain restaurant fare, as did the entrees Outback offers in addition to steak. We passed on these choosing to go directly to the steak. We both ordered the ribeye, Gareth's 14 oz medium rare and my 10 oz the usual "as rare as possible". We also both agreed on the garlic mashed potatoes. I got the Caesar salad while Gareth chose the house salad.
Our salads were fairly run of the mill. The lettuce was fresh and crisp, but my Caesar was tossed with a salty dressing that overpowered the lettuce and Parmesan cheese and prevented me from finishing. The croutons resembled breaded, deep-fried bread and I removed them form my salad, as did Gareth. He also ejected the shreads of cheese but ate the lettuce and tomatoes that remained.
Gareth's medium rare steak was definitely rare, but not too rare for his tastes. My thinner 10 oz was cooked to a pink medium, and I sent it back. A few moments later, a gentleman from the kitchen came to confirm how I wanted my meat and promised me a new steak cooked to my liking. Again, the wait was brief, and a new steak was brought out. The gentleman from the kitchen stayed until I had cut into the meat. While still not rare, the second steak was closer to how I had ordered it. Shortly after delivery, our server came to check on me and my order. What impressed me was the time she took to make sure I got what I had ordered. While I told her that the second steak was better, she recognized that it was still not to my liking, and took it back again. The third steak that came out was the thicker 14 oz version that was seared on the outside and a lovely juicy blue on the inside, and worth the wait. Both our server and the gentleman from the kitchen stopped by to check how I liked the third steak - attention that I will not forget. On a busy Friday night, I could have easily been ignored, Instead of treating me like a difficult customer, they focused on providing me with what I came there for - a nice cut of meat cooked to perfection. My only criticism is that thinner cuts should not be offered rare if the kitchen cannot accommodate the request. This is a small complaint in light of the effort made to fulfill my order, especially given the prompt service.
The mashed potatoes were average and easily ignored. Which we both did. Clearly the steak is the star of the Outback menu. I am not sure why they bother with anything else. Fewer chain restaurant staples on the menu may allow them to put more effort into the sides that are part of a traditional steak dinner.
The desert menu was also a fairly standard collection of chocolate cakes and cheesecake. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find carrot cake at the bottom of the list. Being an aficionado, I had to order. Gareth, true to form, got the cheesecake, stating that "it's hard to go wrong with cheesecake". He declined the toppings, which included several varieties of syrup and fruit. This was a good choice as the Outback cheesecake stands on its own. A crustless, pure cheese cheesecake, the texture was smooth and the flavor was tangy without the cloying sweetness or recently defrosted taste of many chain restaurant cheesecakes. While Gareth felt it was lacking in lemon, it was still one of the better cheesecakes I have had outside my own home.
And, now for the carrot cake. Our server offered me the choice of the full sized slice or the smaller sample size. I ordered the sample size, which was the size of most full slices. The icing was scant, but what was there was rich and creamy and enamel-eroding with a generous dollop at the crest holding a pecan garnish in place. The cake was moist but bland, but also missing the raisins I find so disconcerting. While the menu claimed pecans and the forbidden coconut, both were undetectable. Unfortunately, so were the carrots, leaving the cake with just a hint of spice as its only flavor. A thin film of icing grazed the back edge of the cake with a dusting of crushed pecans and coconut. The cream cheese icing was very satisfying and could have been the highlight of the cake, but there was not enough of it to make a difference. Carrot cake is a complex confection, and finding one with the correct balance of flavors and textures remains one of my favorite challenges. The carrot cake at Outback did not meet that challenge.
When we got the check, Outback did not charge us for my steak. They understand that a steakhouse's reputation depends on how they cook their meat. The attention they paid to ensuring I got the steak as I ordered it guarantees my return visit. The next time I want steak in Harford county, I know where to go.
We arrived at around 8:00 and had a short wait. When the hostess promised a 20-minute wait, she was right almost to the minute. This quick and efficient service appears to be the rule at Outback.
The dining room was nicely arranged, the music unobtrusive. A server took our drink orders almost immediately. We both ordered iced tea, which was delivered in a matter of minutes with the customary bread and butter. Outback serves a distinctive brown bread with whipped butter. As restaurant bread goes, this was more flavorful than most.
The appetizers looked like standard chain restaurant fare, as did the entrees Outback offers in addition to steak. We passed on these choosing to go directly to the steak. We both ordered the ribeye, Gareth's 14 oz medium rare and my 10 oz the usual "as rare as possible". We also both agreed on the garlic mashed potatoes. I got the Caesar salad while Gareth chose the house salad.
Our salads were fairly run of the mill. The lettuce was fresh and crisp, but my Caesar was tossed with a salty dressing that overpowered the lettuce and Parmesan cheese and prevented me from finishing. The croutons resembled breaded, deep-fried bread and I removed them form my salad, as did Gareth. He also ejected the shreads of cheese but ate the lettuce and tomatoes that remained.
Gareth's medium rare steak was definitely rare, but not too rare for his tastes. My thinner 10 oz was cooked to a pink medium, and I sent it back. A few moments later, a gentleman from the kitchen came to confirm how I wanted my meat and promised me a new steak cooked to my liking. Again, the wait was brief, and a new steak was brought out. The gentleman from the kitchen stayed until I had cut into the meat. While still not rare, the second steak was closer to how I had ordered it. Shortly after delivery, our server came to check on me and my order. What impressed me was the time she took to make sure I got what I had ordered. While I told her that the second steak was better, she recognized that it was still not to my liking, and took it back again. The third steak that came out was the thicker 14 oz version that was seared on the outside and a lovely juicy blue on the inside, and worth the wait. Both our server and the gentleman from the kitchen stopped by to check how I liked the third steak - attention that I will not forget. On a busy Friday night, I could have easily been ignored, Instead of treating me like a difficult customer, they focused on providing me with what I came there for - a nice cut of meat cooked to perfection. My only criticism is that thinner cuts should not be offered rare if the kitchen cannot accommodate the request. This is a small complaint in light of the effort made to fulfill my order, especially given the prompt service.
The mashed potatoes were average and easily ignored. Which we both did. Clearly the steak is the star of the Outback menu. I am not sure why they bother with anything else. Fewer chain restaurant staples on the menu may allow them to put more effort into the sides that are part of a traditional steak dinner.
The desert menu was also a fairly standard collection of chocolate cakes and cheesecake. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find carrot cake at the bottom of the list. Being an aficionado, I had to order. Gareth, true to form, got the cheesecake, stating that "it's hard to go wrong with cheesecake". He declined the toppings, which included several varieties of syrup and fruit. This was a good choice as the Outback cheesecake stands on its own. A crustless, pure cheese cheesecake, the texture was smooth and the flavor was tangy without the cloying sweetness or recently defrosted taste of many chain restaurant cheesecakes. While Gareth felt it was lacking in lemon, it was still one of the better cheesecakes I have had outside my own home.
And, now for the carrot cake. Our server offered me the choice of the full sized slice or the smaller sample size. I ordered the sample size, which was the size of most full slices. The icing was scant, but what was there was rich and creamy and enamel-eroding with a generous dollop at the crest holding a pecan garnish in place. The cake was moist but bland, but also missing the raisins I find so disconcerting. While the menu claimed pecans and the forbidden coconut, both were undetectable. Unfortunately, so were the carrots, leaving the cake with just a hint of spice as its only flavor. A thin film of icing grazed the back edge of the cake with a dusting of crushed pecans and coconut. The cream cheese icing was very satisfying and could have been the highlight of the cake, but there was not enough of it to make a difference. Carrot cake is a complex confection, and finding one with the correct balance of flavors and textures remains one of my favorite challenges. The carrot cake at Outback did not meet that challenge.
When we got the check, Outback did not charge us for my steak. They understand that a steakhouse's reputation depends on how they cook their meat. The attention they paid to ensuring I got the steak as I ordered it guarantees my return visit. The next time I want steak in Harford county, I know where to go.
2010.05.20 Harbor East Deli
Late last year, one of my favorite lunch spots in the Harbor East area of Baltimore closed down. Elevation Burger served over-priced organic burgers on a bun that was never quite substantial enough, but the fries were perfection. And, given the right-round-the-corner proximity to my job, I was a regular until the franchisee parted ways with the franchise, and the doors closed, leaving me with a 10-minute drive to the Canton Five Guys for my weekly burger-and-fries fix.
The owner of the Harbor East Elevation Burger retained the site, completely renovated the space, and recently reopened as Harbor East Deli and Pizzeria. The new restaurant offers burgers and fries, although the burgers appear more mundane and the fries are provided by Boardwalk. They also serve a daily variety of pizza by the slice and a menu of sandwiches named after businesses in the area, including the Laureate - a grilled chicken sandwich named for my employer.
Since the opening, I have resumed my weekly visits with increasingly positive results. On my first visit, I tried the H&S, a Reuben named after the local bakery and served on their rye bread. The sandwich featured a generous portion of corned beef, but felt a little light on the kraut. And, much as I appreciate a call-out to the local guys, the soft rye bread from H&S was just not up to the task of supporting meat, melted cheese, kraut, and dressing. The sandwich fell apart while I was eating it. I also tried the new fries. The skinny shoestrings fried in olive oil have been replaced with the fairly run-of-the-mill Boardwalk fries available at any mall. Overall, if you want a Reuben, Atman's on Lombard Avenue is still your best choice, and their potato knish beats any order of fries.
The following week, I tried the Legg Mason - turkey, bacon, American cheese and avocado. Again, the meat portion was very generous, as was the avocado. The bacon was overdone, though, and did not add to the sandwich. It was easily removed, and the rest of the sandwich was very good. My side on this visit was macaroni and cheese. First, I cannot express my joy at having this ultimate comfort food so close to the office. Just seeing it on the menu made my stressed-out and over-worked heart sing with joy. And, it did not disappoint. Tender elbow macaroni in an ample amount of flavorful cheese sauce with none of the trappings that can over-complicate this dish, it tasted like it came right out of the pot. No fancy gourmet cheese or croutons interfered with the satisfying simplicity of this perfect side. The serving is just the right size to partner with a small juice and replace the 3:00 PM coffee-and-cookie pick-me-up routine I am prone to.
This week, I went all out and had the Harbor Beast - roast beef, swiss cheese and horseradish mayo on a soft sub roll, warmed just enough for the cheese to melt. It was like a cheese steak but without the side effects of all those grilled onions. Sometimes you want 'em, but when you don't this is a great alternative. And, despite its name, it is not a gut-buster. The flavors are a classic combination that work together well. The portion was appropriate for a lunch-time meal and satisfied without over-filling. I ordered chips on the side, which I ignored in favor of desert. On this visit, I noticed the carrot cake.
Of course, a separate paragraph is required for this quintessential confection and primary fixation of my sweet tooth. The carrot cake featured at Harbor East Deli is moist and tender, slightly more spicy than sweet. While the earthy sweetness of the carrot is subdued, this cake is refreshingly uncluttered with nary a walnut or raisin to be found. The icing is white and creamy, but seems lighter than a full-on cream cheese icing and missing the characteristic tang as well. But, the slice of cake is topped with a happy orange carrot decoration that is definitely traditional cream cheese icing and made my incisors throb when I bit into it. It was a pleasant surprise on a busy day and got me through what turned into another working lunch.
Harbor East Deli has a liquor license and serves a nice selection of beer, both bottled and on tap. Other menu items include several variations on the cheesesteak, a crabcake sandwich, and a Powerhouse. A word of warning to Powerhouse aficionados - the Harbor East Deli Powerhouse is missing the requisite hummus. I may try it anyway if only to offer this critique to the owner. Who, by the way, is still an active participant in the lunch rush. On my visits, he was expediting orders, always with the genuine smile of someone who enjoys their work. That in itself makes a difference in the daily ritual of trying to find lunch.
The owner of the Harbor East Elevation Burger retained the site, completely renovated the space, and recently reopened as Harbor East Deli and Pizzeria. The new restaurant offers burgers and fries, although the burgers appear more mundane and the fries are provided by Boardwalk. They also serve a daily variety of pizza by the slice and a menu of sandwiches named after businesses in the area, including the Laureate - a grilled chicken sandwich named for my employer.
Since the opening, I have resumed my weekly visits with increasingly positive results. On my first visit, I tried the H&S, a Reuben named after the local bakery and served on their rye bread. The sandwich featured a generous portion of corned beef, but felt a little light on the kraut. And, much as I appreciate a call-out to the local guys, the soft rye bread from H&S was just not up to the task of supporting meat, melted cheese, kraut, and dressing. The sandwich fell apart while I was eating it. I also tried the new fries. The skinny shoestrings fried in olive oil have been replaced with the fairly run-of-the-mill Boardwalk fries available at any mall. Overall, if you want a Reuben, Atman's on Lombard Avenue is still your best choice, and their potato knish beats any order of fries.
The following week, I tried the Legg Mason - turkey, bacon, American cheese and avocado. Again, the meat portion was very generous, as was the avocado. The bacon was overdone, though, and did not add to the sandwich. It was easily removed, and the rest of the sandwich was very good. My side on this visit was macaroni and cheese. First, I cannot express my joy at having this ultimate comfort food so close to the office. Just seeing it on the menu made my stressed-out and over-worked heart sing with joy. And, it did not disappoint. Tender elbow macaroni in an ample amount of flavorful cheese sauce with none of the trappings that can over-complicate this dish, it tasted like it came right out of the pot. No fancy gourmet cheese or croutons interfered with the satisfying simplicity of this perfect side. The serving is just the right size to partner with a small juice and replace the 3:00 PM coffee-and-cookie pick-me-up routine I am prone to.
This week, I went all out and had the Harbor Beast - roast beef, swiss cheese and horseradish mayo on a soft sub roll, warmed just enough for the cheese to melt. It was like a cheese steak but without the side effects of all those grilled onions. Sometimes you want 'em, but when you don't this is a great alternative. And, despite its name, it is not a gut-buster. The flavors are a classic combination that work together well. The portion was appropriate for a lunch-time meal and satisfied without over-filling. I ordered chips on the side, which I ignored in favor of desert. On this visit, I noticed the carrot cake.
Of course, a separate paragraph is required for this quintessential confection and primary fixation of my sweet tooth. The carrot cake featured at Harbor East Deli is moist and tender, slightly more spicy than sweet. While the earthy sweetness of the carrot is subdued, this cake is refreshingly uncluttered with nary a walnut or raisin to be found. The icing is white and creamy, but seems lighter than a full-on cream cheese icing and missing the characteristic tang as well. But, the slice of cake is topped with a happy orange carrot decoration that is definitely traditional cream cheese icing and made my incisors throb when I bit into it. It was a pleasant surprise on a busy day and got me through what turned into another working lunch.
Harbor East Deli has a liquor license and serves a nice selection of beer, both bottled and on tap. Other menu items include several variations on the cheesesteak, a crabcake sandwich, and a Powerhouse. A word of warning to Powerhouse aficionados - the Harbor East Deli Powerhouse is missing the requisite hummus. I may try it anyway if only to offer this critique to the owner. Who, by the way, is still an active participant in the lunch rush. On my visits, he was expediting orders, always with the genuine smile of someone who enjoys their work. That in itself makes a difference in the daily ritual of trying to find lunch.
2010.02.05 CakeLove: A Remembrance
As the Baltimore location of CakeLove closes its doors, I am reminded of my one experience with their wares. The Baltimore store was located on Boston Street in Canton, not far from the ProMetric testing center where I took my CAPM certification exam. After six months of course work and three hours of testing, I passed the exam and was officially PMI certified.
To reward myself, I stopped at CakeLove for a splurge. I dropped about $30 for a two-layer carrot cake that was baked in the Canton location. When I asked, I was informed that the batter and dough for their baked goods was shipped in from their main location in the DC area. Still make from scratch, just in phases.
The cake looked like a carrot cake should - two hearty layers of moist, spongy cake with a generous amount of cream cheese icing between the layers and on top. And, really, the icing was the crown of the cake, as a good cream cheese icing should be. The perfect balance of tangy and sweet, it stuck to the insides of my mouth and made my teeth ache. It was thick and creamy and heavenly and sent me into a sugar coma of satisfaction.
The cake, however, was a confused and busy mess. The cake itself was spicy and delicious, but this was lost in a virtual trail mix of added ingredients that caused the cake to crumble while overpowering the spicy, carrotty goodness. By trail mix, I mean everything you've ever gotten in a carrot cake - walnuts, raisins (brown and golden) pineapple chunks, and shredded coconut, and in high volume. The cake itself, what I could discern of it, really was a fine carrot cake with a semi-sweet, earthy quality that spoke of genuine talent. When I caught a taste of that, I understood a little about the choice of names for the store. I ended up removing the pineapple and walnuts as I ate, and eventually abandoned the cake for the far superior icing (certainly not for the first time in my life, but the first time with a carrot cake).
So was my one and only experience with CakeLove. In all honesty, I had intended on going back for another try. Nestled next to Starbucks in the heart of Canton, I'm sure it will be missed as there are few things better than a nice cupcake with your afternoon coffee.
For a quality $30 cake, there is still Patisserie Poupon at Baltimore and President streets down by the old shot tower. While they do not have carrot cake, what they do have is hand-made from scratch on site. Their garnishes alone are worth the price.
To reward myself, I stopped at CakeLove for a splurge. I dropped about $30 for a two-layer carrot cake that was baked in the Canton location. When I asked, I was informed that the batter and dough for their baked goods was shipped in from their main location in the DC area. Still make from scratch, just in phases.
The cake looked like a carrot cake should - two hearty layers of moist, spongy cake with a generous amount of cream cheese icing between the layers and on top. And, really, the icing was the crown of the cake, as a good cream cheese icing should be. The perfect balance of tangy and sweet, it stuck to the insides of my mouth and made my teeth ache. It was thick and creamy and heavenly and sent me into a sugar coma of satisfaction.
The cake, however, was a confused and busy mess. The cake itself was spicy and delicious, but this was lost in a virtual trail mix of added ingredients that caused the cake to crumble while overpowering the spicy, carrotty goodness. By trail mix, I mean everything you've ever gotten in a carrot cake - walnuts, raisins (brown and golden) pineapple chunks, and shredded coconut, and in high volume. The cake itself, what I could discern of it, really was a fine carrot cake with a semi-sweet, earthy quality that spoke of genuine talent. When I caught a taste of that, I understood a little about the choice of names for the store. I ended up removing the pineapple and walnuts as I ate, and eventually abandoned the cake for the far superior icing (certainly not for the first time in my life, but the first time with a carrot cake).
So was my one and only experience with CakeLove. In all honesty, I had intended on going back for another try. Nestled next to Starbucks in the heart of Canton, I'm sure it will be missed as there are few things better than a nice cupcake with your afternoon coffee.
For a quality $30 cake, there is still Patisserie Poupon at Baltimore and President streets down by the old shot tower. While they do not have carrot cake, what they do have is hand-made from scratch on site. Their garnishes alone are worth the price.