Louisiana Restaurant

1708 Alicanna Street
Neighborhood - Fells Point
http://www.louisianasrestaurant.com/index.html
410.327.2610

We've passed this restaurant a handful of times and always were curious about what it had to offer. The menu looked appetizing but we never got around to going. Louisiana has gotten a few awards, but looking into the place, it never seems busy. Well, finally last night we made the leap of faith. Actually, our first choice had an hour wait, so we decided to check Louisiana out since we figured that the place would be open. As we had suspected, they didn't have a wait and they welcomed us in. We felt a bit out of place because the group in front of us were all dressed fairly nicely and we were just in jeans and a t-shirt. Plus, we were about half the age of the other folks. Anyway, we walked through the narrow hallway into a massive ballroom dining area. There were many tables, all surrounding a large hanging chandelier. On the other side of the room was an elegant staircase leading to upstairs seating area. We were amazed with the size of the dining area and decor. All fitting the southern creole style.

The menu offers three courses with a few classic dishes scattered within it. Mrs. BTM ordered the Crab Bisque and the Catfish while I ordered the Shrimp and Grits for a starter and the Pork Chops as my main course. We also ordered a bottle of one of our favorites, the 2006 Willamette Valley Vineyard Pinot Noir. The wine came out first and to my surprise, it was corked! Blah! The waitress apologized and brought out another bottle, which tasted delicious. She confirmed that the other bottle was corked and said that was her first time having a corked bottle.

Our starters came out. The Shrimp and Grits were amazing. Nicely seasoned. Probably the best grits that I have had. Mrs. BTM's Bisque was good and savory. I think she liked my dish better than hers. So far so good. Then we waited....and waited...and waited some more. Our waitress said that our food was on its way, but it never showed. After 40 minutes, she came up and apologized. She said that there was something wrong in the kitchen and offered us desserts on the house. *Sigh* After a long wait, our main courses came out. Even with the wait, the dinner did not dissapoint. My pork chops came with an artichoke risotto and apple bourbon demiglace. It was well cooked and the dish was flavorful. The portion was huge and I had left overs. Mrs. BTM's catfish came with collard greens and mashed potatoes. The catfish had a pecan crust and was nicely done. A pretty solid version of this classic. For desserts, I had a chocolate mousse with whip cream and rasberry sauce. It was good, but a bit thick for me. Mrs. BTM had the apple beignets with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Wow. It was warm, sweet, fried...all what you could ask for in a dessert.

Overall, the meal was impressive and left us wanting to try more of the menu. Everything was nicely prepared, well seasoned, and exemplified high quality southern comfort foods. The only hiccup was time. Dinner took just over 3 hours. If we we had all four courses and drinks, then the time would have been appropriate and enjoyable, especially in the ambiance of a grand ballroom. This is probably not a place for casual dinners, but we'll definitely be back, most likely with family. We look forward to another tasty meal.

Ben's Chili Bowl

Ben's Chili Bowl

1213 U Street NW

Washington, DC 20009

202-667-0909



This past weekend we went to DC to catch a show at the 9:30 Club. We took the Metro in and found a great place to have dinner before the show. Ben's Chili Bowl is a neighborhood fixture, celebrating it's 50th Anniversary this year. You order at the front or at the counter, if you can grab a seat. We were lucky to grab a seat right at the counter. Virtually no waiting for our food! We ordered the turkey burger with cheese, the chili burger and an order of the chili and cheese fries. The burgers were both served with chips and were delicious. The chili has a distinct flavor and added a nice twist to an ordinary bowl of chili cheese fries. Our meal cost a little less than $15! So, if you skip the fries you can comfortably eat for 2 under $10.00! I'm sure next time we're in the neighborhood we're stopping at Ben's Chili Bowl to try some of their other favorites like the hot dogs!

Bonapart Breads

Bonapart Breads
903 South Ann Street
Baltimore, MD 21231
410-342-4000
8 a.m.-6 p.m. daily

We've gone to this cafe/bakery on the water front in Fells Point twice now. We love the small outdoor patio where we can watch the boats on the water and avoid a lot of the foot traffic that is out in more crowded parts of Fells Point. I've sampled 2 of the hot sandwiches (turkey and ham) and enjoyed the turkey sandwich much better than the ham. The sandwich is served on their fresh baked bread with lettuce, tomato and cheese. Each sandwich is served with a small side salad and chips. It's the perfect size for a light lunch. Mr_BTM has sampled a variety of the pastries and breads along with the coffee. He's enjoyed them enough that we will most likely frequent this cafe/bakery for breakfast and lunch. At the very least, it's a great place to sit down and read a book!

Charleston

Charelston
1000 Lancaster Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
410-332-7373
Monday - Saturday 5:30 PM - 10:00 PM
Closed on Sundays

For my birthday dinner, Mr_BTM took me to Charleston where Head Chef Cindy Wolf creates daily menus for you to create your own unique dining experience. The menu is set up so you can choose how many courses you want and what you want to eat for each course. There's also a pre-determined 6 course meal called "The Season" that Chef Cindy Wolf created and is available with wine pairings ($134). Mr_BTM chose "The Season" while I created my own 6 course meal ($109). I also added wine pairings with my meal. The Courses listed below are shown in order with my meal first and Mr_BTM's "The Season" choices second.

First Course:
Roasted Local Sweet Corn, Bacon & Tasso "Chowder"
Charleston Shellfish Bisque, Lobster, Gulf Shrimp

Second Course:
Salad of Local Heirloom Tomatoes
Soft-Shell Crab

Third Course:
Pan-Roasted Wild Rockfish, Lobster Risotto, Butter Poached Fennel
Salad of Baby Arugula, Reggiano, Lemon Vinaigrette

Fourth Course:
Veal Sweetbreads, Cauliflower, Marcona Almonds, Lemon Brown Butter
Halibut dish

Fifth Course:
Cheese Trolley Selections

Sixth Course:
Peach Tart?
Creme Brulee Trio

Overall, my favorite course was the Rockfish with Lobster Risotto. This dish was simply amazing. The flavors blended together well and the fish was perfectly cooked. My lease favorite course was dessert followed closely by the Veal Sweetbreads. The Cauliflower in that dish did nothing to enhance the flavors of th dish. The dessert was so inmemorable that I can't remember what it was called but it had peach in it. I was dissapointed with the dessert offerings as they all seemed unispired compared to the rest of the dishes. They do get bonus points for having Mighty Leaf Tea available for dessert. I'd like to go back again to see how the menu changes from season to season.

The Yabba Pot

The Yabba Pot
2431 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-662-tofu (8638)
Mon - Sat 11:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday 11:00 AM - 7:00 PM

The Yabba Pot is the first vegan/vegetarian restaurant we've tried in Baltimore. This place is amazingly good. You have your choice of hot or cold (raw) options from a buffet or you can order a sandwich. We chose the buffet and each picked 4 items ($12.00). I had the bar-b-que tofu, cabbage, brown rice and mixed veggies. Mr_BTM ordered the cold curry spinach, lentils, channa and brown rice. The portions were large and we struggled to finish our bowls. Every dish was seasoned well, even the rice had added seasoning! Delicious food and cute little cafe setting. I have read that the selections change daily so we're excited about going back to try different options. Who knew vegan food could taste so good?!

Cafe Hon

Cafe Hon
1002 W. 36th Street
Baltimore, MD 21211
410-243-1230
Mon - Thurs 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Fri - 7:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sat - 9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sun - 9:00 AM - 8:00 PM

Located along the Avenue in Hampden is Cafe Hon, next door to Bar Hon. This cafe is eclectically styled and includes a gift shop for Bawlmore gifts. I ordered the turkey meatloaf that came with mashed potatoes and veggie of the day. It was a nice surprise to see a healthier item on the menu along with fried catfish and regular meatloaf doused in gravy. My dish was excellent. I've never has such a good slice of turkey meatloaf! Very flavorful. Others in our group didn't have much luck with their selections so it was about half n' half with those who enjoyed their meals and those that didn't. I'd probably go back to eat and will definitely check out Hon Fest this year!

Little Havana Restaurante y Cantina

Little Havana
1325 Key Highway
Baltimore, MD 21230
Mon - Thurs 4:00 PM - 12:00 AM
Fri - Sat 11:30 AM - 2:00 AM
Sunday 11:00 AM - 12:00 AM

We've been to this place before, but only for drinks so Mr_BTM and a few other friends (7 of us total) decided to go to brunch at Little Havana. We show up a little before 11:00 AM to see a line waiting outside. Being one of the first in line we figured we would get seated right away. Not so. Apparently you have to make reservations for a party of our size. So we figured we'd wait a while until a table was available (mind you, all the big tables were available but were reserved). While we waited we were able to take advantage of their all you can drink mimosas and bloody marys ($14.95/per person and this includes a brunch entree). Our group waited almost 50 minutes until we were finally seated in one of those empty reserved tables. Why did we have to wait so long for a reservation not to show? Not sure.

I wasn't impressed with the brunch entree choices so I chose to get 3 side dishes including a short stack of pancakes, frituratas de pantano (fried plantains) and papas con chorizo (potatoes and sausage). Mr_BTM ordered the Fried Eggs Cuban Style, which includes fried eggs over rice & beans with picadillo and sofrito sauce. I liked the pancakes and the potato dish but neither were that great. Mr_BTM was equally unimpressed with his dish. I didn't really hear too many complaints from the others in our group but I guess the unlimited beverages is supposed to distract you from the fact that the food sucks. I don't know...if all I wanted to do was get drunk, I guess this is the place to go for brunch! Otherwise, there are better breakfast options in town.