172086 Thu Oct 07 12:02:37 -0700 2004 24 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 924164 Hello from a NYC Chowhound! My daughter is being treated at the Kennedy Kreiger Hospital in Baltimore. My husband and I will be staying at the Ronald McDonald House which is on Lexington Avenue, every weekend, just a block from the Lexington Market. We have NO idea where to eat in Baltimore, we tried a few places in the Inner Harbor but the prices are high and the food so so. Is Phillips suppose to be good? It wasn't so hot when we were there. The Fudruckers is good for a burger but other than that we are lost. Most of the food seems to be of the fried variety. We're not health nuts but some good Asian would be great. Or just some reasonably priced suggestions would be helpful. Thanks so much! Sandie (Also we would love to find somewhere to go for a drink in the evening, we tried the Power Plant? area but it's a little too college-ish for us, any suggestions?) Thu Oct 07 12:02:37 -0700 2004 0 Sandra 1 924171 Sandie, There are a lot of possibilities for you. You didn't say whether you will have a car, but most of the good eats are not in the Inner Harbor area, but rather in the various neighborhoods surrounding it. A few to consider (and to search on here for past discussion): The Helmand (Afghan) Matsuri (sushi) Lexington Market (crab cakes among other things) Vespa (Italian bistro) Brewer's Art (both upscale fare and good bar food) Soigne or Corks (if you feel like splurging) There are many others. Most "Inner Harbor" threads here will have similar suggestions. And best wishes for your daughter. Thu Oct 07 12:52:31 -0700 2004 924164 0 Darin 1 924172 If you are within walking distance of Lexington market, try Faders for crab cakes & Mary Mervis for Shrimp salad, many other very good small take outs in the market.(MOM,it's the Berger cookies you'll want! Girl that chocolat can help get you through any crisis!) As to Philips, it has become a tourist trap & not very consistent. If you are looking for places near the hospital just head down Broadway toward Fells Point. There you will find many very nice small restaurants including two Baltimore institutions "Jimmy's" and "Bertha's" there is also the smaller Broadway market there. Thu Oct 07 12:54:07 -0700 2004 924164 0 ocdreamr 2 924174 That's Faidley's, not Faders. Definitely get a jumbo lump crab cake there. Thu Oct 07 13:02:53 -0700 2004 924172 0 Spade 3 924176 AND don't go to Bertha's the food is BAD! Thu Oct 07 13:27:28 -0700 2004 924174 0 Hon 2 924228 OC...If they're staying at the RM House, the situation with their daughter is very serious. The organization was a client of mine another life ago and I witnessed the families there firsthand. I'm sure your suggestion about the Berger cookies was well intentioned, but it read as trivializing the situation. I'm sure you weren't, but I just wanted to point it out for future reference. Peace. Chris Thu Oct 07 19:08:05 -0700 2004 924172 0 Christina D 1 924175 You can water taxi it over to Fells Point and eat at Henninger's or Peter's Inn. Both are good, reasonable choices. Be warned that Fells Point turns into a bit of a zoo on weekends but if you don't have to worry about parking then it won't be so bad. For drinks, you can try the Red Maple on Charles Street, excellent cocktails, trendy vibe. The upstairs bar at the Brass Elephant is a nice place for drinks as is the Explorer's Lounge of the Harbor Court Hotel. Thu Oct 07 13:14:00 -0700 2004 924164 0 ck 2 924181 definitely second the Red Maple and Tusk Lounge at the Brass Elephant for martinis. Also, right in that area is the Brewer's Art (great belgian beer/dinner menu) the Helmand (great, reasonable Afghan food) and the Belvedere Hotel, which has two spots for drinks: the Owl Bar on the 1st floor and The Thirteenth Floor on the...well, 13th Floor (which gives a great view of Mount Vernon and surrounding Baltimore). these spots fit the bill for drinks without the accompanying "zoo" Thu Oct 07 13:55:10 -0700 2004 924175 0 rawdog 1 924178 baltimore's got a lot to offer in the food department, unfortunately, hardly any of it can be found in the inner harbor. you're very close to several reasonably priced choices: in canton square, i'd highly recommend Mama's on the Half Shell for excellent, reasonably priced seafood (where you don't just have to choose between 'fried' and 'deep-fried' - get the mussels, they're beyond good). for a drink, go across the street from there to the bar at Helen's Garden; great drink/wine selection and more of a sophisticated clientele than the power plant, to say the least. the fell's point area is also close, with a lot of good neighborhood places with good food and atmosphere. there, i'd recommend all of the following for good places to have both a drink and/or a meal: red star kooper's tavern henninger's tavern john stevens if you have a car or other transportation, there are tons more (depending how wide a radius you're giving yourself). Thu Oct 07 13:36:16 -0700 2004 924164 0 rawdog 1 924180 One that wasn't mentioned in Lexington Market is the new Indian restaurant that is located in the south-east corner. Mem Sahib I believe. It is a white tablecloth, self-contained space and has the best Indian buffet I have found in Baltimore, and very reasonably priced. For what it's worth, you are also close to the University hospital, which (believe it or not) has a very good new cafeteria, with lots of "stations" including a stir-fry station, and a fresh sandwich station. Also in the hospital is a Donna's for sit down nice meals, fresh salads, soups, etc., and a Cipriani's (Greek take-out gyros, etc.) There is a great Italian deli a couple blocks up Paca from Lexington Market on the west side - can't remember the name (starts with a T)that will make you an out-of-this-world sandwich to go. Best wishes! Thu Oct 07 13:54:51 -0700 2004 924164 0 amy tam 2 924193 you're thinking of Trinacria (406 N. Paca St), which gets rave reviews from people i respect but when i went, i personally didn't think it was as good as dipasquale's. Thu Oct 07 15:03:02 -0700 2004 924180 0 atls14620 1 924186 Thank you to everyone who responded. We do have a car so traveling around the city is no problem. Negotiating the one way streets is another story! :) Sandie Thu Oct 07 14:31:54 -0700 2004 924164 0 Sandra 2 924229 All the suggestions you've received here are great. I can't add anything but best wishes for your daughter. The Baltimore Ronald McDonald House is a wonderful institution. Thu Oct 07 19:10:16 -0700 2004 924186 0 Christina D 1 924192 Had someone close to me stay at UM Hospital for about 6 weeks, and got to explore a bit. For an inexpensive, decent and -very speedy- sandwich, go to the Cafe on the Square on Paca - you will see lots of UM Staff there. I'll second the recommendation of the new hospital cafeteria as well. The Italian Deli a few blocks north on Paca is Trinacria, and they have amazing sandwiches and a lot of neat Italian groceries (and lots of wine as well). South of Pratt, on Penn, there is that great caribbean place Carolyn's Cafe. Also, for a good cheeseburger or souvlaki, check out the Penn Restaurant right on the corner - it's a very old school Greek diner. The market has already been covered, and has lots of opportunities to explore. I have also heard decent things about the Hipp Cafe, which is in the Hippodrome Theater's building (enter from Baltimore St), but have not tried it. Drinks have also been covered, but if you want to -walk- somewhere to have a beer, the Wharf Rat is on Pratt between Howard and Hopkins Plaza and makes its own ales. Also, Max's Camden Yards has a wide range of beers available, also on Pratt, right on the northwest corner of Howard. For coctails or wine I would hit one of the already-mentioned spots in Mt. Vernon. Thu Oct 07 15:01:46 -0700 2004 924164 0 aubzamzam 1 924194 i quickly scanned the responses and thought i'd add a couple that i believe weren't mentioned (forgive me if i repeat someone's suggestion). asian food: chinatown cafe on park avenue not far from you serves good dim sum and hong-kong style chinese food day and night. must try if you're into this. drinks: copra on 313 north charles is a great place to kick back with a drink. across the street is a good irish pub called mick o'sheas. a good place to have a drink in the inner harbor is pier 4 right around the corner from the espn zone. good atmosphere; not too crowded; more sophisticated than the power plant live. another place to have a drink and walk around is federal hill; a short taxi ride from you. lots of bars and a couple of upscale lounges as well. i haven't been to the purple orchid in over a year, but it's just a couple blocks away from the inner harbor and when it first opened, it was the chic place to go. it's vietnamese-french fusion. go for the food, i would avoid the sushit though. good luck with everything. please let us know if you need any more information to make your stay as pleasant as possible. Thu Oct 07 15:08:42 -0700 2004 924164 0 atls14620 1 924208 Hope everything is working out for your daughter! As for food: Al Pacino's on Cathedral is a great middle eastern pizza place. Cypriana's in U of MD hospital is open late and pretty healthy. Middle Eastern...great falafels. BanThai on N.Charles Brewer's Art for upscale beers Tapas Teatro on N.Charles-EXCELLENT! McCormick & Schmick's - pricey but great (never go to Phillips) Sabatino's for yummy Italian Attman's Delicatessen for the best Corned Beef and Hot Dogs If you're driving from NY, stop by Wheaton/Silver Spring for FABULOUS Chinese/Dim Sum. Feel free to email me if you want phone numbers to any of these places. Thu Oct 07 16:30:45 -0700 2004 924164 0 luckystar1305 2 924213 on a side rant: FINALLY...an agreement on tapas teatro. i love the plave and go all the time. have been amazed at how its gotten regularly trashed (i think someone called the tapas "inedible" in a past thread) on this board. i've been to jaleo in dc several times and agree that the tapas there is better, but not much better. i've always been confused as to it being one of the few places that is universally lauded on this board while tapas teatro seems to be almost universally disliked. anyway, down off my soapbox....venting over. thanks Thu Oct 07 16:53:23 -0700 2004 924208 0 rawdog 3 924217 I agree. I like Tapas Teatro a lot. I've been to Jaleo and Zaytinya and Tapas Teatro isn't too far behind them, imho. This statement doesn't include desserts at Zaytinya--they are truly out of this world. And, I actually prefer the atmosphere at Tapas Teatro, it is hip without the big money corporate vibe. Thu Oct 07 17:31:09 -0700 2004 924213 0 ck 4 924239 Speaking of dessert, I had a great one earlier in the summer at Tapas Teatro- it was cardamom ice cream with mangoes and figs- really delish. I've also had a great chocolate/raspberry cake in the past. I know, Zaytinya's desserts are renowned, but TT's are rather yummy. Fri Oct 08 01:25:25 -0700 2004 924217 0 balt girl 4 924240 Believe me, I wish I liked Tapas Teatro better than I do. I'm a Baltimore boy, and it's tough to only be able to get good tapas in DC. But every single time I've been to Jaleo I've had dishes that made me go "wow!" At TT my response was "eh." At it's best it was unmemorable. I once ordered a grilled trout with a citrus marinade and grilled red onions at TT, and the marinade overpowered the fish and the onions too. One of the worst dishes I ever had. If I remember correctly, my main criticism of TT in the one post I did about it was that they have no idea how to blend flavors so the whole becomes something more than the sum of its parts. It's not that most of their food is bad, it's just not Chowhound material. I go to the Charles theater a lot, and having TT next door is so damned convenient. I criticize them with regret. Fri Oct 08 07:22:21 -0700 2004 924217 0 Jon Parker 3 924236 i will respectfully dissent. i am happy that you like tapas teatro, and i agree that it is not as good as jaleo, but my take is that jaleo isn't all that good either. i'm not a tapas expert, but i just find the food really, umm, well lacking flavour. and expensive. but to each his/her own. Thu Oct 07 22:31:46 -0700 2004 924213 0 atls14620 1 924210 Another good choice for Asian food is Kirby's Szechuan on South Charles Street in the Federal Hill/South Baltimore area. The fried wontons stuffed with cream cheese and a touch of crabmeat are excellent, and the usual Szechuan favorites are all quite good. Also in South Baltimore, Rallo's restaurant on Fort Avenue has good home cooking, sour beef and dumplings on Wednesdays are a real treat. Hoping for the best for you and your family. Thu Oct 07 16:32:20 -0700 2004 924164 0 elgringoviejo 1 924215 I like Claddaugh Pub and Helen's Garden (closed on Mondays) on O'Donnell St. in Canton for low-key dinners. I don't think anyone has mentioned Greektown yet. It's a neighborhood on Eastern Ave. east of the Fells Point/Canton/Highlandtown areas that is chockful of Greek restaurants. Ikaros is my favorite; it's not haute cuisine, but the food is good and plentiful (and reasonably priced!), and the service is always friendly. Best of luck to your daughter! Thu Oct 07 17:03:54 -0700 2004 924164 0 Karen 1 924226 Sorry, dunno a thing about Balto food - but I gotta say good luck to your daughter! Thu Oct 07 18:50:47 -0700 2004 924164 0 Wayne Keyser 1 924354 I have not been there myself, But have heard that there is a place in Power Plant called Mosaic that is supposed to be much more mellow, with lots of nice spots to sit & talk. The music is kept at conversation level - an atmosphere for adults rather than the college crowd the other places go after. It is tough to go through this board for ideas since there is so much about DC. You may want to pick up a City Paper from a yellow newstand box- it comes out on Wednesdays. It has a good restaurant guide listed by cuisine. I think they only print part each week. Baltimore magazine has more extensive listings but the comments are much shorter & tend to be advertisments rather than critiques. Best wishes for your daughter. Sun Oct 10 23:11:20 -0700 2004 924164 0 foster