anniversary dinner in baltimore?

[inky74]

can anyone help? my parents' anniversary is this weekend and i am coming home from new york and my brother is coming home from boston to celebrate. we were going to go to charleston's but they are closed sunday night for dinner. i know i should have figured this out before but does anyone have suggestions? really good food, lovely, special for 5 people. i am realizing i haven't lived there for a long time. charleston was a rec from a friend, she said she had a mediocre meal at pazo last time as did another friend. so other ideas besides those.

[tennisgal1206]

Prime Rib - open 4-10 on Sundays. You cannot go wrong with it.

[hotel]

Can't go wrong with Petit Louis, Oregon Grill, Tersiguel's, or Kali's Court.

Wine Market's food is sub-par in my opinion, and I've had two terrible experiences at Black Olive.

Tio Pepe is an experience, but it's too much of a parody of itself to be taken seriously at this point. The mix of people in there two weeks ago was discomforting.

[tennisgal1206]

Re: Tio's - how so?

[hotel]

It seemed really trashy this time around. People in ripped jeans and tee shirts. People so obnoxiously drunk that they shouldn't have been out in public, talking on cell phones about nonsense for extended periods of time.

I feel like Tio's was the place to be for the baby boomer's about 30 years ago, and they always told their children and friends that it is THE restaurant to celebrate great events. People who tend not to go out a great deal seem to make that the place they choose for their big night out, which is fine, but it just cheapened my experience.

Maybe I'm nit-picking, but the overall experience two weeks ago was good food, poor clientele.

[tennisgal1206]

Thanks for sharing your experience. That's a shame that a place as legendary as Tio's has "come down" a bit with less desirable clientele. At the risk of sounding elitist, the other diners around you do contribute to the overall experience, IMO.

And you're right on about it being the baby boomers go-to place. My mom loves that place and I grew up hearing about how Tio's was the "IT" place. And while as an adult I have been there on quite a few occasions - the food never disappointed at all. I must admit it's been about two years since I've been, and for that kind of money and that expectation, to have to dine around people so rude (cellphones, drunkenness, etc) would have been really a let down.

[ali123]

I went to the Oregon Grill last Sunday evening and was terribly disappointed. My three previous meals there were great, but something was clearly off last Sunday. The service was great but the prime rib I ordered medium rare was well done and covered in a lukewarm salty gravy. Others ordered lamb chops also over cooked and covered in some sort of sauce. Salmon also covered in a heavy sauce. We never figured out what was going on but I hesitate to suggest it especially on a Sunday night.

[Whitemarshjohn]

inky74,
Can you let us know where you end up going and if you enjoy it?

[kelarry]

the key to eating at pazo is to get 1/2 orders of the main entrees. this is where the chef truly shines in my opinion. the small plates are hits & misses.

[Whitemarshjohn]

Tersiguel's in Ellicott City is a nice French restaurant. I had the Chef's tasting menu recently and really enjoyed it. They are rated very high on Zagat and they're open every day for lunch and dinner.

[inky74]

hi all thank you so much for the rec's! looks like oregon grille or prime rib. apparently baltimore has 6 day licenses which is why alot of rest are closed. huh.

[trayce]

If you're still looking after all these wonderful recs, I'd add Tio Pepe's on Franklin, right downtown. It's an "old school" Spanish restaurant, and the food and service are excellent.

Also, I second Kali's Court.

[aussiewonder]

i thought the PR looked really tired when i was there recently, the decor and all the smoking at the bar (which you have to pass thru to get to the dining room and which is right near the hostess stand) also didn't impress. I prefer OG but don't forget a jacket as they are extremely strict with their dress code policy!

[youngfoodieguy]

I would def reccomend The Oregon Grille, if you don't mind the drive. Corks is also a great rec, Chef Gerry Pelagrino is awesome and he'll come to the table, order a bottle of Corison and he'll personally deliver it, hell he may even share it with you. I'm surprised no one has brought up Tio Pepes or Salt. Also I think Pazo doesn't get a good shake because people go on the busiest of nights and stuff, but I think if you went on a sunday and made reservations acknowledgeing the occasion, they would more than cater to you, hell Tony Foreman and his management mafia could even buy you a bottle or part of the dinner, not too mention it could be one of the most attractive restuarants around.

[FoxBeatus]

Wine Market in Locust Point offers a great menu - with great cheese plate and wine listing and on your way out you can always buy a bottle on the way out

http://www.the-wine-market.com/menu.html

[bordeauxfan]

I'm probably opening a can of worms, but the OP was looking for a place "lovely" and "special". I got the impression that they were looking for a restaurant just below Charleston caliber for food, decor and service. So do Black Olive and the Wine Market meet that criteria?

Before going out surfing restaurant websites, does anyone know if the Prime Rib is open on Sunday evenings?

[elegantelliot]

i am pretty sure it is

[Sop]

How about Kali's Court?

[tartuffe]

I rec'mend Oregon Grille. which I believe is the 2d best resto in the area. Excellent meat, fish, and sides, and they have a lovely outdoor dining area if the weather is decent.

[Sop]

Oregon Grille fits the bill, if they don't mind a 30 minute drive from downtown.

[jes]

I went for a celebratory dinner at Corks in Federal Hill and was quite pleased.

[thatfarmgirl]

I've heard great things about Corks, many of them from people in the Chaine (which always seems to be a worthy recommendation).

[bordeauxfan]

I agree with the Corks rec. And it's open Sundays from 5 to 9!

www.corksrestaurant.com

[honeybee926]

I too agree with the Corks rec - recently had a great meal there.

[Hue]

Black Olive, advise them of the celebration!
Pierpoints on Aliceanna Street
Prime Rib