Something new in Bmore for Friday?

[SGI]

Heading out to dinner Friday night and looking to try something new and exciting. I have not been to Alewife yet so that is under consideration. I would love other suggestions, as well as someone to weigh in on Alewife. We will be a party of four and just looking to eat great food.

[ronandaim]

Have you made it to Hamilton Tavern yet? It's been open over a year and has become my no-fail, go-to spot. It's burger is IMO the best in Baltimore, but when I venture out into the menu I'm never disappointed. It definitely is within your price range.

Clementine in Hamilton is another option. Clementine has had some consistency issues for me, but when it's good it's OUTSTANDING. We gave it another try recently and it was so very good.

Someone suggested Vino Rosina. We stopped in for some drinks recently and the place seemed promising. However I learned about a recent head chef replacement and I haven't seen any reviews with the new head chef.

Or there is Demi, the new restaurant in the basement of Crush. Anyone been there yet?

Good luck!

[JonParker]

I have friends who swear by Hamilton Tavern's burger as the best in town But it's made with Roseda Farms beef, while McCabe's is made with Springfield Farms, and honestly, I find Springfield Farms beef to be like my own personal crack. God that that stuff is good. So I'd go with McCabe's over just about anything. McCabe's also has a really nice crab cake.

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McCabes
3845 Falls Rd, Baltimore, MD 21211

[ohbilly]

Went to McCabes right before the new year and had the crab cake dinner. It was pretty solid. I still prefer crab cakes from Koko's and Captain Larry's though. The side of mac n cheese was pretty awesome. Everyone at the table got one and cleaned it up. That was the highlight of the dinner.

I agree with ronandaim's comment on Clementine. Very inconsistent. We went a few months ago and it was a miss.

[southbaltimoregirl]

I don't see the appeal of Larry's crab cakes.

For the record, I've been to Larry's a million times. It's down the street from my house. A good cheap beer bar, and sometimes the fries are good. But not a fan of their crabcakes.

[stephanieg]

I was going to suggest Demi as well. It got a great write up in the Sun last week. I peeked down when I was at Crush a few weeks ago and it looked like a fun, bustling atmosphere, but I haven't tried it yet.

[southbaltimoregirl]

I second Hamilton Tavern.
Good, solid place. Enjoy all the food.

[hon]

theres a new Mari Luna in the old Spike and Charlies space across from the Meyerhoff.

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Mari Luna
Baltimore, MD, Baltimore, MD

[MDicecreamguy]

doesn't get any NEWER than the new Mari LUna Bistro across from the Myerhoff........tonight is the first night open to the public

[ohbilly]

Can you give us a bit more details to give you recommendations - neighborhood, cuisine, price range, etc. ??

In regards to Alewife, it's pretty good. I've been there twice now and have had an enjoyable experience both times. It does get loud in there since the ceilings are so high. It also gets super busy, particularly with an event at the Hippodrome. You might want to check the event schedule.

The main highlight at Alewife is their beer list. Yes, it's a bit overpriced, but it's one of the few places that you can find that hard to get beer. If you are planning on having a couple nice drinks to accompany your meal, no problem. Beyond that, you are better off getting drinks elsewhere.

The food is well prepared and there's a nice range of options. I enjoyed the smoke burger. The bun was a bit big, but the rest was tasty. A friend had the Cubano and he also enjoyed it. Overall pretty solid.

[JonParker]

Yeah, it would help to know what you mean by "new." Where have you been, and what are you looking for?

[SGI]

Hi all - we spend our weeekends eating out in Baltimore. We enjoy Bluegrass, Blue Hill, B&O Brasserie, etc. We are looking to spend $50-75/pp which includes alcohol. We'd like a place that is fun and bustling. Neighborhood does not matter. We'll even go outside the city. A place we like outside the city is Iron Bridge. In regards to 'new' we'd like a place that's been open < 12 months. Does that help? We're trying to broaden our horizons and not keep going to back the same places. Thanks so much!

[ohbilly]

Thanks for the extra info. Sounds like you have been to many of the good spots. With that price range, you can go to quite a bit of places. Here are a couple to consider with a good balance of environment, food, prices, and drinks (not in any particular order or necessarily "new"):

Golden West Cafe
Sticky Rice - love the atmosphere, especially Friday night. opened about 6 months ago
Henniger's - bar or restaurant
Peter's Inn

Side note - I'm considering some these as "new" since I don't see them mentioned much on this board.....but I could be mistaken....hope this helps!

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Golden West Cafe
1105 W 36th St, Baltimore, MD

Peter's Inn
504 S Ann St, Baltimore, MD 21231

Sticky Rice
1224 H St NE, Washington, DC 20002

[bmore_flavor]

A few "new" places on my list to try--

Sam's Kid - Asian small plates in Fell's Point
Vino Rosina - wine bar in Harbor East
13.5% - wine bar in Hampden
Umi Sake - Sushi in Cockeysville

[jvanderh]

I see a lot of positive reviews online for Sam's Kid, but I thought it was unabashedly awful. I haven't had the food at 13.5, but the cheese is good!

I want to try Sticky Rice. Their brunch menu looks intriguing, but they open so late that we've never made it.