Eat Special Issue
Hampden/Remington
Tim Hill
Grano
Tim Hill
Golden West Café
A GUIDE TO THE ICONS
$ = Inexpensive; “entrees” barely crack $10.
$$ = Entrees in the $10-$20 range, other than a few specials or the crab cakes.
$$$ Entrees $20 and up.
BYOB = The restaurant has no liquor license but allows you to bring your own booze. You may have heard of this.
P = On-site parking, i.e. a dedicated lot or garage.
T = Valet parking (for most places, this is weekends-only).
Out = Outdoor dining in season. Note: It could be a lovely deck, but it may be just a couple of tables on the sidewalk.
10pm = Serves food after 10 p.m. Many local restaurants will serve until 11 p.m. on weekends, but spots bearing this icon go further somehow.
B = Breakfast.
L = Lunch.
D = Dinner.
Br = Brunch on weekends.
Vg = Specializes in vegetarian/vegan friendliness. Almost all restaurants these days offer vegetarian options, and when asked by someone compiling a dining guide, many restaurants say that they can accommodate vegans on request, but this icon indicates vegetarian/vegan friendliness as a primary mission.
Rsv = Reservations are suggested, particularly for weekend dining.
Del = Delivery to a limited area, though many restaurants that don’t do phone-order delivery use web-based services such as carryout.com.
Published: March 2, 2011
13.5 WINE BAR
1117 W. 36th St., (410) 889–1064, 13.5winebar.com
$$ Out 10pm D
The Avenue gets a very well done wine list, along with a very well-turned-out menu of gourmet nibbles, pizzas, and entrees.
ALCHEMY
1011 W. 36th St., (410) 366-1163, alchemyon36.com
$$$ Out 10pm L D Br
Alchemy’s menu draws from all corners of the globe, including France, Asia and the American Southwest, with some very fine dishes resulting (a classic chicken liver pate, a chile rubbed pork tenderloin served with sweet potato tamales). The renovated space is lovely.
CAFÉ HON
1002 W. 36th St.,(410) 243-1230, cafehon.com
$$ P B L D Br
Café Hon is all about home cooking done right, from chili cheese fries to unabashedly homely bread pudding. Blue plate specials like meatloaf truly are, as named, “better than mom’s.”
THE DIZZ
300 W. 30th St., (443) 869-5864, thedizzbaltimore.com
$$ Out 10pm B L D
This homey spot boasts ace soups, cheap but good burgers, and a rotating list of old-fashioned entrées, written up daily in the familiar loopy handwriting.
THE DIZZ GRANDVIEW
3838 Roland Ave., (443) 869-3085
$$ P B L D
Although The Dizz Grandview boasts nearly the same menu as its Remington sister, the view from the 18th floor of a senior apartment building dazzles. Expect more of the burgers, platters, and wings, plus dressier entrees like a NY strip.
DOGWOOD RESTAURANT
911 W. 36th St., (410) 889-0952, dogwoodbaltimore.com
$$$ P L D
Dogwood’s reopening in December 2009 ushered in a new menu (casual fare and more formal entrées) and a better wine list with inventive cocktails and house-infused spirits. “Local,” “sustainable,” and “community” are still buzzwords and the food still excels.
GOLDEN WEST CAFÉ
1105 W. 36th St., (410) 889-8891, goldenwestcafe.com
$$ 10pm B L D Br Vg
New Mexican breakfast dishes—available all day—are the West’s forte. Vegans have options here too, and not in that lame portabello-burger kind of way. Think homemade tofu chorizo in a vegan burrito, followed by a slice of vegan cake.
GRANO
1031 W. 36th St., (443) 869-3429, granopastabar.com
$$$ BYOB Out L D
The pasta bar is a little bit Hampden, a little bit Napoli, and a whole lotta frantic. Mix and match from among seven pastas and eight sauces (as well as soups, salads, and desserts).
GRANO AT CHESTNUT
3547 Chestnut Ave., (443) 438-7521, granopastabar.com
$$$ Out d
Less frenzied and crowded than its 36th Street counterpart, Grano at Chestnut offers the same classic pastas only with tablecloths and table service.
HOLY FRIJOLES!
908 W. 36th St., (410) 235-2326, holyfrijoles.net
$$ 10pm L D
We love the tacos at this friendly Mexican spot, delish whether filled with ground beef, salty pork, shredded beef, grilled chicken, or black beans, in a hard shell or soft tortillas.
MCCABE’S
3845 Falls Road, (410) 467-1000, mccabes-restaurant.com
$$$ 10pm L D Rsv
A neighborhood favorite returns and picks up more or less where it left off, serving exemplary pub grub faves (e.g. a juicy hamburger made from local beef on a brioche-style bun) in a bustling casual environment.
ROCKET TO VENUS
3360 Chestnut Ave., (410) 235-7887, rockettovenus.com
$$ 0 10pm D Br
Retro but not annoyingly so, cool but not overbearingly so, Rocket is a hangout with a smart menu—steak frites, veggie wimpies, and out-of-this world roasted Brussels sprouts. All this, and a contender for the world’s neatest jukebox.
SUZIE’S SOBA
1009 W. 36th St., (410) 243-0051
$$ Out L D
This small eatery serves straight-up versions of noodle dishes from Korea, Japan, Vietnam, and beyond: no fusion faux pho here.
WOODBERRY KITCHEN
2010 Clipper Park Road, (410) 464-8000, woodberrykitchen.com
$$$ Vg Out d Rsv
Spike Gjerde’s shimmering Clipper Mill fantasy of brick, glass, fire, and food, seductively exploits the fascination with sustainability, seasonabilty, and localness. The kitchen lavishes attention on good meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables. Top notch.
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