Sascha's 527- Review

Happy Tuesday everyone!! Restaurant week has only been going for the past 4 days, and I've already been 3 times!! Haha, such a foodie... but last night, I went out with my best friend/adopted twinnie/sorority sister, Alice and planned to go to Indigma, only to find out that the restaurant is closed on Mondays =( but don't worry! It'll get another visit from us another day! So Historic Charles Street is filled with delicious eateries and so we decided on Sascha's 527, a new American restaurant with super good eats!!

Prior to getting our orders, long, thin french style breadsticks came out with a dish of small pickles and olives. Pickles were delicious: both Alice and I are not fans of olives so we didn't care for them.



First Course:

Alice: Fried Green Tomatoes- Who doesn't love this southern classic? This one was served with a roasted corn salad and mixed greens, giving it a freshness to the dish! Great balance of flavors and for fried food, surprisingly light! Yummm!



Myself: Crab Beignets- Just imagine, crab doughnuts with a lemon creme fraiche. I KNOW RIGHT?! These were oozing with delicious crab stuffed goodness. Hot and so good, the lemon creme fraiche made it so perfect and not SUPER heavy!




Main Entree:

Alice: Filet Mignon- Cooked medium-well, this steak came with caramelized Cippolini onions, sauteed spinach, and potatoes! The steak was cooked perfectly and the balance of flavors, again, superb!!



Myself: Pan-roasted red snapper- With Israeli cous cous and vegetable Ratatouille the flavors were perfectly married and surprisingly light for the amount of food I received! I finished every bite, and it was absolutely divine!



Dessert:

Alice: Creme Brulee- Infused with lemon and basil, this made the creme brulee not as sweet! The only complaint Alice had with it is that the sugar crust was a bit too burnt in certain places. Overall, the lemon and basil infusion? Awesome.



Myself: Peach and Blueberry Cobbler- With fresh whipped cream? Yes please. They used fresh peach which was awesome but it was a bit too sweet for my taste. The whipped cream helped a lot but overall, still good.



Overall, I must say, it was a great "accidental" meal. A great plus was that Sascha (the owner) was actually there and so she actually made an effort to go to each table and made small talk with us! So sweet. Alice and I had a wonderful time (despite the jerks we met along the way on our walk there). Just be careful in the city if you're ever there!

Food: 4.5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5

I highly recommend Sascha's 527 for restaurant week! Where else will I eat this summer? Stay tuned!

Mr. Rain's Fun House and Diamond Tavern

Hey everyone!! Prepare to become SUPER hungry from this post =). I have already done Restaurant Week twice this week (haha) and it's been fantastic!! First stop? Mr. Rain's Fun House. Located inside the American Visionary Art Museum on Key Highway, it was fantastic:

I went this past Friday to celebrate my last day of work with the boyfriend. Though I don't have any pictures for this restaurant, I'll definitely describe!

To start, our waiter brought out DELICIOUS pretzel bites (complimentary)! Think of Auntie Anne's pretzel dough rolled into balls and baked. They brought them out with DELICIOUS mustard. So good, SO good.

First course:

Boyfriend: Lumpia (Chicken and shrimp spring roll)- The spring roll was hot, deep fried and had great flavor especially when it was paired with the smokey, buttermilk and chili sauces!

Myself: Watermelon salad- pickled watermelon chunks, country ham, mixed greens, watermelon and rosewater sponge, and bleu cheese mousse. I definitely think this was something where you couldn't overanalyze or think about what you were eating. You had to incorporate everything into one bite. It was "good" but a bit bizarre. I think I would have preferred just regular bleu cheese and not the mousse (texturally speaking).

Main Entree:

Boyfriend: Pulled pork with housemade fries- The flavor of the pork itself was fantastic! Also on a grilled brioche bun, it was SO good. The boyfriend preferred to have more sauce with his meat. The fries? So good. And it comes with a housemade pickle! Delicious!!!

Myself: Lamb burger (cooked medium) with Asian slaw. I know, I just went all around the globe =P. Mediterranean with Asian? It was delicious. Now, I'm not a huge olive fan, so I got the olive/mint mayo on the side, but it complimented the burger SO well! So juicy, so delicious and cooked perfectly!

Dessert:

Boyfriend: Watermelon Kulfi- Essentially, the Indian "ice cream." Very light, refreshing, and clean. The watermelon flavor was very fresh and it came with homemade whipped cream! So tasty!!

Myself: Chocolate torte- Oh my goodness. Think of this being a semi-baked brownie in each bite. SO rich and SO decadent with a pool of chocolate that it happened to be swimming in =P. Also, if that isn't enough, I got housemade marshmallow...right on top! Yeah, heavenly deliciousness in each bite.

RATING:
Food: 4/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 4.5/5

Next restaurant week? I went to Diamond Tavern with my big from my sorority, Marissa! This place is located on Pratt Street inside the Hilton Baltimore.

First Course:

Marissa: Hummus plate with flatbread. SO good! The flatbread was grilled and warm, hummus was smooth and creamy. They also give roasted red peppers, bleu cheese, and olives! Yummm!



Myself: Roasted corn and crab bisque- SO GOOD =). Not too salty with a great balance of flavors. Sweet corn and crab...smooth and creamy. Delicious!



Main Entree:

Marissa: Jumbo Lump Crabcake Sandwich- This thing was MASSIVE! And practically no filler, ALL meat! So tasty, so good. The fries were hand cut with delicious parsley and garlic on top. The sandwich was as big as her head!! Big pickle, basically, delicious.





Myself: Tomato and goat cheese ravioli- Oh my goodness. Creamy heaven on a plate. With artichokes studded throughout, I was so happy to have a great meal with a perfect portion size!



Dessert:

Marissa and I both got the Warm Chocolate Waffle: Yes...it is AS good as it sounds. This dessert...makes me a bit speechless. With vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries, this was heaven on a plate. We both didn't expect MOLTEN CHOCOLATE to be inside the waffle. I could've kept eating this over and over again.





RATING:
Food: 5/5
Service: 4/5
Ambiance: 5/5

These are two GREAT restaurants that I highly recommend! These two meals all for $20.10? Yes please! Check out www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com for more AMAZINGLY tasty looking restaurants!

Ocean City Eats

Hey everyone!! I'm back from my mini-getaway to Ocean City, MD and it was my first time ever going! Of course, I'm going to tell you about my eats so you know where to go next time!

On our first night (Monday, 8/9/10), the boyfriend, Z, and I got a fresh squeezed lemonade to split and it was really good! Can't beat that on a hot night on the boardwalk.

Next we went to dinner at Captain's Table on 15th and the boardwalk. It located inside the Courtyard Marriott. Because the entrees themselves were a bit pricey (pushing 30 dollars for all entrees), the boyfriend and I decided to get a few appetizers and share them. We got a Maryland crab chowder, wings, steamed little neck clams, and diver scallops with mixed greens. First of all, the portions were really good on their appetizers! I could have eaten one of the appetizers on my own and felt super satisfied. The chowder was a bit salty, but great fresh crab flavor (and filled with lump crabmeat!) Next, I dove into the clams (I love seafood, clams, mussels, and scallops especially). The broth they steamed them in was SO good. Filled with white wine, butter, cayenne pepper, tomatoes, and herbs...oh my goodness. AND they gave us half a loaf of bread to soak up all that broth. I think I needed another good 5 loaves =P. Next, the wings. We ordered the mild sauce and it was super tasty. The bleu cheese was delicious as well. The diver scallops were huge! Plus, wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and seared in a pomegranate-acai reduction. The mixed greens came with candied pecans, gala apple, and thinly sliced red onion-- PERFECTION! What a great meal that came out to about $38 pre-tip! So tasty, so good. Definitely check out the Captain's Table next time your in OC!

For dessert, I had read good things about Polish Water Ice, so Z and I tried it! We got pina colada and the creaminess of it was unreal! So much smoother than italian ice or Rita's, it was SO good! You have to check them out! They also hand out free samples! =)

The next day, we had breakfast in our hotel. For a mid-morning snack, I had to try Dumser's Dairyland ice cream! I got coconut chocolate chip and it was SUPER good. So creamy, so silky. It's a must!

On the way home, we had Hardee's. Great burgers, and they bring the food out to you if you eat in the restaurant! I like to call it the east coast Carl's Jr. The fries and onion rings are SO good! Craving Sonic? Try Hardee's for a change!

Those were all the eats I got in the OC! Let me know about the eats you've had there!

Until next time =)

Awesome Giveaway!!

Hey everyone,

My "adopted twin" and best friend Alice is have an awesome giveaway with some nail polishes. Please check her out at http://aliceinpolishland.blogspot.com/

This is the link to the actual giveaway: http://aliceinpolishland.blogspot.com/p/giveaways.html

Well, I'm off the beach kids! I'll be back Tuesday night =). I'll tell you all about the eats I got to have during my trip when I get back. Have a wonderful week!

Baltimore Restaurant Week

...is just around the corner!! Though Fogo de Chao is not on the list this time, I am still SUPER excited! =)

For a list of restaurants (and the neighborhood they're in) check this out:
http://www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com/

Baltimore Restaurant Week is from August 13th to August 22nd. It's a great treat for us college students who start school the week after! For $20.10, you get to have a great 3-course lunch or for $35.50 a great 3-course dinner. Trust me, these restaurants are DIVINE!!

A few of my personal favorites and suggestions include:
1) Mezze (adjacent to Kali's Court- they are run under the same managements): If you've never had tapas (aka- small plates), you have to check this place out! Great variety and there's always something to please everyone's palate. Bring lots of friends because this is a meal that is meant to be shared! The dinner option is only available for restaurant week but they are offering this deal on weekends as well!

2) The Black Olive: Some GREAT fresh seafood and Mediterranean eats! A lunch option is also available so be sure to check them out! I went there last year with the boyfriend, and it was fabulous =).

3) RA Sushi Bar: Now I've never had their restaurant week special, but their Happy Hour (from 3-7 PM Monday through Friday) is fanTASTIC!! Half price select appetizers (practically all of them), nigiri and maki sushi, and drinks!!!

4) From what I've heard/read, Roy's Hawaiian Fusion is actually a great chain restaurant. For you chocoholics, their chocolate souffle is heaven!! =)

5) Ruth Chris Steakhouse: Again, another chain, but seriously, it's some good steak!! You really can't beat this price at any other time of the year, so be sure to check them out for you meat lovers!

Please let me know of any great restaurants that you find around Baltimore!! Let me know which restaurants you tried out this week!