Rating: 3.5 stars
Price- 7$ a sandwich
Portions- Average
Parking- They have a little parking lot in the back. The one on the side is only theirs at night.
Seating- Limited seating, about average for a bar in Parkville
Website: None?
Review:
Emerald Tavern is a neighborhood bar. It is the kind of place you can walk to on a snow day. 30 inches of snow could not keep me from my daily quest on Harford road.
Becca was in search of wings, Old bay wings to be exact. We tried the wings and beer but they do not have old bay wings. I will just have to go back there when we are not on a mission.
The Emerald Tavern has awesome specials. When we went on Monday they had 4$ cheese buggers, WHAT A DEAL! After looking at the menu is seemed that almost everyday had a special deal. Steve had the burger and said that it was really very good, for a bar. So, not the best burger in town, but good with a good beer. I had the "emerald dip", which was a french dip sandwich, it was very good and a big portion for under 8 dollars. I was pleased with my sandwich, excellent for bar food. Beccas old bay wings were not a disappointment. The looked and tasted fantastic. They were kind of like the wing dings we used to get at Shepherd Universitys wing night. Becca liked them so much she ate some of them cold latter that day.
I was a little sad that their menu was not really descriptive. We ordered cream cheese poppers who's write up said fried cream cheese, it said nothing about the jalapeno peppers that were involved. As some readers know, i don't "do" spicy foods. (for many reasons) So I was a little disappointed that they were really jalapeno poppers.
The Emerald Tavern exceeded my expectations in our quest for old bay wings. I might not go back to this place JUST for food. But if i am looking to get some good drinks, with some good people, and I am in need of some good food then I could see going back to the Emerald Tavern. Also, from what I hear, they don't close, even in snow storms.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Big Bad Wolf
Rating: 4 stars
Price- 7$ a sandwich
Portions- Very Large
Parking- Street parking only but i have never had an issue
Seating- Limited seating at a counter top, outside seating when it is warm.
Website: http://bigbadwolfbarbeque.com/
Review:
Big Bad Wolf BBQ should be called big AWESOME wolf BBQ because nothing about this place is bad.
OK, maybe that lead in was a little JOEke like but it is true. I LOVE this place. I have loved this little yummy house for a while now. Everything about this place is terrific, well almost everything.
They are local, they use great ingredients, they are friendly, and most importantly, they have a limited menu which insures quality on everything. The only down side is they are not open on sundays. I repeat NEVER on Sundays. If you want good Sunday BBQ you will have to look else where. Joe and I have made the mistake of getting our hopes up for Wolf BBQ on Sunday multiple times and it almost killed me with disappointment when we saw those dream crushing 6 letters CLOSED. When you want BBQ, big bad wolf is the place to go, in less it is a Sunday. (yes the my 4 Sunday trips to wolf have made me a hair bitter...)
Anyway, back to the review.
In honor of the live Man Vs. Food episode we needed superior grub. Wolf was clearly in order.
The sweet honey bbq brisket had all the smokey sweet flavor you would expect from a place that is about the size of my room. As always the brisket was tender yet crispy in all the right places. Joes KCspicy sauce literally had him licking the box it came in. As always, I order the mac and cheese and the sweet potatoes. The Mac will make your order take longer to prepare. They must make it right when you order. Joe and I think that they might heat it in a smoker. That would explain why it takes a little bit of time to prepare. It would also explain why the Mac is so crazy good. It has a smoky undertone, that could ether be provided by smoking it or using some sort of strong smoked cheese. Honestly, it doesn't matter how they make it. Its good and well worth the wait. (its is not that long of a wait, I am inpatient when it comes to BBQ) The sweetpotatos are also delisious, they are soft and sweet. They are cooked southern style which I enjoy.
If this is your first time to Big Bad Wolf house of BBQ I have a few tips for you:
Price- 7$ a sandwich
Portions- Very Large
Parking- Street parking only but i have never had an issue
Seating- Limited seating at a counter top, outside seating when it is warm.
Website: http://bigbadwolfbarbeque.com/
Review:
Big Bad Wolf BBQ should be called big AWESOME wolf BBQ because nothing about this place is bad.
OK, maybe that lead in was a little JOEke like but it is true. I LOVE this place. I have loved this little yummy house for a while now. Everything about this place is terrific, well almost everything.
They are local, they use great ingredients, they are friendly, and most importantly, they have a limited menu which insures quality on everything. The only down side is they are not open on sundays. I repeat NEVER on Sundays. If you want good Sunday BBQ you will have to look else where. Joe and I have made the mistake of getting our hopes up for Wolf BBQ on Sunday multiple times and it almost killed me with disappointment when we saw those dream crushing 6 letters CLOSED. When you want BBQ, big bad wolf is the place to go, in less it is a Sunday. (yes the my 4 Sunday trips to wolf have made me a hair bitter...)
Anyway, back to the review.
In honor of the live Man Vs. Food episode we needed superior grub. Wolf was clearly in order.
The sweet honey bbq brisket had all the smokey sweet flavor you would expect from a place that is about the size of my room. As always the brisket was tender yet crispy in all the right places. Joes KCspicy sauce literally had him licking the box it came in. As always, I order the mac and cheese and the sweet potatoes. The Mac will make your order take longer to prepare. They must make it right when you order. Joe and I think that they might heat it in a smoker. That would explain why it takes a little bit of time to prepare. It would also explain why the Mac is so crazy good. It has a smoky undertone, that could ether be provided by smoking it or using some sort of strong smoked cheese. Honestly, it doesn't matter how they make it. Its good and well worth the wait. (its is not that long of a wait, I am inpatient when it comes to BBQ) The sweetpotatos are also delisious, they are soft and sweet. They are cooked southern style which I enjoy.
If this is your first time to Big Bad Wolf house of BBQ I have a few tips for you:
- Don't confuse this place with fast food, your food will be great and great food takes time. Come in, have a seat at the counter and chat with the workers. The people who work at wolf bbq are extremely friendly and knowable. Be prepared to have some great entertainment and conversation while you wait.
- Order the big bad wolf. There signature sandwich will give you a good taste of what you had been missing by passing this place by. But I do warn you, it is enough to feed 2 if you get sides... (also this sandwich is the best bang for your buck on the menu!)
- Even though this place looks small they do take credit card (some bbq places do not)
- There really is not a lot of inside seating (pretty much none). I love eating outside there in the summer but just a warning, the seating outside is basically in the traffic of Harford road. (not ideal for little kids who like to run) My advice, in the summer, pick up your food and go to a park to eat.
- Oh and- They really arn't open on Sundays..... (never on Sundays)
Pat's Pizza
Rating: 2 stars
Price- about 10$ a pizza about 8$ a sandwich
Portions- Average - Small
Parking- Easy, a lot on the side
Seating: Plenty
Website: http://www.patsfamilyrestaurant.com/site/index.jsp
Review:
So pats is a chain, who knew? It had all the feeling of a chain, the place has very little charm. But I must comment that I dig the orange furniture.
It was a snowy baltimore night when Joe and I were starving and driving home from helping our friend Eva paint. We needed something good, cheep, and fast. Why not Pats? My mother was also hungry so we picked up food for her as well.
I had a calzone, more like disappointment zone. I spend many a wonderful college park nights feasting on DP dough so I will admit I have high cal-standards. This zone missed the mark. I was hungry and even my starvation couldn't make it tasty. It had very little cheese and was mostly those cheep canned green peppers.. Color me disappointed!
Joe had a cheeseburger sub which, compared to the Hamilton Tavern Burger, was simply awful. It was small, and looked greasy. I didn't waste my time with tasting it because I was two busy picking out green peppers..
My mother had a chicken pesto painni. It looked and tasted really good. It was the main reason I am rating Pats as 2 stars rather then 1. It was fresh and filling. I ate half of it for lunch the next day which was just as tasty! It was a well flavored and well made. Way to get it right pats!
I have had another Pats experience, they do have an excellent white pizza. I had it once, right when they opened. It was so good I didn't realize that Pats was even a chain. I am hard to please when it comes to white pizza and Pats hit it out of the park with that one. I will have to see if it is still as good.
So all in all, I guess it depends on what you order. It is definitely not the best local grub. I might go back to Pats, its easy, fast, and right by my house. If i am looking for a white pizza, i would give it another try. BUT it is NOT my favorite on Harford road, not by a long shot!
Price- about 10$ a pizza about 8$ a sandwich
Portions- Average - Small
Parking- Easy, a lot on the side
Seating: Plenty
Website: http://www.patsfamilyrestaurant.com/site/index.jsp
Review:
So pats is a chain, who knew? It had all the feeling of a chain, the place has very little charm. But I must comment that I dig the orange furniture.
It was a snowy baltimore night when Joe and I were starving and driving home from helping our friend Eva paint. We needed something good, cheep, and fast. Why not Pats? My mother was also hungry so we picked up food for her as well.
I had a calzone, more like disappointment zone. I spend many a wonderful college park nights feasting on DP dough so I will admit I have high cal-standards. This zone missed the mark. I was hungry and even my starvation couldn't make it tasty. It had very little cheese and was mostly those cheep canned green peppers.. Color me disappointed!
Joe had a cheeseburger sub which, compared to the Hamilton Tavern Burger, was simply awful. It was small, and looked greasy. I didn't waste my time with tasting it because I was two busy picking out green peppers..
My mother had a chicken pesto painni. It looked and tasted really good. It was the main reason I am rating Pats as 2 stars rather then 1. It was fresh and filling. I ate half of it for lunch the next day which was just as tasty! It was a well flavored and well made. Way to get it right pats!
I have had another Pats experience, they do have an excellent white pizza. I had it once, right when they opened. It was so good I didn't realize that Pats was even a chain. I am hard to please when it comes to white pizza and Pats hit it out of the park with that one. I will have to see if it is still as good.
So all in all, I guess it depends on what you order. It is definitely not the best local grub. I might go back to Pats, its easy, fast, and right by my house. If i am looking for a white pizza, i would give it another try. BUT it is NOT my favorite on Harford road, not by a long shot!
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Hamilton Tavern
Rating: 4 stars
Price- 8-15$
Portions- Big
Parking- Easy
Seating: Limited, about 10-12 tables total
Website: http://www.hamiltontavern.com/
Review:
My father grew up in Hamilton, in our house it was never called Hamilton, it was simply, the "old neighborhood". Some of my favorite memories are in Hamilton, its only fair that now some of my favorite restaurants in the world now reside their as well.
Our Friday dinners are becoming sort of a tradition. Ann, Archie, Joe and I got together again for dinner, and as always, we looked no further then my beloved Harford road.
You enter the tavern through a curtain, which i thought was weird but actually turned out to rather brilliant. The curtain kept the cold Baltimore air from bothering those looking to have a good time. The bar was kind of loud, but that is to be expected for a Friday night.
The menu was sparse but all of the choices sounded great. This tavern is the kind of place that only offers a few foods, but the food that they offer they have perfected. Joe and Ann had the cross town burger, it was wonderful. They put syrup on the bun! Yey sugar! Ann had the true crosstown experience with an egg to top the burger. Both choices were burger-licious. Joe actually debating getting 2 because they were that good! I had the meatloaf, it was so delious. My father makes an amazing meatloaf and I really would be hard pressed to pick a favorete meatloaf now. It was a mix of 3 differnt meats which made super tender. I was very impressed with the serving size. When the food came out I was sure that I would have a TON left over, but it was so good I ate every bit of it! Archie had the hot turkey, it was also very well done. The gravy had that homemade taste that you really can't fake. The stuffing that came with his turkey was made from what looked like buns. Not only was it very tasty but it really impressed me that they used their resources that well. I like places that reduce waste by recreating and re-purposing ingredients. As always, Ann and I ordered desert, we had the chocolate stout cake. IT WAS glorious! I would have licked the plate if there had been anything left on it.
Creativity is evident at the Hamilton Tavern. We will be returning to see what else they come up with!
Price- 8-15$
Portions- Big
Parking- Easy
Seating: Limited, about 10-12 tables total
Website: http://www.hamiltontavern.com/
Review:
My father grew up in Hamilton, in our house it was never called Hamilton, it was simply, the "old neighborhood". Some of my favorite memories are in Hamilton, its only fair that now some of my favorite restaurants in the world now reside their as well.
Our Friday dinners are becoming sort of a tradition. Ann, Archie, Joe and I got together again for dinner, and as always, we looked no further then my beloved Harford road.
You enter the tavern through a curtain, which i thought was weird but actually turned out to rather brilliant. The curtain kept the cold Baltimore air from bothering those looking to have a good time. The bar was kind of loud, but that is to be expected for a Friday night.
The menu was sparse but all of the choices sounded great. This tavern is the kind of place that only offers a few foods, but the food that they offer they have perfected. Joe and Ann had the cross town burger, it was wonderful. They put syrup on the bun! Yey sugar! Ann had the true crosstown experience with an egg to top the burger. Both choices were burger-licious. Joe actually debating getting 2 because they were that good! I had the meatloaf, it was so delious. My father makes an amazing meatloaf and I really would be hard pressed to pick a favorete meatloaf now. It was a mix of 3 differnt meats which made super tender. I was very impressed with the serving size. When the food came out I was sure that I would have a TON left over, but it was so good I ate every bit of it! Archie had the hot turkey, it was also very well done. The gravy had that homemade taste that you really can't fake. The stuffing that came with his turkey was made from what looked like buns. Not only was it very tasty but it really impressed me that they used their resources that well. I like places that reduce waste by recreating and re-purposing ingredients. As always, Ann and I ordered desert, we had the chocolate stout cake. IT WAS glorious! I would have licked the plate if there had been anything left on it.
Creativity is evident at the Hamilton Tavern. We will be returning to see what else they come up with!
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Mastellones Deli and Wine
Rating: 4 stars
Price-5-10$ a sandwich
Portions- Average
Parking- Street parking only
Seating: None
Website: NONE
First of all, who doesn't have a website these days. I mean honestly! But, I do think that this kind of place is so old school Baltimore that if just goes with the theme.
Mastellones is easy to over look. Yesterday becca and I went in search of yummy lunch eats and headed down Harford. We had full intentions of going to mullers (sp) but they were closed. As we walked back to the car I noticed a deli across the street. Some how I have never seen this place. When ever I drive down this block I am drawn by the the "neon sin" of dead fredies and the radiant flowing locks on the Umbertos sign. My eye is always on the left side of the road, Honestly, it really is the total look. I digress (yes, i do jeannne) ANYWAY I was seeing this deli for the first time. It looked old and better then old its looked the a well loved Italian place... the best kind!
So we walk across the street and enter. I was blown away, lots of imported foods and wines. HOW HAVE I NEVER BEEN HERE!Home made cheese, fresh everything. It was awesome. And just when i thought t couldn't get any better we found the menu. SCORE. There are no tables at Materllones, they only do to go orders. Becca and I decided to split 2 sandwiches so we would each have a chance to taste more. As we looked through the menu we both decided the prosciutto with mozzarella would be a winner and nether of us gave much thought to the other sandwich, I wanted ham and they had a sandwich with a "special sauce". I love a good homemade sauce and I love things that are special so we went with it. I wish i could remember what the sandwich was called it was maybe the best sandwich I have ever eaten. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD good. Both becca and my dad agree that it was a really "stand out" sandwich. Our sandwiches were about 7$ each, and worth every penny. They were big and made with super fresh ingredients. Your really cant beat that.
I will be going back to Mastellones and next time I am buying mini nutella (they have that!)
Price-5-10$ a sandwich
Portions- Average
Parking- Street parking only
Seating: None
Website: NONE
First of all, who doesn't have a website these days. I mean honestly! But, I do think that this kind of place is so old school Baltimore that if just goes with the theme.
Mastellones is easy to over look. Yesterday becca and I went in search of yummy lunch eats and headed down Harford. We had full intentions of going to mullers (sp) but they were closed. As we walked back to the car I noticed a deli across the street. Some how I have never seen this place. When ever I drive down this block I am drawn by the the "neon sin" of dead fredies and the radiant flowing locks on the Umbertos sign. My eye is always on the left side of the road, Honestly, it really is the total look. I digress (yes, i do jeannne) ANYWAY I was seeing this deli for the first time. It looked old and better then old its looked the a well loved Italian place... the best kind!
So we walk across the street and enter. I was blown away, lots of imported foods and wines. HOW HAVE I NEVER BEEN HERE!Home made cheese, fresh everything. It was awesome. And just when i thought t couldn't get any better we found the menu. SCORE. There are no tables at Materllones, they only do to go orders. Becca and I decided to split 2 sandwiches so we would each have a chance to taste more. As we looked through the menu we both decided the prosciutto with mozzarella would be a winner and nether of us gave much thought to the other sandwich, I wanted ham and they had a sandwich with a "special sauce". I love a good homemade sauce and I love things that are special so we went with it. I wish i could remember what the sandwich was called it was maybe the best sandwich I have ever eaten. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD good. Both becca and my dad agree that it was a really "stand out" sandwich. Our sandwiches were about 7$ each, and worth every penny. They were big and made with super fresh ingredients. Your really cant beat that.
I will be going back to Mastellones and next time I am buying mini nutella (they have that!)
The Fenwick Bakery
Rating: 3 stars
Price-9$ a dozen doughnuts (way expensive if you ask me)
Portions- Average
Parking- Easy
Seating- None
Website: http://www.thefenwickbakery.com/
Review:
Fenwick is an institution around here. The best, of the best. I could live off of there rolls, and have before. For the most special of occasions in my life fenwick has always provided delicious eats. I have wonderful memories of picking up things from fenwick. When I was little I was convinced I would work at Fenwick some day. Honestly I probably would have if backers kept better hours.
As many of you know, I love doughnuts, LOVE THEM. They are one of my favorite foods, and fenwicks marshmallow pillows of perfection are the best in town. I highly recommend fenwick because of its history in parkville. You know how I feel about local people and traditions. This place is crawling with memory's and old Baltimore ladies, WHAT A GOOD TIME!
I must add, however, that i do think that fenwicks prices have gotten a little out of hand. I am sure that the economy and the fact that they are a family business does not help them, but 9$ for a dozen doughnuts is a little crazy, even if they are really really really good. In Hagerstown I could get the best doughnuts in the state for under 5$...
Price-9$ a dozen doughnuts (way expensive if you ask me)
Portions- Average
Parking- Easy
Seating- None
Website: http://www.thefenwickbakery.com/
Review:
Fenwick is an institution around here. The best, of the best. I could live off of there rolls, and have before. For the most special of occasions in my life fenwick has always provided delicious eats. I have wonderful memories of picking up things from fenwick. When I was little I was convinced I would work at Fenwick some day. Honestly I probably would have if backers kept better hours.
As many of you know, I love doughnuts, LOVE THEM. They are one of my favorite foods, and fenwicks marshmallow pillows of perfection are the best in town. I highly recommend fenwick because of its history in parkville. You know how I feel about local people and traditions. This place is crawling with memory's and old Baltimore ladies, WHAT A GOOD TIME!
I must add, however, that i do think that fenwicks prices have gotten a little out of hand. I am sure that the economy and the fact that they are a family business does not help them, but 9$ for a dozen doughnuts is a little crazy, even if they are really really really good. In Hagerstown I could get the best doughnuts in the state for under 5$...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Los Amigos
Rating: 3 stars
Price: 10-20 (expensive for Mexican in my opinion)
Portions- Average- Large
Parking- Street Parking only
Seating- Plenty
Website: http://www.losamigosbaltimore.com/
Review:
Last Friday my sister, and her boyfriend joined Joe and I for our weekly Friday meal. It was nice to have them come with us. With my sister being big Mexican fan, and Joe having been bothering me for months to check out his favorite Mexican place in the city, we headed out to Los Amigos.
The setting was really cool, parking was easy, but you could tell if it had been busy that there was not alot of parking. I have been on a restricted diet, I can not have and beans, which makes eating Mexican kinda hard. SO i will be going mostly by what others enjoyed.
Joe loved his dish (i honestly can remember what he had)I know that it was spicy so i did not try any. I think that if you like spicy food that this place will impress you. Ann had some fish tacos, which she raved about. Archie and I played is safe with tacos and Quesadilla, which were both good and cheesy. The Spanish rice that i had was rather dry and not very flavorful.
We ordered desert, the cheese cake was clearly store bought. It was not very good, the fried ice cream was good, but made with coconut so I couldn't have any. The real star was their milk cake, it was sweet and creamy, It was so good! It was one of my favorite cakes of all time.
The reason I only gave this place 3 stars was that it was not as good as my favorite Mexican restaurant, el saltos. It was also more expensive, and in my opinion, not really worth the extra money. I would go back to the place, but honestly, I would rather go to el saltos, mainly because of the price and location.
Price: 10-20 (expensive for Mexican in my opinion)
Portions- Average- Large
Parking- Street Parking only
Seating- Plenty
Website: http://www.losamigosbaltimore.com/
Review:
Last Friday my sister, and her boyfriend joined Joe and I for our weekly Friday meal. It was nice to have them come with us. With my sister being big Mexican fan, and Joe having been bothering me for months to check out his favorite Mexican place in the city, we headed out to Los Amigos.
The setting was really cool, parking was easy, but you could tell if it had been busy that there was not alot of parking. I have been on a restricted diet, I can not have and beans, which makes eating Mexican kinda hard. SO i will be going mostly by what others enjoyed.
Joe loved his dish (i honestly can remember what he had)I know that it was spicy so i did not try any. I think that if you like spicy food that this place will impress you. Ann had some fish tacos, which she raved about. Archie and I played is safe with tacos and Quesadilla, which were both good and cheesy. The Spanish rice that i had was rather dry and not very flavorful.
We ordered desert, the cheese cake was clearly store bought. It was not very good, the fried ice cream was good, but made with coconut so I couldn't have any. The real star was their milk cake, it was sweet and creamy, It was so good! It was one of my favorite cakes of all time.
The reason I only gave this place 3 stars was that it was not as good as my favorite Mexican restaurant, el saltos. It was also more expensive, and in my opinion, not really worth the extra money. I would go back to the place, but honestly, I would rather go to el saltos, mainly because of the price and location.
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