The restaurants at the Avenue at White Marsh don't seem to change very much, except for the one across from Red Brick Station. That space most recently housed The Tilted Kilt; before that, Bayou Blues Cafe. Now it's a Bar Louie. This nationwide chain specializes in the kind of food that seems to make Americans the happiest: burgers and other sandwiches; flatbreads; Mexican-inspired items like tacos and nachos; plus salads, pasta, and booze. It's one of those places that, if you're among a group of people who all want different things, can make everyone happy.
Before the restaurant opened to the general public, Mr Minx and I were invited in to taste the menu, on them. Having been to the Bar Louie in Hunt Valley a couple of times, we knew what the restaurant was all about. Normally a loud and boisterous venue, it was nice to be able to dine there while it was still uncrowded and somewhat quiet, though the "friends and family" guests were already starting to have a good time at the very early hour of 4pm. It was happy hour, after all.
We started off with cocktails, two of the restaurant's signature martinis. Mr Minx had the cucumber-forward Effen Good, made with Effen cucumber vodka, mint, lime juice, and agave nectar. I had the Tea Ketel, with Ketel One vodka, Earl Grey and honey syrup, lemon juice, Fee Brothers orange bitters, and La Marca Prosecco. Both were good, made with quality ingredients (and a steal at $5.50 during Happy Hour), though I preferred his drink to mine. I felt the fizz of the prosecco to be unnecessary and somewhat disconcerting in a martini.
We started off with a couple of apps, labeled "bar bites" on the menu. The flash-fried calamari with spicy pickled peppers and a charred lemon to squeeze over were served with a dip of aioli rather than the usual (and tired) marinara. There was a generous amount of tender tentacles, and we were happy with the dish overall.
What really turned me on was a dish called "roasted roots," namely carrots and radish, in an Angry Orchard cider glaze with warm whipped goat cheese and spiced Rice Krispies. Honestly, it was pretty shocking to see a dish of roasted carrots on the menu. Vegetables that are not brussels sprouts are rare as hen's teeth in chain restaurants, and I have to wonder how long these will be on the menu. (There is also the trendy roasted cauliflower!) The menu at the White Marsh Bar Louie is a test menu, btw, that they are hoping to roll out to the other restaurants at some point in the future. You'll find things here that aren't at other locations, and vice versa. Like those carrots, which despite the cider glaze, were not at all sweet. The radishes--a highly underutilized vegetable that is far more delicious cooked than it is raw--were a nice earthy touch. Carrot freak that I am, I would order this again.
I wasn't as thrilled with the chicken and churros. While perfectly Instagrammable, the textures were a bit disappointing. The boneless white meat chicken was juicy and perfectly cooked, but the coating quickly grew soggy under the buffalo maple glaze. The savory churros were a little tough. The flavors, though, were fine.
Mr Minx's sandwich, however, the "BBQ Pork & More," was the highlight of the meal. A crispy and sturdy (but not hard) pretzel bun stood up to its filling of moist chunks of pork in a bbq sauce topped with bacon onion jam, white cheddar, crispy pork rinds, and aioli. It was sweet (but not too), juicy, porky, and delicious, and surprisingly not at all messy. The accompanying fries were pretty good, too.
There are only two desserts on the menu, churros with bourbon-spiked maple dulce de leche (or a non-alcoholic double chocolate sauce), and an ice cream sundae of sorts. Having already had enough of the churros, we decided to split the sundae. We had a choice of a squeeze bottle of Bailey's espresso liqueur, or boring non-alcoholic espresso cream sauce; we chose the former. After applying the sauce to the vanilla ice cream, the effect was somewhat like a chilled, boozy, affogado (espresso over ice cream).
As I mentioned earlier, we'd been to the Hunt Valley Bar Louie a couple of times. In fact, I had a blog post started quite a while ago, but never got around to finishing it. This seems like as good a time as any, as some of the things we ate are still on the Hunt Valley menu and will likely remain there until the future new menu rollout.
I am a sucker for most Asian-flavored items, so we had to try the tempura shrimp. Tempura was a bit of a misnomer, as the batter on the shellfish was more akin to a beer batter in texture. It came with three sauces, Szechwan (sic), Thai chili lime, and buffalo.
I was also into the Thai Chicken flatbread, topped with spicy chicken, mozzarella and provolone cheese, green onion, red pepper, jalapeños, and house-made Thai peanut sauce.
We also had a straightforward beer-battered cod and fries with tartar sauce...
...and beef brisket sliders (sliced beef brisket, peach moonshine barbecue sauce, pickles, topped with grilled pear slaw) that were served with fries. Though I didn't taste the moonshine, the menu states that diners "must be 21" to order them, so I guess they use a goodly amount.
Everything we tried those on those prior visits was satisfying, particularly the flat bread (because peanut sauce). As I said before, if you want tacos and your friends want pizza and burgers, Bar Louie can make everyone happy.
Bar Louie
The Avenue at White Marsh
8133-C Honego Blvd
Baltimore, MD 21236
410-844-7512
http://www.barlouie.com/locations/states/maryland/white-marsh
Hunt Valley Towne Centre
118 Shawan Rd
Hunt Valley, MD 21030
443-541-2950
Posted on Minxeats.com.
Showing posts with label media dinner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label media dinner. Show all posts
Monday, September 24, 2018
Monday, September 25, 2017
Le Bistro du Village
Anyone who had ever been to Crepe du Jour on Sulgrave Avenue in Mount Washington realized that while they had a wide selection of sweet and savory crepes available, they also had a full menu of French favorites like soupe a l'oignon and coq au vin. Those who had never been there, however, probably thought it was just a crepe shop. Mais non! To end seventeen years of possible confusion, owner Mustapha Snoussi changed the name of his French restaurant to Le Bistro du Village. A bit of truth in advertising, as their web site notes.
To help spread the word about the name change and the menu they've always offered, the restaurant invited a select group of local media influencers in for a lovely three course dinner. I was happy for the opportunity to sink my teeth into some duck confit and escargots.
The menu at Le Bistro du Village is divided into several parts. Hors d'oeuvres, les salades composer, les moules maison, and les soupes du jour are essentially appetizers, although many dishes could be a meal unto themselves. Plats Principaux are entrees; there are also sides and, of course, crepes. Desserts, too, for those who don't want to end their meal with a sweet crepe.
We started with four apps for the table. My favorite was the seafood vol-au-vent, a puff pastry shell filled with a mixture of shrimp, scallops, and mushrooms in a tomato-based Provençal sauce. The seafood was tender, and the sauce was simply delicious.
I also enjoyed the moules marinières, a classic preparation of mussels cooked in white wine, with tomatoes, garlic, parsley, & shallots. The mussels were small (a good thing - I find large mussels to be tough) and tender, and the sauce begged for lots of crusty bread with which to mop it up.
We also sampled a salade Niçoise, a classic composed salad usually (but not always) involving tuna, tomatoes, eggs, and green beans. This dish especially would make a nice light supper on its own.
And what's a French dinner without escargots in garlic butter? A travesty. These were classic all the way. Honestly, more restaurants should use escargots. They are really delicious.
For my entree I chose the duck, which included a confit leg and duck breast that was cooked a la sous vide before the skin was browned in a pan. It came with potatoes, spinach, and an orange sauce. At first I was worried that the orange sauce would be too sweet (my first experience with duck a l'orange came at age 11, with cold duck and cloying sauce) but was happy to find that the one at Le Bistro du Village is light and well-balanced. And the dish is beautiful, no?
Also lovely was the carré d'agneau aux herbes, herbed rack of lamb to you and me. The perfect pink chops came with asparagus, roasted potatoes, and a Dijon mustard sauce.
Others at the table ordered the perfectly cooked salmon filet and the unphotogenic but tasty coq au vin, which came over a bed of noodles. There are also plenty of other classic French dishes on the menu, like boeuf Bouguignon and chicken cordon bleu, but also a burger topped with Brie and bacon, for those not wanting to venture too far into the unfamiliar territory of a foreign cuisine. (I am being facetious. Some people just like burgers.)
Our dessert choices were between crepes Suzette and chocolate mousse. All but one of us opted for the crepe, which was not flambeed for us at tableside (the number of crepes would have created quite a blaze!) but still had the classic citrus/Grand Marnier flavor. The crepe was so light and tender, despite its size, most of us had no problem polishing off the whole thing.
Le Bistro du Village is open 7 days a week for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. The space is cozy and inviting, and the staff and owner are delightful. I will definitely be visiting more often, and you should, too.
Le Bistro du Village
1609 Sulgrave Ave
Baltimore, MD 21209-3617
410-542-9000
* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!
Posted on Minxeats.com.
To help spread the word about the name change and the menu they've always offered, the restaurant invited a select group of local media influencers in for a lovely three course dinner. I was happy for the opportunity to sink my teeth into some duck confit and escargots.
The menu at Le Bistro du Village is divided into several parts. Hors d'oeuvres, les salades composer, les moules maison, and les soupes du jour are essentially appetizers, although many dishes could be a meal unto themselves. Plats Principaux are entrees; there are also sides and, of course, crepes. Desserts, too, for those who don't want to end their meal with a sweet crepe.
We started with four apps for the table. My favorite was the seafood vol-au-vent, a puff pastry shell filled with a mixture of shrimp, scallops, and mushrooms in a tomato-based Provençal sauce. The seafood was tender, and the sauce was simply delicious.
I also enjoyed the moules marinières, a classic preparation of mussels cooked in white wine, with tomatoes, garlic, parsley, & shallots. The mussels were small (a good thing - I find large mussels to be tough) and tender, and the sauce begged for lots of crusty bread with which to mop it up.
We also sampled a salade Niçoise, a classic composed salad usually (but not always) involving tuna, tomatoes, eggs, and green beans. This dish especially would make a nice light supper on its own.
And what's a French dinner without escargots in garlic butter? A travesty. These were classic all the way. Honestly, more restaurants should use escargots. They are really delicious.
For my entree I chose the duck, which included a confit leg and duck breast that was cooked a la sous vide before the skin was browned in a pan. It came with potatoes, spinach, and an orange sauce. At first I was worried that the orange sauce would be too sweet (my first experience with duck a l'orange came at age 11, with cold duck and cloying sauce) but was happy to find that the one at Le Bistro du Village is light and well-balanced. And the dish is beautiful, no?
Also lovely was the carré d'agneau aux herbes, herbed rack of lamb to you and me. The perfect pink chops came with asparagus, roasted potatoes, and a Dijon mustard sauce.
Others at the table ordered the perfectly cooked salmon filet and the unphotogenic but tasty coq au vin, which came over a bed of noodles. There are also plenty of other classic French dishes on the menu, like boeuf Bouguignon and chicken cordon bleu, but also a burger topped with Brie and bacon, for those not wanting to venture too far into the unfamiliar territory of a foreign cuisine. (I am being facetious. Some people just like burgers.)
Our dessert choices were between crepes Suzette and chocolate mousse. All but one of us opted for the crepe, which was not flambeed for us at tableside (the number of crepes would have created quite a blaze!) but still had the classic citrus/Grand Marnier flavor. The crepe was so light and tender, despite its size, most of us had no problem polishing off the whole thing.
Le Bistro du Village is open 7 days a week for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch. The space is cozy and inviting, and the staff and owner are delightful. I will definitely be visiting more often, and you should, too.
Le Bistro du Village
1609 Sulgrave Ave
Baltimore, MD 21209-3617
410-542-9000
* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.
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Friday, May 19, 2017
A New Tide Rolls in for By The Docks
We took my mom to By the Docks in Middle River for her birthday in 2006. It was our first time there and, after re-reading the Minx's blog post about the restaurant, I see we weren't blown away by the place. Except for the crab cakes, that is. Three of us ordered them and were stunned by the softball-sized mounds sitting on our plates. The Minx and I always planned to go back, but with all the new restaurants that popped up over the last 11 years, we just never got around to it.
As it turned out, By the Docks has gone through some changes over the years, with the original owners selling in 2010 and then buying the place back in 2015. They've recently remodeled the 19th century building and revamped the menu. We were invited to come by and check out the changes, and we were more than happy to comply.
For her entree, the Minx ordered the Jewels of the Sea: the colossal jumbo lump crab cake they are so well known for along with a 4-ounce lobster tail, jumbo shrimp, and broiled scallops. The crab cakes have little filler and are very light on the Old Bay, so the sweet crab flavor comes through. As if this wasn't enough food, each entree comes with two sides, in our case, baked potatoes and creamed spinach.
I went for the Rockfish a la Vasca: pan-seared rockfish sauteed with shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, calamari, and Jonah crab claws in a traditional Spanish green sauce of fresh parsley, garlic, and wine. The chef is originally from Spain and he sees this as sort of a paella of seafood without the rice. The green sauce is something I'd never had before, and the sheer quantity of seafood is overwhelming. When I read the description of the dish, I expected a couple of shrimp, one scallop, a couple clams, etc. As you can see from the picture, it's an orgy of shellfish piled so bounteously that you can't even see the rockfish underneath (which was delicious, by the way).
Other diners during this media event tried the stuffed lobster tail and were presented with a mountain of broiled crab meat, like the crab cake but even bigger, with a 9-ounce lobster tail hiding underneath. Portions are truly incredible here.
Of course, it's not all seafood. While it's the star, there are also plenty of chicken, steak, and pasta entrees, and sandwiches like oyster po' boys, Reubens, and burgers.
Even though we had to get boxes for our leftovers, we couldn't leave without trying a couple of their desserts, made by Yia Yia's Bakery. Turns out, the family that owns By the Docks also owns Yia Yia's, where we have been getting yummy holiday pies for years. Their baklava cheesecake has all the elements one typically finds in the Greek pastry, with a rich layer of creamy cheesecake in the middle. A great combination of two classic desserts.
The Smith Island cake is everything the traditional dessert should be with thin layers of white sponge glued together by rich, fudge-like frosting. As full as I was, I couldn't stop eating this dessert.
In addition to their regular menu offered every night of the week, By The Docks offers specials Monday through Thursday like Monday Lobster Night where you can get twin lobsters for $28.99 or Thursday Steak Night where all cuts are just $19.99, They also offer a $17.99 brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. We're quite confident we won't wait another 11 years to go back to By The Docks.
By the Docks
3321 Eastern Blvd
Middle River, MD 21220-2811
410-686-1188

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Monday, March 06, 2017
Hersh's - More than Pizza
After our very first trip to Hersh's, Mr Minx declared it to be his pizza holy grail. We had heard many terrific things about their pies, which turned out to be completely true. The crusts are perfect and the toppings creative and flavorful; the staff was lovely as well, which only makes things better.
But Hersh's is so much more than pizza, as we learned at a recent media event. On our prior visits to the south Baltimore restaurant, we had tasted some of their non-pizza offerings, but still ordered pizza, too. I mean, how could we not? As it turns out, one can have a fabulous meal there without eating anything that comes on a crust.
Among the things we tried that evening were a lusciously tender octopus dish with fried potatoes and 'nduja, broccolini served in a prosciutto broth with chopped marcona almonds, and this lovely "greens so hearty" salad.
There were also these super hot, double fried, chicken wings doused in a sauce of Calabrian peppers with a cooling yogurt drizzle....
...this crispy lamb breast with chevre polenta and lemony arugula....
...and a plate of house-made tagliolini with gulf shrimp, garlic, butter, more of those Calabrian chiles, and lemon/focaccia crumbs.
Of course there was pizza, the Fumo e Fuoco (front) with smoked mozz and fried eggplant, and the Kale and Pistachio topped with fontina, two of my favorite pies.
Everything was amazing. Everything. Good enough to cause me to lament the fact that Hersh's is a decent haul from our house in Towson, so we don't eat there as often as we'd like. If we lived in the neighborhood, we'd be there at least once a week, I'm sure.
It's clear they pay a lot of attention to detail at Hersh's, from the hand-made pasta to the layers of textures and flavors on every dish. Knowing this, we're definitely going to start ordering vegetable and pasta dishes on future visits. But we're never going to stop ordering the pizza, too.
Hersh's
1843 Light St.
Baltimore, MD 21230
(443) 438-4948
* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!
Posted on Minxeats.com.
But Hersh's is so much more than pizza, as we learned at a recent media event. On our prior visits to the south Baltimore restaurant, we had tasted some of their non-pizza offerings, but still ordered pizza, too. I mean, how could we not? As it turns out, one can have a fabulous meal there without eating anything that comes on a crust.
Among the things we tried that evening were a lusciously tender octopus dish with fried potatoes and 'nduja, broccolini served in a prosciutto broth with chopped marcona almonds, and this lovely "greens so hearty" salad.
There were also these super hot, double fried, chicken wings doused in a sauce of Calabrian peppers with a cooling yogurt drizzle....
...this crispy lamb breast with chevre polenta and lemony arugula....
...and a plate of house-made tagliolini with gulf shrimp, garlic, butter, more of those Calabrian chiles, and lemon/focaccia crumbs.
Of course there was pizza, the Fumo e Fuoco (front) with smoked mozz and fried eggplant, and the Kale and Pistachio topped with fontina, two of my favorite pies.
Everything was amazing. Everything. Good enough to cause me to lament the fact that Hersh's is a decent haul from our house in Towson, so we don't eat there as often as we'd like. If we lived in the neighborhood, we'd be there at least once a week, I'm sure.
It's clear they pay a lot of attention to detail at Hersh's, from the hand-made pasta to the layers of textures and flavors on every dish. Knowing this, we're definitely going to start ordering vegetable and pasta dishes on future visits. But we're never going to stop ordering the pizza, too.
Hersh's
1843 Light St.
Baltimore, MD 21230
(443) 438-4948
* Any products in this post that are mentioned by name may have been provided to Minxeats by the manufacturer. However, all opinions belong to Minxeats. Amazon links earn me $! Please buy!

Posted on Minxeats.com.
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Friday, November 25, 2016
Renovation and New Menu at The Milton Inn
Today, The Milton Inn has undergone an extensive renovation. The wallpaper is lighter, the curtains are of lighter fabrics and no longer weighed down by tassels, and many of the equestrian paintings have been replaced with other subjects, although there is a beautiful equestrian mural painted on all four walls of one of the upstairs dining rooms. The rooms are brighter, and while still elegant, the overall look says "classic" rather than "old-fashioned."
The menu, too, has received a face-lift in the form of fall flavors. It's quite extensive, covering all manner of fish, fowl, meat, and vegetables. Many of the items are available on the restaurant's small plates menu, albeit in smaller portions. Most small plates are $12 while some that use pricier ingredients have an up-charge. Make sure to read the menu carefully.
We were invited in to experience the changes. Everything that we tasted during our visit was quite delicious, including the items pictured below.
...the flatbread of the day: tomato sauce and cheese with caramelized onions...
...the Pasta of the Moment: on our visit it was spicy penne pasta with shrimp...
...the Fall Harvest Salad with mixed greens, maple vinaigrette, roasted butternut squash, feta cheese, and pistachio nuts...
...the Braised Beef Short Rib with plum barbecue sauce, root vegetable, and white cheddar mashed potatoes...
...and the Blackened Beef Tenderloin with barbecue sauce and béarnaise cheddar grits.
We finished off the meal with a sampling from their dessert menu: a seasonal berries tart with blackberries, raspberries and strawberries; macadamia torte with a caramel-laced chocolate cookie base studded with macadamia nuts, cream cheese mousse, and topped with chocolate ganache and macadamia nuts; and a chocolate truffle.
All next year, The Milton Inn will be offering a special menu to celebrate their 70th anniversary, which will also be Chef Brian Boston's 20th year with the restaurant. The menu is full of turn-back-the-clock classics like chateaubriand and shrimp remoulade, and includes hors d'oeuvres, mignardises, and coffee, plus a bottle of champagne or wine, for the bargain price of $130 per couple. The Minx and I look forward to dining there at some point after the first of the year, perhaps to celebrate our own anniversary.
The Milton Inn
14833 York Road
Sparks, MD 21152
410-771-4366

Posted on Minxeats.com.
Monday, October 17, 2016
La Food Marketa
I'm a big fan of Hampden's The Food Market. Chef Chad Gauss' food is inventive, and many of the options are of the small plates variety. I find that in so many restaurants I am more attracted to the appetizers than to the entrees, so this is right up my culinary alley. When we heard Chef Gauss was opening up a Mexican-influenced eatery called La Food Marketa in the culinary wasteland known as Baltimore County, we got excited. And even more excited when we were invited to a media dinner to sample a nice portion of executive chef John Bedingfield's menu.
We started off with adult beverages. There's wine and beer, specialty cocktails, fancy margaritas, and several versions on a sangria theme. I went for the grapefruit sangria (sparkling wine, grapefruit, honey dew, watermelon) while Mr Minx opted for the Spanish sangria (tempranillo, orange juice, pineapple, orange, pear), both of which made us happy.
We then received a parade of small plates from the "chiquita" and "pequeno" sections of the menu.
There was the "Bandito Box," which included salsa, queso, salsa verde, pico de gallo, and chips, and the Fish Taco Dip (smoked trout, dill sour cream, guac, pico, chili spices)...
...a duck confit stuffed pupusa (spicy cabbage, radish, cilantro)...
...charred octopus (churasco onions, chorizo chimichurri)...
...something called the "Sunken Crab Burrito," (melted cheese, mexican shrimp gravy)...
...and Street Corn (cotijo cheese, taco spice, tortilla, chili lime mayo). We enjoyed them all. The fish taco dip was a riff on a fish taco, of course, but also of that pot luck favorite, Seven Layer Dip. I wished we were sitting closer to the bowl of queso, but maybe distance was a good thing, otherwise I'd have eaten it all with the thin and crispy tortilla chips. Loved the charred flavor of the octopus, and that the pupusa was filled with a bounty of shredded duck. I didn't find the burrito to be particularly crabby, but all that soft tortilla and cheese action was beguiling.
We could have filled up on apps, but we got entrees, too. Mr Minx chose the duck breast with roasted mushrooms, asparagus, yucca spaetzle, and acai demi. He raved about the spaetzle, but the duck was a bit on the too rare side. Still, a very tasty combination of flavors on that plate.
I had the scallops, which were accompanied by cumin-basted carrots, avocado, pecans, "smooth potatoes" and something akin to cornbread that the menu called "sweet corn tamalitos." While I felt the potatoes and cornbread were one starch too many, I couldn't fault the sweet and tender scallops. The carrots made me happy as well. And avocado. And pecans. Yum.
Then there was dessert - chocolate tres leches cake, a pina colada bread pudding, sorbetto with torched marshmallow, and something called a "crazy banana milkshake" that involved cornflakes and pop corn. We had eaten so much other stuff we couldn't afford more than a token bite of the sweet stuff. I did sneak several tastes of the blood orange sorbetto though, and enjoyed it very much.
La Food Marketa has only been open for a month or so, but from our first visit, we can see it's definitely headed in the right direction. Here's to many happy future excursions to a fine new addition to Baltimore County's small collection of locally-owned, non-chain, restaurants.
La Food Marketa
Quarry Lake at Greenspring
2620 Quarry Lake Drive
Baltimore, MD 21209
410.415.0606
Posted on Minxeats.com.
We started off with adult beverages. There's wine and beer, specialty cocktails, fancy margaritas, and several versions on a sangria theme. I went for the grapefruit sangria (sparkling wine, grapefruit, honey dew, watermelon) while Mr Minx opted for the Spanish sangria (tempranillo, orange juice, pineapple, orange, pear), both of which made us happy.
We then received a parade of small plates from the "chiquita" and "pequeno" sections of the menu.
There was the "Bandito Box," which included salsa, queso, salsa verde, pico de gallo, and chips, and the Fish Taco Dip (smoked trout, dill sour cream, guac, pico, chili spices)...
...a duck confit stuffed pupusa (spicy cabbage, radish, cilantro)...
...charred octopus (churasco onions, chorizo chimichurri)...
...something called the "Sunken Crab Burrito," (melted cheese, mexican shrimp gravy)...
...and Street Corn (cotijo cheese, taco spice, tortilla, chili lime mayo). We enjoyed them all. The fish taco dip was a riff on a fish taco, of course, but also of that pot luck favorite, Seven Layer Dip. I wished we were sitting closer to the bowl of queso, but maybe distance was a good thing, otherwise I'd have eaten it all with the thin and crispy tortilla chips. Loved the charred flavor of the octopus, and that the pupusa was filled with a bounty of shredded duck. I didn't find the burrito to be particularly crabby, but all that soft tortilla and cheese action was beguiling.
We could have filled up on apps, but we got entrees, too. Mr Minx chose the duck breast with roasted mushrooms, asparagus, yucca spaetzle, and acai demi. He raved about the spaetzle, but the duck was a bit on the too rare side. Still, a very tasty combination of flavors on that plate.
I had the scallops, which were accompanied by cumin-basted carrots, avocado, pecans, "smooth potatoes" and something akin to cornbread that the menu called "sweet corn tamalitos." While I felt the potatoes and cornbread were one starch too many, I couldn't fault the sweet and tender scallops. The carrots made me happy as well. And avocado. And pecans. Yum.
Then there was dessert - chocolate tres leches cake, a pina colada bread pudding, sorbetto with torched marshmallow, and something called a "crazy banana milkshake" that involved cornflakes and pop corn. We had eaten so much other stuff we couldn't afford more than a token bite of the sweet stuff. I did sneak several tastes of the blood orange sorbetto though, and enjoyed it very much.
La Food Marketa has only been open for a month or so, but from our first visit, we can see it's definitely headed in the right direction. Here's to many happy future excursions to a fine new addition to Baltimore County's small collection of locally-owned, non-chain, restaurants.
La Food Marketa
Quarry Lake at Greenspring
2620 Quarry Lake Drive
Baltimore, MD 21209
410.415.0606

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Wednesday, March 09, 2016
Points South Latin Kitchen
Last week at a fun VIP party, we got a sneak peek at Bryson Keen's new Fells Point restaurant, Points South Latin Kitchen. One might remember Bryson from his 10 years as the very visible managing partner at Roy's Hawaiian Fusion, where he not only kept the place in tip top running order, but also led the very fun wine dinners that we attended from time to time. Bryson grew up around Latin cuisine; his grandmother owned a Tex-Mex restaurant in Fort Worth. We had high hopes for a fine eating experience at Points South, and our experience so far has been very good.
As we explored the newly revamped space (formerly home to both Meli and Anastasia) we enjoyed white and red sangria and selections from the restaurant's menu. Both kinds of pinchos, beef and shrimp, were among the passed appetizers that also included patacones (fried green plantain chips) topped with dollops of the Yucatecan toasted pumpkin seed dip known as Sikil Pak, and a meatless version of their carimanolas (yucca croquettes). Later, we were treated to a buffet that included grilled steak with Argentinean chimichurri, rice and beans, chicharrones of pork belly, and several salads.
We're hoping to go back sometime soon to have a real sit-down dinner and will keep you posted.

Posted on Minxeats.com.
As we explored the newly revamped space (formerly home to both Meli and Anastasia) we enjoyed white and red sangria and selections from the restaurant's menu. Both kinds of pinchos, beef and shrimp, were among the passed appetizers that also included patacones (fried green plantain chips) topped with dollops of the Yucatecan toasted pumpkin seed dip known as Sikil Pak, and a meatless version of their carimanolas (yucca croquettes). Later, we were treated to a buffet that included grilled steak with Argentinean chimichurri, rice and beans, chicharrones of pork belly, and several salads.
We're hoping to go back sometime soon to have a real sit-down dinner and will keep you posted.

Posted on Minxeats.com.
Labels:
beef,
chicharrones,
dinner,
Fells Point,
Latin cuisine,
media dinner,
plantains,
Roy's,
shrimp,
skewers,
vip
Monday, February 29, 2016
The Food Market's Private Kitchen
The Food Market used to have a pretty sweet employee lounge in the basement of their Hampden location, complete with a couch and big screen TV, but when the demands of their catering business required a prep kitchen, the lounge was the logical place to use. Once transformed into a place to cook, this new kitchen was sometimes idle between catering gigs. Chef Chad Gauss decided to add some decorative elements to turn the utilitarian cooking space into something resembling a Hampden basement and opened it up to special group dinners known as the Private Kitchen.
Seating up to 12 people, the Private Kitchen can be reserved for special events such as business meetings or sports viewing parties. There are three options for your dining pleasure: a monthly five-course chef's dinner; a-la-carte, with selections from the regular menu; and a "slay the menu" option where the guests leave their dining experience to the chef's discretion. The Minx and I were invited, along with other members of the media, to experience the five course chef's dinner option.
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Pretzels with beer sauce |
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Fried Pickles |
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Chicken Broth |
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Poached Pear Stuffed with Goat Cheese |
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Rockfish with Lump Crab Meat |
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Charred Lamb |
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S'mores |
You can have this same meal (or one like it) at the Food Market Private Kitchen on March 26th, 2016. Tickets are $80 per person, and will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. For more details and to buy tickets, go to http://www.thefoodmarketbaltimore.com/ and click the "Private Kitchen" link at the top of the page, then scroll down.

Posted on Minxeats.com.
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