Dining in Baltimore (original) (raw)

So I moved to Baltimore a few months ago, and a few weeks ago I realized I still haven't eaten at many places. I decided it was time to go out and eat!

Since then, I've made a conscious effort to seek out new places and give them a whirl. Here's what I've checked out so far:

Chicken Rico: Slightly west of Patterson park, most people here have probably eaten here, so you already know that it's pretty great. The ambiance is nil, but they have very flavorful, rotisserie-cooked Peruvian-style chicken. I got a quarter chicken, yucca, plantains, and a coke for about $7, and I've got at least another meal left. I only wish that I got the dark meat quarter (they didn't ask, and I didn't specify), because mine was slightly dry, which seems (from other reviews) pretty abnormal for their chicken. The skin is great, though- nice and crispy, and well-flavored from the green spread they use to flavor it. The sides were pretty good too. My only question is that they gave me two sauces with the meal, and I have no idea what they were for-- one was spicy and green, and one tasted like a mayo/mustard mix, which was pretty good on the yucca. Anyone know?

Joe Squared: Charles Village. I read that the City Paper named this the "Best Pizza in Baltimore" on their Best of Baltimore list this year. So I was curious, and got the Chicken, Corn and Apple Pizza:
Tomato sauce, chicken, Vidalia onion, corn, granny smith apples, crushed red pepper, rosemary, mozzarella, provolone and cheddar cheeses.
I hope they were just having an off-night, because this pizza was pretty terrible. I was so disappointed. They bill themselves as "baltimore's only charcoal-grilled pizza", and it's easy to see why they are the only ones: mine was horribly burned on the bottom, and it tasted like I was eating a charcoal briquette. I had to peel the bottom off just to make it slightly edible. Then, they mention that there is crushed red pepper, but the pizza was so spicy, I could barely eat it. I read a review that says that they wished they could taste the pepper a little more, and the reviewer got their wish: it was overwhelming. The apple was almost non-existent, practically minced, so that it got lost in the burned charcoal and spicy pepper flavors.

My dining partner had a burger, and he said it was good (I didn't try it). The burger came with some fries, which were fine.

I really hope it was just an off-night for the place, and that it's not always like that (otherwise, what's up with City Paper?), but I was disappointed.

Last, Paper Moon Diner: In Charles Village. Probably everyone knows about this place, too, since it seems to be something of an institution from what I can gather. Anyway, all the food was really good here, if a bit overpriced for a diner ($2.50 for a cup of tea? Give me a break). I had the "Hella Portabella" sandwich, which was marinaded portabella mushrooms with baby spinach, mozzarella cheeze, and maybe something else (?) on foccacia. I got a side of onion rings. Sooo good. I downed the whole thing, and even the onion rings were good--nice fat slices of onion, none of those weird skinny onion rings, like fast food places.
The other person I was with got a burger (seeing a trend here?), and fries, both of which he said were really good. I tried the fries-- they were really good fries. Crispy outside, soft inside, didn't taste like the inside of someone's freezer. You know the type. I'd go back just for the fries, but everything was quite good.
My only gripe would be that the mannequins inside the place started to make me a little queasy, but that's probably just me: mannequin torsos in weird positions with stuff glued to them apparently freak me out. The place is kitschy as hell, and I'm sure I'll be back (and just sit with my back to the mannequins).

Any other places I should check out? I'm looking for places that it's expected I will have eaten at while living in Baltimore. I guess Bertha's makes the list, but I don't know what else... anyone?