Marie Louise Bistro – 904 North Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Wow, it has been a long time. December was a nightmare for me.  I went to Cambodia at the beginning of the month, then back to the US for a few days before flying to Kosovo. It didn’t stop there. For Christmas we decided to DRIVE to Toronto. 9 hours of picking our way through snow and some of the worst drivers in the world. Seriously, how do they get their licenses? And how can some of the rust buckets they drive be allowed on the road?

Some of the road signs were very very funny, like “Watch out for Drink Drivers”. Why should I watch out for drink drivers? Why not say “Don’t Drink and Drive”? Have the police given up trying to STOP people from drink driving, instead we all have to watch out for these idiots?

Anyway, I still haven’t got my US license. I need to get off my butt and get that done. I have no idea why I must go for four hours of drink and drug awareness. It needs to be all the drink drivers who should go. Insane.

Thank goodness for Baltimore Restaurant Week for bringing back some sanity. The Wife and I took the opportunity to enjoy Marie Louise Bistro in Mount Vernon.

This place is fantastic. If you have read my other blogs, you will know I do not rave about anywhere! But this place was great.

We ate off the set menu for Restaurant Week. You can’t go wrong with $30 for three courses. And this place went above and beyond. The service was spot on, friendly but not kiss ass. The food was wonderful. Deserts from Patisserie Poupon, and tea from Harney & Sons. Harney and his boys might not be English, but they still do actually know something about tea.

This is a new restaurant I am actually interested in going back to. Thank you Baltimore Restaurant Week for making it fun to go try new places!

Our Rating

***** Looking forward to coming back.

Tapas Teatro - 1711 N. Charles Street, Baltimore

I love watching a good movie. I am very excited about the new James Bond film, Quantum Of Solace. The trailers have looked very exciting. Initially, I was concerned about having a blonde guy trying to be the tall dark and handsome Bond that I myself aspired to be. But Daniel Craig's first portrayal of Bond was really engaging. I think this next movie is going to be a cracker.

I know Quantum Of Solace is going to be shown in lots of theatres when it releases, but unfortunately, I do not like the majority of cinemas. The sticky floors, people talking through the movie, and overpriced soda and popcorn. The Wife and I went to watch a movie at AMC Towson Commons once. One girl shouted another down, and asked the B*$%h to step outside. We haven't been back. Thankfully I have been impressed by the growing number of independent and 'boutique' movie theatres that have been arriving in Baltimore.

We really enjoy the old school Senator, it provides a refreashing step back in time. Old school elegance with a hightech (ish) movie experience. The new Landmark Theatre in Harbor East is much more modern, and like the Senator you can take your drinks in to the movie. But I do take objection to drinking out of a plastic cup. So that leaves The Charles Theatre at 1711 N. Charles Street. This is the epitome of cool. They show arty films for film lovers. I don't know what it makes me, I went to see Borat there. But it is a great experience. It is a shame they do not have Quantum Of Solace lined up to play.

I would highly recommend that you visit 1711 N. Charles Street though if just to go to Tapas Teatro.

This trendy restaurant is very popular, and for good reason. The service is always polite and prompt. The drinks are well mixed, with great wine and beer selections. Their tag line, small plates big pleasure, really is true. The quality of ingredients is very difficult to fault. This is a restaurant you can rely on for consistently good food.

The restaurant has just started a new scheme to use local produce. This doesn't only mean the quality of produce can be easily monitored by the restaurant, the menu will be even more seasonal, they will be helping local farmers and their carbon footprint will be reduced significantly. We often forget the thousands of miles our produce often travels and the impact that is having on our environment.

The Wife and I are big fans of restaurants that support local farmers and are environmently friendly.

I chose the Sprouts with Truffle Parmesan sauce, and Lamb Meatballs. The wife chose New Potatoes and Beef Skillet Steak. The wife said the Sprouts were the best she has every had, the new potatoes were fresh and really tasty. 

To be honest, I felt a little let down by the steak and meatballs. Often we have the Lamb Cutlets, but we stepped outside our box, and they were not as tasty as the Lamb. Still excellent, but slightly dissapointing for this fantastic restaurant. I felt there was a little too much cumin in the meatballs, and the steak was a little over cooked for our taste.

Overall we love Tapas Teatro, and we know we will be going back time and time again. Maybe next time we will have a meal and then head to the cinema. 

Our Rating

**** given our usual experience it should be five.

Kalis Meli - 1636 Thames St, Baltimore

So, not being from the US Halloween is a bit lost on me. Adults dressing up in costumes and getting so drunk that they can't see. It doesn't really appeal. Don't get me wrong, us Brits know how to drink. But the whole adults dressing up thing, that really confuses me. In Baltimore, it looked like Fells Point was the place to be if you were dressed up as the joker or a slutty nurse.

The Wife and I were grateful for the refuge that was Kalis Meli. The restaurant was a stones throw from all the 'action', but it seemed like a world away. Entering through the patissere, the restaurant and bar area has a very cool and sexy atmosphere. We were invited downstairs to the lounge area which was much more laid back than upstairs. The other diners, were young, hip and sexy. Some of our friends were there too. We decided we could hang out here. 

The waitress promptly took our drinks order, the Wife chose a glass of red, and because the place was very cool and sexy I chose a martini. If Bond can get away with it, then surely I can too?

Looking through the seasonal menu, we found it hard to decided what to eat. I went with the Duo of Duck and the Wife went with the Lamb Shank. Very difficult to choose though.

Not long after ordering, our drinks arrived. I don't think James would have ordered my martini. He definitely could have pulled it off. I didn't feel so comfortable drinking from the leopard print glass. Not very macho. The Wife's red wine looked much more manly. After getting passed the glass, the drink was nicely mixed, strong enough to know it was alcoholic but not blow my socks off.

The food didn't take too long to arrive, they clearly have the system well organized. The portions are pretty big, they probably could cut the size down by a quarter and keep people happy. We may then also have room to order dessert.

My Duo of Duck was cooked perfectly. It was juicy and slightly pink. It came with a nice side salad, that had orange marmalade running through it and was topped by a quails egg. Being a duo there was a leg and breast with a rich reduction gravy. The flavours were very well balanced, and I can highly recommend this dish.

Dining with the Wife is great, she is so small it is rare that she finishes a meal. Given the large size of the portions here, I was in for a very special treat. The Lamb Shank was very tender. The meat just fell off the bone. I could eat this everyday. Another meal we could highly recommend.

With the great atmosphere and food, there wasn't anything scary about the restaurant. It was the perfect hide out from Halloween.

The Wife's Rating

****

My Rating

****

* Are you Joking?

** A Horror Show

*** Trick or Treat?

**** Candy Apple Sweet

***** Light my Lantern