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Eat Feature

Classic American

Christopher Myers
Metropolitan Coffee House And Wine Bar

Eat Special Issue 2009

Cool Comfort EAT: City Paper's annual dining guide

Barbecue and Pit Andy Nelson's Barbecue 11007 York Road, Cockeysville, (410) 527-1226, andynelsonsbbq.com, $-$$ Whe...

Breakfast Blue Moon Café 1621 Aliceanna St., (410) 522-3940, $ For years, Blue Moon has been saving t...

Cafés Atwater's Belvedere Square Market, 529 E. Belvedere Ave., (410) 323-2396; 1425 Clarkview Road, Suit...

Caribbean Judy's Island Grill and Bake Shop 5216 Park Heights Ave., (410) 367-0272, judysislandgrill.com, $-$...

Chinese Grace Garden Chinese Restaurant 1690 Annapolis Road, Odenton, (410) 672-3581, gracegardenchinese.co...

Classic American Burke's Restaurant and Café 36 Light St., (410) 752-4189, burkescafe.com, $$-$$$ Burke's is n...

Contemporary American Abacrombie Fine Food and Accommodations 58 W. Biddle St., (410) 837-3630, abacrombie.net, $$$ Cork...

Delis Attman's Authentic New York Delicatessen 1019 E. Lombard St., (410) 563-2666, attmansdeli.com, $ N...

Diners Jimmy's Restaurant 801 S. Broadway, (410) 327-3273, $ A cornerstone of Fells Point, Jimmy's slings ...

Eclectic Golden West Café 1105 W. 36th St., (410) 889-8891, goldenwestcafe.com, $-$$ Baltimore has ple...

Ethiopian Dukem #2 1100 Maryland Ave., (410) 385-0318, dukemrestaurant.com, $-$$ Luckily, pretty much the on...

French Bonaparte Breads 903 S. Ann St., (410) 342-4000, $ This Fells Point bakery boasts a surprisingly e...

Hawaiian Roy's 720 Aliceanna St., (410) 659-0099, roysrestaurant.com, $$$ With so many fabulous local resta...

Indian and Nepalese Akbar 823 N. Charles St., (410) 539-0944, akbar-restaurant.com, $$ Akbar has the feel of a secret ...

Irish James Joyce Irish Pub and Restaurant 616 S. President St., (410) 727-5107, thejamesjoycepub.com, $$...

Italian Aldo's 306 S. High St., (410) 727-0700, aldositaly.com, $$$ "Sophisticated" and Little Italy don't...

Japanese Aloha Sushi 1218 N. Charles St., (443) 759-8531, $-$$ Everything about Aloha Sushi is just right...

Korean Joung Kak 18 W. 20th St., (410) 837-5231, $$ Its partisans will tell you this is the best Korean r...

Latin Arcos Restaurant and Bar 129 S. Broadway, (410) 522-4777, arcosrestaurante.com, $$ Because there's...

Mediterranean Black Olive 814 S. Bond St., (410) 276-7141, theblackolive.com, $$-$$$ Fells Point Greek restauran...

Middle Eastern Amer's Café 7624 Belair Road, Belair Beltway Plaza, Nottingham, (410) 668-5100, amerscafe.com,...

Pizza Angelo's Carry-Out 3600 Keswick Road, (410) 235-2595, angeloshampden.com, $ Best pizza in Hampden ...

Pub Grub Curb Shoppe Bar and Grill 5736 Falls Road, (410) 433-8299, curbshoppe.com, $ This neighborhood pub...

Russian Vernisage 1004 Reisterstown Road, Pikesville, (410) 484-7701, $$-$$$ With its glass chandeliers an...

Seafood Blue Sea Grill 614 Water St., (410) 837-7300, blueseagrill.com, $$$ A daily selection of "Fresh ...

Southern Charleston 1000 Lancaster St., (410) 332-7373, charlestonrestaurant.com, $$$ Somewhere along the l...

Spanish Pazo 1425 Aliceanna St., (410) 534-7296, pazorestaurant.com, $$$ If you don't leave Pazo a little ...

Thai Ban Thai 340 N. Charles St., (410) 727-7971, banthai.us, $$ Ban Thai is our favorite place to eave...

Upscale Comfort Food Ale Mary's 1939 Fleet St., (410) 276-2044, alemarys.com, $$ Kudos to Ale Mary's for celebrating th...

Vegetarian Liquid Earth 1626 Aliceanna St., (410) 276-6606, liquidearth.com, $$ We've appreciated the vegetar...

Vietnamese Baltimore Pho 1114 Hollins St., (410) 752-4746, baltimorepho.com, $$ Despite the downtrodden local...

Eat 2009

Posted 3/4/2009

Burke's Restaurant and Café

36 Light St., (410) 752-4189, burkescafe.com, $$-$$$

Burke's is not necessarily the kind of eatery you'd take someone on a first date, unless it wasn't going well. It looks like a diner stuffed into a Swiss chalet. But Burke's wouldn't still be standing after 75 years if it didn't have good American staples at reasonable prices. Given the ever-changing harbor area and the demise of Martick's and Marconi's, there's something comforting about taking a step back in time at Burke's.

McCabe's

3845 Falls Road, (410) 467-1000, $$

This staid bar/restaurant on the northwest edge of Hampden has a long-standing reputation for serving possibly the best burger in town. Moist, hefty, well seasoned and cooked, and available with myriad equally well-prepared toppings, but honest and straightforward, never too fancy-shmancy--it's a freaking burger after all. The awesome battered fries that come on the side don't hurt either. Entrees, particularly specials, are well executed and of hearty portions; baked potato soup is outstanding as are grilled pork chops.

Metropolitan Coffee House and Wine Bar

902 S. Charles St., (410) 234-0235, metrobalto.com, $$

Open for just over four years now, Metropolitan still has the food and service of a new kid on the block. In other words, it's still good, and the staff still tries. This small Federal Hill hangout is chic yet warm, with a mod black-and-red exterior and a rich wood and exposed-brick interior. With an atmosphere that's everything a city restaurant should be, the mostly American menu is also consistently interesting and tasty. A craving for the blueberry pancakes will expose you to the highlight of the morning there: a self-service coffee station offering a wide variety of freshly brewed, high quality coffee.

Mount Vernon Stable and Saloon

909 N. Charles St., (410) 685-7427, www.mvstable.com, $

With its dining facilities and a downstairs bar a hot spot for the rainbow flag set, the Stable is a good option for a laid-back dinner or a beer-fueled rager. Though service may be slower than desired, the waitstaff treats you like family. Often you don't even realize how long your food takes to arrive because your perky waiter keeps you entertained, making you feel like a new best friend. The Stable is known for its baby back ribs, which are unimpeachable, but some other dishes fail to live up to expectations. The Reubenesque and the Caesar salad are good staples to fall back on.

Perring Place

2305 Cleanleigh Drive, Parkville, (410) 661-0630, $$-$$$

Peter Angelos' old-fashioned restaurant has managed to survive its tough location at Perring Parkway and McLean Boulevard, and on any given evening, Perring Place will be filled with a distinctly older crowd enjoying martinis and crab cakes, Manhattans and prime rib, and waitresses in black and white uniforms who never fail to call you "hon." If you like liver and onions, by all means order it here.

The Prime Rib

1101 N. Calvert St., (410) 539-1804, theprimerib.com, $$$

One of the few survivors of old-school Baltimore fine dining, the Prime Rib is still the place to go for truly special occasions. It possesses that rare confluence of supremely good service, genuinely swank environs, and, of course, utterly superlative cuisine, all present on an unwaveringly consistent basis. It's hard not to order the gorgeous and exquisite prime rib, but seafood here is also exceptional. The expertly aged beef is a step above even the most "upscale" of the chain steakhouses that have cropped up in town. And yes, jackets are still required for gentlemen.

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