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Eat Feature

The Hours and the Times

A Day in the Life of Baltimore Dining

Sam Holden
Sip & Bite

Eat Special Issue 1998

The Hours and the Times A Day in the Life of Baltimore Dining

Woke Up, Got Out of Bed Pete's Grille · Blue Moon Café and Espresso Bar · Bel-Loc Diner · Suburban House · Golden West Café · Cinnamon House · Jimmy's Restaurant

Baltimore, the City that Brunches Morning Edition Café · Weber's on Boston · Loco Hombre · Regi's American Bistro · Louie's Bookstore Café · Mount Vernon Stable and Saloon · Hull Street Blues · Grand Palace

The Noon Whistle Women's Industrial Exchange · Thairish · Silk Road Café · Suzie's Soba · Faidley's Seafood · Caribbean Kitchen · Minato Japanese Restaurant · The Bridge · Silk Road · Troia Bistro at the Walters · Caf

Meet Me at the Trough New No Da Ji · Sushi Chalet · Mughal Garden · Akbar · Bombay Grill · Attman's Authentic New York Delicatessen · The Roost · The Yellow Bowl · Micah's Cafeteria

Not Now, I'm on Break The Daily Grind · Funk's Democratic Coffee Spot · Donna's Coffee Bar · City Café · Java Joe's · One World Café · Strand Cybercafé · Coney Island

Get Happy Brass Elephant · Neon Moon · Globe Brewing Co. · The Brewer's Art · The Wharf Rat · John Steven, Ltd. · Kisling's · J.C.'s Bar and Grill · Nick's Inner Harbour Seafood Co. · Birds of a Feather · Bertha's

The Dinner Bell Breakfast is about responsibility, lunch is about sustenance, but dinner . . . dinner is about oppor...

Old Baltimore Haussner's · Martick's · Sabatino's · Da Mimmo · Palmer House · Gunning's Crab House · Bo Brooks · Obrycki's · Ikaros · Uncle Lee's Szechuan Restaurant · Tony Cheng's Szechuan Restaurant · Jerry's Bel

Road Kill The Fine Art of Dining à la Curb | By Joe MacLeod

New Baltimore Joy American Café · Sotto Sopra · Zodiac · Holy Frijoles · Corks · The Wild Mushroom · Jr. · Ruby Lounge

New Old Baltimore Winterling's · Mamie's Café · The Trolley Stop · Morgan Millard · Bay Breeze · Owl Bar · La Tavola · Opa

Big Night Baltimore The Black Olive · Tersiguel's · Kings Contrivance · Rudy's 2900 · Pierpoint · The Prime Rib · Tio Pepe's

TV Dinners Mediterranean Palace · Sushi Café · Iola Café · Al Pacino Café · Ledo Pizza · Tamber's Nifty Fifties Dining · Banjara/Singh Express · Chokchai

Out-of-Town Baltimore Braznell's Caribbean Kitchen · Saigon Restaurant · Thai Restaurant · Matsuri · Lisa's Cofee House · Ze Mean Bean Café · Blue Nile · Azeb's Ethiopian Restaurant · The Helmand · Ariana Restaurant

Out-of-Towner Baltimore Hard Rock Café · Baltimore Brewing Co. · Waterfront · Lista's · Joe Theismann's · Della Notte · Phillip's

Where Everybody Knows Your Name Café Tattoo · Sisson's Restaurant · Henninger's · Alonso's · Charles Village Pub · Mick O'Shea's · Kelly's · Buddies Pub & Jazz Club · Swallow at the Hollow · Peter's Inn

Cast Party Henry & Jeff's/Arrogant Director · La Tesso Tano · Thai Landing · Café Zen · Spike and Charlie's

Sweet Surrender Cheesecake Factory · Vaccaro's · Café Hon · Riverside Roastery and Espresso

In the Midnight Hour Valentino's · Captain James Landing · Sip & Bite · Double-T Diner · Gampy's · Nam Kang

Posted 2/25/1998

What's your favorite restaurant when you roll out of the sack in the morning, your stomach growling so loud it drowns out the alarm clock? What about in midafternoon, when your blood-sugar level plummets and your caffeine-quickened heart needs a jump? How about at 7 p.m., when you crave an alternative to that three-day-old lasagna in the fridge? Or late in the evening, when you and your companion seek a dimly lit haven where you can hold hands and highball glasses?

There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all restaurant, even though some joints try mightily to fit the bill (and often please no one in their attempts to please everyone). Some places have the bacon-and-eggs thing nailed. Others draw java junkies like a crack dealer with a good corner. Some bistros' entire clientele seems to consist of grown children and their visiting parents, all facing heaping plates of red meat and potatoes. Some restaurants get it together only when loading their dessert cart.

Some places push the limits of the adventurous palate, while others comfort the jangled body and spirit. And the Baltimore diner does not live by adventure or comfort alone. In the course of a day you may reach for both familiarity and exotica--ham and cheese on white for lunch, Afghan aushak with pan-fried pumpkin for dinner. This year's dining guide is designed to point out some of the tastier options available around town at any hour of the day--although if you prefer to enjoy your pan-fried pumpkin with your morning coffee, you're on your own.

One caveat before you dig in. This is a big town, with a big stomach. Eat 1998 includes the places that, for whatever reason, we consider indispensable entries on Baltimore's culinary checklist, but it is by no means exhaustive, nor could it be. (We love our work, but there are only so many restaurants we can sample and only so much space in which to write about them.) Just because an eatery isn't listed herein doesn't mean it isn't worth checking out. We hope you'll find Eat a useful tool in your gustatory explorations, but by all means do some exploring on your own--and let us know what you find.

Eat was written by Michelle Gienow, Brennen Jensen, and Andy Markowitz, with contributions from Carl Davies, Natalie Davis, Heather Joslyn, Joe MacLeod, Eileen Murphy, and Molly Rath. Sam Holden took the photographs (except for the "Road Kill" photographs, which were shot by David O. Barranco), and Tom Chalkley drew the adorable Mr. Eat.

ABOUT THE COVER: Chef Rigby's class from Baltimore International College posed for this year's Eat cover. A tip of the toque goes out to the chef, Theresa Amland, Claire Audsen, Bryan Cook, Sarah Davis, Rachel Goren, Shawn Graber, Marie Jenkins, Cheryl Percy, Holly Persinger, Eunice Roberts, Carl Simons, and Allegra Smith, and to Steve Duley and Dave Daniel for their help in coordinating the whole thing.

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