Westminster ? Legends Caf?
(Staff Photo: Alison Miller)
Legends Caf?, right here in Westminster, has been a local diamond-in-the-rough during the years at its original location off of route 140. Every time I had been to that location, there were never more than a handful of other dinners, and, frankly, I always thought it deserved more. Fortunately, the recent re-opening at TownMall seems to have really increased the turnout. It is about time that more people from the area venture outside of the numerous chain restaurants and experience creative and flavorful food. This coming Valentine?s Day is the perfect opportunity to experience this establishment, whether it is for the first time or the tenth time.
The movie star d?cor and menu theme help the restaurant stand out, but it is the well made food that makes it worth coming back. The food was enjoyable even before the change in location, but the theme was pushed a little too far in the old spot. Fortunately, the owners took advantage of having a larger and more elegant room design by utilizing the Hollywood theme in a more refined and simple fashion. The old spot may have contained a lot of interesting items, such as posters, records, and memorabilia, but the amount of d?cor didn?t seem appropriate for a place that creates higher quality food. The new, classier look is still casual enough to make anyone feel comfortable whether dressed up or down, but it also has a romantic atmosphere suitable for most couples.
(Photo Courtesy of Legends Caf?)
Like the comfortable, yet elegant, dining environment, the food will appeal to nearly anyone and any budget as well. The menu offers a wide variety of food, including gourmet sandwiches, pasta dishes, handmade pizza, and seafood. The main menu contains items available all year, yet they do offer a frequently changing list of specials ? usually coinciding with holidays and events, using what is fresh for the season. ?(The Legends Caf? Facebook page is a great way to be informed of current specials.) My favorite part of the specials list is the constantly updated list of beer at the bottom. Yes, they do carry wine and mixed drinks, but the beer list is significant because, even though it is a short list, it has a very well thought out variety ranging from easy-to-find to just plain unique. For anyone who enjoys a good beer, I highly recommend getting the beer sampler, where you get a smaller size of any four of the draft beers from the list: a very good deal.
My most recent meal there happened to be during the January grand reopening celebration, and I wasn?t aware before I got there. That night was obviously a busy one and I had to wait for about half-an-hour to be seated, which I didn?t mind since I didn?t make a reservation. Lately, there has been a short wait for most nights, so I suggest making reservations if you decide to go for Valentine?s Day. My waiting time that night went quickly and, despite the large crowd, the staff seemed to handle themselves very well. The food took a little time, but it was well worth the wait. I had the Chicken Janet Lee, a crab cake stuffed chicken breast with imperial sauce, and it was much bigger than I expected, plus the imperial sauce was my favorite part of the dish. Any chicken and seafood fan would be in heaven. Although, pairing it with a green vegetable, instead of roasted potatoes, would have been more my preference. I will still recommend it, and the crab dip is also a common favorite for many people. I personally suggest the pub pickles. Even the homemade potatoes chips are more than worth keeping instead of upgrading to fries.
(Staff Photo: Alison Miller)
The growing crowd makes it apparent that more and more people in the area are starting to catch on to the knowledge that Legends is one of the better places in Westminster. Legends Caf? is a good example of why you don?t have to go to a stuffy, white tablecloth restaurant to enjoy good food.
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Hampstead ? Fratelli?s
(Image Courtesy of Surrendered Images Photography)
In Chris Ceary?s Book Blog #13, she intimated her fascination with bromance in literature. At 8:13 pm, Ceary?s writing manifests a reflection upon the moment while waiting for companions in this bromantic repast.
From the sidewalk, Fratelli?s appears as a quaint Italian restaurant recently added to the Hampstead strip mall. Inside, diners are welcomed by a larger, brightly and pleasantly lit, restaurant with lacquered hardwood dining d?cor; its walls are adorned by hand-painted brick arches, lanterns (painted and real), and violins. Taking advantage of its size, the restaurant space is partitioned from front to back: a sports-oriented bar, regular dining area, and an area for larger groups. Despite the mix of dining experiences in one place, the patrons are courteous and Muzak sets the mood.
With the arrival of my companions, smiles, salutations, handshakes, and brief, but sincere, manhugs were exchanged before considering the chalkboard special menu at the reception desk. The staff at Fratelli?s anticipated our arrival with immediately warm greetings at the reception area and allowed us to be seated in the center dining area.
The dining tables and dining area are neat and clean, in part due to the employees consistent removal of empty plates and general insuring that the dining area remained free of refuse top to bottom. As the brethren of repast perused menus, this reviewer notes interest facts about his company: ?We are all height-advantaged (6? +), from different generations and backgrounds (city-raised and married, suburban county-raised and divorced, and rural county-raised and single), and prior to this adventure, were not aware that each of us knew the other. ?Our best commonality is that we all share the joy of good conversation, the Baltimore Ravens, and good food.
For appetizers we shared asparagus wrapped in prosciutto topped with raspberry-balsamic vinaigrette.
(Image Courtesy of Surrendered Images Photography)
Our married companion chose the special: a medium-rare, 16 oz. grilled ribeye topped with homemade garlic butter with asparagus and roasted potatoes. He chose Maryland crab soup as an additional side. Upon its arrival, he expressed pleasure that the taste was not typically salty like similar crab soups at other establishments. The neatly seared steak was delivered by our cheerful waitress Jodi: rightly pink, not wrongly bloody.
Our single companion had the shrimp penne vodka and shrimp fra diavolo ? also known as the firecracker shrimp. The penne pasta in vodka sauce (as well as the steak dinner special) ? that sometimes can be easily overcooked ? was hot and freshly done. ?Besides having a well-trained culinary staff, there is a pasta machine located in the corner of the dining area close to the kitchen. ?According to Fratelli?s manager, this machine is solely operated by one of the owners, who is also the father of the operator of the Hampstead location. ?Pasta is made twice a day from a process that has been passed down through generations ? along with the recipes that make up many of their menu items.
I elected for the Chicken Oscar. The amount of sauce was not light in volume and initially intimidated my personal preference, but the flavor was balanced with a light consistency with the sauteed chicken underneath. The hunks of lump crab, that are freshly cleaned by the kitchen staff , made a satisfactory exclamation to my taste buds.
(Image Courtesy of Surrendered Images Photography)
Fratelli?s dessert case is situated for public view in the main dining area. The ability to view their treats made decision-making simple. The chocolate spoon cake, which is spoon after spoon of cold, fudgy goodness in a cake, makes the mouth smile.? My companions loved the tiramisu and the 8-inch chocolate cake (the massive 10 inch high big-brother cake is something to see) with a side of ice cream.
Throughout the experience, the busboys, waitress, and other staff exhibited a sort of laidback class that permeated the atmosphere. Not only did they box our tasty leftovers, they requested our approval on how to box them with a smile and a reply of ?my pleasure.? If the service in Fratelli?s included a tip jar for each of its employees, the employees wouldn?t need an hourly salary.
At the end of our meal, the three of us left satisfied.? No one rushed us to leave and some of them even constructively contributed to bromantic banter (family, work, and sports) while we were there. ?We left as charmingly as we entered, but with a new bond in our relationship? Fratelli?s.
(Image Courtesy of Surrendered Images Photography)
The single complaint about Fratelli?s is although they have good taste in football teams (Ravens), IPAs and wine, and their food is mostly made in-house, they do not have a taste for local beverages. No Natty Boh or Flying Dog. Hopefully this was an oversight with their newness to the area.
Reservations are required. Children are welcome (wooden highchairs are available). Fratelli?s also has a location in Salisbury.
Exclusive Valentine?s Day Special: Stuffed lobster tail with crab and a choice of side. Unlimited salad and bread is included with the meal. ?Entrees average in price from $15-20.
Baltimore ? Fork & Wrench
(Staff Photo: Sean Gill)
Located in southeast Baltimore?s Canton neighborhood, Fork & Wrench is an American gastropub with a strong focus on atmosphere. Its owners allegedly spent two years crafting the space, which would feel well at home in New York City, to appear as though it stepped directly out of the post-prohibition era. They?ve accomplished that vision well. The pub?s high walls are filled with all manner of knick-knacks, from framed butterflies to shelves of books in the dining area, while the smallish bar features deeply cushioned, lushly red semi-circular booths that call out from the 40s. The result is a location that would be both a romantic and classy venue for your Valentine?s dinner.
Along with decor from the past, Fork & Wrench has resurrected something else: service. From the hostess who apologized profusely for a two-minute wait to the waiter who recommended his personal favorites at each step, the urgency to appease the customer and make them feel at home was evident throughout the establishment. Knowledge of the menu was at Woodberry Kitchen?s infamous level.
Faced with my notoriously finicky dining partner?s dislike of her drink, the server not only removed that item from the bill but also worked with the bartender to custom make a drink more to her liking. The final cocktail, which miraculously combined sparkling white wine and vodka in a drink that was in no way spirit forward, was then billed out at the lowest possible price.
Service like that was more than enough to help overlook some Valentine?s-specific problems. First, the restaurant side of the bar ? while not really suffering from bar-side noise ? is still quite loud. This problem is compounded by the staff bounding up and down the kitchen stairs at break-neck speed. At times, the entire floor would shake with their energetic climbing. Not exactly romantic, but again, a small price to pay for world-class service.
Fork & Wrench?s Valentine?s Day menu, which runs from 5PM ? 10PM on the 14th only, is available on Facebook. If you can score reservations during that time, consider the bison carpaccio, marinated in espresso and dusted with chocolate, paired with the sous vide monkfish, plated with a birch beer reduction. The result is sure to be an iconically American experience, and the bison is locally sourced from Gunpowder Bison & Trading Company, only a half-hour away. If you?ve left room, share a slice of white chocolate cloud cake with your loved one. Shy away from their other dessert option, the s?more, because the house-made honey graham ice cream suffers from an icy texture and general lack of flavor.
If you?re not able to land reservations for the Valentine?s Day event, don?t fret. Their regular menu is sure to please on another day. When you go, share an order of the parsley and garlic fries, as well as the kale salad, which is about as bright and well-composed a winter salad as can be expected in a locally sourced Baltimore restaurant.
No matter when you go, be sure to try their Brass Tacks cocktail, reportedly the most popular drink in the house. Using an honest-to-god Pikesville rye whiskey with a house-made ginger syrup, the drink comes together smoothly with the help of (also in-house) brandied cherries. The touch of sweetness added by those two ingredients tames the rye into a dangerously drinkable libation. Not in the mood for a cocktail? Brewer?s Art and Stillwater Brewing company ? two of Baltimore?s best ? are both well represented on the Fork & Wrench menu. Maryland wines, however, are not so lucky.
Being located in Canton puts the pub in good company ? Annabel Lee Tavern, which Alison Miller reviewed for last year?s Valentine?s Day edition, is a scant mile away on South Clinton Street. However, just as she pointed out last year, it bears noting that one does not simply park in Canton. Plan to spend an additional ten minutes finding a spot for your vehicle when considering your departure time.
Fork & Wrench opened in March of last year. It was quickly adopted by locals and named best new restaurant by City Paper, and, as such, reservations are highly recommended. Walk-ins, however, are welcome. The dress code is casual but many patrons tend toward a very smart casual. Entrees range in the mid-$20s.
Fork & WrenchReview By: Sean Gill
Location: 2322 Boston St, Baltimore, MD 21224
Telephone: 410.759.9360
Website: http://www.forkandwrench.com
Source: http://the-quill.org/?p=6440
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