Food Friday: Daniela’s Pasta & Pastries

Friday, June 15th, 2012 by The Professor

We first noticed this small new shop from our booth at Honfest last year as it opened up with promising deserts for sale and fresh home made pasta choices.  Now, it’s in full swing and even has printed menus!  With only 2 tables inside and 2 display counters it’s not a place where you’ll probably spend a lot of time sitting down.  That’s ok because Daniela Useli, the former chef at Sotto Sopra, prepares everything for easy take out.  From thick wonderful slices of lasagna (in soo many varieties) to delicate cannoli, you can grab an entire meal to go, and either have their helpful staff heat it for you or give you hints on the best way to heat it at home.  How about Saccottini di Polpa di Granchio, her hand-made egg pasta filled with crab-meat, shrimps, Italian parsley, sundried tomatoes, garlic, vodka, cream served with fresh tomato marinara sauce?  Hungry yet?  You can even have her custom make your pasta by the pound for take home.  Her ravioli are fantastic, delicious monsters and a great deal.  On a recent trip we sampled from all over the menu and didn’t find a single dud, but instead found a treasure trove of choices – who thought meatballs could be so tasty?  The small case in the shop lets you see some of the specials, and the menu offers the wide array of lasagna and ravioli choices.  Lunch and Dinner packages are very reasonably priced and very filling.  Save room for the desert case… just sayin.

(443) 759-9320

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Food Friday: The Chameleon Cafe

Friday, June 8th, 2012 by The Professor

It’s hard to resist telling people about the Chameleon.  Sometimes you want to protect your secret favorite place so you can still get a table and sometimes you want to help owners Jeff and Brenda get all the success they so richly deserve.  At the risk of losing a seat, you simply have to try The Chameleon Cafe.  The number of 4 and 5 star reviews the Chameleon has received should tell you this is no fluke.  After 10 years in Baltimore, they’re still gaining more raves – a rarity in the restaurant world of next-big-things and this-weeks-trend-style.  They also now offer a Prix Fixe Menu Tuesday-Thursday.  What do they do?  They serve seasonal, local foods with a French-inspiration in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.  What does that mean?  It means you get amazing dishes sourced from local farms and fisherman such as “spring vegetable fritto misto/ ramp aioli, red pepper relish” or “duck confit/ farro and olive salad, pickled cherry jus” or “grilled soft shell crab/ spring pea flan, bacon marmalade”… Did we mention the knowledgable staff and well-paired wine list?  Never mind, forget we told you about it – stay away, it’s OURS! (more…)

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