The City That Breeds » Mealtime

Restaurante El Salvador

Evan The Mayor — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 18:58:35 +0000

At the beginning of last summer on a couple of white guys’ adventures in Latin bar hopping, I was introduced to Restaurante El Salvador (207 South Broadway, Upper Fells Point) – City Paper’s best Salvadoran restaurant of 2000! – and was subsequently impressed with the fairly inexpensive bottled beers ($3.50 for a Supremo) coupled with a Latin cuisine selection one wouldn’t often see outside of the usual burritos and enchiladas most commonly featured on more mainstream restaurants of that variety. Granted, they do have all of that – tacos, tamales, fajitas and the like – but the selections you don’t normally see are the real draw.

For instance, featured in the photo here in the top left: Honduran Enchiladas ($9.95). A hardboiled egg covered in cheese atop a slice of tomato, marinated ground beef mixed with pickled veggies and cabbage (NO LETTUCE EVER!) all on top of a deep fried tortilla. *Similar* to a Tostada, sure, but the pickled veggies and hard boiled egg are something I had never really seen on a dish like that before. At any rate, as an entree there’s the whole fried Tilapia with the expected sides of rice, refried beans, a small salad and some tortillas ($12.95). The fish was pretty awesome, great crispy fried skin and tender meat with onions and tomatoes mixed in for a bolder than usual flavor.

Decor-wise, if you even care at this point after seeing this food, El Salvador has some interestingly painted murals on the walls that make the place feel like some sort of Central American motel – a lot of Central/South American sceneries, sky-with-clouds airbrushed ceilings and standard booth seating, all of which keep the place feeling really bright and friendly even at 11:30pm. All of the televisions were tuned to weird telenovellas or spanish language infomercials during the meal, one such TV comically (at least to me) placed next to a giant Nutcracker, which are placed in various corners throughout the establishment.

But really if you’re going to check out El Salvador, do it for the inexpensive and well-made entrees. They’re worth your time, especially those tasty enchiladas. The service is friendly too. Get on it!

See more reviews on Urban Spoon –>

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Nachoquest: Riptide by the Bay

Evan The Mayor — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 16:27:11 +0000

Riptide (1718 Thames St., Fells Point) is an establishment regarded mostly for their seafood, so while peering at the menu the other day I thought to myself “Hmm. Nachos. That isn’t seafood. I’ll order these and eat them with my mouth.” These particular nachos start at $8.95, and with chicken added ($3) can get pretty pricey. They’ve got the lightly salted tortilla chip base covered, and are topped with a chipotle queso sauce, cilantro crema (what?), pico, corn and jalapenos.

Duly noted that you didn’t read the word “cheese” anywhere on that list, because these nachos are devoid of any actual melted cheese. Queso sauce and cilantro crema (what?), as zany and delicious to some as they may be, do not make an adequate substitute for the shredded golden deliciousness one would normally see atop Mount Nachopopolous. Which is not to say these nachos tasted poorly, the ingredients blended together fairly nicely and the portion size was suitable for at least three people, and there was some guacamole sneaking around in there somewhere. I actually wound up getting a box for the leftovers and taking them home, but quite frankly it was because they were $12 and I couldn’t in good conscience waste $6 in nachos, even if they are sort of mediocre.

Bottom line here, if you decide to try the nachos at Riptide, ask them *specifically* to add shredded cheese and they’d probably be worth it for you and your friends. Enjoy!

Three golden nachos out of five

(check out the Nacho Quest Google Map)

Stuggy’s Old Fashioned – best hot dogs in the city? (!)

Evan The Mayor — Mon, 23 May 2011 16:42:23 +0000

Even if you’re a 9th level Vegan, chances are pretty high that at some point in time in your life, you’ll develop a deep-seated, insatiable craving for mankind’s greatest achievement (aside from nachos), the hot dog. And if, when such a craving strikes, you go anywhere other that Stuggy’s (809 South Broadway) in Fells Point, you’re wasting your time and/or money. Stuggy’s menu boasts nine specialty dogs and sausages along with your standard quarter pound classics (all made to your customized liking, natch), including the Chi-town Dog (pictured, $5.99) heaped with corn relish, peppers, onions, tomato and a pickle spear. I came this close to ordering The Cuban ($7.09), which features pulled pork, swiss, pickle and mustard all piled on top of a 1/4 pound dog, but whatever. Either way, rest assured whatever dog you choose you’ll walk (or stumble, if you’re shithammered) away satisfied.

And as a bonus, the guy running the joint gave me a free drink for announcing that Saliva’s “Click Click Boom” really sucks, since it was on the radio at the time. Nice!

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PSA: Help suport SoBo cafe!

Evan The Mayor — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 17:11:10 +0000

When it comes to The Baltimore Eclectic, our city isn’t exactly lacking. It seems like every neighborhood has at least a few establishments which embrace that part of what makes Charm City, well, Charm City: the independent, quirky bar/restaurant with a truly at-home atmosphere and good home cooking. SoBo Cafe, in the heart of Federal Hill, is essentially one of the only such establishments in the neighborhood (with the exception of Dangerously Delicious) that follows this way of doing things, and they’d like some of your business if you don’t mind!

Anthony Durante, a SoBo Cafe superfan, posted an event on Facebook the other day that details the cafe’s predicament; an all-too familiar case of slowing business in a horrible economy. But unlike other “please help our business immediately!” clarion calls akin to the recently city-acquired Senator Theater, this is simply a request for you, the American comfort food-loving individual, to come on by SoBo Cafe sometime and enjoy their Meat Muffins or Mac n’ Cheese. Specifically, come on by this coming Thursday evening and join dozens of other neighborhood folks, ready to support one of their favorite local haunts.

With any luck and a bit of support (and some Chicken Pot Pie), SoBo Cafe will be around for another ten years at least – so if you’re in the area and you’re looking for a hugely-portioned meal in the $15 range, give them a try.

NachoQuest – No Way Jose Cafe

Mealtime! #18 – How much should a turkey wrap cost?

Evan The Mayor — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:59:35 +0000

What: Turkey Wrap

Where: Cafe Azafran (3700 San Martin Dr, Johns Hopkins Homewood)

How Much: $8.50

Synopsis: It’s not often that I would use Mealtime! to disparage something I’m eating, but this turkey wrap – despite its decent flavor – was small and exceedingly expensive considering you could just as easily get the same thing one block away at a place like Hopkins Deli. I mean, daaaaayamn it’s expensive. Anybody else out there have an opinion on the matter? How much should a turkey wrap cost?

View the Mealtime! Map

Mealtime! Jong Kak

Evan The Mayor — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:32:26 +0000

Beef Bulgogi

Kimchi Bowl

What: Beef Bulgogi platter, Kimchi Bowl

Where: Jong Kak (18 W 20th St, Charles North)

How Much: $8.50 each (lunch special)

Synopsis: Do you love Korean food? Do you love the most amazing lunch deals ever? Then you should probably check out Jong Kak’s lunch specials on the daily. All of this delicious food you see here is only $8.50 AND it comes with a wide array of traditional Korean sides (Kimchi, fish cakes, veggie bulgogi, etc). The kimchi bowl picture came out BOILING, and contained huge amounts of egg, dough, kimchi and some root vegetables. Oh, and some pork too. Their Korean BBQ is amazing too. SO GO EAT THERE RIGHT NOW!

Mealtime! #16

Evan The Mayor — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:35:53 +0000

What: Flag Pizza (large, 16″)
Where: Joe Squared (133 W North Ave., Charles North)

How Much: $23 (yikes!)

Synopsis: Posting anything about Joe Squared is kind of an afterthought since practically everyone knows it’s a superior place to get a ‘gourmet’ pizza. And this pizza, split into three different pizzas (standard cheese, four cheese, pesto and mozzarella) is living …er, pizza proof of that.

Each section has a distinct flavor, and the 16″ pie was large enough to split between 3 people. Which for $23 comes out to be around 8 bucks a head, which is pretty reasonable. I did note, however, that the “flag” aspect of the pizza is supposed to be Italy (right?) but the cheddar adorning the middle portion makes it yellow, which apparently is the flag for Mali. Eh, whichever continent you’re into, I guess. Thumbs up for this pizza.

View the Mealtime! Map

NachoQuest – Max’s Taphouse

Evan The Mayor — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:24:09 +0000

Ever since NachoQuest began some three-ish months ago, people have been telling me over and over and over and over that I ABSOLUTELY NEED TO TRY THE PULLED PORK NACHOS AT MAX’S TAPHOUSE (737 S BROADWAY, FELL’S POINT) BRO, THEY’RE THE TITS BRAH, OMG OMG OMG. And for a while, I was pretty excited about doing it, too. They come with salsa, cheese, jalapenos, sour cream and onions AND your choice of chili or pulled pork. The kicker, unfortunately was that according to the website they’re $11 and there was no way I was going to eat them alone.

So, after a million weeks of not eating the nachos at Max’s I finally grabbed a few of my friends and we were off.

And then we were kicked in the balls by the reality of most restaurants not keeping their websites up to date: The nachos weren’t $11. They were $12.50!!!! Plus an extra $4 for chicken! Sorry folks, but that’s blindingly expensive for nachos.

….ESPECIALLY when we discovered a large amount of NAKED CHIPS in the pile. Not cool guys, not cool. Our other companions ordered a separate order of nachos with only chicken and the results were similar. Mostly covered and a decent sized pile, but with some very naked and very expensive nachos at the bottom.

At the end of the day, the pulled pork was tangy and tasty as promised and all of the other ingredients were fine and dandy. But these nachos are easily the most expensive ones I’ve had; the quality prevents them from getting a lower score but if you’re in the market for nachos, go somewhere less expensive.

Three out of five golden nachos (realistically 3.5 out of 5 but I’m too lazy to make the graphic)

NachoQuest – Kooper’s Tavern

Evan The Mayor — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:32:47 +0000

Things I learned while sampling the nachos at Kooper’s: 1) The addition of chili, in some cases, can actually elevate the quality of an entire plate of nachos. 2) My camera phone is horrifically shitty and I should seriously just bring my regular camera with me everywhere.

At any rate, the nachos at Kooper’s Tavern (1702 Thames St., Fell’s Point) start at $8.95 and come with the usual cheeses, jalapenos, black olives, scallions, salsa and sour cream. Add grilled chicken, $11.95. Though while I was ordering, I was told that I could either top them with chili or chicken, and could opt for a half portion instead of a whole one. Being tricky like I am, I opted for a half portion with chili – which came to roughly the same price as the standard nachos run. I for some reason was an idiot and thought that half portion = half price – definitely not the case.

The nachos were well loaded with the ingredients listed and salsa came on the side, which I appreciate since you can opt to dump it on the pile or dip individual chips (though if done correctly, the salsa should generally be incorporated into everything else). I think alone these nachos would have been just ok – but the chili really made a total difference. It was sweet, barbeque flavored and loaded with sliced peppers and onions, which really added a lot of flavor – “Zazz” if you will – to the whole mix. The kicker: when I was done with every last chip, there was still chili left!

Long and the short of it, the portion was good and the price was fair. If it were a whole portion for the same price I’d be giving these nachos 5 golden chips so fast it would tear your face off and I’m reaaaaaalllly leaning toward it anyway, but on the whole I’ve had more for less elsewhere.

Four golden nachos out of five

(view the NachoQuest map so far here)

NachoQuest – Holy Frijoles!

Evan The Mayor — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:33:29 +0000

It has been said by some that miracles exist in this world. Sometimes, lightning strikes twice in the same place, or two bullets fired from opposing guns collide, or a dog gets issued a credit card.

This my friends, is one of those occasions.

I have heard from others and personally experienced legendarily bad food at Holy Frijoles (908 W 36th St., Hampden) over the years; tales of dried, cracked enchiladas, hard rice that could chip teeth and stale quesadillas that may or may not have been sitting under a rug some where.

But this time, THIS time. I am blown away. These nachos are fantastic. $6 will get you cheese, salsa, jalapenos, black olives and sour cream. For a buck more, your choice of refried or black beans. And for another added dollar, your choice of chicken, steak, beef, chorizo or veggies (those pictured were $8 with black beans and chicken).

What makes them fantastic? Well, the chips are light, unsalted and toasted to an almost-burnt but still damn fine crispiness. The ingredients are well mixed into the pile and there were no naked chips. The serving size, for 8 bucks, is pretty large – especially with meat included. And the salsa is fresh, with just a bit of cilantro.

But what set the value apart in my mind was this: for $11, you can get the “supreme” version of these nachos with EVERY SINGLE OPTIONAL INGREDIENT. $11 for nachos with cheese, salsa, jalapenos, black beans, refried beans, sour cream, olives, and all four meat varieties – AND veggies? Holy crap! Er, Frijoles!

Caveat – and this may or may not explain the quality and timeliness of service during my visit to this ‘versial establishment: I was the only one there, and it was during lunch. Your experience may vary and I exempt myself from any and all liability. Either way, this specific plate kicked total ass and it’s easily in the top 3.

5 out of 5 golden nachos

(view the NachoQuest map so far here)