LITTLE ITALY: Cafe Gia's

Disclaimer: This post will not do this place justice. I wish I had pictures of our meals. I, however, will add images of the restaurant in the next coming days!

This Saturday, I had the pleasure of celebrating my birthday (which is TODAY!) with my lovely girlfriends. After spending the afternoon at the spa (read: About Faces Day Spa) getting facials and massages, we worked up an appetite!

Luckily, we had made reservations at Cafe Gia's in Little Italy! The outside is decorated and painted very artistically, ensuring a sensational experience on the inside! I have past by it many times and always wondered what was hidden inside... Now was my chance to discover!

Thankfully, we were able to find free parking outside (always a plus in Baltimore)! :) When we walked in, we were welcomed by warm painted walls showing Italian characters and landscapes all around. The restaurant is on the smaller side (with additional seating on a second floor), but that makes it that much more special! The bar on the right had warm lights and was decorated with beautiful fall flowers and winter twigs. All the tables were special pieces of artwork (I asked later, and in fact, all of their tables were "Christmas" tables that they bring out just for the season! they even have special ones for Valentine's Day!).


CafeGias.com

We actually sat at the table in the right of the picture. It was perfect. Our friendly waitress came to take drinks and my sister and I ordered Gia's Sangria. It was a red Sangria, and although it did not have the typical fruit you would expect, it was delicious! Not too over-bearingly sweet, yet not to dry either.

Their menu offers a little bit of everything, with a variety of dishes for all the tastes. For appetizers, we ordered the "Fritto Misto all'Italiana",  which was 'assortment of fried calamari, shrimp and scallops served with a spicy marinara sauce', and the "Bruschetta", which is 'grilled Italian baguette with fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, onions and bell peppers'. Both were delicious. The kalamari batter tasted authentic and pure, the scallops were cooked perfectly, and the shrimp were large and juicy! The Bruschetta lived up to its name and the capers were a nice addition to the traditional taste (at least what I am used to)!

For my entree, I ordered the Eggplant Parmigiana, as a suggestion of our waitress. According to her, it is award-winning! The portion was large and I can see why it won awards. The eggplant was cut into thin pieces and stacked. It was then topped with a fresh marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese and baked (no greasy mess)! It was so good! It did not have the bitter eggplant taste and was very hearty! It was served with a side of linguine, which made it a perfect dish!

Other dishes on the table were the  Misto della Casa salad (mixed greens salad), Veal Marsalla da Zia Pina (Veal Marsala), Pasta Lucia (with sausage, cheese, and grapes), and the Risotto Vongole (the special). Everything looked amazing and my friends were all very satisfied! I tried the Risotto Vongole (thanks, sissie, for sharing!), which had an amazing element of flavors I did not expect! It was delicious! Our stomachs and hearts were very happy!

When we were finished, our waitress offered us dessert, and even though she mentioned everything was homemade, we had to decline. (Details in next post!)

The prices were very reasonable for the quality and quantity of food. Entrees varied from $16 to $26. The service was great, the ambiance just perfect for my tiny celebration, and the food was delicious!

I will have to convince my love to take me to Cafe Gia's again... soon! ;) It it the perfect date/intimate get-together location!



GREEKTOWN : IKAROS RESTAURANT

Disclaimer : I feel the need to mention that this critique might seem biased to few people... My lovely boyfriend's grandparent's own this restaurant. However, the views mentioned in this blog present my views that have been present even before I started dating him an amazing nine months ago :) In fact, the experience mentioned below took place about a year and a half ago, if I am not mistaken.

If you want authentic greek food, Ikaros is where you. To me, Greektown restaurants each have a specific specialty. For example, Zorba's is known for their meats, Samos for their souvlakia, and Greektown Grill  for their authentic gyros. To me, if you want authentic greek food, the way that yiayia makes it, Ikaros.

This is exactly what I did! I wanted me amazing friends to finally (after our amazing trip to Italy together) experience MY culture and the amazing food the Greeks have to offer. Therefore, I scheduled a date to Ikaros! In attendance, myself, Mr. WompWompWomp himself (try and figure it out!), Angela and her former BF, Sheza, Rachel, Mike (what happened to him?!?!) and Stu (in hopes of potential interest to Rachel haha... sorry about that Rachele!). I don't believe I missed anyone?

Anywho, so we all arrive on our Friday evening date... dolled up and whatnot, and were seated promptly. The restaurant was fairly packed and we were seated in the far left dining room.  We ordered a few bottles of some lovely Greek white wine and many appetizers, including kalamari, saganaki, tzatziki, tiropites and spanakopites and greek salads! Saganaki is my all-time favorite app here... served with pita and a table-side show! Haha, go order it and you will see what I mean :) Everything was amazing, like always.

For dinner, I ordered the arni kokkinisto (this is normally what I order, just to note, unless I am fasting, then I go for the kalamari of the shrimp giouvetsaki!). Throughout the table I believe we ordered a pasticcio, octopus, steak, chicken shishkebabs, shrimp giouvetsaki and some other lamb dish. The arni kokkinisto happens to be one of my favorites because it always falls of the bone and if very flavorful. It is typically served with string beans in the amazing red sauces coated thoroughly. The portions are very generous. I have tries their pasticcio before and it is very good and traditional, however my mom has adapted my taste buds to the healthier turkey breast rather than ground beef, therefore, I only venture to this dish when I occasionally crave the meaty flavor. The octopus is also very good and always tender, served in a wonderful red wine sauce with onions... this is perfect with a big basket of bread and lemon! Chicken shishkebabs are served with rice and veggies and are a great wholesome meal. Shrimp giouvetsaki is my second go-to meal. I have to say this is a great comfort food on a cold, rainny day (normally typical to the weather of the Greek Independence Day parade in Baltimore in March, when I am normally fasting meat for Easter, and order this dish). It consists of shrimp in a red sauce baked in the oven over giouvetsi (a rice type grain) with feta on top! SOOO good!

To top off a wonderful meal, the restaurant always provides a dessert plate with delicious samples of baklava, kataifi and galaktobouriko that round off the Greek experience!

Overall, Ikaros provided the ideal Greek atmosphere, complete with Greek paintings and decor as well as Greek music in the background, for me to give my non-Greek friends a little taste of my culture and passion!

Kali oreksi,
Your Tasty Bud

http://www.ikarosrestaurant.com/index.htm

LUTHERVILLE : CHRISTOPHER DANIEL

So, I had been yearning to go to this tucked away little restaurant for a long time now. Before I turned 21, I always planned on going to their adjoining Martini Bar called FIVE for drinks. (You have to check out their Martini Menu!) In fact, my cousin Kelly actually got me a gift certificate to this place when I finally did turn 21. Eight months later, I finally went!

Obviously, when trying a new place, the first thing you need is great company! Therefore, my sister Irene and friend Eleni were the perfect crew!

Thankfully, we had done our research and discovered their motto, "Come Casual...Dine Fine...". Relieved! Never know what to wear to a new place, and we saw pictures of gorgeous tabletops with white tablecloths and didn't know how to approach the outfit situation. Don't let that fool you! The motto is all you need to keep in mind!

So anyways, we arrive at Christopher Danial and the ambiance was great! Lovely restaurant, wasn't over packed, and there was definitely an older crowd, but that is expected in a town like Timonium. Our lovely waitress sat us and gave us the Martini menu!! (http://www.christopher-daniel.com/five/martini.html)
Throughout the night, I had a Blue Belle (wonderful!) and the Pomegranate Lemonade (a bit too strong for my taste, and not as lemony as I thought). I believe my sister tried the Flirtini and Bellini, but definitely preferred the Flirtini. Eleni, the hardcore one, got an extra dirty martini, 007 style! :) $9 a martini, but they definitely know how to make them!

Their menu is extensive and picking what to get is hard since everything sounds so good! We went for the Flash Fried Calamari with Marinara and Lemon. The Calamari was good, we enjoyed the breading and the crunchiness. However, I do prefer more seasoning (even salt!) and lemon. The Marinara was also a bit tasteless.

For main course, I had the Jumbo Diver Scallops, served with Truffled Potato Puree, Roasted Mushrooms, Asparagus, and a Lemon Chive Beurre Blanc. First, nine decent sized scallops! I was overjoyed, and for $24...I thought it was a steal! The scallops were cooked well (I do prefer mine a bit more browned) but their texture paired perfectly with their plate-mates! However, I think they might have forgotten the salt? Still ate everything! Loved it! I was so focused on my own food that I don't even remember what the others got! Sorry! But, I remember they said they enjoyed it as well!

And of course, I always get dessert! Well, actually "we" ordered dessert; we tried the "Dessert Sampler". Best choice! One happily serves 3 to 4! They provide 4 little servings of their most popular desserts: Flourless Chocolate Cake (too dark for my taste, but one spoonful is good), Fresh Berries and Anglaise (pair well with the chocolate cake), Seasonal Bread Pudding (my favorite: moist and cakey all at once!) and Mini Creme Brulee (perfect!). We thoroughly enjoyed everything, but could not finish!

On our way out, we passed through FIVE and saw that the crowd was definitely more in our age range, and set us up for another adventure in the future! So...more to come! Can't wait!

http://www.christopher-daniel.com/

Stay adventurous,
Your Tasty Bud