AVHW

HUGE fan of roy's. first visited a roy's in kauai, then in arizona. was thrilled to find one in baltimore. best bets (IMHO): lobster potstickers, short ribs, the melting chocolate souffle dessert (lava cake). i don't like fish but my dining companions have enjoyed it at roy's. i vote that you stay away from the shrimp, in whatever cloak it has. if it's overcooked and too chewy (like the last 3 times i got it -- yep, i tried it three times), no sauce can make up for it. the chicken dish, usually a throwaway in most comparable restaurants, is pretty good, too. bring your wallet please! unlike charleston (another favorite of mine, not far from roy's), you may not spend most of your money on food but on drinks. i say that b/c i usually get the prix fixe. it's well-priced considering what you get -- i'm either too full to eat the dessert or i deliberately save some of the entree so i can eat the dessert. so food money goes to the drinks, which are sublime, but they add up.

hello, i'm andia. born in the south but raised in the north, i'm always on the lookout for exceptional southern cooking and truly authentic jamaican (yes, i know, i probably need to visit jamaica again for that, but hope springs eternal). my tastes are still somewhat pedestrian -- no veal, lamb, goat, sweetbreads, or game of any kind -- and while i'd like to develop my palate, i'm not particularly interested in broadening it b/c certain things just don't appeal to me on an aesthetic level. i want to find the very best of what i like already -- the aforementioned southern (including low-country, creole/cajun, and soul food), and jamaican, plus fusion, italian, and thai -- and become a more discriminating diner.