edenman Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hey guys, I've got a couple friends who recently got engaged, and a buddy and I are talking about buying them a gift certificate to a nice restaurant....but they live in Baltimore. I perused the Baltimore Dining Guide and come up with the following top-runners: Pazo Saffron Bicycle LP Steamers looks awesome but I don't think it qualifies in the "romantic" category (and Charleston is out of our budget, sadly). Most of the threads on the above three are pretty sparse and/or old...anybody have any recent recommendations? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chef4cook Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hey guys,I've got a couple friends who recently got engaged, and a buddy and I are talking about buying them a gift certificate to a nice restaurant....but they live in Baltimore. I perused the Baltimore Dining Guide and come up with the following top-runners: Pazo Saffron Bicycle LP Steamers looks awesome but I don't think it qualifies in the "romantic" category (and Charleston is out of our budget, sadly). Most of the threads on the above three are pretty sparse and/or old...anybody have any recent recommendations? I've always heard good things about Pazo. Timothy Dean Bistro is also supposed to be good and reasonably priced. Thats about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakegwinn Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Hey guys,I've got a couple friends who recently got engaged, and a buddy and I are talking about buying them a gift certificate to a nice restaurant....but they live in Baltimore. I perused the Baltimore Dining Guide and come up with the following top-runners: Pazo Saffron Bicycle LP Steamers looks awesome but I don't think it qualifies in the "romantic" category (and Charleston is out of our budget, sadly). Most of the threads on the above three are pretty sparse and/or old...anybody have any recent recommendations? I think Bicycle is overrated food-wise and have never been to Saffron but Pazo is a pretty good choice. Cool hip kind of crowd. Think Zaytinya I guess as far as atmosphere. I also might look into the Charleston. I could never afford it when I was there but Tom loves that place. ONe thought though is that with spring right around the corner it might be crab house season by the time they get around to using so maybe Bo Brooks or some other outdoor crab place might be nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demandalicious Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 My favorite place for date-night in Baltimore used to be Peter's Inn. http://www.petersinn.com/ It's romantic...in a punk rock way. If that's not your bag, I have heard good things about Pazo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugsy Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 pazo is tapas type place and VERY noisy. better dining at timothy dean, abercrombie,...downtown or petit louie, brassiere tatin, ambassador (indian, in romantic rooms) in the northern part of city...(hopkins area) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 I second Petit Louis. Yes, Pazo is noisy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crackers Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Consider the other Cindy Wolff/Tony Foreman restaurant: Petite Louis in the Roland Park neighborhood of Baltimore. It is neither as trendy as Pazo, nor as luxe as Charleston. Juuussst right. My recent dinner there was fine in every way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 This will help the not-so-intrepid travelers sort through things. Click. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakegwinn Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 My favorite place for date-night in Baltimore used to be Peter's Inn. http://www.petersinn.com/ It's romantic...in a punk rock way. If that's not your bag, I have heard good things about Pazo. Peter's inn was one of my top three go-to places in Baltimore along with Bistro B (which had gone down hill the last time I was there) and Salt once it opened. The only thing is I don't know if a place that has xeroxed menus really has an efficient gift card system going. Plus they also have a very limited menu. As much as we loved it every once in awhile Beth wouldn't really see a dish that interested her. It was usually like 2-3 appetizers and 2-3 entrees available every night. I loved the space though. It actually has the kitchsy charm that Ruby Tuesdays and TGIF's WANT to have. Pazo is really noisy and it seems almost every time I went some bar-only patrons got overly trashed and became extremely annoying. Abacrombie would be a really good choice I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaisaB Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 As a female, even though the food is good, I would not find Peter's Inn terribly romantic. Cracker's suggestion up above is about right if you don't want to go full out with Charleston. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Chandler Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 I second the suggestion that Pazo is similar to Zaytinya, though I thought the food was a little better at Zaytinya, and the service was much better at Pazo. It is noisy, but if they want a little more room and ambience, they should ask for a table upstairs. Another idea, if they like sushi, would be Sushi Sono in Columbia. As it sits on a lake, it has a nice view. If they go, make sure to ask for the specials (which are not written down, but are usually the best items available, such as a roll of cooked lobster with avocado, topped with raw tuna). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 Another idea, if they like sushi, would be Sushi Sono in Columbia. As it sits on a lake, it has a nice view. If they go, make sure to ask for the specials (which are not written down, but are usually the best items available, such as a roll of cooked lobster with avocado, topped with raw tuna). And make sure to get a reservation; otherwise you're doomed to Jesse Wong's Hong Kong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblum Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 How about Saffron? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demandalicious Posted February 6, 2007 Share Posted February 6, 2007 As a female, even though the food is good, I would not find Peter's Inn terribly romantic.Depends on your definition of romance. How about a chicken box from New York Fried Chicken and a gift certificate to the Hustler Club? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffC Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Any chance of getting another buddy or two to contribute? If so, that might get into Charleston territory. My wife and I had one the best--and most romantic--meals of our lives at Charleston a couple years ago. Wonderful food, a terrific wine list, and excellent--including friendly and relaxed--service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baczkowski Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Any chance of getting another buddy or two to contribute? If so, that might get into Charleston territory. My wife and I had one the best--and most romantic--meals of our lives at Charleston a couple years ago. Wonderful food, a terrific wine list, and excellent--including friendly and relaxed--service. Charleston is on another level, but if you can't find those extra friends to contribute, Pazo is both good and fun. Pax, Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synaesthesia Posted February 7, 2007 Share Posted February 7, 2007 Looking over the Baltimore Mag list, I might also suggest Sotto Sopra. I don't know what the atmosphere is like, but it sounds quite nice. My sister and bro-in-law had a good eating experience there, and from what I understand the service is fantastic. They went for my sister's b-day and they actually gave the two of them a gift certificate. (Not that it's the only reason to go.) I hear there's a yummy foie gras stuffed gnocchi, which they mention in the article. I think I had some... mmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmwine Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Corks. Shabby-chic setting, good food, excellent wine list with lots of half bottles for 'sperimentin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edenman Posted February 8, 2007 Author Share Posted February 8, 2007 Thanks for all the recommendations, guys...am negotiating with the other gift-givers to see if we can wrange up enough dough to do the Charleston, but otherwise we'll probably go with either Pazo or Timothy Dean. And thanks to Don for making the subforum for the Bmore/Annandale stuff...I'm sure it will get to the point where this question doesn't need to be asked anymore, people can just go to that forum and do their own digging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JLK Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Corks may, in fact, be a good restaurant. But if I were the owner, I would be reluctant to post a photo of the storefront on the web site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnyder Posted February 8, 2007 Share Posted February 8, 2007 Corks may, in fact, be a good restaurant. But if I were the owner, I would be reluctant to post a photo of the storefront on the web site. I really liked Corks the one time I went. But you're right, that photo is far more shabby than chic. I also like Black Olive for very fresh fish (as in, you pick it out on a bed of ice, and one still had the hook in it...). Question: Can anyone recommend a decent but not upscale Italian place in Baltimore (a la Bethesda's Pines of Rome)? I've never heard great things about any one restaurant in Little Italy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaShanta Posted February 9, 2007 Share Posted February 9, 2007 Thanks for all the recommendations, guys...am negotiating with the other gift-givers to see if we can wrange up enough dough to do the Charleston, but otherwise we'll probably go with either Pazo or Timothy Dean. And thanks to Don for making the subforum for the Bmore/Annandale stuff...I'm sure it will get to the point where this question doesn't need to be asked anymore, people can just go to that forum and do their own digging. Definitely, most certainly go for Timothy Dean Bistro over Pazo. I LOOOOVE Pazo, but it is about as far from "romantic" as a restaurant can get. I went there with my boyfriend on a Saturday night at about 8:30 and by 10 we were shouting at each other. It felt like it had turned into a club right at out table. And we WERE upstairs. Also, the tables are kind of close together and it is a renovated warehouse for goodness sake, so it is very cavernous. No little alcoves or places that over any semblance of privacy. It is a very trendy see-and-be-seen kind of place. It is great, great, great for a fun, lively night out with friends. But romantic? Not even close. (unless the only thing you need is low lighting). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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