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| Traditional Greek Salad |
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| Tuna Tartare |
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| Thalassina Xtenia Scallops |
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| Paidskia Lamb Chops |
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| Karidopita Walnut Pie |
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Ouzo Bay Photos
Ouzo Bay Greek Kouzina
Ouzo Bay Greek Kouzina
1000 Lancaster Street
Baltimore MD 21224
443-708-5818
Ouzo Bay is one of Baltimore’s premier
restaurants. This delightful and ultra
trendy restaurant shines like a sapphire gem in the heart of Harbor East. Through two walls of windows the cool blue up
lighting beckons to passersby. As folks
walk past Ouzo Bay they can’t help but peer into the restaurant with a longing
gaze. The beautiful lighting, twinkling
glass and packed house capture your attention.
Once inside, the restaurant boasts multiple seating
areas. There is lounge and bar seating, both
great for socializing and hanging out.
They also have more formal seating on the main side and back of the L
shaped restaurant. The small wooden
dining tables are plain and simple but the chairs in the main dining area are
well cushioned and very pleasant on the rumpus derrière. Just a warning, the chairs in the lounge
area are much less comfy.
The good news is the food is as equally captivating
as the snazzy surroundings. Neither of
these two Soul Sisters have ever been a fan of Greek food. We have quite enjoyed our distant
relationship with Greek Cuisine.
However, Ouzo Bay has given us reason to pause and reconsider. Angela has always been of the mindset that if
you tend not to like a certain kind of food, try it made authentically and see
if that changes your mind. Since we have
not been to Greece, I’m not sure how authentic Ouza Bay is; however, we can
tell you that it is utterly delicious!
This restaurant truly emphasizes fish.
They fly in fresh fish from all over the world. For diner you can select a chef specialty
entrée or you can purchase fish by the pound and have the chef prepare in your
choice of cooking style. The little
fishy’s are on display in a brightly light showcase right outside of the
kitchen. You can stroll over and pick
which ever fish your heart desires. For
non fish eaters there are lamb, chicken, pork and beef selections as well.
Our only major concern about Ouzo Bay is the spotty
service. The bus staff was incredible
but our waiter was cool (not that nifty suave kinda cool, but rather the
distant aloof kind of cool). He appeared
exhausted and a bit annoyed that he had to serve us. I will say that I noticed our waiter was much
less aloof and distant from his other tables.
It did leave me scratching my
head and feeling very disappointed.
Ouzo Bay is a great spot to meet with friends after
work and an excellent spot for a romantic date.
The restaurant has valet parking for an $8 fee. Ouzo Bay is pricy. One can expect to pay upwards of $60-$80 for
a full 3 courses. Overall we give Ouzo
Bay ♪♪♪ and a half note.
Traditional Greek Salad
This is a salad without the salad..aka lettuce. This dish comes with the freshest beef steak
tomatoes, cucumbers, marinated onions, and a delightfully smooth, nutty and
tart goat cheese. The dressing is a
light herby vinaigrette that is delicious.
Tuna Tartare
Ample chucks of raw ahi tuna were mixed with scallions,
and cucumbers and then dressed in rich truffle oil. Atop the tuna lay avocado mousse. As you taste the dish you notice the flavors
blend and equal portion of earthiness, herbiness and fishiness. This is by far one our most favorite Tuna
Tartar preparations EVER!
Thalassina Xtenia Scallops
These jumbo crustation were seasoned to
perfection. Their oceany splendor burst
forth on your taste buds and made you want to scream “Mama!” The roasted eggplant puree and beans were
wonderful and matched the savory sweetness of the scallop. Our
only criticism was that the scallops needed to have a tad more char to them.
Paidskia Lamb Chops
The chef put a hurtin on these little lamby
chops. They were so tender, juicy and
delicious. He used very little seasoning
so that the gaminess of the lamb was prominently displayed. They were amazing. The lemon potatoes were a feat unto themselves. Somehow the chef managed to infuse a lemony
tartness throughout the entire potato.
If you love tartness you will love these potatoes. The braised greens in this dish were not
well seasoned at all. There was a little
more flavor at the bottom of the greens pile but not well dispersed
throughout.
KaridopitaWalnut Pie
This dish is extremely misleading. First off this was not walnut pie. Instead it was a dense walnut cake soaked in
a sweet honey liquid. Neither of these 2
soul sisters like wet cake so this dessert was far from spectacular for
us. We did however LOVE the cinnamon ice
cream on top of our soggy cake..pie..thingy.
It was so light and refreshing.
There were these two other dessert like items on the plate that both intrigued
and confused. They were there mostly for
decorations however they were edible.
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Fork & Wrench Review
To Our Readers,
We thank you for your patience as the 2 Soul Sisters took a
break mid way through 2013. We are back
with a vengeance in 2014 and look forward to bringing you many new restaurants
reviews. Don’t forget to let us know if
there is a restaurant you want us to try out for you. We will dine and let you know what we
think. Enjoy the 1st review
of 2014!
FORK AND WRENCH
2322 Boston St.
Baltimore, MD 21224
443.759.9360
Fork and Wrench is located in Canton, not far from Canton Can Company.
It is easily identified by the red F&W on the corner of the brownstone. As you walk up to the building, if you look
up, you can see right into the upstairs dining room, as there are no curtains
or blinds obscuring your vision, and see the people dining there. As you
enter the building you are greeted with a stairway. A hostess desk is situated
beside the staircase. A bar takes up the
left wall while the right is taken up by tables and chairs. The website states
that they, “designed and hand built the interior space with the goal of evoking
the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s working classes. There are hints of a workshop, a linen
factory line, a pharmacy, a college science lab, and a savings and loan office
scattered thru out the rooms, balconies and courtyards of the space.” This is a great description of the feeling of
the space and I could not have said it better myself, so I decided not to try. J The floor plan is completely open, giving a
lofty and sophisticated but also grunge, industrial feel. The color scheme is dark and light gray, and
black interspersed with exposed brick.
Every level has different seating, and there were many different levels. We actually felt bad for the wait staff as
they have to climb many intricate staircases with heavy trays.
The service was very good. Our waiter was very friendly and engaging as
well as being very knowledgeable about the restaurant and the menu. As happens
in many high end restaurants we were given a complimentary “gift” from the
kitchen, otherwise known as “amuse bouche.”
This was a nice touch and consisted of a minced chicken and cheese
croquette served with a sort of spiced, honey –mustard dipping sauce that was
very tasty. What stood out the most to
us about the chefs skills were his ability to create these unbelievably flavorful
broths/sauces that were light, clear and refreshing. Reduction sauces are all the rage right now however
this chef seemed to pride himself on minimalism when it comes to his sauces. We enjoyed them very much.
Parking is as anyone who spends any
time in Canton knows, challenging; street parking only. This is a great place
to bring family, friends, business associates or a romantic interest. The cost of this meal was in the moderate to
high rage. Plan to spend $30-$60 dollars
per person. Overall we give Fork &
Wrench ♪♪♪.
TRUMPET CARPACCIO
This Carpaccio made from trumpet
mushrooms, and artichokes, had a grilled, smoky flavor; and a silky, tender
texture. It was accompanied by a loose, clear broth which added a briny and
lemony flavor with a touch of anise. This dish was by turns sweet, salty and tart.
HAMACHI CRUDO
This dish was composed of the
sweetness of Uni, the fishiness of Hamachi, and the heat of wasabi and pickled
peppers. This dish was done in a sort of vinaigrette style with a sort of
sourness to it, which sounds bad but really isn’t. This chef is actually a whiz
with sour and loose, light and clear broths are his specialty, sort of reminiscent
of the chef at Fleet Street kitchen.
KALE SALAD
This is not the first kale salad
that we have encountered but I must admit it is one of the best. The kale was
cooked perfectly al dente. The pine nuts added an earthy, warm undertone. Squash was sweet and firm. Pears were
wonderfully poached. Golden raisins
added more sweetness. This dish was
equal parts savory and sweet and was served room temperature like all the other
dishes.
LOBSTER
Slightly sweet, very tender lobster
was accompanied by smoky, spicy chorizo. The chorizo was included in a ragu of
chorizo, tomato and pork. While the olive tapenade was a bit overpowering; a
peach, sambal; a tangy, spicy chili based sauce/relish, like a sriracha, was a
wonderful addition.
SMOKED DUCK
This duck had a texture unlike any we have had
before. Though it was incredibly tender, it was almost too much so, almost to
the point of being creamy. It was sort of like eating a cross between liver and
sweetbreads, both of which I like and Melissa does not. Regardless of this
difference, we agree that this was a bit disconcerting and could have been done
without. Shredded, fried Brussels sprouts were bitter and crunchy. Roasted pear
with sesame, and mustard seeds added a sweetness and tartness. Sun chokes with minced duck as well as
cannelloni stuffed with minced duck accompanied the duck. The duck filled
cannelloni was a very tasty part of the dish.
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