Hershe's Pizza & Drink

Hersh’s Pizza & Drink

1843 Light St, Baltimore, MD 21230
(443) 438-4948

 http://hershspizza.com/

 

Be not confused!  Hersh’s Pizza and drink is not what you think it is.  From the sound of it one would suspect a small pizza dive.  Au contraire, Hersh’s is a quality fine dining restaurant with reasonable prices.  Located on the corner of a quiet residential street right on the very edge of Federal Hill, Hersh’s offers cozy neighborhood dining.  This restaurant is a refurbished row house with a casual yet eclectic décor.  It’s kind of a cross between mid-western and cosmopolitan.  There are wooden floors, gray Wayne’s Coating and a brick wall with a mural of a woman singing.  The lighting is dim and there is limited seating in the restaurant. 

The menu at Hersh’s is Italian with a few pizza selections as well.  The menu has an Antipasti, Primi, Secondi and Pizza section.  There are not a ton of menu options but the options are tasty.  The chef seasoned his food well and used a nice mixture of flavors and ingredients.  We were quite delighted with the food at Hersh’s.

 

Hersh’s is a great restaurant for date night or a nice spot to meet up with friends.  They do not have a menu friendly for children.  It truly is an adult eating spot.  The restaurant does not have valet parking.  You will have to find parking in the neighborhood.  Fortunately the parking on the street is free.  The service was wonderful.  Our waitress was considerably knowledgeable, kind and attentive.  The cost of the diner was moderate.  For all that we ate, when we split the bill the cost was $45 per person.  Overall we give Hersh’s Pizza and Drink ♪♪♪.

 

Zuppa Di Cavoli

This was a delightful bean and kale soup.  The chef added these very light and airy croutons that were a nice textural addition.  The dish had a wonderful smoky flavor and was well seasoned.  Our only issue with the soup is that the beans and kale were over cooked and a bit soggy.  We think it may have been because we were there late in night.

 

Calamari Ripieni

The chef stuffed calamari with almonds and merquez (a North African red spicy sausage made with mutton or beef.)   The calamari in this dish was cooked to perfection.  It was tender, juicy and tasty.  The sausage added a wonderful spiciness and richness to the dish.   The almonds were minced and hardly recognizable.  Their flavor was lost with the spiciness of the merquez.  The romesco sauce was delicious!

 

Ravioli

Ohh….this dish was by far our favorite of the night!  As soon as these delightful pillows of joy arrived at the table we were greeted with a romantic smell of smoked paprika.  He stuffed the ravioli with minced lobster and shrimp.  These joyful seafood pillows laid cozily in a bowl of warm buttery broth that was equally delicious.  He even had the nerve to season the dough used to make the pasta.  This dish was amazing!!

Fumo & Fuogo

This pizza was made with eggplant, chili oil and merquez.  Unfortunately the chef did not cook the pizza all the way through so the crust was limp and messy.  We also agreed that he used way to much chili oil.  It added to the sogginess the dish.  The flavor profile of the pizza was ok, but not remarkable or amazing.  This dish is not recommended. 

Crostada di Finnochia e Arancione

This dessert was both surprising and delicious.  It was unlike anything we have ever had.  The chef made a moderately light pastry and stuffed it with a delightful custard (something a kin to panna cotta) with strong anise flavors and then topped that with orange segments.  The dessert was not too sweet and it was served warm.  It was delicious and a wonderful way to end this meal.