Hersh's Pizza & Drink Photos

Calamari Ripieni

Zuppa Di Cavoli

Ravioli

Fumo & Fuogo

Crostada di Finnochia e Arancione

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. 

DelMarVa's Southern Cafe Photos

Wild Mushroom Burger

Cheesy Shrimp and Grits

Chicken Tenders and Waffles

DelMarVa's Southern Cafe

DelMarVa’s Southern Café

3500 Boston Street

Baltimore, MD 21224
410-327-1980

DelMarVa’s Southern Café’s has two other locations in Leesburg and Sterling, VA. The Baltimore location, is in Canton, MD; it’s décor consists of a cozy fireplace, bright lighting from hanging lighting fixtures, walls lined with patriotic art and mason jars filled with preserves along with wine bottles. The floors are wood and the seating is cafeteria style, with butcher block tables. There is a lot of exposed brick and fake wood paneling that make up the infrastructure.  You walk into the restaurant and walk along the right side, until you come up to a menu that takes up the wall next to a counter where you order your food, pay, take a number and then go find a seat to await your order. They offer a selection or sodas, teas and wine.  Parking here is easy as it is located in a business park with plenty of parking spaces. This is a family friendly spot, a great place to grab a quick, hot, filling meal with family, friends or coworkers.  We give DelMarVa Café ♪♪♪ and one half note.

CHEESY SHRIMP AND GRITS

Consisting of shrimp and grits in a light cheese sauce, made from real cheddar, tomatoes and scallions, which give it freshness. Sausage is added which contributes to the richness of the dish. The grits are loose and light in texture. The dish is smoky, savory, flavorful and spicy, but not overly so. There is also a big, buttery, sweet biscuit included, though it was a bit too dense for my liking, but overall not a bad dish.

WILD MUSHROOM BURGER

The mushrooms get lost in this dish as they are sparse and unseasoned to the point they could have been left off all together. The burger itself was very good. It appeared to be a sirloin cut and the beef itself was flavorful and earthy. The brioche bun it came on was nice, light and airy.

CHICKEN TENDERS AND WAFFLES

Now in order to appreciate this dish fully, you might have to order a side of their honey mustard dipping sauce. I am not a big fan of honey mustard as a general rule as it is usually tastes too strongly of mustard and is too tangy. This honey mustard sauce was not like that at all. It was smooth and sweet and a perfect complement to the chicken tenders and peach cranberry marmalade that came with the waffles. The chicken tenders were fried in a light batter which gave the chicken tenders a light, crunchy crust. The batter was full of herbs and spices. The waffles were light and came with a pepper onion garnish. The peach cranberry marmalade was not integrated into the whole dish as well as it could have been and the dish could have come out a little hotter than it did, but all in all the dish is very good.

Ouzo Bay Photos

Traditional Greek Salad

Tuna Tartare

Thalassina Xtenia Scallops

Paidskia Lamb Chops

Karidopita Walnut Pie

Ouzo Bay Greek Kouzina

Ouzo Bay Greek Kouzina

1000 Lancaster Street

Baltimore MD 21224

443-708-5818

www.ouzobay.com

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. 

Fork & Wrench Photos

Hamachi Crudo

Kale Salad

Trumpet Carpaccio

Smoked Duck

Lobster