Spotted this owl beer at Well's Liquor last night in Towson. Anybody ever tried this? It appears to be japanese. Either way, I am in love with the logo.
Ugh. This place is HEAVEN. I have been in Baltimore for nearly 7 years now and never have I ever set foot in the Market side of Belvedere Square. Why did no one spend more time raving about this place?! Belvedere Square is a collection of restaurants and boutiques, tucked away near the corner of Northern Pkwy and York Rd. So I have spend multiple Sunday mornings "in the square" at Ryan's Daughter for their brunch; but never in the actual Market. Little did I know what I was missing :)
Look at this lunch. This is why I eat. Neopol Smoked Salmon Salad with Ceriello Grilled Vegetables on a bed of greens for lunch! I couldn't decide on a single dish from just one seller so I chose some sauteed veggies from the prepared foods case at Ceriello (sorta expensive- $9/lb) and then opted for a half portion smoked salmon salad from Neopol. A harmonious blend of flavors and was actually very filling. I can't even fathom finishing the full portion of this. The smoked salmon salad may seem like a foreign concept but it works, seriously. The salmon is smoked on premise and then mixed with a light amount of mayo, herbs and some standard seasonings to make for a delicious salad. The texture was not off putting as one might find mushy fish to be.
Starling Diner
The menu was concise which made ordering a breeze. I get anxious when menus are noticeably overworked. Starling capitalizes on their simplicity with a no nonsense and well rounded menu. I chose the smoked salmon dish, pictured above. Sauteed spinach and smoked salmon came topped with delicately poached eggs and some other frou frou items (chopped tomatoes and sprouts) obscuring the dish a bit in the pic. Side of potatoes were just crispy enough and not overly greasy. Twas a lovely breakfast; salmon was fresh as can be, not the slimy packaged type and melded well with the sauteed spinach. Eggs were pretty standard, although...I have never made a decent poached egg so kudos to all that are able to successfully do this cause they taste great!
Mom got the breakfast polenta starter. No it is NOT an ice cream sundae as it may appear to be, although it was pretty intense for a breakfast dish. I have only had polenta served in a savory context or fried in a cake. This sweetened version with cream tasted almost like tapioca but with small flavorful grains. Yum! Looking forward to my next Starling Diner meal; I've heard there french toast is to DIE FOR.
Friendly Otacon attendees pose for a shot on St Paul on their way to the Convention Center for this years event. Strange how Baltimore transforms during this busy weekend; with the hipsters up north for Artscape and the nerdy types further south for Otacon, there is no denying the Charm in this city.
My coworker and NEW friend, Erin makes an appearance on my electrifying blog. She has now utilized 5 of her 15 minutes of fame. Our excursion led to many Smalltimore moments; ranging from old high school sweethearts to foes alike :)
People walking on Charles.
Art cars...this particular one tickled my fancy. My fav from last year wasn't there; the one that has dancing lobsters and fish? Oh well, this'll do.
Stilt women. There were a lot.
All our food came out at the same time; including our appetizer. Eh. No biggie I guess. I figured my Ensalada Azteca would not be filling enough so I added the Awesome Threesome app, pictured above which consisted of hummus, a tomato bruschetta, and grilled flatbread. The sauces were a bit on the oily side but the bread was nice and crispy and just what I needed.
Here is my pretty Azteca Ensalada, suggested by the cashier as supposedly their most popular dish. Umm...it was a little lackluster for me, but that doesn't mean I didn't finish the whole thing. No surprises there. The ingredients were fresh no doubt but the combinations didn't seem to jive. Just a few too many ingredients and textures, especially when you incorporate jicama fruit which is so tough and bland flavored. Mostly, I was just jealous of my mom's selection so I resented my choice the whole time knowing how good her hot bowl was...read on :)
Mom went for the Ghandi Bowl which blew me a way with its flavorful steamed veggies, tart dried cranberries and aromatic Jasmine and brown rice. The heat from the curry sauce was subtle and gave the dish just enough moisture; the grilled tempeh added heartiness and substance to an otherwise relatively light dish. As you can see, mom is posing like Ghandi would have had he eaten his namesake bowl...er something.
Back porch lounging. Mt Vernon-Baltimore, Maryland
Naps on the Beach. Ventura Beach, California
