#31 The Milton Inn

The Milton Inn ... is one classy place!

This fieldstone mansion is described by Baltimore Magazine as a "fine-dining, special occasion restaurant."  Located in Sparks, MD, it was a bit of a drive, but WELL worth it!  We were surprised to find the parking lot almost completely full at 7:00 on a Monday night, but soon discovered why.  The atmosphere is amazing, and going in December when the mansion is decorated for the holidays was the icing on the cake.  The food was wonderful with great service to match!

We were served an appetizer, compliments of the chef ...

and it only got better from there!  We shared bottles of wine and bottles of beer, and a decadent appetizer, Lobster Bacon Mac and Cheese ...

and that was still just the beginning!  Take a look at our entrees ...

Lots of meat and seafood, uniquely prepared and paired with outstanding sides.

This restaurant is quite expensive, but we had a wonderful time (3 hours of time to be exact) and definitely all agreed it was worth it! That said, when you make a reservation, you are asked to specify MAIN DINING ROOM (for the full menu) or the C. 1740 LOUNGE (for the small plates menu), so the lounge might be a good option for a less pricey experience.

We all agree that The Milton Inn is by far one of our favorites on the list, a place we would recommend for sure.

Great night, with great friends!

Next up: #27 Maggie's Farm. We'll be skipping over #30 Wine Market Bistro, #29 Bluegrass Tavern, and #28 Gertrude's because a fair amount of those in the group have already been.

#34 Pazo and #19 Fork & Wrench

October's Monday Meal was at Pazo, in Fells Point.  Most of us had been before, but not since the menu had changed from Spanish to Italian cuisine.  We were not disappointed with the new menu; it was just as good, if not better, than before!  Also, the same pre-meal crackers that we were afraid we'd miss, were still served, AND our waitress sent us home with a bag of them!

There were 5 of us this time around, and we all wanted to try so many different things, that we decided to just order a variety of dishes, and share, which worked out great!  Take a look:

In addition to the wonderful food, the manager treated us to a complimentary bottle of wine.

I think the atmosphere of Pazo is one of the best in Baltimore!  It's warm, and cozy, and elegant, and just makes the experience feel special.

This is definitely a restaurant I would recommend, and will be sure to return many more times myself!

Fork & Wrench, in Canton, was where November's Monday Meal took place and we were glad to have our friend Nick join us while he was home briefly from Germany!  This small restaurant is right on Boston Street, but somewhat discreet.  Even though it is so close to where most of us live, none of us had been, or heard much about, but I think we're all glad we tried it!

The restaurant takes on the shape of a typical Baltimore rowhome, long and narrow, but the space is used wisely with different seating arrangements to fit the space.  The decor is unique with collections of old-world pieces, curtain partitions in the restrooms, and old wooden sinks!

We had a large group this time, but many of us ordered the same dish, with the pumpkin gnocchi being the most popular.

The best part of the meal by far was the dessert, specifically, the apple donuts!!!

We already checked #33 City Cafe off our list in September, and we've been to #32 Kali's Mezze in the past for restaurant week, so next up will most likely be #31 The Milton Inn in Sparks.  Thanks for reading!

#3 The Prime Rib and #33 City Cafe

Life has been pretty crazy for me recently (in a good way), time for some catching up ...

Early in July we checked #35 Cafe Troia off our list, but then, instead of waiting until August to visit the next restaurant, we took advantage of restaurant week at the end of July to try The Prime Rib, ranked #3!

"Now approaching it's 50th season, Buzz BeLer's swank steakhouse continues to set all kinds of dining standards in Baltimore, from the service which is the ideal of unobtrusiveness, to the consistent quality of its steak and seafood, which has never wavered." - Sun Magazine

The Prime Rib is located in Mid-Town Belvedere and is quite discrete from street view, blending into the surrounding area, but once you enter, you know you are somewhere special!

All interior finishes are either black, white, or gold - high end, shiny, some may say gaudy.  No shorts allowed for men, and men's shirts must be collared (I guess they assume women can make appropriate wardrobe selections based on the standard set for men).  All members of the staff, from the host, to the waiter, to the chef, appeared to be male, which is something I thought noteworthy, something I definitely don't think I have experienced anywhere else.

The menu is quite pricey, but to be expected for a high end steakhouse, ranked #3 among Baltimore restaurants.  Going for Restaurant Week was a pretty good deal, as we all were able to select a first, second, and dessert course.  Bread and sides to share were also brought to the table.  Service was top notch, food was delicious, an overall great experience!

Pictures did not turn out great, but at least provide a glimpse into The Prime Rib's offerings ...

Course 1:

Course 2:

DESSERT!

Since we crossed two restaurants off of the top 50 list in July, and with everyone's busy summer schedules, we skipped doing a restaurant in August, and kicked off September on Labor Day with #33 City Cafe, skipping over #34 Pazo, which we'll return to next month.

City Cafe is also located in Mid-Town Belvedere, and sun Magazine states, "Guests Know they'll find something good, comforting and well prepared at City Cafe, whether it is for brunch, a rainy Monday night or before a symphony concert."  I would say I agree.  Many of us had been before for brunch or happy hour, and had had good experiences, so we were excited to try their diner menu.

The restaurant is rather large, and broken up in to multiple areas/levels.  The interior is very light and airy, and quite "contemporary cool!"

We were early enough to catch their happy hour and tried a couple discounted Beers and Cocktails, and then, decided to split a bottle of wine, because, well, they were 1/2 price and we had Labor Day to celebrate!

We had all looked at their menu on-line, an had in mind what we might order, but were all also temped by their Monday special ... You could choose a meat: steak, chicken or fish, as well as two toppings for it, in addition to two sides, for only $19, which is a treat as we work our way up the list towards #1.  Some details of their menu/specials/options were a little unclear to us, but they were very happy to answer our questions and explain the things that were unclear, so I definitely wouldn't consider that a deterrent.

Here is what we tried:

#14 The Helmand and #35 Cafe Troia

First, I want to say thanks to all of you who have been reading this blog!  I am by no means a "writer" but it has been fun to document this journey, and rewarding to know people are interested!

Recently we had two birthdays to celebrate which gave us reason to check two more restaurants off of our top 50 list!

First was #14 The Helmand in Mount Vernon, which according to Sun Magazine has been around for over 25 years!  Afghan cuisine was something new for some of the group, but definitely enjoyed by all!

We entered into what appeared to be an empty restaurant, but were quickly escorted to a much more populated back dining room, appropriately decorated with Afghan rugs and decor.  Our waiter was very friendly and took the time to explain menu items we weren't quite sure about.

As someone who is not very adventurous when it comes to food, in my opinion, the menu is varied enough that there is something for everyone, and provides a unique experience to try something different.  While everyone in our group pretty much ordered their own meal, it would be quite possible, and I think encouraged, to order multiple dishes for the table to share.

See below some of what we tried:

Up next was #35 Cafe Troia in Towson which I would say offers a contemporary spin on Italian classics; for example, I ordered Gouda Filled Ravioli with an Orange cream sauce, which was absolutely delicious!

Sun Magazine describes Cafe Troia as a  "popular white tablecloth restaurant."  We found the restaurant empty for the most part, which isn't always a bad thing, and while the inside was in fact quite formal and ornately decorated, they also have a more casual outside dining area.

We had a great waiter and were able to arrange a free dessert in honor of the birthday girl, and lucky enough to all get to share!

Again, a restaurant I would recommend, and here's why:

Up next on our list is #34 Pazo in Fells Point.  Most of the group has already been, but not since the menu changed from Spanish to Italian cuisine, so we're all excited to try it again!