Tag Archives: #BaltimoreRestaurant

Vacarro’s: Pastries, Gelato, Chocolate Martinis, OH MY!

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Buon appetito!

If you live in or are planning to visit Baltimore in the near future, I would highly recommend you stop-by Little Italy’s Italian Festival . A recent outing with the best friend and others lent to an afternoon of spectating intense Italian bocce ball matches, meeting spirited  Italian community members working hard to raise money to support local organizations and an introduction to a wonderful dessert experience at the well-know Italian pastry cafe, Vaccaro’s.

Despite a people-packed festival, we were politely and quickly seated in their cafe area. My group, having generously partook in a filling lunch earlier, decided to skip the menu’s sandwich offerings and order dessert.

My friend, Beth, ordered homemade cream puffs topped with chocolate gelato, whipped cream and a cherry. Given we are best friend’s, I thought it was only fitting that I offer to help her taste-test her dish. This dessert, called a BACI BALL ,
offered up wonderful chocolate gelato and a great presentation.  However, the menu indicated the cream puffs were supposed to be warm and this particular dish missed that part in the plating stage.

“Life is short, eat dessert 1st.”

Our friends offered to let me sample their dessert, MORTE DAL CIOCCOLATO “VACCARO STYLE”, otherwise known as Death by Chocolate. The menu describes this as, “your choice of a slice of our homemade Chocolate Cannoli Cake or Cheesecake served with Chocolate Chocolate Chip Gelato, and topped with (of course) hot fudge with whipped topping …”  The chocolate cannoli cake paired with the gelato was DIVINE! The flavor and moist cake reflected the unique dessert experience that only a cannoli can give, sans the crispy shell.

Dessert doesn’t  ALWAYS need to be in a solid state. Therefore I felt justified, having not order my own personal dessert, to imbibe in Vaccaro’s CHOCOLATE SWIRL MARTINI.  According to the lovely woman who waited on us, this drink is considered to be “heaven in a glass!”  Personally, I have no problem associating a well-made cocktail with a spiritual experience and it WAS heavenly.

Friendly + efficient service, the edgy-meets-traditional-Italian-bistro aesthetics, tasty libations and great tasting dessert makes Vaccaro’s a must-visit for locals + visitor alike. And the six pack to-go order of homemade CANNOLI  made the hubby + kids insist on a family visit in the near future  As they say in Italy:

Complimenti all cuoca!

 

Alchemy: Here I Come!

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Next up this week for a dining review is Alchemy in Hampden. The husband and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary and hopefully enjoying what their website describes as, “creative fare.” Be on the look out for the review!

Grand Cru = Far from Grand

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Good customer service is hard to come by these days. Should you plan on dining at Grand Cru in the near future, plan to keep on searching.

This wine bar is located in the Belvedere Square area of the Baltimore City and suburbia-Towson corridor. Parking can sometimes be a challenge, but the neighboring Belvedere Market is worth the hassle.  The wine bar on the other hand, not so much.

As far as wine and beer selections go, they do provide a nice array of options for the intermediate to above-average wine crowds. For Baltimore County resident’s who have few options for wine and beer “to-go” purchases on Sundays, Grand Cru is open for your imbibing fix.

My partner in wine/beer crime, Rachel, joined me here last night for some small snacks and a drink. Upon our entrance and inquiry about a table, the server stated, “I will take care of you when I’m done taking care of this dirty table.” Note; there were a number of clean tables available. After cleaning the table and shooting the proverbial shit with the bartender for ten minutes, he decided we were worthy of assistance.

With beverage and small plate orders in mind, we eagerly awaited – for another 10 minutes – to give our order. This was done by politely asking the bartender if we could order and if there was table service. His response was, “I guess I can walk over there and take your order.” P.S. There is table service, but apparently they weren’t in the mood and our original server never reappeared.

Our frosty beverages arrived in a timely fashion. Rachel selected a hoppy beer and apparently enjoyed it, given she ordered another later in the evening. (Yes, I did too!)  Yard’s Pale Ale. was my selection and it was quite refreshing.

Charcuterie and an alsatian creme fraiche, onion and lardons”pizza” arrived. Fortunately I was ravenous; however, I will not order the latter again.  The carmelized onions and lardons (savory cubed pork) overwhelmed the hands and palate with grease.The charcuteire was fairly well presented and tasty, but wasn’t a stand-out for these smoked meat fans.

If you’re in a bind on a Sunday and need a nice bottle of wine or a varied selection of beers for a dinner party, Grand Cru can serve this purpose. As far as serving up good service and a nice small plate to go with a fabulous glass of wine, don’t bother. This is not my first visit nor the only time the staff behaved like they’re doing me or my guests a favor.  So do yourself one instead – save your money and your pride.

After seeking out the bartender, successfully ordering and finishing one last pint, we decided we would call it an evening AND our last time at Grand Cru.