Spotlight On - Points South Latin Kitchen

Not sure if anyone knows, but I've been writing a restaurant column for the City Walker App Blog. The purpose of the app itself is to give visitors a local's-eye-view of a city, so they are able to experience it in the same way residents do--on foot. (Not that anyone actually walks anywhere anymore.) The blog offers a bit more detail; I have endeavored to take users on a stroll through the city while pointing out restaurants along the way. In addition to the walking posts, I have been writing others that put certain favorite restaurants of mine in a spotlight. I thought I could share those here with you.
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Bryson Keens and Rey Eugenio were once managing partner and chef partner at Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion at Harbor East some years ago. This was back in the days before there were so many restaurants to choose from in the area, and Roy’s was the place to go. The menu, featuring dishes served in all Roy’s nationwide plus some local twists, was uniformly delicious. However, it was during the restaurant’s special wine dinners that Chef Eugenio’s cuisine really shone. Coupled with the amiable Mr Keen’s turn as emcee, plus wine, those dinners were a guaranteed good time. (Except perhaps for the husband who managed to talk his wife into leaving the kids with a sitter that night, only to find the dinner featured course after course of cute animals like Mary’s little lamb, Bambi, and Donald Duck, which the wife refused to eat. Fun fun sitting across from them!) Man, I loved those dinners. All good things must come to an end, of course: Rey eventually left Roy’s to work at a new Greek restaurant that quickly topped Baltimore’s Best Restaurant list. Bryson left a few years later to open his own place: Points South Latin Kitchen, in Fells Point. Chef Eugenio was brought on as a consultant, and now he’s running the kitchen. The food, predictably, is fan-fecking-tastic.

Points South is one of those places where making a simple decision about dinner can be quite difficult because everything sounds so tempting. Last time I was there with my family, we ordered what seemed like everything on the menu. We started out with the yuca croquettes, shrimp ceviche, lamb ribs, and grilled octopus, then went on to the beef short ribs and duck prepared two ways. A dish of chicharrónes, too, because every meal needs to have a side dish comprised entirely of slabs of fried pork belly. Every meal. Each dish was better than the last. Smothered in a honey chipotle barbeque sauce and complimented with garlic chips, scallions, and creamy mojo, the lamb ribs were a huge hit. Even my Dad, who has had a lifelong aversion to lamb, said they were so good, he would have eaten the bones if he could. The fork-tender beef short ribs, too, were excellent, infused with the spicy flavor of bittersweet chocolate sauce. We could easily have polished off a second order. But there was also that duck dish, a special that night: a large confit leg with luscious meat and crispy skin plus medium-rare duck breast, served with mashed potatoes and roasted root vegetables.

We were too stuffed to get dessert, and would’ve had trouble deciding between the flourless marble cake of Venezuelan dark chocolate, dulce de leche, and cafe au lait whipped cream, and the pastel de maiz, a corn cake with chile-lime macerated berries, candied lime zest, and coconut whipped cream. The flan with orange liqueur caramel sounds yummy, too.

Points South also serves brunch and lunch. The “platos pequenos” (small plates) are similar among the three meals, but entrees are replaced by a selection of pupusas, a Salvadoran dish of thick corn tortillas stuffed with cheese and/or other items like beans or meat. There are egg dishes at brunch as well. Cocktails ranging from the Latin American classics mojitos, caipirinhas, and pisco sours to house signatures like the tequila-based Cucumber Fresco are available with every meal (as are those chicharrónes).

This summer, Points South will be hosting the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament. If you’re lucky enough to be in Baltimore from June into early August, you can attend one of the battles, which are held on Mondays and Tuesday evenings. The Tournament pits two local area chefs against each other in a themed three-course battle, not unlike the televised Iron Chef competition that originated in Japan and continued on the Food Network for many years (and is poised to make a comeback). Please see http://www.masondixonmasterchef.com/ for information and to purchase tickets.

Points South Latin Kitchen
1640 Thames Street
Baltimore, MD 21231
443-563-2018



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament 2017 Finale

After many weeks of competition, the ranks have been whittled down to two chefs who will battle it out on Sunday, August 13th, to become this year's champion. The finalists, Fabio Mura of Grille 620/River Hill Grill and Damon Hersh from the Inn at Brookeville Farms, are seasoned veterans, so this should be a great show for all who turn out to cheer them on.

Get your tickets at http://www.masondixonmasterchef.com/purchase-tickets/. The price for this special finale battle is $65 per person, which include all taxes, a wine tasting by Boordy Vineyards, passed hors d’oeuvres, the competition, dessert, and coffee. New this year, ALL Tickets for the competition are "Judging Experience" tickets, which allow all guests to taste each of the six courses the chef teams produce and be part of the voting to decide the winner. Believe me, being able to taste the chefs' dishes really adds to the experience.

The competition will be held at Points South Latin Kitchen in Fells Point. Doors open at 5:30, the action starts at 6pm. Hope to see you there!


Posted on Minxeats.com.

Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament Starts Round Two

This week, the second round of competition in the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament begins!

Round 2 will include Battles Street Food, Baltimore, and Fromage, as well as the Grand Championship Battle Royale. Remaining competitors include: Robert Simon, Admiral Fell Inn; Jonathan Hicks, Cosima; Fabio Mura, Grille 620 / River Hill Grill; Kitty Ashi, Monsoon Siam; Francois Giovanni Merle, Personal Chef and 2016 Mason Dixon Master Chef Champion; Lanydrek Christ Pandzou, SoBe Restaurant; Damon Hersh, The Inn at Brookville Farms; and Terence Tomlin, Upscale Dining Experience.

A full line-up of remaining matches is available online at www.MDmasterchef.com. Remaining Competition Dates: July 10, 11, 17, 18, 31, August 1, 13

All competitions are held at Points South Latin Kitchen in Fells Point - a fine restaurant to visit even if you're not going for the competition. Tickets for Round 2 matches are $45 ($65 for Semi-Finals and Championship matches) and available at http://www.masondixonmasterchef.com. Ticket price includes all taxes, a Boordy Vineyards wine tasting, passed hors d'oeuvres, dessert, and coffee, and of course the competition. All tickets are also "Judging Experience" tickets, allowing guests to taste each of the six courses produced by competing teams and participate in the voting.

In addition, the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament donates 10% of the net proceeds of each ticket sold directly to their charity partner Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland (http://www.mealsonwheelsmd.org).

Meals on Wheels' mission is to enhance quality of life through the provision of nutritious meals, personal contact and related services to homebound individuals. Last year, over 740,000 home-delivered meals were prepared and delivered to more than 2,900 homebound clients through the coordinated efforts of Meals on Wheels staff and some 2,000 volunteers. Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland currently serves the following areas: Baltimore City, Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's counties.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament 2017

It's that time again - time for the Mason Dixon Master Chef Tournament!

This season brings a new venue that we're pretty excited about - Points South Latin Kitchen in Fells Point. It's one of our favorite restaurants, so we know that not only will the competition be exciting but the food available for purchase during the matches will be top notch.

The chefs competing this time around come from all over the area:
James Patton, Admiral Fell Inn
Jacob Nelson, Black Eyed Suzie’s
Jonathan Hicks, Cosima
Joel Young, Hudson Coastal
Brigitte Bledsoe, Miss Shirley’s Café
Kitty Ashi, Monsoon Siam
Francois Giovanni Merle, Personal Chef, 2016 Mason Dixon Master Chef Champion
Niko Negas, Roasthouse Pub
Shamarie James, Roland Park Place
Darius Jones, Simply Exquisite
Lanydrek Christ Pandzou, SoBe Restaurant
Damon Hersh, The Inn at Brookville Farms
Terence Tomlin, Upscale Dining Experience
Greg Mason, White Oak Tavern

To see their initial match-ups,. check out www.MDMasterchef.com.

The competition starts this coming Monday June 5th and runs Mondays and Tuesdays for the next 8 weeks.

Tickets for most matches are $45 per person and include a wine tasting by Boordy Vineyards, passed hors d'oeuvres, the competition, dessert, and coffee. Plus, this year, ALL tickets are "Judging Experience" tickets, meaning that all guests can taste each dish produced by the chefs and be part of the voting to decide the winner.

A portion of the proceeds goes to the very worthy Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland.

So what are you waiting for? Get yourself some tickets and hope to see you there!



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Points South Latin Kitchen

When we went to Points South Latin Kitchen last winter for a media tasting, we didn't get any decent pictures to post. We've been looking for an opportunity to go back, order a large meal, and get plenty of nice photos, so we figured the Dining Out for Life event might be the best time to do it. Points South was donating 25% of that evening's receipts to Moveable Feast, a charity that delivers meals to people living with AIDS/HIV, cancer, or other life-threatening illnesses. We brought along Minxbro and Minxdad to help us drive up the bill as high as possible for a good cause.

Since the weather was mild, we took an outside table and enjoyed the hustle bustle on Thames Street while we shared a pitcher of red sangria. Since so many of the small plate items sounded intriguing, we decided to try five, the first being the shrimp ceviche. Bright and refreshing, the shrimp were dressed with salad spread across a bed of avocado.

We had eaten the carimanolas, or yucca croquettes, at the media tasting and wanted to have them again. Lightly crisp on the outside and creamy smooth on the inside, the croquettes have the added bonus of a beef filling. It's almost like a mini shepherd's pie with the yucca standing in for potatoes, but yucca has its own flavor and texture. An avocado crema is provided for dipping, adding a nice touch of tang and richness.

Since we tend to order calamari everywhere we go, we thought we'd shake things up a bit and get the grilled octopus. The octopus was amazingly tender and the accompaniment of romesco, olives, and chili-dusted jicama made for a pleasant salad dressed in smoky achiote oil.

The pork belly had a crackling crust on the fat layer and unctuously tender meat, exactly the way pork belly should be served. In this case, I don't recall having any pork belly that was quite this good.

Minxdad has long insisted that he does not like lamb, but since the rest of us do, we decided to order the Denver lamb ribs while he was distracted with people watching. Smothered in a honey chipotle barbeque sauce and complimented with garlic chips, scallions, and creamy mojo, Minxdad gobbled down every bite of his rib and declared that he would've eaten the bone if he could. Only then did we reveal to him the true nature of the protein. He offered a sheepish shrug.

Duck confit was the special that day and, given how much we all love duck, we ordered it. The confit leg was meltingly soft, with a crisp skin, exactly as it should be. It was accompanied by a bit of medium rare duck breast, which was also tender and flavorful.The creamy potatoes and roasted root vegetables and squash made for a filling entree that hinted of the coming fall season.

We finished with the beef short ribs braised in bittersweet chocolate sauce. Fork tender and infused with the spicy chocolate flavor, the ribs were my favorite dish of the evening. I could've devoured the whole dish on my own, but I'm sure I would've had a fight on my hands had I tried.

As the late summer sun disappeared behind the buildings, we felt quite full and satisfied. Not only did we have a great meal, but we were supporting a great cause. We have to make sure we don't wait another nine months to return.

Points South Latin Kitchen
1640 Thames St.
Baltimore, MD 21231
Phone: (443) 563-2018



Posted on Minxeats.com.