Best of Baltimore!

See that purdy blue graphic in the left sidebar? You know, this one:

That means Minxeats was named Baltimore's Best Food Blog for 2013. We are incredibly flattered and honored!

If you don't believe me, you can pick up a copy on newsstands starting tomorrow, July 26th!



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Baltimore's 50 Best Restaurants - Revisited

Back in April, I posted this link to Baltimore Magazine's list of the Best Restaurants of 2010. At that point in time, I realized I had not been to very many on the list (17 of 50). I vowed that Mr Minx and I would turn over a new leaf by trying at least one new-to-us restaurant every month for the remainder of the year.

I dare say we've been quite successful in our quest. While only five of the restaurants we've visited since April are on the list*, we've also eaten in nine other local restaurants that we had not tried in the past.

May
The Brewer's Art*

June
Talara
Bangkok Garden

July
Tangier's
Red Pearl
B'More Pizza, Subs, & Kebab

August
B&O American Brasserie*
The Chameleon Cafe*
Jack's Bistro*

September
Clementine*

October
Bluegrass Tavern

November
Langermann's

December
Demi (at Crush)
The Dogwood

Now it's 2011, and we're going to try to keep the same pace - there are still many area restaurants that we have not yet tried. Do you have any suggestions?

Minxeats in Baltimore Magazine

One page from the article, featuring photos
of my empanadas and bruschetta.

I'm excited to announce that Minxeats is in the November issue of Baltimore Magazine, as one of three local bloggers (along with Kit of Mango & Ginger and Dara of Dining Dish) who contributed dishes for a feature on Potluck Dinners.

In the article, which starts on page 226, you can find photos of my Chocolate Linzer Tart, BLT Bruschetta with Bacon Jam, arugula, and cherry tomatoes, and Sweet Potato Empanadas, which are based on a casserole recipe I concocted last Thanksgiving. The tart and bacon jam recipes are linked above, and here's the recipe for my sweet potato empanadas, which I thought were nice and Fall-ish. To make them even more appropriate for the coming season, one could add some chopped cooked turkey meat and perhaps a cranberry-based dipping sauce.

Sweet Potato Empanadas

2 large sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons diced onion*

olive oil

1/4 heavy cream
1 teaspoon chipotle powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon chopped scallion
2 slices of bacon, crumbled*
2 packages Goya empanada shells "discos"
1 egg

Scrub sweet potatoes and prick all over with a knife or fork. Place on microwave safe plate and microwave on high for 15 minutes until the potatoes are very soft. Remove from microwave and set aside to cool.

Sauté onion in olive oil until softened.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop flesh into a bowl. Add cream, chipotle, brown sugar, and cinnamon, stirring well to combine. Stir in scallions, cooked onion, and bacon. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 350F. Remove discos from packaging. Place a scant tablespoon of sweet potato filling in the center of each. Fold ends over to form a half-moon, and crimp closed with the tines of a fork. Place empanadas on a nonstick cookie sheet.

Beat egg with a teaspoon of water and brush onto tops of pastries.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Makes 20.

* 2 tablespoons of bacon jam may be substituted for the onion and bacon

Be a Restaurant Critic!

Baltimore Magazine is hosting a contest to find three restaurant critics to help Suzanne Loudermilk, senior food editor, review restaurants for the magazine’s annual Best Restaurants issue. The contest began yesterday and goes until Oct. 27. Click here for more details:

http://www.baltimoremagazine.net/contests/critic

Contest participants should write a review of their favorite Baltimore area restaurant in 150 words or less. The entries will be judged by Suzanne based on creativity, writing style, and food knowledge. The only rules are as follows:

You must be 21 years or older to participate.
Only ONE entry is allowed per person.
Your work must be original and not more than 150 words.
Baltimore magazine staff and family members, professional chefs and restaurateurs, food bloggers, and paid and published reviewers are not eligible to participate.

Baltimore's 50 Best Restaurants

The issue of Baltimore Magazine that features their list of Baltimore's 50 Best Restaurants is usually my favorite issue. It's always interesting to see if any new joints have made it onto the hallowed list of old favorites, and with the closing of Ixia and The Brass Elephant in 2009, there are at least two spots available for some new places to sneak in.

This year, as last, Baltimore Mag ranked the restaurants. Charleston, of course, came in as number one. In fact, Cindy Wolf and husband Tony Foreman have four restaurants in the top 12. Not too shabby, and I will probably have to agree with Pazo and Petit Louis. But my one experience at Charleston left me feeling that the place was highly overrated and I have not been offered any free meals there to make me change my mind. Obviously I am the only one who doesn't think Cindy Wolf is some sort of culinary goddess, huh?

I was happy to see our neighborhood joint, Crush, on the list, but feel it deserves better than #33. I've had  more consistently good food there than at the #12-ranked Petit Louis. I also think Della Notte deserves better than the 38th position; everything I have ever eaten there has been excellent. And who can top a giant tree in the center of the restaurant for ambiance?

I'm also going to have to disagree with Gertrudes, ranked at 39. We had dinner there a few weeks ago, and have eaten there in the past, and none of the meals would elevate the place to a "best of" anything list. In our most recent dining experience, the food was decent enough, but the service was lousy. Not that we weren't promptly served, water glasses refilled, etc., but it was sloppy. Servers reached across the table to place plates, didn't know who ordered what, and made us wait for clean silverware after our second course was served (I suspect they wanted us to lick our app utensils clean and use them again for the entrée). For a place with such snazzy decor, I expect impeccable service. It is not, after all, a diner.

Tio Pepe, at 40, obviously serves much better food when it's not Restaurant Week.

And Roy's is ranked at 49? You're kidding, right? The food is always well-executed, service is nearly perfect - formal, but always friendly, the ambiance makes me feel warm and happy no matter what time of year we visit, and the prices are not stratospheric. Why this place isn't in the top 20, I don't know.

Places on the list I'd like to visit eventually: The Brewer's Art, Chameleon Cafe, Mari Luna Latin Grill, Woodberry Kitchen, Jack's Bistro, Peter's Inn. I suppose these omissions from my list of Places in Which I Have Dined makes me a bad local foodie, but sometimes the budget only allows for a burger at the Nautilus. Perhaps Mr Minx and I should make it a point to try at least a couple of these places in 2010.

Do you agree with all of the places on the list? Which local restaurants do you feel should be included? How about ethnic restaurants other than Italian or Latin? 

Baltimore Magazine's Best Restaurants

Baltimore Magazine publishes a yearly list of the best restaurants in the Baltimore area. This year they did the daring and ranked them. I've highlighted the ones I have visited in the past - only 14! I need to get out more. Unfortunately, many of the remaining joints are a bit pricey, and there are not enough special occasions during the year to merit a fancy dinner at an untried restaurant.

I've only been to Charleston and The Black Olive once each, and can tell you I was not particularly impressed. I've complained about this before - the sauces at Charleston were too reduced, the veal stock becoming the equivalent of glue, leaving our lips sticking together for hours afterwards (and I don't mean in an embrace).

Pazo and Petit Louis, also owned by Cindy Wolf and Tony Foreman, are two of our favorites, both worth multiple excursions. Apart from The Bicycle, I've been to each of the other restaurants more than once. I was thrilled to see that Crush made the list; hopefully this means the place will stick around for a while.

Dear readers - where do you recommend that we visit next?

1. Charleston
2.The Black Olive
3. Cinghiale
4. Linwoods
5. The Oregon Grille
6. Woodberry Kitchen
7. Aldo's Ristorante Italiano
8. Antrim 1844 Country House Hotel
9. Pazo
10. Meli
11. Salt
12. The Oceanaire Seafood Room
13. Petit Louis Bistro
14. Kali's Court
15 .The Prime Rib
16. Shula's Steakhouse
17.The Capital Grille
18. Sotto Sopra
19. Fin Steak & Seafood
20. Blue Sea Grill
21. O'Leary's Seafood Restaurant
22. Ixia
23. Milton Inn
24. Chameleon Cafe
25. Tio Pepe
26. Baltimore Pho
27. Trattoria Alberto
28. Della Notte Ristorante
29. The Helmand
30. Roy's
31. The Dogwood
32. Jack's Bistro
33. TD Lounge
34. The Brass Elephant
35. Peter's Inn
36. Iron Bridge Wine Company
37. Aida Bistro & Wine Bar
38. Osteria 177
39. Darker Than Blue Cafe
40. Tersiguel's
41. The Wine Market
42. Fogo de Chão
43. The Bicycle
44. Corks
45. Crush
46. b
47. Victoria Gastro Pub
48. Jordan's Steakhouse
49. Gertrude's at the BMA
50. Ze Mean Bean Cafe