SILO. 5%

So on the way to Miguel's mexican restaurant in Silo Point, we happened to run into this wine bar that is right next to it.  When you walk in, you notice that it is clearly very modern and arguably too cool for school.  With that being said, it's one of those bars that is nice to go to every once in awhile; let's just say it's a bit nicer than Captain Larry's.  It's essentially one of those places where you try to kid yourself into thinking that you are classier and more cultured than you really are (which is always fun).

  

When we sat down, the waitress handed us Nooks that had the menus on it.  Pretty cool stuff.  You can scroll through all of the options for food, drink, dessert, etc. at your own pace.  Being that it's a wine bar, Melissa got wine, and I got a Bud Light.  Just kidding on that - but I got back on the Bud Light wagon at Miguel's afterwards...

Clearly there are lots of options, but Melissa and I decided to split a flight called "South Side of the World".  It had a shiraz, a tempranillo, and a pinotage (if that means anything to anyone).  The pinotage was a very full bodied, Advil-popping wine, the tempranillo was light and sweet, and the shiraz was also "successful" as they would say in Top Chef.

But what is a trip to a wine bar without cheese?! The waitress triple-dog-dared us to try sheep cheese, which was my favorite personally.  I didn't know that eating sheep cheese was so epic.  Melissa liked the creamier brie style and blue cheese.  The deal was 3 cheeses for $10.  Not bad.

All in all, we definitely recommend checking out SILO. 5% if you happen to blackout, wake up in the Silo Point area, and want to get your pretend fancy on.    

Bin 604

Checked out a wine tasting at the Bin 604 wine store in Harbor East.  While not technically fitting into the restaurant theme of the blog, there was some deliciously crusty bread and a variety of cheeses that were served as part of the tasting, so it seems close enough to be blog-worthy.

For those that don't know, Bin 604 is an upscale wine store located right next to the Whole Foods.  They sell a wide variety of wines, most of which are too fancy (code word for expensive) for me to really appreciate, but also some very affordable and tasty options.  The best part is, the in-store sommeliers know a ton about every wine they carry and can provide great recommendations for any occasion or dish you plan to cook. 

The tasting itself took place in a cozy space right in the center of the store.  The tasting space had enough room to intimately accommodate the 10-12 people participating, the moderator, and a few tables with snacks and wine for everyone to crowd around while they learned about each wine.  This particular tasting was put on by the Yalumba Winery from Australia, and included 7 wines - 2 whites, 3 reds, and 2 dessert wines.  Unfortunately, I'm not enough of a wine connoisseur to say whether the wines themselves were especially good, although I will say that Jen and I each found one or two that we really enjoyed.  What I can say is that the tasting portions were generous, the provided snacks were delicious, and the speaker from the winery was amazingly informative about all things wine.  Among other things, we learned about the history of Australian wine making, the virtues of corks vs. screw caps, and what happens when wine becomes "corked" or "cork tainted".

The total cost for the tasting was $20 each, which included a coupon for $10 off one of the featured bottles of wine from the tasting.  All in all, we had a great time at the tasting and came home with two bottles of wine for just over $50 total.

If you're looking for a fun and relatively inexpensive date night a tasting at Bin 604 is a great option!

Here's their schedule of events: http://www.bin604.com/index.cfm?page=events

Light Street Cafe

If you want something cheap-ish and breakfast-y at any time of day, check this place out.

From worst to best:

• Pulled pork sandwich ($6-7) - Not great.  Terrible roll, mediocre PP.
  
• Chocolate chip pancakes (under $5) - Pretty darn good.  Not too sweet, and obviously from scratch.  Since they serve it all day, looks like breakfast is their strong suit.
  
• Breakfast burrito with bacon (under $5) - Awesome.  Went back the next day and got it again to confirm it wasn't just my hangover talking...still awesome.  On it: eggs that have actually been cooked on a stove (and aren't gross like DD's or Sam's's(?)), fried onions, excellent hash browns, bacon, and your choice of cheese in a tortilla roll.  OJ is definitely a good call with this.

On the downside, their menu is not very detailed (it won't tell you what's in the breakfast burrito, for instance), it's deli-style ordering (you are your own wait staff), and the ambiance is similar to eating in a VFW hall.

They open very early (6am) and serve breakfast all day.  Owner (Chris) is super friendly.  Get at it.

Love,

Pegret

Social Pub & Pie

If you want good pizza and a good atmosphere for game watching, this is the place to go! Social has happy hour special every night, and also includes a weekday special each night.  Tuesdays are always a great bet with 1/2 price pizza, and likewise, Thursdays are also a steal with 1/2 price bottles of wine. Check out the link below for today's special:

http://www.socialpubbaltimore.com/

However, the menu is limited, especially when it comes to appetizers. Pizzas, although delicious, warrant an expansion in selection. Salads, on the other hand, are particularly delicious MaGerk's Salad with cranberries and feta...

Flavor Points:
Service: 5
Food: 7
Drink: 8
Ambiance: 9
Price: $

Townhouse Kitchen - Harbor East

  

First off, happy hour was awesome... The carnitas tacos are a must, and they will only cost you $7.00.  The calamari was good as well, but nothing to rant and rave about.  Here are the current happy hour specials.  Happy hour is M - F from 3:00-7:00pm


Drink Specials:
$5 house wines
$4 well drinks
$3 domestic bottles

$5 Appetizer Specials:  

Warm Pretzel Sticks                             
Loaded Kettle Chips                            

$6 Appetizer Specials: 

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus                  
Pollo Picado Tacos
Crispy Calamari                              

$7 Appetizer Specials:

Verde Chicken Flatbread
Steak Quesadilla
Carnitas Tacos

Now, on to the entrees…

Clay obliterated the lemon rosemary chicken with mashed potatoes.  Melissa, on the other hand, got her teeth stuck in what was supposed to be a grilled chicken breast on her club sandwich. 

Ulimately, in our first experience at Townhouse Kitchen, happy hour won...

Would we go back? Yes.

Flavor Points:

• Service = 7
• Food = 6
• Drink = 8
• Ambience = 8 (cool setting, a bit loud)
• Price = $$

Source: townhousebaltimore.com