Mother's Cantina, Ocean City, MD

I am from Ocean City and I have become a snob about some of the food there. Some restaurants have been there for years and years and some only last one summer before they are gone. I have been pleasantly pleased by one restaurant that is fairly new and seems to be doing well.

I was back home visiting my parents and my mom and I decided to eat at Mother's Cantina. I had been there a couple of times before and I have always been happy with what I ordered. This visit was no exception. To start, we got an order of Santa Fe egg rolls. These were really good and the sauce had a nice kick to it. They also seemed really fresh. We got complimentary chips and salsa, as well. I wasn't crazy about the salsa. I think it could have been seasoned better. The margarita that I got was also good!

For dinner, I got 3 chicken tacos in hard shells. They were perfect! The chicken was well-seasoned and there was a good amount of toppings. My mom got the crab quesadilla (a special). It was also really good, I thought it tasted like crab dip. Yum! If you're looking for a good Mexican/American bar (I make the distinction because I'm not sure how authentic it really is) then you should definitely stop in!

Matthew's Pizza, Canton

We haven't really gotten too acquainted with Canton yet. Every time we drive through it or read about restaurants, I really want to explore it more. I guess we got a good start the other night by eating at Matthew's.

The restaurant is in a part of town that is dotted with liquor stores and not the most inviting, but once you make it there (and park!) it's a cute little place. You would not go to this place for ambiance, but trust me, that's not what you're looking for anyway. You're looking for some really good pizza. I ordered the popular mozzarella (a small is pretty much a personal size). G got the same but he added pepperoni and jalapenos. We also got an order of the pizza fries.

At first slice, I wasn't so sure about it. This IS supposed to be one of the best pies in Baltimore and I wasn't sure if I wanted to hand over that title so easily. But after eating more, I decided that this is truly a really great pizza. The crust is the best part; thick, but not Chicago-style. It was just right in my opinion. The sauce and cheese were also really yummy. The fries weren't that good, so don't waste your time on them. Just go for the pizza. We both brought home leftovers and made each other promise not to eat each other's pieces. That's a true sign of good food.

Ryleigh's Oyster, Federal Hill

I have been all about Groupons since I discovered the site. Even when it's a restaurant that I haven't really had that much interest in, I'm still all about getting the Groupon if it looks decent and worth trying it out. That's pretty much what happened with Ryleigh's Oyster. I mean, who could pass up $50 worth of food for $25?

We went on a Saturday night, so I'm not sure if our experience was typical. It was super crowded and we had to wait about 20 minutes for a table. The service was pretty shotty-- the hostesses were rude and the servers were hard to come by. We both got the cream of crab soup to start. It was really good; it had that good sweetness to it. Probably not as much crab as I would have liked, but sometimes that's to be expected. For dinner, I got the chicken pot pie. It was different than any other I have ever had. It was basically comfort food at its finest. Instead of a creamy filling, it was more just mashed potatoes with chicken and veggies with the pastry crust over it. It was really yummy. G got the crab cake sandwich and it was also quite good.

For dessert we got the creme brulee and the chocolate mousse. The mousse was a little rich for me, but it came with a delicious cookie. G was crazy about it. The creme brulee was pretty standard, but that kind of standard is always welcome!

Overall, the food was very good. No, we didn't get oysters, but people seemed to be enjoying theirs. The service could definitely be better, though, and be prepared to wait.

iBar Baltimore, Charles Village

For some strange reason (ad space? random suggestion?) the elevators in my apartment building have had flyers in them that advertise for iBar Baltimore. Apparently some people have taken notice of them; City Paper says that they have the best wings. iBar is not particularly close to us, being in Charles Village, but we decided to take a chance on it and see if they really do have the best wings in Baltimore.

It's not in the prettiest part of the city. It's actually pretty sketchy. It's close to a Save A Lot strip mall, but other than that, it's pretty dead. When you go in, it is very obviously a renovated rowhouse, but not in a cute way. More in a "I feel like we're hanging out in my friend's basement and we're not supposed to be here" kind of way. We sat downstairs and there was one other table. The service was friendly, but the food was mediocre. I ordered the melted roast beef and swiss sandwich, but the waitress recommended the open-face roast beef special instead. It was decent and the fresh-cut fries were alright, but it's nothing to write home about. G got a burger and he said it was good. We got the "suicidal" hot wings. They had a peppery taste to them. I really liked their texture- kind of crispy, but noy heavy with breading. The sauce was good, but probably not "the best". We also forgot that they automatically add 18% gratuity to every check and accidentally double-tipped the waitress. Being a server myself, I think that there are worst things.

iBar may be the only option for some people in that area of town. I won't be making the trip out there again for it, though.