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.

Ledo Pizza, Federal Hill

I have grown up with Ledo Pizza. It actually hasn't been too long that I've realized that it's a pretty big franchise and not just a local, Ocean City thing. I've always loved their crispy crust and the square slices. I ever got to eat at the original Ledo near UMD when I was there. My favorite pizza there has been the buffalo chicken pizza for a while now. We decided to get take-out a few nights ago and decided to get Ledo from Federal Hill. But here was the dilemma: I have been doing the South Beach diet for almost a week now and Phase 1 means no carbs. Which means no pizza.

So while G went ahead and got the delicious buffalo chicken pizza, I decided to get the buffalo chicken salad with grilled chicken and a cup of minestrone (which I picked around to keep SB friendly). Happily, I was very pleased with my huge salad with awesome toppings. It might not have had the awesome crust (I'm drooling thinking about it now), but it still had the components that I love. I'm very happy to say that our new local Ledo Pizza is just as awesome as all of the other ones that we've tried. I just can't wait until I can have the pizza again...

The Breakfast Shoppe, Severna Park

My blog is sort of changing, if you haven't noticed. I haven't been too much in the mood to photo journal my eats, but I have been really excited to write about the restaurants that I have been able to try out. Case in point:

Last weekend, I looked for a restaurant where we could all go out to breakfast while my parents were visiting. I saw some pretty awesome reviews for The Breakfast Shoppe in Severna Park, so we loaded in the car and headed down there.

It was a little bit of a trek for breakfast, but the reviews were raving, so why not? The place is in a strip mall (always a good sign for me) and was fairly small. The wait wasn't too bad for a Sunday breakfast, maybe 30 minutes? We could read the daily specials on a TV screen and they all sounded amazing.

One of those specials was the berry and banana belgian waffle, which G and I both ordered. It was piled with fruit and fresh whipped cream and was really delicious. My parents both got omelets. They said that they were good. I tried their potatoes and they were really yummy.

I don't know if it was the best breakfast place (I'd rather take company to somewhere like Blue Moon Cafe), but it was really good quality breakfast. Definitely a go if you're in the Severna Park area!

The Helmand

My parents came up to visit over the weekend and we wanted to show them a good, fun, Baltimore time while they were here. We're still learning more about the city ourselves, and one of the restaurants that we had been dieing to try was The Helmand.

The Helmand is located on Charles Street in Mount Vernon, right next to the Washington monument. It was a chilly night, and they have a public lot right next door (hooray!). The restaturant itself had a really cozy atmosphere. It felt nice, without being snobby.

I had heard so much about the pumpkin appetizer (kaddo borawni)at this place that I knew I was definitely getting it. I was not disappointed! It was so amazingly delicious; all of the flavors came together so nicely. Who knew that pumpkin, sugar, garlic, and yogurt could be so good together? My mom got bowlawni ("Pan-fried twin pastry shells filled with leeks and spiced potatoes. Garnished with yogurt and mint."). These were also amazing. We also had the bread that was perfectly crispy and definitely toasted in the giant wood burning oven behind the bar.

For dinner, my mom and I split a vegetarian platter ("Combination of fresh vegetables cooked with our special spices and herbs. Served with challow.") and a chicken special that I can't recall and isn't on their website. I liked the chicken better, and from tasting my boyfriend's chicken kabob, I think that it was probably the best dish we had. The chicken was so well cooked and not dried out like some places can do. All of the vegetables and rice were amazing, as well.

All in all, we loved The Helmand. It was moderately priced and had amazing food! I would definitely recommend it!