WHAT!?!?!?! Babalu Grill is Closing!?!?!?!

Say it isn't so :o( Please :o(

But according to Elizabeth Large at the Baltimore Sun...I think it is

This makes me really sad. I LOVED their happy hour and had really good intentions to go back when I could!!!!!

Happy Birthday To Me!!!

(Taken from EpiCute, one of the best websites EVER)

It's my birthday!!!!!!

Yay!!!!

That is all..... :O)

A whole load of reviews will be coming shortly - I've had quite a busy week!

Paintings at Talara

"Man with a Cigar"

Dan and I went to HarborEast the other day to see (500) Days of Summer at the Landmark. While we were there, we decided to walk around and check out all the different restaurants in the area, especially since we don't usually make it down there too often (a bit too expensive for us!) One place that happened to catch my eye was Talara - entirely because of the artwork. I literally wanted to go inside, pretend it was a gallery, and just walk through to see all the paintings up close. They are vibrant, striking, and create a wonderful exotic mood throughout the restaurant.

I went home and immediately contacted Talara to find out more about the artist. His name is August Vernon and he has worked with Mr. Carreau before (the primary owner of the restaurant). Check out his website, and hop on down to Talara to catch a glimpse of the work, and maybe stay for a couple of treats and let me know what you get!

www.augustvernon.com

Santorini Grill, Timonium

I love gyros.

Did you know this about me? Because I really do.

Please don't base my love on the inconsistency of how I pronounce them: "Hero" one day and "Jai-ro" the next, I am still a true fan, I promise. I also, apparently, don't even care if you're the food stand right next to Home Depot - if you serve a delicious gyro, I will eat it.

After our humid-filled 5K on Sunday, Dan and I wanted to go home, sit on our recliners and get some delivery. We decided on the Santorini Grill because we had recently recieved a delivery menu from them, and 1) I love gyros 2) I am obsessed with Santorini and therefore squealed in excitement that a restaurant close by had Santorini in their name.

I ordered the gyro wrap for $5.99 which came with a small side of chips. I personally was happy with the quantity of chips, but that really depends on your tummy's need. The wrap itself was large, meaty, and had a TON of tzatziki sauce. The sauce was clearly made from whole yogurt, with large chunks of tomatoes and cucumbers. I loved this sauce, and glad that I was given a lot so that I could dip a couple of my chips into it. The gyro meat was nice and thick, and seasoned well.

Dan ordered the cheese pizza (12 inch: $7.95) and although he liked it (the tomato sauce definitely has a different taste about it that I really enjoyed and may taste even better with veggies), he said he probably would continue ordering pizza from elsewhere and stick with Greek specialties at Santorini Grill instead. Sounds good with me!

Next up.....the souvlaki platter!

Baltimore Restaurant Week EXTENDED

http://www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com/ Some restaurants are offering the deal until August 23rd

Great. Now I'm going to want to go.

THEY ARE SO GOOD AT MARKETING!!!!!!!!!!!!

If I went in my dreams, I would probably choose The Wine Market for lunch and B-Bistro for dinner.

Burger Brothers, Towson

My hubby Dan is going to help me write some posts from now on - here is his first review!!!!

Burger Brothers, Towson

Posted by Dan

I really love a good burger (who doesn’t?!). Recently, a friend of mine began ranking all of the local burger places in order to come up with his top-5 burgers. The list included some of the great burger places like Abbey Burger Bistro and Fatburger. But his FAVORITE burger in the Baltimore area was from a place called Burger Brothers in Towson, MD. I had seen and passed by this place many times while walking around Towson looking for a place to eat, but I had never eaten there or even walked in to check out the menu. But because I agreed with the rest of his list, I figured I had better go with him next time to give it a try.

Location:
Burger Brothers is located on a side street right off of the Towson traffic circle. The location is very good; within easy walking distance of Towson Town Center, and all of the other shops and restaurants in the central Towson area. Although a bit of a walk, the restaurant is less than a half mile away from the Towson University campus, so I imagine that they get a large amount of their business from students. We were there at a very random time (3pm on a Saturday), and it is currently Summer break, so there wasn’t a student in site. The restaurant is located in a standard “strip mall” style building; exactly what you would expect for a burger place, really. It is located right next to Towson Hot Bagels, another place that I have been meaning to try because I hear their breakfast sandwiches are excellent. There seems to be plenty of seating inside, and also a few tables out front to sit at for those who prefer sidewalk dining.

The Service:
Not much to speak of here; there is a counter set up where you place your order like any other burger place/fast food restaurant. The guy who helped us was very friendly. Granted, we were the only two people in the place at the time, but he stood by the counter as soon as we entered, and was ready to help us as soon as we figured out our order. I did happen to glance at a few framed reviews hanging on their wall, and noticed that the guy behind the counter was the same guy pictured in the reviews. This leads me to believe that he was the owner of the restaurant, which I really liked to see; he also assisted in the preparation of our food.

The Food:
And now the important question; how is the food?! They have a surprisingly large menu, larger than what I was expecting. They have much more than just burgers. They have wings, chicken fingers, and a whole assortment of other delicious fried items. But even along the lines of their burgers, they offer chicken burgers, turkey burgers, and even veggie burgers for customers who aren’t in the mood for red meat. But I was in there for red meat, and red meat did I receive! I ordered the standard burger, topped with just cheddar cheese and bacon, and specified that I would like it cooked medium. I usually prefer a medium-rare burger, but I will go with medium during my first trip to a new burger place just in case our definitions of medium-rare don’t match up; I’d rather have it slightly overdone than slightly undercooked! Burger Brothers makes their burgers fresh every day from ground beef; there is nothing frozen or prepackaged about these burgers. And they are BIG burgers, they say they are 6oz burgers but they look to me like they are half-pound. I also decided to partake in a small order of their fresh-cut Idaho spuds (they call them spuds, not fries, to make sure the point gets across). The food took about 5 minutes to prepare, as it is cooked fresh upon being ordered, and the fries are not kept warm in a warming tray, they are also prepared fresh upon order. My burger was absolutely delicious! It was enormous, significantly larger than I was expecting. My one complaint is that I think it was done slightly past medium, although this didn’t stop me from completely enjoying it. The burger was still juicy, the bacon was thick and perfectly cooked, and the burger bun was warm and soft. I have to say, I think their buns are probably my favorite out of any local burger place. The French fries were excellent as well; they are basically Boardwalk-style fries, thick and fresh, and tasted even better with a little Old Bay and Vinegar added! I liked that the fries were not overly salted, allowing me to salt/spice them exactly to my taste. I got the medium order of fries ($2.79), and it was an INSANE amount of fries. Between my burger and fries, I was so full from eating at 3pm that I ended up skipping dinner that night; it never even occurred to me that I forgot to eat dinner until I was about to get into bed. This is definitely a great place to visit if you are feeling particularly hungry, as you will most certainly leave satisfied. I ended up being very satisfied with my entire order. At $5.99 for my Bacon Cheeseburger ($4.99 without the bacon or cheese), they are slightly higher in price than most fast food places, but the fresh quality of the meat and bun was WELL above what you could ever expect to receive from a fast-food chain. They are offering restaurant-quality burgers at half of the restaurant price, and because of this, I would definitely say that Burger Brothers is a GREAT deal.

So overall, how would I rank the Burger at Burger Brothers? VERY high. Definitely the best burger I have had in the Towson area, and it is right up there with Fatburger and Boardwalk Fries for being one of my favorite fast food burgers ever. I can only imagine how much better it will be next time I head back and order it medium-rare, now that they have earned my trust!

August Maryland Wine Events

One of my favorite activities is visiting vineyards, as you know. Here are some events going on in August at wineries throughout the state. If I've missed any, please let me know so that I can include them!

Information provided from the Maryland Wine Association's website and the wineries' websites.

BASIGNANI WINERY

T.G.I.F MOVIE NIGHT: 14th, 28th, 8-11PM. $8

Enjoy a movie on a big screen outside. Check website for movie. Wine tasting and popcorn included.

CASE CLUB EVENT 29, Noon-5PM

Join the case club for special discounts, Italian cheese and a wine glass with every case.

BLACK ANKLE VINEYARDS

LIVE MUSIC FRIDAYS: 7th, 14th, 21st, 5-8PM

LIVE MUSIC: 8th, 1-6PM. Free

SUNDAY NIGHT FOOD & WINE DINNER: 16th, 5PM. $30; $8 for Kids Plate

Enjoy a 3-course dinner from Chef Paul Congarra of Dionysus' Kitchen. Each course will be paired with wine. Advance reservations are required. Call 619-203-8230 or email melissa@blackankle.com.

BOORDY VINEYARDS

THURSDAY FARMERS MARKET: 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th, 4-8PM

Enjoy wine tastings, local farmers and musicians.

SUMMER CONCERT SERIES: 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, 5:30-9:30PM. $17-20 for Adults; $5-10 for Children.

DOVE VALLEY

LIVE MUSIC: 8th,14th 6-9PM. Free

ELK RUN VINEYARDS

WINE DOWN FRIDAY LIVE MUSIC: 7th, 21st, 28th, 6-9PM

OPEN MIC NIGHT: 14th, 6-9PM

p.s. Last year I went to their winery- check out my review

FIORE WINERY

20TH ANNUAL WINE, ART & JAZZ FESTIVAL: 15-16TH, Noon-6PM. $15

Listen to jazz while checking out local artists and food and craft vendors. Tours available.

FREDERICK CELLARS

LIVE MUSIC FRIDAYS: 7th, 14th, 21st, 28th, 7:30PM. Free

LIVE MUSIC SATURDAYS: 8th, 15th, 22nd, 29th, 7:30PM. Free

LINGANORE WINCELLARS - BERRYWINE PLANTATIONS

2009 SWINGING BLUES FESTIVAL: 29-30th, $15 for 21 and older; $Free-10 for under-age.

Enjoy live music, while food vendors, tours, and tastings will be available.

p.s. Last year I visited their beautiful winery, check out my review.

SUGARLOAF MOUTAIN VINEYARDS

LIVE MUSIC: 15th, 2-5PM

Enjoy live music with a sangria sale: buy one glass, get one free.

Additionally, on August 29th, the City of Rockville will be holding their 3rd annual wine and music festival. Check out the information here.

Baltimore Restaurant Week: Aug 7-16

This post really isn't necessary - I'm sure everyone knows by now that we have entered Baltimore Restaurant Week.

I for one will not be participating (SHOCK AND HORROR) because I honestly spend more money at Baltimore Restaurant Week than I do if I just go out for a normal dinner. Also, as you may have noticed, I've been conscious about my eating out habits because it's SO expensive....which is slightly bad news for this blog - but don't worry, I'll keep on reviewing places when I can.

Anyway, let me know which restaurants you intend on going to. I've read through a lot of the menus, and most restaurants sound REALLY great. Have fun everyone!!!!

American Idol Love

(taken from www.adamofficial.com)

To the zero people that cared to know who my favorite Idol was.....

ADAM LAMBERT

I went to the American Idols Live Concert Last Night....

....I was 7 rows away from the stage.

Let's just say it was the stuff of dreams and legends hahahahaha!

Any guesses to who is my favorite????

:)