Marmalade on Wry

There are many things to enjoy in Baltimore’s Little Italy, and La Scala is definitely one of them.  It was not the only restaurant in Little Italy that I tried, but it was the best.

I should have known when we they couldn’t accomodate our group on short notice the first night.  Several nights later, with only a party of two, we did get a table, and it was excellent.  I didn’t see one empty table.  Servers were busy, but accomodating; if you are staying nearby they will even send a shuttle to pick you up.

The menu had a large variety of options, meaty and vegetarian.  The Penne All’ Arrabiata was spicy and wonderful. The pesto tasted of the essence of basil itself, green and fragrant, it was exquisite.  The Pane Gorgonzola was a delightful dish and not something you see everyday, although I certainly plan to replicate it myself at home.  All of the bread I tried was crusty, good, and fresh.

I always enjoy a surprise at a restaurant, and at La Scala it was definitely the green beans.  Before even bread was brought to the table the server delivered a little plate without saying a word.  There were two small pieces of red potato and a heap of garlicky green beans.  It was a delightful little dish, spicy and refreshing, a great snack to sort of whet your appetite before a fantastic meal.

• La Scala of Little Italy
• 1012 Eastern Ave.
  
• Baltimore, MD 21202
  
• (410) 783-9209

I love a good vegetarian restaurant. What is better than that? A great vegetarian restaurant with reasonable prices and nice folks running the place.

Being in a strange city and needing a meal, I usually start with Google maps and search for vegetarian restaurants. Liquid Earth came up on the first page for Baltimore, but with a broken menu link. At first I thought about trying the local Indian joint, but really I wanted options. I asked at the front desk of my hotel, they recommended Liquid Earth and handed me a menu.

A funky little place in the Fell’s Point neighborhood, Liquid Earth has been around awhile. After two visits the tofu salad & tofu salad sandwich became my personal favorites, but I sampled a half dozen menu items and was never disappointed. I tried two different daily soups during our stay, both were fantastic. Philly Cheese and Rueben sandwiches are done well. Liquid Earth doesn’t stop with the sandwiches and soup.They have a great juice selection and some raw food options. Unlike many healthy restaurants, they understand that desserts are important as well. The vegan chocolate cake would be at home in any great bakery. In fact, the breads served with every sandwich and soup were superb, clearly Liquid Earth respects baking for the art that it is.

The current website for Liquid Earth is lacking, but the owner reports that it is in the process of being updated. Quite possibly the best news is the planned expansion of the Liquid Earth empire. Look for a cookbook, products on your grocery store shelves, etc. If they maintain their quality standards for product lines, sales will not be a problem.

Liquid Earth is family owned & operated, close by 7 p.m., and you are missing out if you have never been.

• Liquid Earth (liquidearth.com)
• 1626 Aliceanna St
• Baltimore, Maryland 21231
• (410) 276-6606

We went to Luigino because we wanted good pizza. Wood-fired, the real kind. Our hotel had a recommended restaurant list, and Luigino looked like a good fit: moderate price, casual clothing. While waiting for the Metro I looked it up in the AAA guide. AAA seemed to think it was pretty good, two diamonds, they did note the occasional rude service during lunch. I’m paraphrasing of course. So the bad news, Luigino’s rude service doesn’t end at 2 p.m. because we were brusquely seated at 8 p.m. between the exit door and the restroom. Our amazingly rude waitress hardly looked at our table, and we practically begged for someone to take our money so we could leave. The busboy cleared our table in a timely manner and bagged up our leftovers for us in record time. The waitress however had to be cajoled into even bringing us wine, and practically rolled her eyes at us when we inquired about vegetarian options. My husband made a substitution on his order and must have repeated it three times. The waitress seemed indignant that he would prefer a spicy tomato sauce on his ravioli. She seemed pained to have to return to our table to tell me that the kitchen was out of the sun-dried tomatoes I had requested on my pizza.

All that being said, the house merlot ($15.00 a half carafe) was delightful, and the food was superb. The pizza ($10.50) was excellent, the crust thin and crisp. Although billed as a serving for one, I could only finish half, and I noticed at least one other diner with the same problem (if you want to call breakfast for the next day a problem). The cheese was excellent, pine nuts fresh and rich. My husband’s Ravioli Magro ($15.25) was also excellent. The spicy tomato sauce he chose to substitute, oh my goodness, if that wasn’t some of the best marinara I have had in a long, long time. The breadsticks were adequate, and the loaf bread was put to work sopping up the delightful leftover marinara. I’m not sure I could do the sauce justice, it was a beautiful, beautiful thing. Full and vibrant, rich and savory, it had to have been made by someone who has a great palate.
But by the end of the night I felt guilty that I was somehow responsible for ruining this waitresses night, and my husband felt burdened by having to tip this woman. Food so lovely, tasty and poetic, with service like a 14 year old who has been dragged to a distant cousin’s bar mitzvah–perhaps that could be Luigino’s new motto.

• Luigino (Luigino.com)
• 1100 New York Ave NW
  Washington, DC 20005
  (202) 371-0595