Todd Conner’s
Todd Conner's (aka TC's), a small corner bar and restaurant on the corner of Broadway and Aliceanna in the midst of Fells Point, opened on New Year's Eve of 2007. Is Todd Conner the owner? Nah! According to the young couple that owns it, Todd Conner was to be the first and middle name of the son they were trying to conceive and when things didn't work out like they hoped, they re-directed their efforts into this restaurant which became their “baby” and inherited the name. ...Continue

DiningOUT: Basta Pasta
“Basta Pasta”, an “Olive Garden” clone out in Fallston, opened a new second location in March, 2010, in Timonium near the Maryland state fair grounds (Do the owners realize that “Basta Pasta” is the Italian colloquial equivalent of “Enough Pasta, Already!”?).  ...Continue

Orchard Market & Cafe
The Orchard Market & Café features Persian cuisine and occupies a store front in a small commercial area hidden far back off of Joppa Rd in Towson (and is confusingly close to the defunct Hersh’s Orchard Inn).  There’s a small foyer across the front while inside there’s a very pleasant dining room with 18 tables (mostly for two) with glass tops covering colorful striped table cloths. The moss green painted walls are bedecked with Persian carpets, reproductions of Persian sculpture, photos of modern Iran and original art. The small dining room has a diverse crowd ranging in age from mid-20’s to mid-70’s. ...Continue

Portalli’s (Visited April 24th, 2010)
Portalli’s opened in December, 2009 in the heart of historic Ellicott City taking over the space where Jordan’s had closed 6 months prior in financial disarray.   The structure and color scheme of the prior restaurant has been retained while the Jordan’s Victorian furniture, decorations and vinyl table cloths have been replaced by contemporary black leather chairs, white linens and paintings of Tuscany. ...Continue

Unashamedly Proud
A few weeks ago, I had dinner with three friends in a small, basically straight restaurant just outside of Towson (but then, with exception of a very few ones downtown, what restaurants in greater Baltimore aren’t basically straight?). ...Continue