In honor of the 30th anniversary of its opening, the Rusty Scupper invited us to a complementary dinner. We hadn't dined here in a very long time, but the main restaurant dining room on the second floor with a mix of tables and booths under a rustic beamed ceiling felt much as we remembered. We were seated next to the windows and discovered that the original, memorable view of downtown and the Inner Harbor now included awesome views of the new Harbor East area as well. (Some tables which are three to four rows back from the windows have a more obstructed view.)

The original Charles Village Pub (not to be confused with its namesake in Towson) is a small, noisy, old-time sports pub with a narrow space filled by a long bar with 20 stools on one side and lined with booths along the other. The walls above the booths are filled with Baltimore sports photos; the booths fit at most four people and there are no tables. On the floor along the bar, the finish has been worn away after 30 years of bar stools pushing back and forth. The only nods to modernity are a half dozen LCD TV's providing views of sports events. The unpretentious realness of the place combined with a mix of hunky Hopkins students, middle age straight couples, and 70+ year-old customers gave us a feeling similar to putting on some favorite old shoes.

We wanted to treat a friend to a birthday dinner, and she selected the Ruth's Chris Steak House in Pikesville. Though situated in a modern business office complex, the five dining rooms have a posh traditional feel with lots of dark wood, muted colors and tables decked out in heavy white linens spaced nicely part. While we're used to upscale restaurants, Ruth's Chris' menu prices raised our eyebrows. With most entrées priced $35 to $50 (and vegetables at $8 or more not included), the menu induced acute sticker shock. (There are no prices on their online menu nor does the actual menu provide the weight for the pricey steaks.) Starter soups and side salads ranged from $8 to $11 and a handful of appetizers ranged from $13 to $18.

The new Ruby Buffet in Towson stands out among a growing number of Asian buffet restaurants that have sprung up around Baltimore in regard to both its style and quality of its food.

Strolling along Broadway in Fell's Point, you could easily pass by Alexander's Tavern without realizing the opportunities to try some tasty food in the pleasant space adjacent to the bar. The large dining room is light and airy with large French doors along the sidewalk, with 18 tables and some great 100-year-old photographs of Baltimore on the walls. A warm and friendly waitress greeted us as soon as we walked in and made us feel immediately welcome.

The Grandview Penthouse opened in September of 2011 taking over the space left by the unexpected closing of the Dizz Grandview. Perched on the top floor of a 15-story seniors apartment building in Hampden, the floor-to-ceiling windows in the dining room provide an incredible unobstructed 180+ degree view of Baltimore. At night, the sea of city lights can be magical. During the day, looking out over the city and spotting landmarks that can be miles away is compelling!

Salt, "a New American Tavern," occupies a renovated townhouse barely two blocks from the Pagoda in Patterson Park. The entrance (actually on Collington Avenue) separates a long bar with a few tables from a small dining room with about 10 tables. Overhead, clusters of contemporary large lighting fixtures that glow an otherworldly green stand out from tall ceilings against exposed brick walls and polished wood floors.

After another great year of dining out in and around Baltimore, and sharing their experiences with us, reviewers John and Marty compiled their 2011 Golden Eleven Awards. These awards highlight some of their most notable experiences of 2011.

Kyro is located in the triangular space at the corner of Read & Cathedral streets, a quick, walk from the Washington Monument in Mt Vernon and neighborhood LGBT institutions including Club Hippo, Grand Central Station, the Drinkery, and Leon's.

We told you our favorite places to shop—now check out the first in a series of issues highlighting some of our favorite places to dine! Between our staff and board, we've dined at quite a few local spots. Add to that the plethora of restaurants our Dining Out restaurant reviewers, John Cullen and Marty Shayt, have visited, and we've covered most of the state! So take a look at the first installment of our favorite places to eat!

Visiting Meet 27 for the first time had us trying to make sense of a brightly lit "Sweet Sin Bakery" sign curiously perched hanging over the main entrance to the restaurant on the corner of Howard and 27th (turns out the bakery is next door and is operated by the wife of one of Meet 27's owners). Inside the entrance, a handsome long bar lit by chandeliers stood empty (Meet 27 is BYOB as a result of a year-plus long effort from some neighbors to block a liquor license).

Perched on top of a parking garage just a block off the circle in the middle of Towson on Joppa Road, the entrance to Bahama Breeze Island Grille off-ramp into Towsontown Center is easy to miss. Part of a chain with a couple dozen locations and owned by the large Darden restaurant group (parent of Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Longhorn Steakhouse), Bahama Breeze features a Caribbean island theme. Inside, you’ll find three colorful, large dining rooms plus a long oval bar surrounded by booths, and a large covered patio that can be delightful (when the weather cooperates!). Along with our friends Tom and Paul, we were seated in a spacious booth with a view of the bar and the open kitchen.

Contrary to popular belief, Alewife's handsome building never was a bank! It was built in 1847 for the Baltimore Equitable Society (founded in 1794 to provide fire insurance and put out house fires for its members). The Society moved out in 2005 to bigger offices on Pratt Street (between then and when Alewife opened, two other restaurants have opened and closed at this location). Alewife retains much of the original architectural detail (including a vault where the Society's insurance contracts were stored!). The striking interior has 20+ foot tall ceilings, large windows with views of the nearby Hippodrome Theater, handsome woodwork, and an attractive bar.

In a tight economy, dining out bargains are more important than ever.

Here are some of our favorites:

Mama’s on the Half Shell is obviously popular—on a summer week night, a half dozen sidewalk tables were all taken, and we had to wait 20 minutes for a table in a very crowded, very “straight” bar. Inside, Mama’s oozes with atmosphere and feels like the joint where your grandparents ventured out for a drink (actually, it opened in 2003 with the objective of offering classic Baltimore seafood dishes!). There’s a bar with adjacent small dining area on the first floor with a larger (quieter yet charming) dining room on the second floor where we ended up being seated with our friends JT and Jerry.

McCabe’s re-opened under new ownership in mid-2010 after sitting closed for over a year. Inside, there are a dozen wobbly wooden tables crowded tightly into a narrow room framed by a long exposed brick wall, the bar and a small window facing Falls Road. Our friend Marta was a fan of the “old” McCabe’s and assured us that it looks the same.

On the limited menu, Marta smiled finding her favorite onion soup ($5) and cheeseburger with fries ($11) but at “new” McCabes, the burgers originate from local, all-natural Springfield Farms; additional bacon, mushrooms, and fried egg options can push up the price. There are a few appetizers ($8-13) plus chicken breast, pulled pork, fried cod, or veggie eggplant sandwiches ($10-11) and a half dozen entrees including a veggie polenta lasagna ($16-25) as well as steak or tuna entrée salads ($14).

McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurant is situated at the end of Inner Harbor’s Pier 5 with great waterfront views and part of a chain covering 25 states. Inside, lots of dark wood, huge stained glass hanging light fixtures and white linens on the tables provide a casual yet upscale feel. The oversized one page menu is clearly focused on seafood with two dozen starter options ($6-20), soups ($5/cup), side salads ($6-8), entrée salads ($15-18), five beef/chicken entrees ($18-34) and two dozen seafood entrées with many intriguing sounding preparations ($18-42).

Freshii, a Canadian-based 50-restaurant chain, opened in Charles Village in late June with the motto “Fresh food, custom built” and a mission to provide healthy, responsible eating combined with green business practices (100% of their packaging is recyclable and/or bio-degradable).  Co-owner Rebecca Fielding, a former Peace Corp volunteer and a program manager with Jhpiego (an international, nonprofit health organization affiliated with Johns Hopkins University) invited us to sample the menu.

Bagby Pizza Company opened in late October of 2009 and shares the name and original home of the Bagby Furniture Company that built the building in 1902 (and remained in business until 1990). The space has a great urban feel with 20-foot ceilings, exposed brick walls, eye-catching artwork, and about 20 tables. (It also can get pretty noisy when busy!) Not a full-serve restaurant, the drill here is to order and pay for your food and drink at the counter and then receive a numbered “flag” to put on the table of your choice (which the staff uses to identify you when they bring your food). Beer and wine are available; soft drinks are self-serve.

Following our interview with actor Chazz Palminteri, of “A Bronx Tale,” “The Usual Suspects,” “Bullets Over Broadway, “ and an episode of “Modern Family,” we were invited to return as his guests to sample the food at Chazz – A Bronx Original (which opened June 2011, and is co-owned/managed by the owners of nearby Aldo’s). The restaurant is large and open with four separate dining areas plus seating in front of a coal-fired pizza oven. Huge floor-to-ceiling murals of the Bronx dominate the rear of the space while a wall of windows faces warehouses across Aliceanna Street. Stainless steel top tables add a contemporary look (but table spacing can be tight).

The Italian themed menu features six “Bronx-style” appetizers ($8-15), eight intriguing veggie small dishes ($5-6), three side salads ($7-12), bruschette ($9), pizza ($10-17 for a generous 13-inch pie), four pastas ($17-22), six entrees ($20-25), and six desserts ($6-9). Wines by the glass start at $9 (with “half” glasses available for tasting) while beers start at $5.

Chazz Palminteri may be best known for his roles in “The Bronx Tale,” “Bullets Over Broadway,” and “The Usual Suspects,” but Baltimoreans will soon know him as the owner of Harbor East’s new restaurant, Chazz: A Bronx Original. In town to promote this new authentic  Italian restaurant, Palminteri recently sat down with Gay Life restaurant reviewers John Cullen and Marty Shayt, and opened up about acting and playing gay characters, like Shorty, Jay’s golfing buddy in the hit gay-friendly sitcom, “Modern Family.”

Located just a mile-plus east of “downtown” Towson, Glory Days Grill, part of a smaller regional restaurant chain, is worth taking time to discover. The good vibes start with a welcoming hostess routinely opening the door and greeting you as you enter. Inside, you’ll find an unexpectedly large open space with a casual sports bar feel and a mix of 50 booths and tables surrounding a large oval bar. The walls are decorated with sports memorabilia and there are multitudes of LCD TV’s in every direction. Many tables have special speakers that allow you to pick the audio for which ever TV sports event has caught your attention (alternatively you can just turn off the audio). Despite the sports hoopla and the fact that it’s seemingly always busy, Glory Days Grill is also a surprisingly easy place to have a conversation.

At the start of 2010, Waterstone Bar & Grille replaced Coconuts, a popular lesbian bar. The location, three blocks west of the Washington Monument and at the back of Maryland General Hospital, isn’t the most photogenic (but free on-street parking is welcome these days!). Entering the door near the handsome bar, the casual yet stylish and upscale feel of the interior blew us away. We felt more like we had entered a Mediterranean taverna than a former corner bar on the edge of Mt. Vernon. The friendly staff made us feel genuinely welcomed and sat us at a polished stone top table in a pleasant dining space with exposed brick walls, contemporary pendant lighting, large windows, a gurgling water fountain, and flickering candles in wall niches.

Sascha’s two-story-high walls are painted a soft beet red, hung with dozens of portraits, and lit by a dazzlingly large crystal chandelier. It is an elegant yet casual space with 18+ dark red tables that lead into a pleasant lounge in the rear. While perusing the menu, we sampled savory homemade breadsticks and small bowl of olives and pickles.

The palm trees in front of Jilly’s tip you off that this isn’t just another restaurant on Pikesville’s equivalent of “Main Street.” Inside, a mix of tables and booths on three levels and at least a dozen LCD TV’s all under an unfinished ceiling of exposed rafters contribute to a noisy and raucous joint that’s casual, appealing, and friendly.

It’s time again for Baltimore’s Winter Restaurant Week! Spanning 10 days from Friday, January 21 to Sunday, January 30, about 100 participating restaurants offer the opportunity to indulge yourself with a three course dinner for $35. A small number of these restaurants also offer a special $20 three course lunch. (FYI - Tax, tip and drinks are not included in the special promotional pricing) Each restaurant creates special, limited Restaurant Week menus offering several options for each of the three courses.

Lunch at Donna’s Café at Cross Keys has been enjoyable for lunch in the past, and that motivated us to try it for dinner. It has a contemporary feel with 20+ tables under timbered cathedral ceilings and long walls of windows facing the patio (which is pleasant for outside dining when weather allows). While casual at lunchtime, dinnertime is more formal with white linens, flowers on the tables, and overhead lighting from rows of white globes and strings of lights along the windows.

Gino Troia, owner of Café Troia in Towson, created Emporio Grano out of two Hampden row houses in 2010. (The original, tiny “Grano Pasta Bar” remains in business a few blocks west.) Even though the chef was formerly the head chef at the Italian embassy, Emporio Grano feels casual and intimate. There is a lounge and dining room on the main floor and two more dining rooms upstairs. The décor is “Italian farmhouse” with walls painted warm yellow and tables unadorned with fancy linens.